A few questions from would-be goat owner

[shoofly]

Hi there,

We are going to get our first goats ever this summer!!! We are so excited. We're thinking that we'll get three baby/younger fainting goats because we have a friend who raises them and we've been around them and they seem great. A couple of questions:

1. Do we need to get a dog to keep them safe? We are in SE PA, and will have field fencing (3" squares). We've seen a coyote once, we think, and there are foxes and the occasional hunting dog around.

2. If so, would a collie puppy be a good choice? Any dog we get would be living outside, and be around kids of all types (people and goat). Our vet suggested a collie (the big kind, not the small kind). Should we get a puppy when the goats are still kids so they all grow up with each other?

3. If we get three fainting goats this summer, can we add a few goats next summer, maybe boer cross, without causing too much ruckus? I've seen new horses added to a herd, and that's a mess. Are goats the same way?

4. What is the best age to get our new goats? Our friend lets them go pretty young, but they will be in a fairly large pasture and I don't want them to get overwhelmed.

5. I have Storey's Guide to Raising Milk Goats (we don't care if we have milk or meat goats, but this book was recommended to us regardless), and have been reading this board and talking to people in real life, including the extension people. If you have any other suggestions for things I should read, etc., please let me know!

6. Any other words of wisdom? I lurk on this board and you guys are great.

Thanks!!!

[jen74145]

A dog is your call, there have been SO MANY debates about this one lately... but should you choose to get a dog, I would discourage you from a collie for your purpose. There is a fine line between hunting and herding, and fainters are particularly vulnerable.
Are these goats going to be pets, or are you wanting to get *something* out of them?

[shoofly]

They are mostly going to be pets, but pets we chose over other animals (there used to be cows, and later horses, in the pasture when I was young) because we'd also like their help reclaiming pasture that's starting to be overtaken by multiflora rose. We don't want to use chemicals to get rid of the multiflora rose because we have a spring that runs into a water source labeled "exceptional quality," and there is too much of it to easily get rid of it by cutting it down year after year, and hope that goats will be part of our long-term land management plan for our property.

We weren't planning on getting fainting goats - our friends' goat are on the smaller side - because we wanted larger goats who might eat more. However, our son loved the fainting goats we met, and we did, too.

[rranch]

I personally started with just 2 goats. Pets I said. I wanted to add them to my small farm which is 75% covered with brush. I average around 20 goats as a hobby now and love every one of them. I needed a hobby in my life for comfort and relaxation. I come home from work and lose myself in the love of these animals every single day. They are truly amazing animals.IMO

[Jim S.]

1. Do we need to get a dog to keep them safe? We are in SE PA, and will have field fencing (3" squares). We've seen a coyote once, we think, and there are foxes and the occasional hunting dog around.

HARD EXPERIENCE showed me you had better get a guardian dog if you wish to keep fainters alive. They are quickly killed by predators, if the predator gets to them. It is NO FUN to be on the way to to work in the morning, only to find you must instead call in to bury your herd. Been there. Others can debate it all they want. I know the answer for me, by HARD EXPERIENCE. I no longer keep fainters, period.

2. If so, would a collie puppy be a good choice? Any dog we get would be living outside, and be around kids of all types (people and goat). Our vet suggested a collie (the big kind, not the small kind). Should we get a puppy when the goats are still kids so they all grow up with each other?

You want a dog that is bred for the purpose...Pyrenees, Anatolian, etc. Your vet is off the mark. You want a dog that has been born and raised with goats or sheep. If you can find one, the IDEAL dog is 2 or more years old and has been raised with goats or sheep, is being sold cuz of herd dispersal. That saves you all the puppy travails.

3. If we get three fainting goats this summer, can we add a few goats next summer, maybe boer cross, without causing too much ruckus? I've seen new horses added to a herd, and that's a mess. Are goats the same way?

Goats will re-establish hierarchy when new goats are added. Leave them be, they will work it out their way whether you interfere or not.

4. What is the best age to get our new goats? Our friend lets them go pretty young, but they will be in a fairly large pasture and I don't want them to get overwhelmed.

Get them after they are weaned. I generally recommend 5-6 months as an ideal youngest age, especially for new herds, but 3-month old goats that are weaned or ready to be weaned by separation will work with more attention from you. I would not recommend bottle babies.

5. I have Storey's Guide to Raising Milk Goats (we don't care if we have milk or meat goats, but this book was recommended to us regardless), and have been reading this board and talking to people in real life, including the extension people. If you have any other suggestions for things I should read, etc., please let me know!

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences...etter01704.pdf