Hubby wants a goat...what's the low down on goats?

[Chicky Joy]

My hubby wants to get a goat. I asked him why, and he said, "why not?" I'm not quite convinced that we should. What are the important and even not so important things we need to know about goats in order to make our decision?

 

[dkillgore]

Goats are great! That said,unless the goat you get is a bottle fed orphan,you will need 2 goats.Goats are very unhappy without a goat friend and will sometimes worry themselves into not eating,etc.
Goats need special fenceing(hog wire can catch a head with horns and strangle the poor thing) electric fence is not an effective containment fence due to the goats hooves-they don't get shocked unless you personally hold the goat and touch the fence at the same time.
Goats love weeds and brush better than grass-sheep love grass. Goats can be walked like a dog and make great watchdogs for strangers coming up your road.Goats hate rain and need a dry place to wait out storms. Don't get a billy goat they are aggresive and stinks worse than you can imagine-a whether(neutered male) is the best as it won't go into heat as a female will(they are very vocal when they cycle) and they are cheaper to buy normally.
We use red brand fenceing and dog kennel panels for ours.
All breeds have their pluses and minus.I am partial to nubian/boer crosses and we leave the horns due to the dogs in the area.
Good luck if you decide on sharing your life with goats-they are wonderful animals.

 

[boilerjoe_96]

Quote:
Uhh.. mine get shocked very nicely and a few strands holds them in very well. now mine are pygmy's, they got out the first couple days until I figured out their secret places. Now about 4 strands of horse rope(with the little wire in it) holds them just fine. The dogs don't care fo rthe fence when they get into it though... I do have a 50 mile charger for about 600 feet or so of wire, so a little overkill, but I will be expanding to several acres soon....

Other than that... you are correct. Goats are great.

 

[MissPrissy]

If your fence won't hold water it won't hold goats as the old folks might say.

I have fencing panels and run 3 strands of electric wire. They learn VERY quickly to respect the electric fence.

Lonely bored goats are are mischevious as well as destructive.

You must ask yourself - are you getting goats as a pet? to provide milk? to provide meat? to eat down scrub?

Goats don't graze unless there is nothing else to eat. They prefer to eat brush and low hanging tree leaves.

They have great personalities and are escape artists. They like ruotine and can adapt to a new place but they get very set in their ways and don't like too much change at 'home'.

I have a small heard of 8. Love 'em.

 

[dkillgore]

We have had goats for 20plus years and electric has never worked for us. It may be due to crummy ground contact due to rocks but our friends in mankato minnesota have never had luck with their herd and electric either. You have more volt than we tried.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

i'll just say one thing about goats. GOAT BERRIES they are everywhere. I sometimes think they will be here longer than we will. We have 16 currently and are awaiting the birth of two more. Goats are fun but you really need more than one. DH started with two withers then got two more now hes into does and bucks. Bucks do stink so be ware.

 

[Chicky Joy]

How big of a fence would we need for 2 goats or so?

What can be done with the milk? (I've never had goats or cows etc...at home)

How are they cost wise (set up, up keep, feed etc...)?

How tall would the fence need to be?

 

[kstaven]

What type of goats are you considering? There will be differences in fencing recommendations and space needed etc depending on the breed. Diet specifics do have some variation in meat goats up against dairy goats also.

Do you plan on breeding goats?

 

[Chicky Joy]

No plans for breeding. It sounds like he wants them for milk and for munching on the stuff we have growing around yard and what not.

 

[WisconsinChick]

Quote:
you use it like normal milk..and you can make goat milk soap.