Questions for goat people

[rooster0209]

A friend of mine is thinking of getting two goats and has a few questions. I had one so many years ago that i cant answer them.

1--Will goats chew on her new cedar deck?
2--Will they get in her pool? (above ground has a deck on it)

She is thinking of allowing the goats free access to her yard during the day to graise and have a kennel/pen/run for them also.

3--Will goats be contained with an underground fence system?

What breed makes the best pets? She is thinking Nubiam or Pygmy and either wethers are ewes

 

[agnes_day]

oh yes, they will chew on it..we have no windowsills left out back!

i wouldnt think that they would get in the pool because mine freak out if they even see puddles in the yard.
i dont think they will like being in a kennel...maybe a large fenced in area but other than that i would be willing to bet money that they will cry all day, much to your neighbors delight.

 

[mekasmom]

Quote:
1. Yes, if the mood strikes them. They chew on anything they want to. They mainly eat plants and trees.
2. No. They don't like to swim. They will drink from it if the mood strikes them. But they will jump on the deck. Goat games include jumping on "mountains" over and over
3. Yes. I have an invisible fence near the house with the collars. I put them on my goats quite often. Only the large 120lb nubian won't listen to the fence. I think she is either too big to feel it or too stupid to understand it. But all my nigis/oberhaslis/alpines/fainting goat listen to the fence just fine. I only have 4 collars, so I can't let them all out to roam at once, but they do listen, except for the nubian. I let a few out, then leave the rest in the pen.

For pets I prefer milk breeds (does). Just get something that was bottle fed, so they are very friendly. Pygmys escape more than any other breed, but are really cute. Just be sure if you get them that you have a way to contain them. Nubians are more "headstrong" than other milk breeds and larger. They have a unique "moose-call". For a good pet, I would suggest Nigerian dwarfs. They aren't as "flightly" as pygmies, but still small and cute, easy to handle, etc.

 

[cassie]

Goats chew on wood because they need phosphorous. Where I live the goats are fed a diet of mostly alfalfa which is high in calcium but low in phosphorous. Our goats will chew wood. When I traveled to other parts of the country where the goats were fed primarily grass hay, which is low in calcium but high in phosphorous, the goats left the wood alone. A good mineral mix ought to cut down on the wood chewing. In any case, I would imagine they would leave the cedar deck alone.