Goats - Wethers or Does?

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Don't let the goat eat chicken feed.

 

[GAhen]

Okay, sounds good. I do want two....I would think it would get lonely.
Would to wethers be ok??
I spay and neuter everything .....I do not like heat cycles...

 

[GAhen]

Quote:
Don't let the goat eat chicken feed.

I am a grandma in June too......It's a girl!!!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Thanks for all of the responses. Ginger (my neighbor) will be dehorning them, fixing them (make them wethers) and all of their shots, etc. The best thing is that she is 1/2 mile down the road, so once they are born, the boys and I can go visit, pick them out and then spoil them.

Wethers it is.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Congratulations!!

I'm a little young to be grandma - but I'll go for it!

 

[Harmon_7]

if you want pets i would stick with wethers then. Goats are so fun.

 

[leecey411]

Glad to hear you picked the wethers! Get two,for twice the fun!! I have two tiny Nigerian X Pygmy wethers and they are a hoot! They will make you laugh, I love when they run to meet me at their pen. They even walk on their hind legs for treats! Mine sleep in a plastic dog house I got at Tractor Supply. They love to climb on it during the day.Enjoy!!

 

[GAhen]

I am geeting mine tomorrow.....the father is true pygmy and the mother a pygmy cross.
He is 3 months old. I will post pictures.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

The lady I am getting mine from (April - May) time frame has a wether that was born 3 yeras ago, he is currently 150 lbs. I am purchasing a plastic calf hutch to be their home.

Iam definately getting two.

 

[gila_dog]

A couple of things you may want to think about if you get wethers to keep as pets. One is that it's not a good idea to castrate them when they are babies. It's better to wait until they are about 7 months old. That's because their urinary equipment needs to be mature so that they aren't so vulnerable to urninary stones (urinary calculi) later in life. Most dairies castrate their little bucks right away because they are mostly sold for meat, so they aren't going to live long anyway. But if you want your wethers to live to an old age, it's better to wait to castrate them.

Another thing is that goats are not loners. A goat needs a buddy, that is, another goat.

Here's a pic of 2 of my wethers. These guys are big (150-200 lb), friendly, pets. They are packgoats. They carry camping gear into the backcountry for me. Next year, when they are full grown, they can carry about 40 lb each.