Builder employs goats instead of gardeners

by LotusFlower | February 8, 2009 at 01:36 am

466 views | 41 Recommendations | 18 comments

"Now Patrick McGinty, an Irishman of note
Fell in for a fortune and he bought himself a goat"

So go the first lines of the Irish folk son 'Patrick Mcginty's Goat' and now one of the UK's biggest house builders, Barratt Homes, is buying not one but several goats to manage heathland at one of its latest developments instead of employing gardeners.

This is a more natural way to manage the landscape than using chemicals as pesticides and fertilizers but care will have to be taken to make sure that the goats stay where they are meant to be as they are notoriously hard to keep fenced in and will eat almost anything (including it's said clothes from clotheslines) that takes their fancy.

A major house building company has turned to goats to keep up appearances near a new residential development.

Barratt Homes are bringing in a herd of six animals to manage the heathland near a 170-home clifftop development in Boscombe, Dorset.

It is hoped the goats, which will be securely fenced in, will control scrub and restore the natural grassland habitat around Honeycombe Chine.

The trial is due to run for six months.

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Fripouille

at 04:18 on February 8th, 2009

Goats should be outlawed. Or parked on the Yorkshire Moors.

I had a cottage in the countryside once and, coming home after work one evening, I saw two goats, which had got into the garden via a hole in the fence, quietly and nonchalantly finishing off all my lovely flowers!! If I'd had a shotgun handy, those guy's would have finished up on the table of a couple of Moroccan friends of mine, who say that goat's meat is eaten in Northern African countries...

More seriously though, good initiative. Goats would be very efficient. Sheep too, I imagine...

LotusFlower

at 04:34 on February 8th, 2009

Goat curry is really good too - when they come to the end of their heath tending life...

Fripouille

at 05:05 on February 8th, 2009

Hmmm, could this be Fripouille who changes his mind about goats..?

Goat curry. Sounds good. Ok, I'll buy fifty goats, rent them to Lyon city council's parks department as grass-cutters, and then, when they can't cut grass any more, Bon Appetit!

Talk about a satisfying mix of business, pleasure, and helping the environment!!

Wanna go into business with me? (Waddya mean, "No, you're too cynical" lol?)

Yellow Guitar

at 08:06 on February 8th, 2009

Jerk Goat, Jamaican style, is fiery hot but worth the effort. Goat brains, Qatari style, not so much. I've done both in their native lands. Based solely on food, I'd go back to Jamaica first...

LotusFlower

at 05:17 on February 8th, 2009

get the papers out sign em quick before the goats get em...

Fripouille

at 05:58 on February 8th, 2009

Attagirl! You'll see, we'll be dollar billionaires in less than a year. Then we can open up our operations all over Europe and the States, get a Nobel Prize for saving the planet, and go into semi-retirement in order to run a chain of restaurants specialising in goat curries of all kinds.

(I thought about the papers thing too. Sussed. We should do all that over the net. No paper needed. I mean even a goat wouldn't want to eat a computer!!! (Euhh...would it?)

Babel-Fish

at 06:24 on February 8th, 2009

As I live in the Philippines I know how goats are handy for keeping down the weeds, they do need tethering well and are rather pleasant animals that can make interesting pets.

However I am not fond of goats meat and actually never touch it for another reason as dog meat is sometimes on offer here in the Philippines and it looks and tastes like goats meat. Its in fact more tender, yes I have had the displeasure of being fooled at a wedding. Filipino's laughed but I really felt sick after being told what I had just eaten. So ever since I have been very wary. lol

LotusFlower

at 07:17 on February 8th, 2009

now i love goat meat - cooked jamiacan style - with rice and peas - watch out for the dog - woof!

Strange for Barratts to be so environment minded - hmmm ... must be a reason .. like they were only allowed to build if they did something like this...

Here's a psychogeographic exploration that finishes up on a Barratts housing estate outside the Show Home.... no goats

Invigilator Derby

Fripouille

at 09:46 on February 8th, 2009

Yip! There's a reason all right, it's called being politically correct in order to garner business. A bit like petrol companies putting expensive ads on TV to vaunt their ecological merits!

Still, if it helps even just a little....why not. Excellent link, by the way!

Ps. "Psycheographic". I thought this was an english-speaking site!

Jordan Yerman

at 06:46 on February 8th, 2009

A child wrote in to a San Diego newspaper with just such a suggestion about ten years ago. Funny, but also worth considering.

Yellow Guitar

at 08:11 on February 8th, 2009

Excellent idea.

Weeder geese are also gaining popularity in some parts of the America's Pacific northwest. They weed a cornfield without damaging crops - in fact they fertilize as they graze - and at season's end we show our appreciation by slaughtering the poor devils... ah well, it's lonely at the top of the food chain eh?

Portland, Oregon is one of the few cities I know of where you can still keep chickens. Otherwise, urban regulations prohibit a lot of useful animals. These laws were originally designed to keep hogs from digging up the streets - and people's gardens - but now they serve only to deter some sensible alternatives to the lawnmower, pesticides and the food conglomerates.

Cheers for the interesting article.

Jordan Yerman

at 10:13 on February 8th, 2009

Landscaping geese... I had no idea.

Pythiian1

at 09:56 on February 8th, 2009

Goats have been used to manage the landscape in Southern California along the freeways since some years ago. People used to be outraged about this practice, but over time, they've come to accept that it was a cost effective and natural way to manage the beautiful landscape along the coastline.

LotusFlower

at 12:04 on February 8th, 2009

And goats are in the valley of Lynmouth in devon - theyve gone native - feral goats in the Uk...

Fripouille

at 13:46 on February 8th, 2009

Waaaa!! Amazing update!!! This video is so reminiscent for this expat of long date. Takes me back years!

(The awful reverb on the voice lol! The cheap mike! The terrible guitar! The overdone accent!! I LOVE THIS TO BITS!!)

I don't know who put this up, but THANKS A MILLION!!

(All goes to prove that goats are useless, as I have held for the last 79 years. If all they can do to be consecrated into history is to have Val Doonican sing a song for them, they're pathetic..lol)

Best thing on the site all day!

doglovinchick

at 16:22 on February 8th, 2009

Babbett, a sweet girl that was rescued and brought to my farm in Grafton Ohio.

doglovinchick has contributed a photo to this story.

lillyatwork

at 04:27 on February 9th, 2009

This photo was taken during an expedition trip on April 2008. The place was a farm on the outskirts of Mount Ida. This mountain is located at the north of Edremit. You can find the detailed information at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ida_(Turkey)

lillyatwork has contributed a photo to this story.