DO NOT get goats. I live in southern Arizona. My daughter wanted a pair of miniature goats as pets. They were housed on one acre of heavily vegetated desert. They destroyed all the desert broom plants, half of the creosote bushes, and a lot of the prickly pear. They even ate all the spines off of the saguaro cacti as high as they could reach. This was on top of the hay and pelleted feed they got.
What critters work well in a orchard?
- Thread starter Ninny
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ducks4you
Loving the herd life
If you can feed hay in the winter, consider equine, like a pony. My horses eat down the 1/4 acre in front and to the side of the barn, my "orchard," when I give them the chance, but they don't touch the fruit trees when they're not in fruit. They would have to be starving to eat the bark off of my 3 apple, 1 peach, 1 pear and 3 cherry trees, too. 2 of my apple trees are older, and when they shed extra apples, I let them do the clean-up--far LESS time consuming than bending over to pick them up, all bruised--the horses DON'T mind the bruises.
geese for weeding/grass, they will happily eat all the young shoots, however they will also leav buds, leaves ect that they can reach on the trees too, chickens for bugs.
and mini pot belly pig or kune kune pig supposedly make great "orchard" pigs in terms of cleaning up fallen fruit but watch for rooting.
least thats what ive been told, thinking of doing something similar.
and mini pot belly pig or kune kune pig supposedly make great "orchard" pigs in terms of cleaning up fallen fruit but watch for rooting.
least thats what ive been told, thinking of doing something similar.
Beekissed
Herd Master
If you have young sapling fruit trees, a horse may be a little hard on them. My horse rode ours down to the ground, scratching himself on them! Broke them right off!
The horses in the field across from me do the same thing to young saplings....they make them into scratching posts and they return to this and use it repeatedly. It's quite funny to watch.
The horses in the field across from me do the same thing to young saplings....they make them into scratching posts and they return to this and use it repeatedly. It's quite funny to watch.
ducks4you
Loving the herd life
I'll admit that my horses scratch on the older, established trees in my "orchard." But, they're only in there to visit and help in the mowing. I have 2 large apple and one large peach tree. They don't touch the 3 cherry saplings, or the johnathan apple sapling, or the pear sapling. Maybe there isn't one animal that can actually live in your orchard. Or...maybe you'll just need to find a mower that you love, instead! 
nightshade
Ridin' The Range
I am actually putting ducks in my garden and orchard in the spring to help keep the bugs down and clean up dropped fruit. I am thinking flightless ones like the large pekins and domestic mallards
