Minature Goats

[W5FL]

We want to get some good breeding stock for Nigerian Goats. Has anyone seen a good book on goats?

My sister in law also said she had seen some goats with no ears. Never heard of goats with no ears, and they might look funny and not hear very well. Has anyone seen one like that?

I have finished a 12x36 ft barn for the goats and about ready to start fencing for them.

 

[Bird]

Wen, I picked up some good literature on goats from my county agent about 5 years ago. I didn't stay in the goat business long though; only had a buck and 4 does and raised 4 little ones before I sold all 9.

Bird

 

[gordon]

Bird why did you decide to get rid of the goats?
Gordon

 

[Bird]

Gordon, I got the goats about as much for recreation to watch them play, and for the grandkids to play with, as anything, and considered getting into the business, but I had them in a relatively small pen by the barn; didn't have the rest of the pasture properly fenced for goats, so I fed them too much, spent too much time and money on them, and finally just decided to take all of them to the auction barn. Just don't have enough time and money to do everything I'd like to do./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[TomG]

I think a web search on goats will turn up quite a bit. My wife would like some goats. We just have to figure out where and how.

I think Bird's comment about an adequate pen understates things a bit. Goats are famous for getting out of pens, and real good ones are needed. Goats can really jump. There's a small herd down the highway that regularly gets out and browses along the right of way. Of course, maybe it's the guy and not the goats. His pigs get out too.

Linking two discussions together: According to a friend, if you've got goats, then you don't have to have poison oak or ivy. Apparently they love to browse on the stuff and will clean out a bush lot in no time.

 

[Bird]

Thomas, I never had one of my goats get out of the pen around the barn, but I knew I couldn't turn them out in the pasture because it's just 5 strand barbed wire. However, there are a number of people raising goats in this area with no fencing other than 2 strand electric fence. And of course, a lot of people in Texas raise goats, along with their cattle, to keep down the brush, vines, and undergrowth. They're really great for that; they're "browsers" instead of "grazers" and they'd rather have that kind of stuff than grass. And besides that, a few years ago, one of the TV newsmen was interviewing one of the big ranchers in Texas, and he said, "You raise cattle for prestige, and goats and sheep for money."

Bird

 

[W5FL]

Thanks Bird, I will check that out. Their hours are a little hard to get by to see them, but sometimes they mail me stuff.

 

[W5FL]

I have a little more work to do on the barn. I am closing it out with a 12 foot no clim horse wire gate, so I can lock them in at night if I want to.

I was planning to use 3 ft no climb horse wire with two or three barbs over the top on 5 ft T posts and pipe corners and H's. I really wish I had got 4 ft as the entire place is fenced in the 2x4 no climb 5 ft high with pipe fence and toprail.

Really wanted to be sure my dogs couldn't get in as much as cross fencing for goats and calves.

Started to get field fencing and my Dad told me he worked for a rancher once that he spent the entire day just getting goats heads out of fences so they wouldn't die there. So much for them having a lot of sense. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[W5FL]

I could believe jumping goats, but not jumping pigs. He has a lot of holes in his fence. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Yep, Wen, a neighbor told me about having one of his goats die because it had it's head caught in the fence, and I had one that got her head hung in the fence twice, but fortunately, no damage or injury.

Bird

 

[TomG]

And, contrary to popular thinking, they're picky eaters I hear. A farm zoo in the city says they'll eat alfalfa hay but won't touch any other hay. The zoo is something of a working livestock operation where participating farmers bring in some of their stock certain times of year, and young animals are raised there. The animals usually rotate, but several of the goats and Scottish cattle became celebrities and are permanent residents.

Despite prestige and money things, goats can get by on entertainment value. Maybe that's next year's project. Of course, around here we have real wolfs (One in our driveway last summer. Middle of the day). Keeping goats from the wolfs might be a problem.

 

[TomG]

Gee, I like the idea of jumping pigs.

Actually, the guy with the goats and pigs is something of a local problem. His livestock are on the highway frequently. A neighbour hit his pig last fall and broke the transmission on her car. A school bus and other vehicles have hit them in the past. Police confiscated his animals several times. He just goes and buys more. I understand a judge ordered him to get an electric fence. One was ordered, paid for and never picked up.

I haven't seen his animals for awhile so maybe the police finally got serious. Livestock on the highway are bad. Pigs are especially bad. Of course, we've got moose and bear here. Hit a moose, and write off your vehicle.

 

[PaulB]

Wen - the goats without ears are I think called Lamanchas, and they have all the inner workings of the ear, just tiny ear flaps. Hear fine.

 

[W5FL]

The problem here is coyotes, but I hope a good 5 ft fence will keep the goats from becoming supper. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I am not sure that alfafa will grow here. Hope they like coastal. Tell me a little more about the entertainment value. I figure my little 4 year old grandson will think they are ok. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[W5FL]

Thanks Paul, I will do a little more research on Lamanchas and find out a little more about them.

 

[W5FL]

People don't seem to drive in the country like they are in the country. People should do a better job of keeping farm animals fenced, but I think people should pay a little attention to their surroundings, too. Good thing she didn't hit a horse or cow!

 

[Bird]

Wen, there is just a little (very little) alfalfa hay grown in my area (in fact I've only known of one farmer who grew it around here); most of it is brought down from northern Oklahoma. However, folks around here feed coastal, Johnson Grass, and Haygrazer to their goats and they eat it, but they won't eat much of it if you give them plenty of the regular sheep and goat feed (like I did).

And goats do like to climb and play "King of the Mountain" on a bale of hay, or anything else. I put an old set of mobile home steps in the middle of the pen just for them to play on.

And coyotes (and occasionally dogs) are a problem around here, too. A lot of folks keep donkeys to keep the coyotes and dogs from getting calves, kids, and lambs. So . . ., I bought a young donkey gelding and put in the pen with my goats. He could see and hear other donkeys in another pasture a ways off, and he paced back and forth like a caged lion for a couple of days, then attacked one of the nanny goats and broke her neck, grabbed one of the little ones by one hind leg and was running around the pen with me trying to catch him (if I'd had a gun with me, I'd have shot him). Anyway, he finally dropped the kid without injuring it and the donkey went to the sale barn the next morning. And then someone told me if you're going to put a donkey in with the goats for protection, get a female; not a male./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Of course, this wasn't the first lesson I learned the hard way./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Incidentally, my closest neighbor had five donkeys in with his cattle for several years and decided last Fall that they weren't doing any good and weren't worth feeding, so he sold all of them. This Spring, after losing 6 newborn calves to coyotes, he bought two more donkeys.

Bird

 

[Bird]

Yep, Wen, it never ceases to amaze me at the number of one vehicle accidents we have on these farm roads; mostly from either just driving too fast, or from being drunk, and running off the road. But there have also been several accidents in the area from folks hitting cattle on the road. I usually drive close to the speed limit myself in the daytime, but sure go slow around here at night, because hitting a cow or deer sure ruins your whole day./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[dfranksmith]

I believe I saw an earless goat once, and the owner told me it was a Morroccan goat. It was average size, and the coloration was something like that of a doberman.

 

[gordon]

We have one goat and she thinks she's a dog they run together two dogs and the goat when she's out of the pen. I was very surprized at how well goats can jump. The good thing is that if she does get loose she stays right around the pen. She is also very good around the childern the goat is very spoiled as well thanks to my wife and the kids.
If the dogs act up around her she lets them know who is boss real quick with a quick head butt enough to keep them in line not to hurt them.
My wife wants to get more but I'll have to build a much better pen before we can do that because all goats are not as trusting around kids and dogs as Dollyrama.
What is the best way to build a pen for goats?
Gordon