Goats?

[slikchik]

Love my two nubian does. They're not any louder than other goats I've met. Yes, they did eat everything less that 5' tall. We're considering 20 acres with lots of poison ivy and roses and weeds and I can't wait to unleash them on it. I hope to use a Gallagher portable electric fence system for them, just tried one out this weekend and holy cow is it easy. Step it in and energize. They even have solar energizers that are self-contained and sit on top of a t-post. just my two cents.

 

[bambamsmom1121]

We have nigerian dwarf goats. And we wouldn't have it any other way. Small in stature, big on personality. They are eaisly handled even by very young children, my 5 year old handles even my biggest goat(a wether 22") with out issue. He can even handle my bucks We have disbudded and horned(gasp!) goats, the only issue I have with the horned goats is they know they are handy tools and have learned to use them to pick latches, pop gates off hinges, etc. Nigerians have high IQ's and they are eaisly trained. I saw posting about noisy goats how some breeds are noisier then others well if your goat is screaming they need something food, water, boredom, estrus, sometimes it's a matter of going out spending a couple minutes scratching, patting, talking will quite things right down. We have does, bucks,& wethers, bottle raised/dam raised all wonderful. If you are serious about getting a goat or any livestock for property managment/pet/animal product go to your local fair and talk with the 4H/FFA kids they can help educate you on farm animals.

 

[LydiaB]

My advice is to make sure they are disease free. I would get goats that are negetive for CAE, CL, Johnes and Brucellosis. CL causes abcesses and if one of them bursts, you will have it on your farm for years. Johnes causes their intestines to thicken and they waste away. CAE can cause joint and brain problems and Brucellosis causes miscarriage. If they are just wethers, you could probably go without the Brucellosis test, it is not very prevelent in the US. I have Alpines, Nubians and Boers. I do not have problems with them and small children, my little brother and cousins play with them all the time.

 

[LR Gamefarm]

my opionion would be to get pygmy's but you might want a high fence and have it very tight at the bottom because they are escape artist's right now i have 2 a buck and a doe that is pregnant and they both try to go under the fence or overr but the doe wont try going over the fence bu the buck will until i put a heavy chain on him so when he went up to go over he was just pulled back down

 

[aprilc]

Am interested in getting some goats but don't know where to start....any suggestions?

 

[landryschickens]

We have 5 goats right now (billy, weather, momma and 2 bucklings) and i dont know what we would do without them- they have been the best brush control and land reclaimers ever for us- our property sat for a few years before we moved here and we had a jungle in parts that diddnt get mowed! out of all the goats I've had, the calmest is probably the boehr, but the freindliest (most lapdog like when tame anyway) ive had was the dairy breeds (not saying all are, but in my experience theyve been pretty likeable and tame down quicker than alot) and add another vote to the board for nubians being loud! very noisy goats, and not something most people can deal with if they are within earshot of your bedroom or even your yard. alot make totaly sweet pets and are realy trainable with enough attention, but never seen anyone teach them to be quiet! Also, remember with goats its not just keeping them where you want them, alot of times its keeping them OUT of where you dont want them- gardens, plants, feed sheds- our billy who is a absolout marshmallow and is already 5 or 6 and never offers to headbutt knocked my big shed door OFF its hinges- not for food, but because he wanted to sleep in there- a few days after he got in there again and wouldnt leave- i had to put a leash on him and drag him out (keep in mind he has his own shed, he just wanted that one for some reason) and when you get your goats, give them feed by hand whenever possible, because if they get out you wont catch them unless they come for feed (treats are great too, my billy runs into his pen and waits when he sees me with treats for him.) and I wouldnt try gettin only one unless its a bottlebaby- goats are herd animals and like company, and even relativly quiet breeds can make a rucus the first few days, especialy if they are by themselves- hope any of this helps! goodluck