It’s easy to procrastinate disposing of the family Christmas tree, but if you can get it to your doorstep, Durangoats owners and their titular livestock can take care of the rest.
Jonathan Bartley, co-founder of Durangoats, a weed and fire mitigation business that uses goats to clear unwanted vegetation and fire fuels, said he and his business partner Adrian Lacasse are providing a cheap and eco-friendly Christmas tree removal service in the greater Durango area this winter.
For $20 per tree removal, the Durangoats crew will come to a property, load up a tree or trees and take them to their 14 goats, which rely mostly on hay during the winter when their spring and summer snacks are out of season, he said.
Popular Christmas tree species such as spruces, firs and pines are a nice addition to the goats’ diets. The tree removal service also helps Durangoats afford hay for the rest of the winter, Bartley said. And in the grander scheme of things, letting goats feast on discarded trees is a more efficient way of disposing of live seasonal decorations.
“Basically, we’re trying to make a full circle regenerative agriculture solution to utilizing Christmas trees,” he said. “Because some people still do that as part of their tradition and we have interest in trying to find a better solution than it (a Christmas tree) possibly just going to a dump.”
He said even Christmas trees can have a role in “regenerating the Southwest.”
Lacasse said that after the goats have had their fill of leaves, branches and bark, he and Bartley will run the remaining wood through a chipper and compost what comes out. They plan to use the compost on later soil regeneration projects aimed at thinning weeds and promoting healthy plant growth.
He said the history of land management in post-colonialism America includes a lot of degradation of the land and soil and he helped launch Durangoats because he is inspired to help build back up healthy soil.
“We’re trying to replace chemical sprays and set local ecosystems back on course to having healthy soil so in the future that can be a better food source for everybody, humans and wild animals,” he said. “And, goats look cute.”
Christmas trees typically have rough stumps and prickly needles, but that’s not much of a problem for goats, Bartley said. Their jaws make lateral motions when they chew, pulverizing whatever they’re feeding on.
And goats have four stomachs, the first of which is called a rumen. It’s like a biological fermentation vat full of bacteria that help the goat break down its meals, Lacasse said.
Bartley said domestic goats have five basic needs, which are exaggerated when they are wintering: Shelter, food, water, a salt lick and a mineral feeder.
“The mineral feeder supplements their diet in a lot of ways, but there’s definitely something to be said about chewing on bark,” he said. “It’s just a natural process. … If you give your dog a fresh bone it’s going to clean (its) teeth. It’s almost like they are brushing their teeth in a healthy way.”
Durangoats often operates in rural areas and the goats themselves are vulnerable to natural predators of Southwest Colorado, including bears but primarily mountain lions. That’s where the guard dogs come in.
Bartley and Lacasse have two komondors to keep watch over their goat herd. Bartley said mountain lions are the top concern for rural projects that require the goats to stay overnight. If a mountain lion attack occurs, it’s time to up the security or move on to a new site because once the lions discover vulnerable prey they will come back the following nights.
“It’s free feeding, so they’ll be right back,” he said.
The komondors are still puppies, but by the time they reach adult size, they will have armor-like dreaded fur that protects them from gnashing teeth and striking claws.
“These two guys will fight off a mountain lion, which is pretty wild,” he said. “Other than that, what they do is they lay low, they hang out, they conserve their energy. Whenever they need to, they expend it.”
The pups are friendly toward humans – at least while Bartley and Lacasse are around – but they don’t take kindly to other dogs. Lacasse said they will even snarl at free-roaming chickens that occasionally pass by the goat herd’s home pen.
Bartley said he hopes to expand the Durangoats herd to around 30 goats in 2023. And the thought of offering goat yoga and petting zoo opportunities someday has crossed his mind.
“We’re looking into other breeders in the area,” he said. “When goats breed they generally have two babies, and so even a small dairy has a chance in lending a hand.”
Durangoats essentially acts as a goat rescue for male dairy goats because they don’t have a place in society otherwise.
“The sad truth is that often … dairies will sometimes just put them in a tub at birth because it’s just added work (to care for them). Which is sad, you know? That they don’t even get to see that first year,” he said.
But Durangoats’ goats are in it “for the long haul,” Bartley said.
They can be considered retired and having the time of their lives, he said. Now, they are treated to “buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner” every time Durangoats is recruited for weed mitigation.
“We bring them to the best food every single day. Them eating hay, which can be standard for some livestock, is just only when we absolutely have to because there’s nothing else alive (to eat),” he said.
Bartley said anyone interested in Durangoats’ Christmas tree removal and disposal service can text (617) 510-4896 or email jonmbartley@gmail.com, including one’s name, phone number and address. He suggested also writing “Merry Goatmas!”
He said one can also follow Durangoats on Instagram at “durangoatsllc.”
Bartley or Lacasse will reach out to contacts after Christmas. They said they reserve the right to refuse service if someone’s property is too far from the greater Durango area. They will likely service locations such as Bayfield but want to be efficient with time and gas, and will strategize trips to hit the most properties in the same area that they can.
cburney@durangoherald.com
