In the Spring of 2022 my husband and I realized that we could not tackle the tangled mess that is the rear of our 1+ acre lot. So instead we decided to engage goats to work on the English ivy, wild grapevine, honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, and privet in the under story of our oak, walnut, magnolia, sassafras, mimosa, and sweetgum wooded lot.
Mansell Landscaping (Arnold Mill Road, Woodstock) to the rescue! They have diversified their services to include a herd of goats which they rent out for just this work. We loved the idea of using a local company, especially with an old Roswell family name.
Barry and Joy Mansell showed up with a trailer full of 10 hungry goats ready to munch away. They stayed with us for seven days and nights enjoying a smorgasbord of greenery. Their bleating greeted us each morning as the sun rose to wake them from their night’s sleep bedded down under the trees.
The goats were all different breeds so they looked different and had a variety of 
personalities. They were very social and all had names. They did a super job cleaning up George’s raised garden beds, making them ready for turning and planting this year’s vegetables.
Their routine seemed to be eating for an hour and a half, take a nap, and eat again. A pop-up tent was provided for them to huddle under when it rained and we put out tubs of water for them. They were enclosed by a portable electric fence so they were right where we wanted them.
They were fun to watch and – bonus – goat poop has no odor and is an excellent fertilizer. Win, win!
