Goats for poison ivy?
There is a park on Staten Island that uses goats for this. I found these websites. Maybe contact Rutgers.
https://www.google.com/search?q=goats+used+to+erraticate+poisin+ivy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=goats+used+to+eradicate+poison+ivy
im interested in this answer as well. Every year I manage to find the poison ivy in my yard the hard way, you would think that after six years I would recognize it. A friend of mine laminated a whole stalk of it for me for next year. That way I can set it down while working in the yard...
Er, what do you do with the goat when the poison ivy has been eaten? They are not the best house pets. For one thing, they will eat anything they want -- anything -- not just poison ivy.
Are we talking Rent-A-Goat?
Goats eating poison ivy was a plot of a recent curious George episode. So it must be possible 
Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier just to call a professional landscape firm? They're
licensed to use professional strength Round Up. I've had this done on my property
and it works…poison ivy eradicated.
Which landscaper did you use? Nobody ever returns my call and I have a garden bed overrun with poison ivy now. I am too allergic to it to deal with it and I am really upset that nobody, not even the landscaper who cuts my grass,ever returns my calls.
Re the goats, I have heard that there are services that will bring goats to your property to eat it up. Usually only makes sense for large properties though.
Hi CLK -- Because I now live in Lewes, DE, I don't know of an Essex, Morris, or Union County landscape firm to recommend. But, instead of asking grass cutters to apply herbicides on your property (they probably aren't licensed to do that), how about looking in the Yellow Pages or online for a full service landscape company -- one that sells plants and trees, does design work, installs irrigation systems, applies fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides, and mows lawns? I agree that using goats to control poison ivy is a great idea from an environmental standpoint. However, as you said, they probably "…only make sense for large properties…".
Up here in Ulster County, NY, renting sheep or goats seems to make sense. I read about someone doing it somewhere, I don't remember where. I even have a fantasy of keeping goats, and there is a room in our barn that I call The Goat Room. A neighbor about a half mile away has two sheep, and I asked if he would rent them out, but he said no. :-(
The guy who mows our lawn pulls out the poison ivy. Goats would eat any other plants you have. And they probably don't pull the plant out by the roots, so it will keep returning.
Maryann, thanks. I have called every landscaper in the yellow pages who serves MWSO, and the only one who ever returned my call is the one who does my grass. I went with him for grass cutting, but he does more than that. But he never, ever returns my calls or emails. I was considering threatening to cancel if he didn't call back, but I had such a hard time getting even my grass service started that I did not want to risk having no grass service again.
I called each one like six times. Not this year, I kind of gave up after two years of frustration. I would like to know the secret to getting a call back. I am very nice on the phone, cannot think what I am doing wrong.
rhw said:
not at all local but.....
http://www.scapegoatsgoatscaping.com/our-team/
"Scapegoats Goatscaping"
LMFAO
If you only apply herbicide to the ivy, it only solves part of the problem, since it still needs to be removed as the oils in the dead ivy are still active. The stuff needs to be pulled out by the roots and disposed of in the trash. If one went the goat route, those goats would have to be pretty thorough...
The goats appear to do a pretty good job. There are actually services, just not sure near here, that you can use.
http://rentagoat.com/
And Amazon services also had goats as part of their services.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/amazon-rents-out-goats-to-help-with-lawn-care-1.3052078
Wonder how long before someone around here can offer these services...
This is hysterical. But it's making me wonder if I could use goats to help clear the brush on either side of the driveway at the house we are getting ready to sell in CT...
I've heard of people using goat services in lieu of lawn mowing services, but poison ivy control is a new one on me.
I guess their digestive systems are pretty rugged! 
From the Village Code which specifically identifies Goats as Farm Animals: "...No person shall keep or harbor any animal, including farm animals, within the Township of South Orange Village except for any dogs and cats in compliance with the provisions of this chapter and/or Chapter 170 , Cat Licensing..."
Tom_Vilardi said:
From the Village Code which specifically identifies Goats as Farm Animals: "...No person shall keep or harbor any animal, including farm animals, within the Township of South Orange Village except for any dogs and cats in compliance with the provisions of this chapter and/or Chapter 170 , Cat Licensing..."
Does that include having them come visit for an hour or two each week to eat your grass and weeds?
Sac, I really don't know, but if it doesn't then I would like to invite one of the chicken keepers in Maplewood to visit me for an hour or two every week so that their fowl (prohibited in South Orange) can come, eat some ticks and lay some fresh eggs for me.
Are there actually any chicken keepers here (in Maplewood)? I've never seen any in my walks around my neighborhood (although I suppose they may be well-hidden in the backyards.) I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone keeping chickens.
The owners of the old Pierson House on Valley keep a small flock. There are several others too. In South Orange you can keep chickens (and other fowl) for a couple of months (egg hatching school project type situations) but then they are supposed to be sent off to a distant farm somewhere in Iowa, Maplewood, Millburn or even Newark (where chickens are all allowed! LOL!). I heard a story once of folks on Church St. keeping small flocks and occasionally the birds would escape their pens and roam the neighborhood!
Hi all, has anyone successfully used goats for eliminating poison ivy and if so can you recommend your service? Google hasn't been super helpful with this. Thanks!
Kat