No herd yet, but I do have 5 acres of poison oak

[Baymule]

Of course, useful stuff like that is banned in California. Sigh!

Have a friend on another state order it for you. Then go visit them!

 

[fat brown hen]

Have a friend on another state order it for you. Then go visit them!

Now now, I am a law-abiding citizen and would never transport an illegal substance across state lines wink wink cough cough

Seriously though, it sounds like animals are not going to lessen the workload? And I should just suck it up and deal with the poison oak, mano a mano?

 

[Ridgetop]

You can use goats to clear the stuff. They love it and you won't have to buy feed until they clean it out. A friend moved onto 5 acres in Arroyo Grande on the central coast. It was covered in oak trees (protected) and poison oak. They had 3 horses, a couple 4-H goats, and chickens at the time. The property had some exterior fencing but not in good condition, and not what I would have considered suitable for sheep and goats. My fencing standards are high (literally) LOL for sheep fencing because we have several LGDs. They did not have an LGD at the time.

They put up a small enclosure and shelter for the goats, one for the chickens, and a corral for the horses. They kept everything in the enclosures and only fed in the pens for a week while they were moving in. After they were living on the property they turned them all out in the yard during the day. The animals went to work on the poison oak. With so much of it they stuck pretty close to the house at first. By the time they had cleared the back yard so the kids could play they were venturing further into the woods. Our friends extended their fence and their neighbors who had a fenced 5 acre yard full of poison ivy allowed them to turn the got and horses into their property.

The horses and goats returned every day before dusk to their pens for feeding time. They didn't lose any goats, although they occasionally lost a chicken. Coyotes occasionally came into the yard but their other dogs chased them off. They didn't get an LGD until 5 years after they moved there.

My friend was afraid at first that if the goats were eating poison oak that it would come through in the milk but soon found that was not so. One thing, I would recommend washing your hands when touching the animals after they come in from running through poison ivy and oak. This would be when locking them into their enclosure and feeding.

If you can make sure they don't go too far away using the electric fencing, you can keep moving the electric fence further out until you reach the distance you need to clear from around your residence. In Los Angeles County we have to clear 200 feet from all buildings and roads. If you set up a small enclosed area for their feed and water, they will come in at night at feeding time.

I recommend that you get larger breed goats, Nubians, Swiss, or even Boers. Stay away from the cute dwarf or mini breeds. They won't eat enough for your purposes and more importantly, they are more easily taken by predators due to their size. If they have horns, it could be a problem for your fences but will help in defense against predators. Don't consider sheep. You need to understand the basic differences between sheep and goats when confronted by a predator. Sheep run. Goats will run only to form a circle with the young in the middle and radiating out in age to the herd queen and bucks. In this way they protect the young, leaving the bucks to do the fighting for them. Goats are much less likely to run from predators choosing instead to face them and fight. The main predators will be stray dogs, coyotes, mountain lions, and bears. A bobcat usually won't try to take on a large breed goat, but can easily kill a dwarf or mini.

As to where to buy them, you can get goats at local auctions, from breeders and from 4-H people. This time of year into fall many 4-H and ffa kids will be selling off their goats since the fairs are over and many kids are graduating from the programs. If you go to Fairs during the got show and talk to people often breeders will have goats to sell that have not come up to show standards. Or they may be cutting back. They may also know of people that have goats to sell. Goats offered by breeders may be more epensive than those you can buy at an auction They will usually be healthier and friendlier though. Breeder offered and youth program goats will not have horns since only boer gosts re allowed to have horns in shows or youth programs. .The 4-H goats will be pets, however, you should start with more friendly pet type goats as you learn to handle them. If you start with an older friendly pet goat you can add cheaper and less friendly auction goats to your poison oak eaters if you choose.

You are wise to check into this now. The end of summer is a good time to pick up older goats that are being culled from herds before breeding season. In the spring you will only find young goat kids for sale and those will need protection and will not do what you want. Spring is also when the brush grows, fire clearance inspections start, and people start to consider getting goats for brush clearance. This is the best time for you to find what you need. In the spring if you want to add to your clearance herd, you can buy very young wethered kids cheaply.

 

[SageHill]

Now now, I am a law-abiding citizen and would never transport an illegal substance across state lines wink wink cough cough

Seriously though, it sounds like animals are not going to lessen the workload? And I should just suck it up and deal with the poison oak, mano a mano?

I don’t know what your work load is or consists of now - if it’s getting rid of the weeds and poison oak - then this may not be an increase in the workload, but rather a shift in what the work is.
As for the fencing - you could do a secure fence around a small area ~an acre +\- and move that once that enclosed area is cleared out. If you did two areas then when it comes time to move the fencing you could move the goats to the other area and take your time moving the fencing from the cleared area. A rotation of sorts.
Before you take the goat plunge go and visit someone who has goats. Check them out, watch how they behave and decide if that is something you can deal with. Goats don’t behave like sheep or horses or ponies. It can be eye opening, and heck it can be something that you decide you really want! Goats are really cute.

 

[fat brown hen]

You can use goats to clear the stuff. They love it and you won't have to buy feed until they clean it out. A friend moved onto 5 acres in Arroyo Grande on the central coast. It was covered in oak trees (protected) and poison oak. They had 3 horses, a couple 4-H goats, and chickens at the time. The property had some exterior fencing but not in good condition, and not what I would have considered suitable for sheep and goats. My fencing standards are high (literally) LOL for sheep fencing because we have several LGDs. They did not have an LGD at the time.

They put up a small enclosure and shelter for the goats, one for the chickens, and a corral for the horses. They kept everything in the enclosures and only fed in the pens for a week while they were moving in. After they were living on the property they turned them all out in the yard during the day. The animals went to work on the poison oak. With so much of it they stuck pretty close to the house at first. By the time they had cleared the back yard so the kids could play they were venturing further into the woods. Our friends extended their fence and their neighbors who had a fenced 5 acre yard full of poison ivy allowed them to turn the got and horses into their property.

The horses and goats returned every day before dusk to their pens for feeding time. They didn't lose any goats, although they occasionally lost a chicken. Coyotes occasionally came into the yard but their other dogs chased them off. They didn't get an LGD until 5 years after they moved there.

My friend was afraid at first that if the goats were eating poison oak that it would come through in the milk but soon found that was not so. One thing, I would recommend washing your hands when touching the animals after they come in from running through poison ivy and oak. This would be when locking them into their enclosure and feeding.

If you can make sure they don't go too far away using the electric fencing, you can keep moving the electric fence further out until you reach the distance you need to clear from around your residence. In Los Angeles County we have to clear 200 feet from all buildings and roads. If you set up a small enclosed area for their feed and water, they will come in at night at feeding time.

I recommend that you get larger breed goats, Nubians, Swiss, or even Boers. Stay away from the cute dwarf or mini breeds. They won't eat enough for your purposes and more importantly, they are more easily taken by predators due to their size. If they have horns, it could be a problem for your fences but will help in defense against predators. Don't consider sheep. You need to understand the basic differences between sheep and goats when confronted by a predator. Sheep run. Goats will run only to form a circle with the young in the middle and radiating out in age to the herd queen and bucks. In this way they protect the young, leaving the bucks to do the fighting for them. Goats are much less likely to run from predators choosing instead to face them and fight. The main predators will be stray dogs, coyotes, mountain lions, and bears. A bobcat usually won't try to take on a large breed goat, but can easily kill a dwarf or mini.

As to where to buy them, you can get goats at local auctions, from breeders and from 4-H people. This time of year into fall many 4-H and ffa kids will be selling off their goats since the fairs are over and many kids are graduating from the programs. If you go to Fairs during the got show and talk to people often breeders will have goats to sell that have not come up to show standards. Or they may be cutting back. They may also know of people that have goats to sell. Goats offered by breeders may be more epensive than those you can buy at an auction They will usually be healthier and friendlier though. Breeder offered and youth program goats will not have horns since only boer gosts re allowed to have horns in shows or youth programs. .The 4-H goats will be pets, however, you should start with more friendly pet type goats as you learn to handle them. If you start with an older friendly pet goat you can add cheaper and less friendly auction goats to your poison oak eaters if you choose.

You are wise to check into this now. The end of summer is a good time to pick up older goats that are being culled from herds before breeding season. In the spring you will only find young goat kids for sale and those will need protection and will not do what you want. Spring is also when the brush grows, fire clearance inspections start, and people start to consider getting goats for brush clearance. This is the best time for you to find what you need. In the spring if you want to add to your clearance herd, you can buy very young wethered kids cheaply.

Fascinating info, thank you. I had no idea that goats could be trained to come home to roost. I could run several hotwires around an acre at a time. Would that be enough to keep them contained during the day, with a secure dog kennel or shed to sleep in at night?

Just curious... is there a reason why no one suggested donkeys?? They seem low-energy, which appeals to me. I've heard horror stories of goats eating a person's hat and cigarettes, goats on the roof of a house, goats doing backflips off the hood of a car... adorable I'm sure, but also a potential headache.

 

[murphysranch]

Use Crossbow. I never found that Roundup killed poison oak well. It stunted the leaves at best. Crossbow will kill. It won't "hurt" the adult trees. Their bark won't be good at absorbing the poison like leaves and stems of poison oak will.

I use Crossbow for the wild blackberries up here. They are everywhere.

Oh, and star thistle was everywhere in the Sierra Foothills. Roundup barely touched it. But mowing several times and then spraying with Crossbow eliminated alot of it on our 7.5 acres.

 

[SageHill]

Use Crossbow. I never found that Roundup killed poison oak well. It stunted the leaves at best. Crossbow will kill. It won't "hurt" the adult trees. Their bark won't be good at absorbing the poison like leaves and stems of poison oak will.

I use Crossbow for the wild blackberries up here. They are everywhere.

Oh, and star thistle was everywhere in the Sierra Foothills. Roundup barely touched it. But mowing several times and then spraying with Crossbow eliminated alot of it on our 7.5 acres.

SHHHH == don't tell the CA you-know-whos ,,,, looks like we can get that here!

 

[SageHill]

I've heard horror stories of goats eating a person's hat and cigarettes, goats on the roof of a house, goats doing backflips off the hood of a car... adorable I'm sure, but also a potential headache.

I do believe that those are pretty much true stories.

 

[fat brown hen]

SHHHH == don't tell the CA you-know-whos ,,,, looks like we can get that here!

Where do you see it available? All the sites I'm looking at refuse to ship to Calif...

 

[Mini Horses]

Ok...confirming, goats do like to jump on things. Young or small breeds more so. They will take your peanut butter sandwich, an apple, etc if you let them. . All such kitchen scraps will be consumed....a garden or orchard will be eaten. Hats, no. Maybe taken in play, not eaten.

But they will clear land like a well pd landscape crew!! They prefer browse to pure grass. Yes, if trained to feed, water, housing -- they WILL return there. In fact, mine will graze a field and come to the gate to be let back into their night area. Very habitual animals. Even without daily feed, they like to return to their own shelter/sleep area at night, once established.

Agree with larger size breeds if you decide to go this route. Boer do normally have horns left in tact but, are a docile breed even tho large...200# plus as adults. The bucks will confront a predator if it is aggressive to the flock. Does will protect their offspring from any perceived threat, another goat, even.

Donkeys, as guards, can be very good or very bad. Depends on their personality. Many decisions to be made

A large wheeled, walk behind weed eater...then spray to kill is surely an option.