Any livestocks guru? What kind of livestocks is the most efficient natural lawn mover?

Question

Here is my question, we have 5 acres of lawn and it is kind tedeous job to catch the speedy growth of grass and to mow the lawn and we are thinking to have some livestocks to relieve some grass cutting. But the problem is which kind of livestocks is the most efficent grass eater, lambs or calf? Which is easier to take care of? And do you know for a 5 acres of land is enough for how many cows to eat? (Geez.. there is no such kind of catergories for my question.. hahahha)

Answer 1

If you are REALLY sure it is grass, then a goat will do. However, we bought a house once, in the country, on 18 acres with three needing mowed and the rest wooded. Bright idea hubby went and got a momma goat and her two kids. Turned out that our "grass" was actually hay. When you keep hay mowed, it looks green, like grass. The goats loved to forage through the wooded area, but they wouldn't touch the lawn. LOL. Ended up having to buy grain and stuff to feed the goats and mow the lawn anyway.

Answer 2

i have had every type of farm animal you can think of.you don't want a cow or horse because they will pull the grass out by the roots.and they are really heavy and so if they get to pawing and running around you wont have any grass left.goats are the best because they eat less and will eat anything and are much cheaper then a horse or cow or lamb.lamb's are more maintenance i.e the wool and get bigger then a goat .also horses have very special needs as in minerals and hoof trimming and to the person who said 2 acres per horse or cow that's not true it all depends on the how tall the grass is.also i keep my horses in a stall with turnout's and they get walked 2 miles every day and for cows like i said depend on the condition of the property you can easily run 50 head of cattle on 25 acers if not less "like the dairies do it" you would have to supplement the pasture with hay .well good luck and i hope this helped you.

Answer 3

I am not a farmer.
I do know that cows are a lot of work to keep. They also do not methodically eat an area of grass, usually they eat as they move around and then they lay down to chew cud. Plus, they weigh a lot and will make a mess of a soft yard.

Sheep tend to pull grass out by the roots or to nibble it down to the nub so it doesn't grow back nice. Also, sheep poop really stinks.

The natural de-grasser i would suggest would be goats.

Goats are not as dirty (messy-poopy) as sheep or cows. They don't need to be shorn like sheep nor milked like cows. Lactating goats get their relief from suckling kids. I would go with goats.

and for 5 acres, call your county agent and ask him how many goats will be needed to trim a lawn.

Answer 4

OK may i suggest goats, they lighter o nthere feet ,compared to cows they eat more of the grass but dont kill it off ,like a horse,they dont dig like a pig would , yes get a goat,but build a really good fence for them ,they can scale 6ft easy ,and they can give you milk and are easy to take care of ....... 4 goats per 5 acres is fine , two cows per 5 acres ,

Answer 5

forget the lambs. Go for goats. They eat a ton of grass and they are very friendly if they are socialzed and worked with. We had four goats and they kept 6 acres trimmed down. I loved haing them around. All you have to do is water them if you have plenty of grass. Good luck.

Answer 6

Hi,,, it depends on were you are,,,, 5 acres in South Texas will not feed a good goat, much less a cow.... where 5 acres in Mississippi will feed 50 cows and goats.....

Sheep and goats are probably easier to fool with than cows... but,, that is up to you......

good luck

Answer 7

Funny...I raised goats for over 10 years and they don't really eat whole lot of grass. They would eat weeds, shrubs, tree leaves, but never ate much grass. They would trample the grass down, but not really eat it.

From my experience...sheep and cows will eat more grass than a goat will.

But, if you think about it..with the cost it is going to take to fence the livestock in, feed them throughout the winter(they cannot live on grass alone), and vet bills etc etc. It really would be cheaper to buy gas for the lawnmower.

Here, I found an excerpt from a site to prove my point: http://fiascofarm.com/goats/getting-your-goat.htm

Why do you want to get goats?

This is the first question we ask people who want to buy goats from us, and this is the most important thing to ask yourself before you get your goats. The answer to this question will help you decide which type of goat that would be suit your needs and which sex would be best for you.

First, you need to know that goats are not lawnmowers with legs. Although a goat's digestive system is similar to that of other ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, who are "grazers" and eat grass, goats are more related to deer, who are "browsers". As browsers, goats are designed to eat, and prefer, brush and trees more than grass. Though goats will eat grass, if you are considering getting goats to be lawnmowers, you are going to be sorely disappointed, because they will eat your trees and roses before they will work on the lawn. Goats could be used to help reclaim grasslands that have been overgrown with brush. Our land was overrun with brambles, wild roses, honeysuckle and 100s of small pine tree when we moved here; these are all gone now. If you want to clear brushy land, a goat will be happy to help you with this project; if you want a lawnmower with legs, get a sheep, though a sheep probably will not be as loving and as smart of a pet as a goat will be.

We did start out getting goats to help us clear our brushy land as well as supply us with milk. The land is quite clear now: the brush is long gone, but we still have our goats. Now, we keep our goats as milkers and pets; they supply us with milk, love and affection. We did not get into goats for the sole purpose of making money and I would never advise someone to get into goats for the intended purpose of making a profit from them. If you are lucky, after years of work, you might break even. The best reason to get into goats is because you love them and you want them to be a part of your life.

Answer 8

Donkey. They can live on the grass alone in summer and require only minimal feed in the winter months. They are capable of defending themselves against coyotes or dogs which makes them better than sheep. They don't require much fencing which makes them better than cows. They are friendly.

Answer 9

Goats and cows eat everyone's lawns here in LA, so I agree.

Answer 10

the rule of thumb with cow and horses is- at least 2 acres per. cow or horse! but, you still have to feed the cow grain and hay if you get a few! if not you'll have a thin cow and a burned out yard!!