Got Goats?

[batcon]

With my daughter home from college for the summer break, and her horse coming tomorrow, we need to come up with a buddy for her. She is only five y.o. and has never stayed alone and we don't think she will do very well. We have an offer to take two young goats as pasture buds, but the wife and I have zero experience with these animals. Of course the people offering them have nothing but good things to say about them. Should I do this?

 

[canucksafari]

Get a llama or a donkey. They both get along well with horses and both are good property protectors/alarms. But then I am biased. IH8GOATS... running around, cheese or in the pot.

 

[Godwin]

We've had goats and they were easy to keep, much easier than a horse. Best to avoid males though as they can become aggressive once mature.

 

[batcon]

We've had goats and they were easy to keep, much easier than a horse. Best to avoid males though as they can become aggressive once mature.

These are both 4 month old males and the owner was saying they are going to need to be fixed in a couple months or so. Also, she has been raising them for many many years and her daughter said they have never had a problem with them butting or anything. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Godwin]

Getting them fixed should avoid the problem of aggressiveness. What we saw with the two billys that we had was that as they matured, and the testosterone kicked in, they became very strong. All of the goats that we've had have pretty much been treated as pets and were accustomed to being fed. With the billys it actually wasn't aggression as much as extreme pushiness because when we were around them they expected to be fed and due to their size and strength, plus having horns, were becoming a danger.

The goats and horse got along fine, but the best situation is no goats and no horse.

 

[batcon]

[
The goats and horse got along fine, but the best situation is no goats and no horse.[/QUOTE]




Yep.

 

[Cuerno Largo]

I have 2 horses and had three goats running with them. A nanny and 2 wethers(fixed). No aggressiveness from any of them. I had no problems with them getting along. I think goats are kinda neat. They are really curious creatures. Make sure you have good fence though.



BTW. Congratulations on having a daughter in college at 5y/o. Also, shame on you for making her stay in the pasture.;p

 

[sirenmoses]

BTW. Congratulations on having a daughter in college at 5y/o. Also, shame on you for making her stay in the pasture.;p

That's how I read it as well. "would a goat make a good companion for a young child home alone for the summer".

 

[nat]

Goats are damned annoying...........but they make good cuban sandwiches.

Get a mule.

 

[Jman]

Local PD has a few horses for their mounties, they board them with goats. I asked one of the mounties why they did that, they said to keep the horses company, keeps them calmer for some reason.

My kids said it was for the midget police officers.

 

[batcon]

The goats are working out fine so far. The first thing I had to do was lion proof the stall they are in as we have had those suckers around here. The horse and the goats get along like they are old buddies. We have been letting them out to explore the property and hopefully eat the weeds around here. So far they really love the citrus and cherry trees, the strawberry plants and other **** I don't want them to eat. If they touch my tomato plants, the protective wire is coming off the stall. I'll post up some pics.

 

[calstyl2]

A pack of goats will clean up an overgrown property in no time.

 

[wob]

A pack of goats will clean up an overgrown property in no time.

Yeah, when it comes to food, they're the calstyls of the animal world.

 

[batcon]

A pack of goats will clean up an overgrown property in no time.

Last year a nieghbor had a bunch of goats brought in to clear part of his property of weeds and brush. They were kept in certain areas by driving in temporary stakes and zip tying plastic webbing to the stakes. I was surprised none were lost to mountain lions, as I had seen a couple in that exact location.

 

[CJF]

The goats are working out fine so far. The first thing I had to do was lion proof the stall they are in as we have had those suckers around here. The horse and the goats get along like they are old buddies. We have been letting them out to explore the property and hopefully eat the weeds around here. So far they really love the citrus and cherry trees, the strawberry plants and other **** I don't want them to eat. If they touch my tomato plants, the protective wire is coming off the stall. I'll post up some pics.

Waiting for pic's.

 

[D'Animal]

Don't let the horse eat a large amount of the cherry tree leaves. It will make the sick. (It is one of the triggers for IMHA)

So far they really love the citrus and cherry trees, the strawberry plants and other **** I don't want them to eat.

A group or gathering of canines is called a pack.

A pack of goats will clean up an overgrown property in no time.

A group or gathering of Goats is called a Herd.

-Skillet

 

[splitshot]

Billy's are one of the most vile, stinky creatures on the planet imo. I you take them in, do yourself a favor and turn them into wethers pronto. Otherwise you daughter will whitness them pissing on their heads and giving self inflicted BJ's.

Goats are cool, Billy's not..

 

[Godwin]

Billy's are one of the most vile, stinky creatures on the planet imo. I you take them in, do yourself a favor and turn them into wethers pronto. Otherwise you daughter will whitness them pissing on their heads and giving self inflicted BJ's.

Goats are cool, Billy's not..

X 2 and then some.

 

[batcon]

The fat stupid one is named Randy, and the smarter and friendlier one is Earl. It just seemed to fit.

 

[batcon]

Not sure what kind of goats these are, we really haven't done any research at all. One thing we're working on right now is trying to get these guys fixed. Had a couple of quotes and it's not cheap, but the gal that gave us the goats said they can get aggressive (so far we haven't seen any of that.) I'm just amazed at how they just hang around the property and don't go anywhere, they're pretty much like dogs. The only problem is, the knuckleheads want to get into my garden and eat the good stuff like my tomato plants, sunflowers and pumpkin plants.