# Will goats clear a field of planted pines???



## igrowgrass (Dec 28, 2013)

I am looking at buying property to raise cattle on in Georgia. I have looked at a lot of nice places that would be perfect if they weren't filled with small loblolly pines. These people plant these things down here like they are going to turn into gold or something. 

The piece that I am looking at right now is 108 acres. It is planted with young loblolly pines. I would like to get rid of all the pines without using any heavy equipment to disturb the topsoil if at all possible.

1. Can goats eat all of these pine trees?

2. How many goats would it take to clear the property in six months?

3. At what density should I stock them to make them the most effective?

For example, I run my cattle between 100,000 pounds to 200,000 pounds per acre per day on good grass depending on the amount of forage and other considerations. 

I was wondering how many pounds of goats it would take per acre to really obliterate these things so that I could plant pasture?

Also, could meat goats be finished on pine trees as a primary source of forage? If I could make money while clearing this land that would be nice too.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Are you looking to clear all 108 acres in 6 months?


----------



## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Not knowing the types of pines , I know some are toxic to goats. 
We have tons of pines here and my goats have eaten the bottoms off all of them , lol
Sounds like a huge job !


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Goats would def. work on it...Like tricky said, be sure the kind you have are not toxic for them...it will take quite a few goats to clear off that much property and they only eat as far up as they can reach, so you will still have tops if they are very tall...

Here is a article that might help you decide how to make money off your pine : )

http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/service/library/index.php3?docID=417&docHistory[]=9


----------



## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Ummm... Cathy... think you might've posted that on the wrong thread...?


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

> Ummm... Cathy... think you might've posted that on the wrong thread...?


__________________

Yes I did..I dont know how I jumped threads lol...thank you!


----------



## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

What just happened :scratch:


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Looks like the right thread to me...???


----------



## igrowgrass (Dec 28, 2013)

They're loblolly pines. I don't know if they're toxic. That's why I was asking. Also they're not big trees. Just a few years old. I just can't find cheap land that people haven't planted with these stupid pines. I don't think there's a pine on the place over 7 or 8 feet tall. 

They clear cut these trees and replant them and then harvest them again in 20 years. Im looking for land for cattle but can't afford to buy good established pasture. I was hoping to cleAr these pines off and plant pasture and have cattle and sheep land in a few years.

Im looking for goats to clear it as fast as possible. 6 months would be great lol. Ideally I'd like to buy young goats, turn them in here and then grow them and sell the goats when the property is clear. 

Maybe im dreaming.


----------



## igrowgrass (Dec 28, 2013)

happybleats said:


> Goats would def. work on it...Like tricky said, be sure the kind you have are not toxic for them...it will take quite a few goats to clear off that much property and they only eat as far up as they can reach, so you will still have tops if they are very tall...
> 
> Here is a article that might help you decide how to make money off your pine : )
> 
> http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/service/library/index.php3?docID=417&docHistory[]=9


I have less than zero desire to be a pine tree farmer. Lol. I think that it is the most worthless use of land of all time and I don't have 20 yeArs to wait. I just want to turn a young pine planted forest into pasture as fast as possible without bulldozing it. Not cost effective.


----------



## igrowgrass (Dec 28, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> Are you looking to clear all 108 acres in 6 months?


As fast as possible. If I have to buy 100 goats I can as long as I can sell them for no loss when the pines are gone lol.


----------



## SunnydaleBoers (Jul 28, 2012)

igrowgrass said:


> They're loblolly pines. I don't know if they're toxic. That's why I was asking. Also they're not big trees. Just a few years old. I just can't find cheap land that people haven't planted with these stupid pines. I don't think there's a pine on the place over 7 or 8 feet tall.
> 
> They clear cut these trees and replant them and then harvest them again in 20 years. Im looking for land for cattle but can't afford to buy good established pasture. I was hoping to cleAr these pines off and plant pasture and have cattle and sheep land in a few years.
> 
> ...


You're still going to have the trunks/stumps to contend with- the goats might debark the trunks, but I doubt they'll be able to knock them over, they're not *quite* that enthusiastic.

We have hedge and honey locust here (these have the added joy of growing wild, so they just plant themselves every-frickin'-where). The goats love both types of tree and we've started to feed the bigger ones (in the summer) like you'd feed a round bale, we just use a chainsaw instead of the loader. Cut one or two down, give them a few days to strip it, haul that one off and then cut a couple more. If the goats like loblollys I don't see why you couldn't take the same approach.

Typical stocking rate is 4 head of goats to every 1 head of cattle- if your goal is get the area cleared quickly I don't see why you couldnt stock heavier than that, you'll just have to monitor their conditioning and either adjust your numbers or provide supplemental feed as needed. I don't see why you couldnt get them to market weight on just scrub pasture- obviously it's going to take a bit longer than if you had them on a grain based system, but your input sheet is going to look a lot nicer. You might want to consider putting out one of the protein lick tubs for cattle on pasture, in addition to salt and mineral- that might help bump their rate of gain. I don't know if there is much data out there on the feed value of pines- you could have unintentionally stumbled on a jackpot!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

igrowgrass said:


> As fast as possible. If I have to buy 100 goats I can as long as I can sell them for no loss when the pines are gone lol.


Well, that may or may not happen depending on the market for them and the shape they are in when they go to market.

I have no idea what those pines look like but why not have a cut your own Christmas tree place until they are gone. If the trees are 7 to 8 feet high, the goats aren't going to be able to eat everything off and you would still have the trunks and larger branches to deal with.


----------



## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Dealing with the stumps would most likely be the costly part , but I'm just guessing here .
Good luck to you though


----------



## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

I can't tell you how many goats it would take, but they would def eat, destroy, kill the pines. I can't tell you that you won't take a loss if you sell the herd when done. I do have a couple of suggestions. Depending on your area you could offer to free lease the property to a large goat farmer or dairy. Then when the job is done goats are gone. You have spent no money toward the animals no risk of loss. Second suggestion is after the goats have killed the trees control burn remaining stumps. Of course that wouldn't be ideal if you live in a drought area, but you could invite the local fire company to do it and it would give them practice.


----------



## igrowgrass (Dec 28, 2013)

Thanks for all of the info guys/gals.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

You would also need to provide minerals, worm meds if needed, and maybe another source of food, depends on how much other browse is there.


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

To me, this doesn't sound like a story that would turn out very well. 
Have you any experience with goats? Finding 100 head of pine tree eating goats sounds like what I would call "doing it the hard way". I think the goats would eventually get most of the trees killed, but they aren't going to eat the trunks, so you are still going to have to figure out how to get rid of that, so what is the point? I had a pine tree like that in my yard. An ice storm killed it, but it was a pretty cool tree. I wonder if there is a nursery that would know of someone interested in selling those things live to people to put in their yard?


----------



## Spanish (Feb 13, 2013)

The word loblolly means "low, wet place"
The yellowish, resinous wood is highly prized for lumber, but is also used for wood pulp. This tree is commercially grown in extensive plantations.
These are isolated populations on areas of acidic sandy soil, surrounded by alkaline clays that are poor for other growths. If clearing 108 acres of this you may wind up with 108 acres of wet marshy land which will not grow and good forage. Pines are know to absurd tons of water.

If your objectives involve land clearing, it is important to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons. Soil tests will help determine the proper forages that will grow there.

You will have to watch your goats health they can not survive on this they will need hay, grains, and minerals, you would need to introduce them slowly to this to build up their tannin levels, it can be toxic if consumed to heavy. 
good luck in your research, Pines are also known to promote abortions in cows ,goats if consumption is to much. allot of pro and cons on this.


----------

