Mutton Mowers

The City of Boulder (Parks & Rec as well as Open Spaces and Mountain Parks) has contracted these goats to help graze areas that have become overgrown with invasive plants. Read below to learn how this benefits the city, the community, the goats, and the local environment.

Goats don’t graze like cattle. Instead they browse through and eat things in order – typically starting top down – based on their preferences. As they do this, they eat through most of the invasive species of plants, which allows native plants to grow and flourish. The herd is placed in different areas depending on the time of year, which allows the shepherds to target specific invasive species as they flower or seed.

Using goats to help control invasive species and overgrown areas is typically cost-competitive, but likely more expensive than mowing your lawn. Grazing eliminates the need for manual mowing or using heavy equipment, burning, chemicals, or other removal techniques. Plus, it means that sprays, chemicals or other equipment is not used in sensitive areas. So everybody wins! If you are looking to hire our goats, please contact us for a bid or estimate for your project.

Goat grazing does not solve every problem, but has several major benefits over traditional weed control techniques:

• It is cost-comparable to other weed control techniques
• It reduces the need for sprays, chemicals or heavy equipment, especially in sensitive areas, including near residential areas, waterways, and other wetlands.
• It provides more natural grazing, which benefits native plants and helps reduce or remove invasive species of plants
• Goats are all-terrain and all weather, plus they work 24-hour shifts without complaint.
• Goats at least 200% more adorable! (We think, at least)

Our goats are local to Colorado. Almost all of them were rescued from poor situations, or were donated by various general groups and individuals. We do occasionally purchase goats from auction and private sellers. If you are interested in donating, selling, or purchasing a goat, please contact us. We’re also a proud supporter of 4H and 4H projects.

The goats spend most of the year work hard for various municipalities, including the City of Boulder. In the winter, they move north to the Glade Road Orchard you-pick farm (opening 2016), as well as to private locations for breeding and family time, where they also have better facilities and protection against the cold.

We’re happy to arrange a “tour” on most Saturdays (and occasionally during the week). This is a free and child-friendly event, but must be scheduled in advance. We frequently move goats and the schedule does vary, so please contact us to confirm.

We also ask that you never feed the goats. While fruit and treats may seem nice, it disrupts their ability to do their job. I mean, after eating a bunch of sweet apples, would you want to chow down on bitter Russian olives?

The goats spend most of the year moving around to different areas and properties owned or managed by various departments of The City of Boulder. They are based out of Loveland, CO where they have permanent facilities and winter pastures. This is where they do their breeding and where we take care of all the baby goats when they are born. Yes, we have baby goats every spring! (visit our Facebook page to see pictures)

Want to meet our goats? Contact us for a free private tour. We also host educational programs for schools and students.

No. Our goats have the luxury of just eating. But if you want milk, meat, or other natural and organic products, we highly recommend checking out the Mountain Flower Dairy in Boulder.

We do shear the llamas every year, and their wool is donated back to our sponsors and volunteers.

Vinny is a Llama! He was generously donated to us by a member of the Southwest Llama rescue. Vinny has one job: protect the herd from coyotes, foxes, and other creatures and critters that may harass the herd. Vinny is fairly protective of the herd and uses his stampy feet and spit to remind other animals to keep their distance – including humans. Watch how he uses his long neck and great vision to spot and track animals, even from far away.

Vinny can be dangerous to dogs that enter the goat’s pasture.

For the safety of your pets and our goats, please ensure you are following all leash laws and keep your pets outside the fence. If there is a problem please contact us immediately. We understand that sometimes dogs get very excited around goats, and have worked with the city to setup barriers and signs to let you and your pets know the proper boundaries.

Unlike horses and cattle, llamas love to sleep laying down, especially during a warm day. Sometimes he sits and looks like a giant furry caterpillar, and other times he’s entirely splayed out. If you think he looks dead (he’s very convincing) watch for a few minutes and you’ll see him moving. He usually does not stay there long.

We do check on Vinny and the goats several times each day, and they all receive very regular vet checks. Even so, if you have any questions or concerns about their welfare, please don’t hesitate to call. The goats mean a lot to us and we want to ensure that they are always at their best.

We’re happy to arrange a “tour” on most Saturdays (and occasionally during the week). This is a free and child-friendly event, but must be scheduled in advance. We frequently move goats and the schedule does vary, so please sign up here to confirm.

We also ask that you never feed the goats. While fruit and treats may seem nice, it disrupts their ability to do their job. I mean, after eating a bunch of sweet apples, would you want to chow down on bitter Russian olives?

Yes – Possibly!

For residential properties: Unfortunately Boulder County and the City of Boulder does not allow goats to stay overnight on residentially zoned properties. But other cities and areas in Colorado do. These restrictions may also include residentially zoned open spaces around neighborhoods. Even so, goats love bushes and trees more than grass, so they don’t make good lawnmowers anyways.

For agriculture property owners and municipalities: Yes! We’re always happy to chat. We’re do still have some availability for some of our herds this year. Pricing and estimates are available, and for most of our government land-owners, we also provide a project report for each grazed location.

Yes, sometimes.

We are always happy to give your goat a forever home, but they do have to meet a few qualifications.

• Must be cooperative enough and herd-trained to trailer quickly
• Must be a female or cut male
• Must be willing to stay inside fenced areas (some goats are too friendly and will escape whenever people come by)

But otherwise, we are happy to help your goat live a long and healthy life eating Colorado’s luscious wild plants.

We’re also a big supporter of 4H and sometimes purchase or accept project goats that would otherwise be sold to slaughter.

Do we sell goats?

Very rarely. But if there’s something you are looking for, we may be able to help or connect you with someone who can help.

Do we sell goat milk, meat, or other goat products?

No. Our goats have the luxury of just eating. But if you want milk, meat, or other natural and organic products, we highly recommend checking out the Mountain Flower Dairy in Boulder.

Do we support 4H projects?

Yes! Each spring we have goats that we’re happy to donate/lease/loan to 4H projects. Contact us as soon as possible if you are interested (they go fast), and we can work out the details.