The Hefner Canal goats program has been such a success that it will continue in 2016 with OKC’s own herd after they spend the winter at Lake Stanley Draper.
The City recently bought 24 new goats to replace goats on temporary loan from Langston University. The Langston goats have returned home, and the new herd joins pairs of goats and sheep rescued by OKC Animal Welfare and two guard donkeys for OKC’s own herd of 30 grazing animals.
The herd is spending the winter at a Utilities Department facility on Lake Stanley Draper and will return to the Hefner Canal in March.
Successful trial program
The City started a one-year trial program last year with the goats on loan from Langston to help maintain the Hefner Canal. The canal is difficult and dangerous to maintain with conventional mowing, but must be kept clear enough for proper drainage.
The goats successfully kept plant growth in check for a year, proving their worth as a low-cost and safe option to maintain the canal.
Herd could grow
The City bought the 24 new goats at a livestock auction for $3,800. It’s an all-female herd except for one male, and the goats can breed to build a sustainable herd to continue maintaining the canal.
Water Quality Division employees check on the goats daily and provide them with what they need when they’re at the canal in the spring through fall.
They’ll provide shelter, grain, hay, fresh tap water and cedar tree treats through the winter at the employee’s rural work facility at Lake Stanley Draper before the herd returns to the canal in March.