HVG / Grazing Math
How many goats does it take to clear an acre, and how long does it take? Here is the model behind our grazing calculator, in plain numbers.
About 30 goats clear one acre of moderate brush on flat ground in roughly 5 days. That is the working baseline, drawn from university extension research on targeted grazing and our own project history across the Hudson Valley.
We deploy our full working herd of 30 goats on every project. Instead of resizing the herd, we scale the time on site: light, scattered growth cuts the duration roughly in half per acre, dense thickets add half again, and steep ground adds setup time for fencing. When a parcel carries more workload than 30 goats would ideally handle, the duration extends in proportion.
Pricing starts at $900, with every project quoted after a free site visit. Want a number for your exact property? The interactive calculator runs this same model, and AI agents can query it directly through our open API.
Baseline: 30 goats per acre of moderate brush, about 5 goat-days of work per acre-unit for the full herd.
Vegetation density: light growth multiplies the workload by 0.6, moderate by 1.0, heavy thicket by 1.5.
Terrain: hilly ground adds about 15% and steep or rocky ground about 30%, mostly in fencing setup time. Goats themselves love hills.
Vegetation type: palatable targets like poison ivy clear faster than the baseline (goats seek it out), while thorny woody invasives and phragmites run slower. Grass-dominant sites shift the recommendation to sheep, which we also deploy.
Herd lock: the herd is fixed at 30. If the acreage would ideally need more animals, the duration extends by the ratio of ideal herd to actual herd. A 2-acre moderate parcel that would ideally take 60 goats takes our 30-goat herd twice as long.
The 90-day line: when the estimate passes 90 days, grazing has outgrown a single season and we say so. Mechanical clearing through our sister company Hudson Valley Forestry is usually the better tool at that scale.
| Acres | Light Growth | Moderate Brush | Heavy Thicket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 acre | 1 day | 1 to 2 days | 3 days |
| 1 acre | 2 days | 5 days | 11 days |
| 2 acres | 7 days | 20 days | 45 days |
| 3 acres | 16 days | 45 days | 90+ days * |
| 5 acres | 45 days | 90+ days * | 90+ days * |
| 10 acres | 90+ days * | 90+ days * | 90+ days * |
* Past 90 days, grazing is usually the wrong tool for full clearing. At that scale we recommend mechanical clearing first (Hudson Valley Forestry), with goats for follow-up maintenance. Hilly terrain adds about 15% to the figures above and steep or rocky terrain about 30%.
These are planning estimates from the same model our interactive calculator runs. Actual duration depends on access, fencing complexity, season, and specific vegetation. A free site visit gives you the real plan.
Backyard poison ivy, half acre, flat: palatable target, light-to-moderate growth. Our 30 goats are typically done in 1 to 2 days.
One acre of moderate mixed brush, flat: the baseline case. 30 goats, about 5 days.
One acre of heavy multiflora rose and barberry thicket, flat: workload would ideally want 45 goats, so our 30-goat herd runs about 50% longer: roughly 11 days.
Two acres of moderate brush on a hillside: ideal workload is 60 goats; with 30 goats and the hill adjustment the estimate lands around 23 days. This is classic goat country where machines struggle.
Ten wooded acres, heavy growth: the model says 90+ days. Honest answer: bring in the mulcher first, then graze the regrowth each season.
About 30 goats per acre of moderate brush is the working baseline. Light, scattered growth needs fewer animal-days; dense thickets need more. We deploy our full 30-goat working herd on every project and scale the time on site, not the herd size.
A 30-goat herd clears one acre of moderate brush on flat ground in about 5 days. Duration scales with acreage, density (light 0.6x, moderate 1.0x, heavy 1.5x), and terrain (hilly adds about 15%, steep about 30%). See the table above for the full grid.
Starting at $900. Every project is quoted individually after a free site visit, based on acreage, vegetation density, terrain, and fencing needs. The quote covers everything: transport, fencing, water, and daily herd care.
When the model passes 90 days, grazing has outgrown a single season. Large flat parcels with heavy woody material over 6 inches in diameter are faster with a forestry mulcher. Our sister company Hudson Valley Forestry handles mechanical clearing, and many projects combine both.
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