Snoqualmie company finds interesting way to trim weeds
December 8, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Rough and Ready are two brothers who enjoy eating Scotch broom and morning glory. They also like to climb trees and eat Himalayan blackberry bushes — a favorite pastime of goats, especially those in Goat Trimmers.
For the first 10 days of December, Don Miller, co-owner of Goat Trimmers, set his goats loose in an enclosed retention pond area on Snoqualmie Ridge. About 70 goats snacked on vegetation Dec. 1, but Miller said he would have 180 goats and sheep there before the 10 days expired.
Each goat eats between 10 to 12 pounds of vegetation a day, and if business continues to grow, they will be fed for plenty longer. Miller said he is getting more calls from people who want to care for their property without using chemicals. People living on the waterfront and hillsides are popular customers. So are companies like Quadrant Homes, the owner of the retention pond area on the ridge.
Miller does not typically name his goats, which he views more as farm animals. Still, he recognizes each from nose to tail. A native of Tacoma, Miller became acquainted with farm life after living at his uncle’s dairy farm in Minnesota. His uncle, now a co-owner of Goat Trimmers, “laughed and laughed” when he learned his nephew wanted to start a goat-renting business, Miller said.
But the goats were clearly a hit. Goats could reach places where no lawn mower could go. Goats and sheep are also relatively low-maintenance animals. Sheep need to be sheered and Miller clips his goat’s hooves much like a person would clip his toenails. If an animal gets brambles stuck to its fleece, Miller just sees it as another line of defense if something decides to attack it.
Many of his herd are offspring of his dams — female goats — or goats from Puget Sound Goat Rescue.
“A lot of people don’t take care of them,” Miller said.
Goats will nibble just about anything, but their owners must ensure they eat a proper diet. A goat eating just grass will become malnourished. Plenty of hay and shelter help goats stay healthy.
If Miller comes across a friendly goat, he typically sells it for about $100 to people who want a four-legged pet.
The animals he does keep act as perfect lawn mowers. The sheep are natural grazers and eat grass first. Goats, on the other hoof, prefer to browse from top to bottom. They nibble on leaves and prefer hillsides.
Goats, unlike sheep, prefer company. Sometimes it’s hard to see who loves the other’s company more, children or the goats they are feeding, Miller said.
It is also not quite accurate to say goats and sheep have four stomachs, but they do have an impressive digestion process. Their stomachs have four components, which helps them digest plant fibers.
There is another benefit Goat Trimmers offers.
“It’s free fertilizer,” Miller said.
He often checks their stool for worms and parasites, which goats or sheep are apt to eat as they nose through the grass.
Miller bought some Great Pyrenees to help guard his goats and sheep after an animal killed 15 of his goats in three days near the SuperMall in Auburn. Miller also has to be wary of another adversary: pneumonia.
Much like the famous Dolly the sheep — whom scientists cloned in 1996 — died of a lung infection in 2003, goats and sheep easily catch viruses. Miller said it’s easy to identify an ill goat or sheep — they usually hang back while their herd bounds forward to eat a new assignment. If treated in time, the animal usually joins its comrades again with its tail in the air.
Miller has four border collies. Page, the dog accompanying him Dec. 1, couldn’t wait to chase the goats and sheep around the retention area.
“She listens like my own daughter does,” Miller said as he yelled out orders.
Goat Trimmers offers its services beginning at $300 per day for 60 goats for a three day minimum. Miller bids for bigger projects. Contact him at 877-289-5126 or visit http://goattrimmers.com to learn more.
“We bring our own fencing,” Miller said. “All you’ve got to do is provide the brush.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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