Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a minimum acreage requirement? Can you clear my backyard?
Our goats travel in herds of 450 and clear an acre a day, which makes clearing small properties or backyards unfeasible and uneconomical.
Where do you service?
RentAGoat™ proudly provides brush clearing for all of California. From the Sierra Nevada Mountains, across the Central Valley farmlands, and along the 900 miles of beautiful Pacific Coast. Our goats have driven through Beverly Hills, across the Golden Gate Bridge, cruised down Highway 1, and have toured all across the state! Not only that, but our goats have cleared over a hundred thousand acres of fire burden from California, saving lives in the process.
Northern California: San Francisco, Oakland, Freemont, Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Petaluma, Marin County, Sacramento, Fresno, Salinas, Monterey, Redding, Bakersfield, and more.
Southern California: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Riverside, San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Malibu, Torrance, Santa Cruz, Long Beach, Beverly Hills, Rancho Palo Verde, Santa Monica, Escondido, Ramona, San Diego, Chula Vista, Laguna, Venice, Chino, and more.
The Goats
Grass guzzling machines
How much land can goats clear in a day?
About 450 goats clear an acre of brush a day. Wow, that’s a lot of weed eating power! And unlike heavy machinery or manual labor, you don’t need to haul the brush to the dump and pay dumping fees–the goats munch it up.
RentAGoat™ can tailor our herd size to fit your project needs, from a minimum of 5 acres to hundreds of acres, we’ve done it all.
How do you contain the goats? How do you keep them safe while they work?
RentAGoat™ employs professional goat herders to monitor and stay with the goats 24/7. The goats are trained and completely self-contained with yards of high-grade electric fencing. This fencing protects the goats from wild animals, including coyotes and other predators, while also helping to focus the targeted grazing effort. The only thing you need to provide is a water source so we can continue to keep our herd happy and healthy.
How much does it cost? Can I afford it?
To maximize our impact on reducing dangerous fire burden in California, while reducing our fossil fuel emissions from transporting our herds of goats, in general we require a minimum of five acres per project. Renting goats is competitive in price against manual labor and heavy machinery. Seasonality (our peak period is from March through July), terrain, density of brush, type of brush, availability of water sources, and ease of access to the clearing site all influence pricing.
What do we need to get started?
We’ll need the address you want to be cleared, when you need the work completed by, a good phone number, and email address. Please fill out our Contact form to get started. Thanks for thinking Green!
What people are saying about renting goats
"It's really been a win-win for us. It's cost effective, it's environmentally friendly. And it's fun..."
"They have saved us thousands of dollars...not only can animals can do something besides look cute and fuzzy, they can also serve a purpose in our society, helping us keep our environment clean."
“To have people do what these goats do, to clear the amount they would do, would be financially impossible."
General Questions
What is dangerous or poisonous for goats to eat?
Some of the common plants in California that are poisonous to goats including rhododendron, oleander, hemlock, caster beans, acucia, azalea, avocado, choke cherry, loco weed, and tree tobacco.
What types of animals do you use?
We employ thousands of Boer goats or Dorper Sheep to fit your specific project needs. All of our animals receive full health benefits and travel all across the country doing what they love, clearing brush.
What do goats eat?
Contrary to popular belief, goats do not eat everything. However, they do love to eat:
- Wild Grasses
- Poison Oak
- Thistle
- Wild Oats
- Poison ivy
- Kudzu
- English ivy
- Wisteria
- Blackberry
- Briars
- Honeysuckles
- Wild rose
Read more and see photos of common plants here
Are you insured?
We are fully licensed, registered, and insured. We often work with federal, state, and county governments, so we can start your job site without delay.
How are the goats kept healthy?
Our goats are all up to date on vaccinations, dewormer, and have full health care plans. They are transported via a roomy trailer and are guarded by one of our “goat wranglers” during their stay. We also employ over 30 trained canines to protect and help wrangle our furry, four legged friends.
Why should I rent a goat?
RentAGoat offers cost effective, eco-friendly, and cute weed removal. We often out compete traditional land clearing methods in price, while providing great fringe benefits.
Why not just use a mower or chemicals?
Goats can remove unwanted vegetation and reduce fire hazards without using harmful chemicals or destructive, gasoline-powered machinery. It’s estimated that 95%-98% of applied pesticides miss their intended target reaching nearby people and wildlife, waterways, soil and air causing drastic problems for local ecosystems (Sustaining the Earth, 6th edition).
Often these potent chemicals, such as Roundup, are recalled and/or illicit to use in particular counties or states due to their harmful biological effect.
Meanwhile, heavy machinery releases harmful green house gases that contribute to global warming. Additionally, these machines can’t even operate in mountainous California terrain. You’ll also need to haul the brush away after cutting it to actually reduce fire danger.
RentAGoat is simply the most environmentally friendly and cost effective solution for invasive plant and brush control.
Why Use Goat Weed Control?
Goats are the ideal weed control and brush clearing solution for:
• Clearing construction sites, home owners association buffers, large residential properties, creating fire lines, serving federal, state, and county properties
• Removing invasive species (like poison oak, wild grasses, kudzu, wisteria, etc.) and restoring native plant habitats
• Reducing brush where chemicals, machinery, or heavy machinery cannot be used, such as where endangered or protected animals may reside (wetlands and riparian areas)
• Preventing forest fires by reducing brush fire burden
• Maintaining aesthetic landscapes
Out of control forest fires in California (2017)
Can’t machines do a better job?
While heavy machines have their place in brush and land clearing, they struggle to tackle difficult terrain which is quite common in California. Disk Harrow Tillers and other commercial machines require flat fields without rocks. We often utilize goats for hillsides, uneven terrain, and those with rocks or heavy brush that would damage machines. Goats can cut through these impassable terrains with ease, even better than humans can. Essentially, we are a guilt free, zero-emission alternative to heavy machinery. Cute too!
Will it work on my grass lawn?
RentAGoat™ is really meant for removing large amounts of invasive plants and overgrown properties. While goats will eat your overgrown seeded lawn, they really shine when the property needs a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care). To maximize our impact on the California fire burden, we generally require a five acre minimum per project, so backyards are un-suitable.
What’s the difference between RentAGoat™ and other goat renters?
Unfortunately, some people will cut edges when it comes to the safety or treatment of their animals. This can result in animals breaching fences, incomplete/unfinished job sites, or worse. Trusting RentAGoat™, the brand name in the industry, comes with a high level of customer service, quality, over 40 years of combined experience, attention to detail, and ecological activism that our competitors simply cannot offer.
Please be careful and do your due diligence before finding someone on craigslist or the internet. Search for reviews or get a referral from a trusted friend or source.
With RentAGoat™ you can always be sure that:
- RentAGoat works and comes with great, guilt-free, side benefits.
- If you’re not satisfied, we’ll make it right.
- The safety of our animals is our #1 priority.
- We’re fully licensed, registered, and insured.
- You’re helping to make a difference in the environment, while reducing dangerous fire burden in California.