Kansas City, MO - If your dealing with unruly shrubbery, have you considered goats for hire? Goats on the Go is a business that uses the natural grazing behavior of goats for landscape managing. The business started out of Aims Iowa, but the response from outside the area were overwhelming, causing the business to branch out. Margaret Chamas is owner and manager of the Missouri region of the business and says she's one of about a dozen and a half affiliates in ten states. Chamas has two herds she's renting out.
She says there's a constant demand for their services, "They started grazing at the end of April and we are already booking in to next year because of the demand we've had. They've been working non-stop throughout the entire summer." The goats will continue to graze through late October or early November depending on the weather.
Not every city is onboard with the idea, however. Chamas says some cities have an ordinance against livestock, but tend to make an exception if it's a one day project.
One of the greatest advantages of using goats, according to Chamas, is their immunity to poison ivy, "Goats are not effected by poison ivy, and one of my herds, in particular, just love it, they seek it out."
Chamas says her goats are a motley crew, some having been bottle fed and are very social with humans. Others are focused on the job at hand...or maybe it's hoof, and just want to eat.
All "kidding" aside, she says they work a variety of jobs from back yards to large properties. If it's a quick job, Chamas usually sticks around, but for bigger projects she leaves them on site to chow down until the job is done. She comes by everyday to check on them, making sure they have plenty of water, are healthy, and to be sure the fence is still intact.
Goats on the Go is currently servicing Clay, Platte, Buchanan, and Clinton Counties, but Chamas says she does service outside the area on a case by case basis.