?? About goats

[JDRandyC]

I have about two acres that I have been spraying to try to keep the weeds down. I am tired of spraying and would like to get some goats but I don't know anything about goats and I have some questions.

How many goats would I need to keep the thorn bushes and weeds down?

Do I need a special type of goat?

My fence is a field fence and I have heard that goats can get their horns stuck in a fence. Is it best to try to find goats without horns?

Do goats require any additional food other that what they can find on their own? What other maintenance do they need?

Any other info you have that you think might be helpful for my situation would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Bird]

Yep, I used to have some goats and I've had them get their horns hung in the fence. You know goats are browsers more than grazers, so they'll eat leaves and twigs as well as some grass. I over fed mine, so they sure got fat.:laughing:

 

[nybirdman]

Get dairy goats,we had a couple of pygmys and they were a pain.Just remember they like to climb and jump.

 

[farmall 55a case]

I've heard that if you want goat to use to clean up areas you want meat goats so they don't cut up there utters on thorns and such? Don't really know tho. I don't have any. Have been kicking the idea around tho about getting some.

 

[ozley]

3 or 4 Goat would be fine. If you keep them on the spot all the time you will need to watch for worms. Watch for lice too. What fence you have they will get through it.
Top 10 Tips for Raising Goats

 

[jwstewar]

We've been raising goats now for about 4 years, currently we have a herd of 29. We use them for show and market wethers so we don't use them to clear brush. Whatever you do, don't get just one goat, it will be lonely and depressed and die pretty quick. Get at least 2. Goat like any other livestock will have to be vaccinated and like the others said you will have to watch for parasites - both internal & external. They will also have to have their hooves trimmed periodically them to them up and standing correctly. They will need a decent shelter. Goats don't like rain and they don't like wind. Cold doesn't bother them - if they are out of the wind. You can buy "goat" feed as well that you can supplement their browsing with - depending upon what types of vegetation they will be clearing. In the winter you can also feed them hay if they won't be out browsing. I know a lot of folks get by without giving any grain, but we like to keep ours with grain. You will need to watch their balance of calcium to phosphorus. You will want a 2 to 1 ratio to prevent Urinary Calculi (Kidney Stones) this is especially true if you have bucks or wethers. This can happen if you feed a large amount of corn. You will also want to watch to make sure they have the proper levels of copper if your ground is selium deficient.

 

[powerpace]

Have a good fence or a have a car that doesn't have a good paint job.

 

[Reyer Farms]

You really can't fence in goats, you can only hope to fence them out!
They are great for clean up and sale good too.

 

[lutt]

Six strands of high tensile electric will keep them or anything else in, but probly more than you would want to fool with! LUTT

 

[Bird]

I once read that the way to test a fence for goats is to take a bucket of water and throw it against the fence. If any water gets through, so will the goats.:laughing: In reality, I never had a problem with any of my goats getting through the fence, but a couple did get horns hung up in the fence.

 

[lutt]

I once read that the way to test a fence for goats is to take a bucket of water and throw it against the fence. If any water gets through, so will the goats.:laughing: In reality, I never had a problem with any of my goats getting through the fence, but a couple did get horns hung up in the fence.

I beleive there is a lot of truth to that! LUTT

 

[lockhaven]

would sheep be better?

 

[weldingisfun]

Sheep will not eat the roughage you said you want to clean up. Goats will. We have been raising them for 15 years and if you give them a reason to stay on the property, they won't leave. Byrd said it all, if water gets through your fence, goats will too. Just be sure they have all they need on your side of the fence and they will stay, i.e., food, clean water and shelter. Go to a local breeder and find some goats that are people friendly. Nothing harder to work with, or around, than a skittish goat. Four or five will work for you and get either all does or all wethers, no bucks. They breed like rabbits.

 

[ozley]

I beleive there is a lot of truth to that! LUTT

There is a lot of truth. I had a goat that would jump up do a high kick off the barn go over the fence. I had to spend more time than he was worth waiting to catching him.

 

[lutt]

I would like to see that. That's funny ! LUTT

 

[EddieWalker]

Are all goats escape artists? What about pygmy goats?

Eddie

 

[jwstewar]

Eddie there is a saying in the goat world. Build your fence as tall and as strong as you can. Then stand back and throw a bucket of water at it. That is where the goat will get out

We have Boers, Alpines, LaManchas, and a Nubian all for production. We then have a Pygmy as a pet. She is the most determined and stubborn of all of ours. You can't keep her in anything or out of anything. Though they are all smart. Several of ours have learned how to open the latches on our stalls. The Pygmy can't just because she isn't tall enough.

 

[Marveltone]

We have 9 goats in our pasture at the moment. I constructed a high-tensile electric fence, 5 ft high, 6 strands, with the bottom strand 6" off the ground, with 6"-6"-6"-12"-16"-16" spacing from the bottom up. I put it up late last summer, and so far, everyone stays on the proper side of the fence... But then, they have plenty of food! I believe the two most important factors are: don't give them a reason to want to get out (don't overgraze), and don't skimp on your electric fence charger! I think that's the biggest mistake people make. They get a cheap, weak charger and wonder why their livestock gets out. A good, strong, firm shock will make them respect the fence.

As far as eating brush goes, it doesn't really matter what breed of goat you get. They're all browsers and they'll slowly but steadily clean up an old, neglected pasture. Ours are a pygmy-mixed with... who knows? But they're doing their jobs while providing constant entertainment.

Joe

 

[QueBota]

I'll second that, stick with female goats. Male goats are generally more trouble to keep and develop a unique odor during the fall and winter. If you get close enough the odor will get on you and stay with you, some folks find it more objectionable than others and certain male goats spray their forelegs and beards more than others.

I had one particularly ornry billy that would start attacking the barn in his pen as soon as it was finished, wouldn't take him long to do a job on it. I eventually built one out of scrap steel and metal. First time he reared up, charged and rammed the metal structure, priceless, he just about knocked himself out. Never rammed it again.

Also I like to keep the horns on my goats, work great as "handles" when working with the goats, just have to be mindful of them.
Q

Sheep will not eat the roughage you said you want to clean up. Goats will. We have been raising them for 15 years and if you give them a reason to stay on the property, they won't leave. Byrd said it all, if water gets through your fence, goats will too. Just be sure they have all they need on your side of the fence and they will stay, i.e., food, clean water and shelter. Go to a local breeder and find some goats that are people friendly. Nothing harder to work with, or around, than a skittish goat. Four or five will work for you and get either all does or all wethers, no bucks. They breed like rabbits.

 

[OldMcDonald]

weldingisfun, You have some really nice looking stock there. I liked the "then and now" page. Did you know that the clickable links to the classifications give a "not found" message? I was interested in reading them.

I noted your problem with stray dogs. It is essential to house all small livestock at night here for that reason. I always give a minimum quarter pound of hard feed when housing. That way they know to come towards their shed as it gets late in the day.

I too like horns on goats. When we bought our first Portuguese goats (previously had pedigree Angoras in Australia) we bought a polled buck and a dozen does. We had a few hermaphrodite problems. I eventually found some research that indicated it does not happen if one parent is horned. I do not know if that is correct, but after buying a horned buck we had no more trouble.

I have seen exactly what ozley (#14) describes on a few occasions, and on non-e軻ctroc fencing seen goats put front feet high on a wire then back feet as high as they can manage and lift themselves over the top from that position. I have never had goats go through a fence, rarely under, but frequently over.