Lets talk about goats!

[H Diamond]

Don't plan to keep her buck kids for breeding AT ALL. To be responsible, they should not be sold unless wethered.
And it shouldn't affect milking unless one teat is difficult to milk or something.

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Ok, thanks.

I ordered a book. The Backyard Goat by Sue Weaver. I flipped through it a little bit and I don't see where she mentions poisonous plants. This seems to be our biggest problem right now. We have a Choke Cherry bush in our yard, and the neighbor has one in their yard, that hangs over the goat "barn" and drops leaves into it. We were planning to cut ours down, but I don't know what to do about the neighbors... Huge blow to our plans.

But why isn't it mentioned in the book? Why have I only seen this info a few places? And how poisonous are they? Does anyone know?

 

[H Diamond]

Ok, thanks.

I ordered a book. The Backyard Goat by Sue Weaver. I flipped through it a little bit and I don't see where she mentions poisonous plants. This seems to be our biggest problem right now. We have a Choke Cherry bush in our yard, and the neighbor has one in their yard, that hangs over the goat "barn" and drops leaves into it. We were planning to cut ours down, but I don't know what to do about the neighbors... Huge blow to our plans.

But why isn't it mentioned in the book? Why have I only seen this info a few places? And how poisonous are they? Does anyone know?

I found this: http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/cherry.shtml It summed up mostly what I was finding on various other webpages.
Sounds like the worst problem would be if they eat them wilted. Fresh isn't quite as bad.
Can you trim back the part that grows on your side? Put some type of netting up?

 

[sandesnow]

Another very good resource on poisonous plants:

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/goatlist.html

 

[ChickyChickens]

Hey!I Previously read on another site that Boer goats are year-round breeders (and I'm assuming they are as mine are.....

) But then yesterday I read on another site that they are seasonal breeders can someone help me and tell me which one they really are, 'cause I'm confused???

 

[RTFchickens]

I got my first goat today!
He is all by himself until Sunday when I'm picking up his buddy. Poor little guy. He keeps crying unless I'm with him.

 

[RTFchickens]

Another pic

 

[memphis]

He's cute! Went thru that once. Had a lone goat for a few days. Poor baby cried until the other goats arrived. I swear he was crying "maaaama".

 

[Tuhmu]

He's cute! Went thru that once. Had a lone goat for a few days. Poor baby cried until the other goats arrived. I swear he was crying "maaaama".

It kind of hurts hearing them make that noise. I get a couple that get their heads stuck in the fence and while the rest of the herd moves on, they start making that MAAAAAAA! sound till I come to the rescue. (a simple fix, they just have to turn their head, this hasn't caught on yet though...neither has just keeping their head on the right side either..."grass is always greener on the other side", even when the stuff on your side is taller than you and full of clover and alfalfa.) Hurray for maybe another month, till their horns are too big.

 

[cassie]

Hey!I Previously read on another site that Boer goats are year-round breeders (and I'm assuming they are as mine are.....

) But then yesterday I read on another site that they are seasonal breeders can someone help me and tell me which one they really are, 'cause I'm confused???

It may depend on the line. Dairy goats of the Swiss breeds are seasonal breeders. They start coming into heat so many weeks (I forget what it is) after the longest day. Boers come from near the equator where the length of the days and nights are close to the same length year round so they are more likely to cycle year round. I once knew a Nubian breeder whose goats would breed any time of year, but she bred for that trait..