What do goats eat?

The common myth is that goats eat everything — tin cans included. The truth is better: goats are picky in exactly the right way, preferring the brushy, thorny, invasive plants people struggle with most.

Favorites on the menu

Goats are browsers, not grazers — given the choice, they go for woody brush, vines, and broadleaf plants before grass. Their four-chambered stomach lets them digest vegetation that would sicken other animals, and they're naturally immune to the oils in poison oak and poison ivy.

Native Grasses — a plant goats readily graze — Native Grasses

Poison Oak — a plant goats readily graze — Poison Oak

Poison Ivy — a plant goats readily graze — Poison Ivy

Poison Sumac — a plant goats readily graze — Poison Sumac

Kudzu — a plant goats readily graze — Kudzu

English Ivy — a plant goats readily graze — English Ivy

Wisteria — a plant goats readily graze — Wisteria

Blackberry — a plant goats readily graze — Blackberry

Thistle — a plant goats readily graze — Thistle

Also on the list: wild oats, briars, honeysuckle, wild rose, trumpet vine, sage brush, and even sapling trees. A North Carolina field study found goats dramatically more effective than herbicides at knocking back kudzu infestations.

A field completely overtaken by invasive kudzu vines — a goat herd's favorite meal

What goats should NOT eat

Some common California plants are poisonous to goats, including oleander, rhododendron, azalea, hemlock, castor bean, avocado, chokecherry, locoweed, and tree tobacco. During our site review we identify hazardous plants and plan the grazing area so the herd stays safe.

Grass lawns? Not really our thing.

Goats will nibble an overgrown lawn, but they shine on properties that need serious clearing — dense brush, invasive vines, and overgrown acreage. That's why we focus on projects of roughly 5 acres and up.

Got a buffet for our goats?

Talk to a real person about your property and get a free estimate over the phone — we serve properties across California and generally require about a 5-acre minimum per project.

Call 1-858-751-GOAT See how it works