GOAT RENTAL 101
Everything you may need or want to know about hosting a herd of goats. If you have ANY questions during the goats’ stay, don’t hesitate to text Megan at 678.427.3467 – even if you just want to know a goat’s name!
Preparing for the goats’ arrival
As often as possible, we try to do our goat moves on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We will give you an approximate arrival date ahead of time, but that may be +/- a few days depending on how long the goats take to finish the job ahead of yours.
You do not have to be home for us to deliver the goats.
Please do the following ahead of our arrival:
Check the exterior outlet closest to where the goats will be and ensure it is working (if you’re having electric fencing.)
Ensure your hose is set up and the spigot is working properly so the goats’ water is able to be filled.
Walk the fence line and make sure there are no new trees or limbs down on the fence.
Talk to neighbors and let them know the goats are set to arrive.
The day of arrival, please have the driveway clear so that we can back the truck and trailer as close to the goat zone as possible.
DAILY CHECK LIST
Give goats water
Take a head count
Text progress photos to Megan at 678.427.3467
Check electric fencing or walk fence line to ensure there are no weaknesses
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Please plan to check and fill the goats’ water 1-2 times per day. Please note it is normal for them to drink less on jobs with dense greenery, as it has a lot of water content.
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When the time comes to put the bale of hay in with the goats, please put the bale in whole and do not cut the strings. As you text us progress photos, we’ll let you know when to put in hay with the goats.
Goats are nomadic browsers by nature and thrive on variety. Towards the end of jobs, and occasionally on mono-species jobs, the goats will slow down eating to conserve food, or start to look for ways out of the fencing – the addition of hay helps prevent this, and stimulates their appetites. We typically have people put the hay in when the job is 75–85% clear.
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Our crew will leave behind some emergency feed for the goats – please keep this for emergencies only. Should the goats get loose, you’ll need it to round them up (they follow really well for treats.)
Should you need the feed, shake it, give a few goats handfuls (the rest will get jealous) and run the goats back into the area they need to be in.
It helps to have someone behind them clapping encouraging them to follow you, but not chasing or spooking them.
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We often get asked if people can give the goats snacks to befriend them. Most of them like slices of apples, carrots and bananas, but please only give a few slices each. Too much can be harmful to them and can keep them from doing their job in a timely manner.
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Please put eyes on the herd at least a few times daily and make sure you see all of them (the crew should give you a head count at drop off.)
Please contact us immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary: vomiting, diarrhea, severe limping, acting “drunk” or off balance, staring at the sky, staring into a corner, laying down on their side, weak legs, or laying down away from the group for more than a couple hours. We have a healthy herd, but emergencies do happen.
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We strongly suggest you walk the perimeter daily to check the fence. Fences covered in ivy may have holes that become revealed, or goats standing on fencing to clear it off or rubbing against fencing can further loosen boards that may already be loose, or loose chainlink. In many instances, we will leave behind a panel for you to cover a weak spot, or can come back out and preemptively secure it if you identify a weak spot.
If the goats get loose due to negligence (leaving gates open, really obvious holes in fence that could have been spotted with a daily perimeter walk), you may be subject to additional labor fees and/or animal control fines.
This is a very rare occurrence because of the measures we take a setup, but sometimes things shift after drop off and it’s always best to be proactive in preventing a security breach.
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Please note our fencing is low voltage and not a danger to children or animals. For our goats’ safety, it must remain on (with the exception being when you are in there with them.)
Please plan to walk the perimeter daily and ensure no branches have fallen on the fencing so that we can avoid a security breach.
The fence charger should be blinking and clicking – if it is not, please let us know so we can respond accordingly.
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Please let us know in advance if this is an uninhabited property. To keep our services affordable, we price everything with the assumption that the client will be doing daily checkins and water. If you do not have someone who can perform this task, please let us know and we can handle that on our end and adjust the estimate accordingly.
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Guinevere typically travels with our boys herd, and she loves to steal the spotlight (and our customers’ hearts!) She is there to lend a hand with the clearing, as well as to protect the herd. She is typically quiet, but if she spots a potential threat, or if there is a fencing breach, she sounds the alarms and brays. She is quite the diva, and most of our customers really enjoy getting to know her.