Small grass eating animals

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by TT, Oct 25, 2008.

  1. TT

    TT Junior Member

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    We have just moved onto 2 acres (finally) and I am after an animal to eat the long grass. I am looking for a smaller animal than a goat or sheep, but bigger than rabbits or Guinea Pigs. Is there such an animal? Any suggestions?

    TT.
     
  2. Veggie Boy

    Veggie Boy Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    Not that I can think of and if it was on the smaller end of the scale, would probably have trouble getting through the 2 acres anyway.

    Perhaps think of replacing some of the grassed areas with something more productive.
     
  3. paradisi

    paradisi Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    geese
     
  4. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    Perhaps miniature goats or sheep? Or miniature deer?
     
  5. Phil Hansen

    Phil Hansen Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    I agree with geese. A small mob (or should that be a gaggle?) work wonders on grass and leave anything else alone abouve head height.
     
  6. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    Yeah..............Geese sounds an excellent idea....if you got a different variety from the normal/grey/white breed, Chineese geese are very pretty geese,and are worth more then the average goose...

    Because geese are virtualy self suficient,they can be left outside and not in cages or runs,but still need protection from foxes,dogs,and humans

    geese are grazers on grasses and vegetation,and dont require complicated feed or laying pellets like chooks and ducks....

    altho geese are water birds its not nessasary to have a pond, or lake....just like ducks..enough to put their heads in water and deep enough to immerse their heads and flush the food thro their long necks...

    Tezza
     
  7. barely run

    barely run Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    This looks interesting........What sort of protection for the geese in a fox area??? would they go into the chook run at night or would they need a separate area?? anyone know a good resourse on rearing geese.
    Cheers
    Cathy
     
  8. Luisa

    Luisa Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    Yes I have geese but primarily for security purposes, not grass cutting. They do need a fox-proof night yard as foxes will definitely take them.
    I have some chooks sharing with the geese at the moment, free range pensioner chooks who get up on a nursery table at night. Geese will chase chooks if confined to a run together.
    Geese do eat quite a lot of grass, they are obligate herbivores, and prefer actual grass to a variety of tougher weeds.
    I go to Backyard Poultry site quite a lot for my info on geese.
     
  9. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Re: Small grass eating animals

    Hi cathy.....Geese like most poultry require adaquate housing,in respect to fhttps://forums.permaculture.org.au/post ... s,dogs,and humans :axe:

    If a pond or dam is nearby that they can escape too thatll be great.....AS NO fox,or human would be stoopid enough to swim in crappy,poultry water,,,,

    theyd be smelt for miles by everything,thereby evrything would smellem miles away,the risks associated of entering water during colder times would,i think put only the desperatly starving into the position.......

    geese are big birds and clumsy on land,but excellent in water,in cases of emergency.....

    Geese get on well with chooks.....they just a bit bossy sometimes,especially during feed times,and especially mating season and baby rearing times....

    Ive had geese, with chooks,and ducks in my suburban backyard,only reason i got rid of gees was they ringbarked 4 fruit trees and a large street tree.....(they had to go) after i noticed.................geese love young trees.

    Geese and other poultry shouldnt be kept togethher in cages or small type pens etc,as that is probly too crowded.....

    Depends how big the runs are as to weather they need hearding..........In large size runs,I found the best and only way was to keep em in one "pen"with an area for housing,.Ducks and Geese,usually sleep outside at night....I never see em in sheds unless its raining and crappy,they outdoor birds,only come inside to lay eggs,drink and eat.Chooks "come home to roost" ducks and geese,call the pens their home...This i think creats the "flock" mentality that enables the mixed species to co exsist together.

    Keeping all their drinking,eating and resting items in the pen and will force them to "come home" instead of going where they wanna go...and youll find that once they all used to the same area itll be just a case of locking up after em.....They just do things as in nature when in groups,not how the books will tell you.

    As for the website backyard poultry.......I find its a verry good site for the average backyard variety of poultry enthusiast......BUT they arnt Permaculturistic in alot of their methodology.....Theyll advocate chemicals etc as well as olden day cures lol...In here we work to find those ways to reduce and eliminate harmfull chemicals, that are harmfull to the bird aswell as the human in a lot of cases...

    We disscuss other methods of care for all types of poultry.including,Feeding,Breeding,Rearing,Pest control,and just about anything else thats required in here..


    Tezza
     
  10. wendysul

    wendysul Junior Member

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    So THAT'S what happened to my apple saplings - hadn't thought to blame the geese as I hadn't spotted the culprit and assumed it was a wombat - anyway they are netted now so will keep geese out till they're a bit bigger.
     
  11. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    How many geese would be needed to manage 2 acres? What about borrowing some sheep for a while, to give you time to think on it a bit. If you want geese, but not the noise, try Muscovy ducks. They have goose-like eating habits (grass) but are quiet.
     
  12. sun burn

    sun burn Junior Member

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    I've got muscovies, i can assure you that they are not the answer to your problems. They do not eat enough grass. I want some geese too but am having trouble finding them. If anyone hears of any up this way in north queensland, please let me know. I phoned a lady in Julatten yesterday but she said she got rid of all hers. For not bad reason. Just too much.
     
  13. aroideana

    aroideana Junior Member

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    just get someone to mow for you , no animal will be safe with no one there .
     
  14. wendysul

    wendysul Junior Member

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    I have 3 geese who manage to keep the grass down on maybe 1/4 acre - if you decide to go with geese you will need to mow first anyway as they like short grass & can get into strife with long stuff. I have had to make a goose proof gate for my chook shed as the chooks come in & out all day free ranging but if the geese get in they eat all the chook pellets AND put the chooks off laying. My geese go back to their enclosure at night so I just wait till dark then go & close all the pens up. I would thing you might need a couple of flocks to keep 2 acres down & maybe 2 geese pens for o'nite & to avoid squabbles. My geese aren't particularly noisy but do poo everywhere.
     
  15. Fernando Pessoa

    Fernando Pessoa Junior Member

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  16. sun burn

    sun burn Junior Member

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    Wallabies are nice but they eat a lot of the stuff you don't want them to eat. I know this cause my friend who has them on her place tells me about it. I saw them the other day on a visit. Very nice and maybe worth the trouble.

    As to managing the geese and the chooks. There are ways to solve this. Just feed the chooks pellets twice a day. its what i am doing at the moment. If you can keep the geese away at the time of feeding, you haven't got a problem. So maybe just feed the chooks before letting them out in the morning and after putting them to bed at night. Shut them in a little earlier than they would go in by themselves.


    Oh i really want some geese. Sounds like about 6-8 would do me.
     

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