what is the purpose of keeping goats

[Barred Rocks forever]

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http://www.bountifulfarm.com/lgd_seminar.htm useing one of these or a llama or a donkey are good for protecting livestock

 

[Hillsvale]

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raise my goats and lambs together..... while they are here they have a great time playing and horsing around.... very cute.

 

[Hound]

I tried the electrified netting but it did not go well. I'm glad I stayed outside to keep an eye on them because they got into trouble pretty quickly. Instead of backing away from the fence when it shocked them they would panic and try to run through it, entangling themselves in the fence. It was shocking and strangling them at the same time, not something i'd ever care to see again. I disconnected it as quick as I could and sent it back.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

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That stuff is ideal for chickens, but proper electric wire is best for all else.
I was just introduced to the twined version of electric fence. It stretches and retracts very nicely, and if a tree falls on it, it does not break.

 

[Hound]

I like the electrified tape because it is so visible, but goats are so prone to mayhem that I would only use it on the outside of the fence if I had issues with neighboring dogs. Pipe fence with cattle panels welded onto it has worked great for us, but obviously for a large area that would be extremely expensive. Our fence is 5' tall so we have no issues with the goats jumping out.

 

[Beekissed]

I just make sure the dogs on my side of the fence are tougher and meaner than the dogs on the other side....seems to work well here. The last dog that came in this fence met with the wrath of God! My old white dog took the front end and the brown dog started at the rear and promised to meet her in the middle.

The poor animal left at high speed with less fur and blood than he came with.....

 

[Hound]

The last and only dogs i've had in my pens were my neighbor's. It really chaps my behind when people think they need herding dogs when they have nothing to herd. They are nothing but trouble. When I went outside the goats had them cornered and I didn't give them the relief they were hoping for. The does were within weeks of kidding and I was scared to death they would miscarry.

 

[Hillsvale]

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I had a herding dog before I had a herd

... of course this is the same dog that gets on Simon's lap each evening for cuddles... he's stay there all night if allowed.

It would burn my rump is someone's dog was chasing anything of mine.

 

[boykin2010]

i have actually had to shoot dogs with bb guns before here because even if u catch them and take them to the pound the owner just pays the fine and brings it home to let it run loose again. one pop with a bb gun and they usually dont come back. but i would be worried because if i had goats and sheep all the hungry dogs within miles would think it was an all you can eat buffet. I would really like to get a guard donkey and guy at my church has a lot of donkeys he would probably be willing to sell one for cheap. right now on craigslist here there is a older jenny for sale that they used to protect goats. he wants to trade for either 2 female goats or 1 female goat that is pregant. He said she is kinda skiddish and u cant ride her but she was a rescue and she used to have a problem with her hooves but they fixed it.

can someone please tell me an estimate on how much a donkey cost?

can you also please tell me the height a fence needs to be to keep goats and sheep from jumping out.

 

[Sumatra503]

I have used two fences with good success.

The firs fence an the one I preffer for smaller areas is a sturdy 4 foot high woven wire fence. My fence has 4"x2" spaces and is held up by sturdy t-posts. Not the cheap t-posts, bu the good strong ones. The neighbors have a huge chow that just bent the weaker posts down and killed the chickens. I use this fence for my chicken pen as well.

The other fence I use is an electric fens. The electric fence is 4 feet high and the strands are about 8" a part. This keeps the goats or dogs from squezing through it without hitting the fence and thinking twice about it. The fence also has a good strong charger. Goats have thick hides and electric fence can sometimes not effect them well if it's not a strong one.

I've found that a four foot fence is a good hight to keep them in. Electric fencing doesn't always work on wool sheep, cause it doesn't shock them through wool. Any fence shorter than 4 feet tall will not hold a goat, but may hold a sheep depending on the size of the sheep.

I don't use a LGD i use a Llama Guardian which is a bit more effective in my experience. It is so hard for me to find a good dog around here. Our dogs are afraid of everything, but the llama chases everything off. He is a very good llama and even defends the chicken coop and rabbit barn. He also eats a lot less than a dog. About a cup of grain a day along with his grazing, our pasture is pretty lush, and about a quarter flake per day of regular grass hay.

Donkeys are generally anywhere from 500-1000 dollars to purchase depending on the area you live in.

Llamas are generally about 100.00 aound here on average, so it was cheaper to go that way.