GOAT QUESTIONS

[JoJo 95]

CAN ANYBODY RECOMMEND A CALM GOAT THAT MY LITTLE SISTERS,NEPHEWS AND NIECE CAN HELP WITH? I WANT A FEW SMALL GOATS BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE A CALM DRAFT GOAT. MY SISTERS ARE BETWEEN 3 AND 11 AND MY 3 NEPHEWS ARE 2,4 AND 10. ALSO MY NEPHW TRAI IS 4 AND HE LIKES TO RUN AROUND AND SCREAMS RANDOMLY[HE'S HYPER]I NEED A BREED THAT CAN HANDLE LITTLE KIDS WELL AND CAN TOLERATE NOISE AND BEING STARTLED.

 

[paulpig]

boer goat mix.............basically a golden retreiver with horns............well, ours is anyway..!!!! We love our goat.......he follows us around like a puppy dog!!!~!

 

[FrenchHen]

We love our Nigerian Dwarfs. Small, cute, and basically hooved puppies.
We don't mow our lawns anymore.

 

[username taken]

You dont want a specific breed, you want a specific individual. You will be able to find what you are looking for in any breed. I would ask around with many different breeders, explain what you need. Possibly the best would be an old retired show goat ...

 

[FrenchHen]

Pygmy goats and Nigerians are the smaller breeds. Boers. Saanens, and Nubians are much bigger. Most goats are pretty laid back (assuming they're not bucks). Find someone near you who has some and go check them out. You can also get fainting goats and help preserve that breed.

 

[bheila]

Quote:
I agree but if you want a small breed go with Pygmy or Nigerian. My 2yr old daughter leads ours around with no problem but that's because they know "she's" the boss

 

[Chirpy]

I agree with username taken and bheila.... any breed can have wonderful, sweet individuals or not so sweet problem makers. Since you are going to have young children I would also recommend a small breed such as Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarfs. A couple of wethers would be an especially good choice as they are usually very laid back and gentle (if properly raised).

As to the cart goat - a mixed breed wether might be a good choice (like boer/nubian or ?). There are several cart goat people here ... you could start another thread asking that specific question and they'd likely see it and give you some experienced advice.

Also a really good goat site (since BYC's isn't ready yet

) is: http://thegoatspot.net/phpbb/index.php

Good luck - have tons of fun!

 

[mamabird]

Quote:
Agreed. I have a 10, 8 and 5 year old, and we breed nigerians...they are just the right size for my petite girls to handle. I'd suggest finding a breeder with nigis that have kids (2-legged) that might have some kids (4-legged) for sale. Good luck!!

 

[JoJo 95]

thanks.

 

[citrusdreams]

I hope I don't open up a can of worms, so please don't throw virtual darts at me, but if I had children involved with goat care, I would lean towards getting something without horns. They can accidentally get you with those horns, without even meaning to, and that can not only hurt but can leave gashes and bruises.

However, I do agree you're looking for an individual, not a breed. I've seen LaManchas, Saanens, Nubians and Boers that have all been rather sweet and calm.

Bucks will get nice and smelly when they're in rut, unless they've been wethered. It's nothing soap and water can't cure when they kids are done with the goats, but something to consider if it might bother you.