Calves and Goats

[HandyDandyAcres]

Has anyone every run goats and calves in the same pasture? Any concerns with this combo? The goats are about 4 months old and the calves are just shy of 2 months. They are near each other in the barn, only an aisle separating their pens so they are used to seeing and hearing each other. The way the existing pasture is fenced would lend itself well to letting them run together, and would be more affordable from a reinforcement standpoint than having to separate into two fields and reinforce.

Thanks in advance for any input!
(cross posted in Goat forum)


HDAcres

[G. Seddon]

I believe genebo does; with any luck, he'll see this and respond. I imagine plenty of other folks do also.

[topside1]

Goats and steers run the same pastures every single day. Never a problem, although I separate the goats at sundown and release at sunup. Just seems like a good idea...Topside

[65284]

I would never run goats with cattle again. I learned that lesson the hard way. My wife loves goats and we had a pygmy nanny she had bottle reared. It was a gigantic pain, mean and very handy with her horns, just an outright nusiance. When I fed the cows here she would come climb into the bunk, scattering feed, butting and horning the cows in the face, just a destructive animal.

The last straw was when she was late ariving and the cows failed to give as much room as she felt she needed, trying make room to get up to the feeder she hooked a cow, hit the udder and darn near destroyed it. Had to call the vet out to sew up the mess, and the cow lost a quarter.

I had put up with this sort of nonsense for years. Fortunately a few days later a coyote got her or something happened to her.

So no, if you are talking about horned goats, i wouldn't run them with anything else.

[genebo]

I have run Dexter cattle with goats since 2003 with never a problem. All the goats and all the cattle have their horns on.

They eat and sleep together at all times. Never separated. The goats like to sleep in an old abandoned house. I built a barricade to keep the bigger cattle out, but the calves go in to sleep with the goats at midday.

My goats are brush goats and fainting goats. I try to keep one goat for each Dexter.

As proof of how well they get along, my oldest cow died at 17 the year after my oldest goat died at 17. They got along well for a long time.

[karenp]

I have a Dexter heifer with 3 Dwarf Nigerian mix goats. No problems, they sleep in the shed together.

[nnewby]

We run cows with calves with goats and Guinea Hogs with out a problem. They all eat and sleep together. When it comes to the pasture what ever one won't eat the other will.

[HandyDandyAcres]

Thanks for all the input! Glad to hear its a common practice.


HDAcres

[kycrawler]

Goats cows and a pig or 3 all in the same pasture. The goat kids like to sleep ontop of the pig for some reason

[hiddensprings]

I run my bottle calves with my Nubian goats. The goat's avoid the calves, the calves ignore the goats. Except at feeding time. Then, I have a pen area where I feed the goats and the calves (once on grain) have their own area. The odd ball at my place is a lamb....lambchops (you can tell where she's headed) and she stays with the calves because the goats beat her up.

[notwyse]

My goats raised calves. Made the neighbors look for sure....