Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to do while the goats are here?Take pictures. Enjoy them. :) While you ensure that all family members and visitors allow the goats to work in the calm, stress-free environment that their prey instincts prefer, we handle all the rest.
Are the goats picked up at night?Cybele, the herd matriarch, carefully selects the best vantage point for overnight herd safety monitoring. The rest of the herd follows her lead and sleeps in close proximity to each other. Being innately ‘feral’, Spanish goats feel most safe when they are able to observe their surroundings from all directions.
Do the goats have a shelter?Even if they had access to a shelter while on a job site, the herd would most often sleep anywhere EXCEPT behind its’ walls. Preserving the natural instincts that allow the goats to protect themselves is paramount to maintaining the foundation of the best Spanish goat genetics.
What may I feed them?NOTHING, please! A number of plants that our clients have in their landscaping are toxic to our herd. We are happy to assist clients in feeding ‘treats’ to our herd ONLY while we are physically on site to ensure their safety.
My dog is friendly, does he/she have to be on a leash?Unfortunately, some of the dogs that we (humans) may consider friendly are still seen as a terrifyingly scary threat to the goats. Off-leash dogs are the number one cause of escape, injury, and death in goat herds nationwide. Allowing dogs to be off-leash while goats are on the job is considered a breach of contract, and will be handled accordingly.
Can my friends and family come see the goats in action?Absolutely! We love when our clients are eager to spread the word about our herd of regenerative environmentalists on hooves! As long as all visitors maintain the safe designated distance away from the electric fence (per the contract and electric fence signs on site), we encourage clients to pull up the lawn chairs and enjoy the live entertainment. We’re still not sure if this is more entertaining for children or adults.
What if the goats escape?While goat escapes are extremely rare, they are a possibility due to the number of variables that we are not able to be completely control at all times. A key to remember is that goats will not ‘run away’... unless they are chased. After you call us, if you remain calm around them, they will remain calm and stay in the immediate area. If you are comfortable around the goats, we may discuss where else on your property there is goat safe vegetation if you would like to try to lead them to a specific location. If there are low branches that are able to be snapped or vines that can easily be pulled, those sounds are almost as enticing as a chainsaw is to them. When you call us, we will also remind you about the “emergency shaker cup” that we discuss and leave with clients when we set up the job site.
As we repeatedly discuss with our clients, keeping all dogs on a 6 ft or shorter, non-retractable leash is the best way to maintain the goat’s safety within the electric fence. The other dangerous behavior that we most commonly encounter is people not maintaining the designated safe distance from the goat’s fence. While keeping all humans a safe distance from the electric fence is best for their safety, this safe distance is also paramount to ensure the safety of the goats. If clients / visitors walk too close to the fence, it may encourage some of our more social (bottle-fed) herd members to congregate in a small area along the fenceline. This presents a significant safety risk for not only themselves accidentally pushing a goat friend into the fence, but more concerning would be for a more dominant herd member lingering behind them to push one of those crowded goats through the electric fence… leading to a mass escape. The innately feral nature of Spanish goats maintains a rigid hierarchy structure within our herd, and we have had a number of goats injured (and several tragically killed) by this very behavior. We kindly ask that all clients and visitors help keep our goats safe by adhering to our contract.
What kind of goats do you have?We selectively breed Spanish goats from the best genetics available nationwide. This heritage breed is known for its more natural management requirements, such as:
• being able to have their kids without any human assistance
• having the mothering instincts to raise, protect and teach their offspring independently
• extremely parasite resistant – both externally (ticks) and internally (regularly monitoring our herd health to the highest veterinary standards further reduces the environmental impact of our specific herd compared to other herds – others leaving more parasites behind on job sites)
• maintaining healthy feet while traversing a large amount of often difficult terrain while on job sites
• many other positive attributes
Our herd is strategically selected from only the best DNA registered goats in the Spanish Goat Registry. Our specific lines are very well-suited to preserving the innate characteristics that allow our herd to continually adapt and thrive in our harsh Michigan environment. Being owned and managed by a veterinarian has allowed the herd to be developed with a more science-based evaluation process than most other herds. This ensures that our goats not only LOVE their job, but they are truly the only ones that are able to properly manage invasive vegetation.
TBI Goats are the only goats recommended by the Kent Conservation District (KCD) for vegetation management work. Having historically recommended against the use of (other) local goat herds for targeted browsing following a number of unsuccessful deployments and less-than-ideal public feedback, KCD had the opportunity to observe several properties that TBI Goats had exclusively managed for between 1-5 years. After seeing the results firsthand and discussing the management strategies that set our herd apart and allow us to achieve the outcome that KCD had not previously observed, TBI Goats has become the only trusted provider for invasive vegetation management for the Kent Conservation District.
The goats are gone, now what?Each job is unique in its own short-term and long-term goals, goat utilization methodologies and subsequent land management strategies. Using TBI Goats for one or more years is one of the tools available to begin to manage the ‘green’ portion of invasive vegetation on your property. For most of our clients, further human interventions will be necessary to obtain the desired end results once the goats have completed their portion of the job.
Common follow-up management may include:
• cutting mature vines (+/- application of a selective herbicide to the cut surface)
• accumulating the ‘brown’ materials (larger sticks and branches that have been defoliated by the goats) into wildlife habitat structures or woodchipping them to leave as mulched ground cover
• planting an annual, non-invasive or native cover crop to reduce the reseeding potential of the targeted invasive species that have already left seeds in the soil
• incorporate native plant and tree species into your landscape (KCD has both a spring and fall native plant/ tree sale every year — check out their website for upcoming opportunities!)