Goats or rabbits?

[LissyB]

This coming spring I might be able to get rabbits or goats. I don't know which to get! I have one horse so if I got goats they would be a buddy for her, but I would have to totally re-fence our pasture. If I got rabbits my horse wouldn't have a friend/s but I wouldn't have to spend over $500 on fencing.

I would have to pay for all the expences, feed, housing, supplies, my parents wouldn't do any of that. I would show them in 4H and if I was able to, breed and sell them.

I am not experienced in goats but have had a few rabbits, right now I am leaning more towards rabbits, they have jput me under a fuzzy spell!

 

[miss heny]

rabbits is a good starter project for 4-h, they are cheaper, and not as annoying

 

[Stacykins]

Thinking of goats as an annoyance is an opinion. I personally love my goats and don't find them very annoying at all. They're affectionate and always ready for a cuddle. Though my goats don't have bad habits like chewing on clothing or hair, like some goats I've seen.

While I advocate for goats, they have a higher cost over all, in maintenance and initial cost. Also, unless your mare has demonstrated in the past that she is fine with goats, putting goats with her is a huge risk. Horses have been known to bite and stomp goats to death, seeing them as a threat and not a companion.

And you're right, a fence that holds a horse definitely won't hold a goat! So just the cost of the new fencing alone could make for some pretty nice money to have a great rabbit setup.

 

[miss heny]

i own goats, please dont take it wrong, i have 4 nig, 1 la macha and 1 alpine. one of the nig is a weather that escapes all the time 9no matter what we do to keep him in) we have 2 bottle babies also.

the la mancha, she just a mean broad to the other goats :/ once show season is over she gone!

our goats are pretty well behave, ya they have a habit of chewing hair and clothing (been working on getting them to stop since we have had them). i love my goats, but they can be annoying.


and for some one just starting, who want to show and breed, rabbits are easier. number 1. SQ rabbits cost less then goats that are SQ, by alot!. number 2. fencing, you can keep the rabbits in a hutch. number 3. depending on what you want to do, the meat rabbit shows would (most likely, just from what i notice) would be easier to do them meat goats, around here to get a NICE not great, Not fully SQ meat weather, you could pay up to $500! and on the sale you most likely wont get that money back.

and in showing in dairy, you have work with the goats, and to get a nice, proven doe with nice teets, be ready to pay some money.

and yes, i have shown goats in dairy, rabbit once 9in the county, need to work on showing them more) so i do know what i am talking about on this

 

[LissyB]

Thank you guys! My horse is so sweet and gentle, she lets the dogs and ducks run through her legs and doesn't do anything, onetime she let the cat ride her so... I'm not worried about her and the goats. One of the problems with rabbits is that all the breeders where I live only sell Holland lops, American Fuzzy lops, Dwarf lops, and mini Lionheads, every breeder here sells those breeds, so there's a lot of competition selling those breeds.

On the other hand... some of my cousins breed and sell Pygmy goats and said that I could have a couple. And I was wondering if they were easier to keep in. I also have a couple friends that have a Nigerian doe and are trying to find a buck to breed her to so that may be another place I could get goats.

I don't know how I'm gonna get money for fencing for goats if I get them, would Craigslist be a good way to look for goat fencing? I'm guessing it would be cheaper right?

 

[KristyAnn]

So did you end up getting a goat or rabbits?