Planning for goats ????

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Well, spring has sprung and pretty soon the fencing will be in!
DH dug some of the post holes yesterday- we have four foot fencing we got on deal last fall.
We hope to get Nigerian Dwarfs (a wether and a doe and will bring the doe on dates, no buck yet!) and are thinking a good full sized goat for milking, I saw some ads in the mkt bulletin for some.
My question is, we have a really cute out building across from the barn, on a slope, in the back there is a manger area and we will fence off the pasture around the area. The manger area is not very solidly built, so we will have to sure it up a little anyway, my concern is predators.
Would it be best to bring them up to the big barn which is more secure at night, or will they be able to fend for themselves a bit? DH said he might put the dog house in there and leave our Beagle in there for protection, not sure how that would work out..... I am so afraid of predators, there is an open field behind this structure and woods leading down the the river beyond, so pretty wild, people do see Fox and Coyote around. I want them to be safe!
Any other tips? Thanks in advance!

[jen74145]

I'd bring them in at night... a beagle will be toast if the coyotes so decide anyway.

And, why a wether? Unless the Nigies are going to be pets, what point does the wether serve? I was considering getting a wether when we first brought our doeling home, a she was an only goat, but she's been alone for... what, three months now, and is fine. Her doeling pal will arrive this weekend, but she's doing well. Now, I am glad I didn't bing what would amount to a useless eater in... just a thought.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by jen74145

I'd bring them in at night... a beagle will be toast if the coyotes so decide anyway.

And, why a wether? Unless the Nigies are going to be pets, what point does the wether serve? I was considering getting a wether when we first brought our doeling home, a she was an only goat, but she's been alone for... what, three months now, and is fine. Her doeling pal will arrive this weekend, but she's doing well. Now, I am glad I didn't bing what would amount to a useless eater in... just a thought.

Thinking a wether just in case we don't get the bigger goats or if something happens, so she won't be alone, I suppose 2 does would be good, but would cost more in the beginning?
Yeah- I guess we will have to bring them to the barn at night- not a biggie.
The beagle we thought would sound an alarm at the very least, but your right...toast.

[Jim S.]

Yo have it all backwards! You are supposed to get your goats first, then hurry to play catchup with the facilities.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by Jim S.

Yo have it all backwards! You are supposed to get your goats first, then hurry to play catchup with the facilities.

You don't know how close we came to getting the goats in the fall with nothing set up! I was a good girl and waited until we are set up!

[Kimon]

Lock em up at night, thats what I do. The Beagles get to roam the yard during the day and Bella our Anatolian watches both the goats and the Beagles plus discourages 2 legged preditors.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

I wish we had a pen right out from the main barn, but we don't.
Should be a fun chore!

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by Hill Crest Farm

You don't know how close we came to getting the goats in the fall with nothing set up! I was a good girl and waited until we are set up!

W-e-l-l, I was just avoiding saying you'd better be sure your barn is real tight, or you are just making it easier on the predators. Been there, done that. A bobcat can get in through places that will have you shaking your head the next day when you figure it out. I now have a LGD. Burros are getting popular here for that duty, too.

I know my sweet Daisy beagle wouldn't be much of a guard. She has a wait problem...



...she waits til the other dogs leave and then finishes their bowls, too!

[Kimon]

I love your beagle gonna have to start a beagle thread. we have 4, lost 2 in the last several months all house babies.

Could build a hoop mangermine houses 12 mini's at nite. Wrapped in 2x4" wire with fenders to stop preditor digging.

[Jillis]

Hill Crest, as I noted on my other thread, I am selling some goats, I have Nigies, I will have some minis available, as well as full size dairy goats that will be in milk very shortly. They are all from good milking stock, btw.

To answer your question, if you only have a few goats, by all means, lock them up at night, especially if coyotes have been seen in your area.

We make our fences from combo panels, 16 foot long and over four feet tall. We staple the panels to cedar posts that we get out of our woods. If you don't have cedar, the posts are very cheap to begin with. A nice small pen shouldn't set you back too much if you do the work yourselves.

[Jim S.]

Just heard again from another goat owner today who lost a kid to a neighbor's dog, which dug its way in to get at the kid. I told him he was lucky he lost just one...he's ticked, though, cuz it was a high-dollar Boer. He has no guard animal. Make sure wherever you lock them up, it is good and tight.

[Idahoe]

Originally Posted by Jim S.

Yo have it all backwards! You are supposed to get your goats first, then hurry to play catchup with the facilities.

Of course I don't recommend this, but it's how we did it . The guy was having to downsize and the price was right and the goats were healthy.

In two days we had a pen and "reasonable" housing, but no barn. We didn't build the barn until September, when it is just barely starting autumn here. The good thing was we had time to build exactly what was needed. We probably would have botched it if we built first, not knowing much about goats at all. We have so much fir tree cover are rare rain during the summer it was no big deal.

[henfruit]

hillcrest give me a pm and we can have you up to see our set up.momma want her babies in and safe at night.