nylon collar or chain?

[chewie]

what and why do you use to keep a 'handle' onto your goats? i seen some using a plastic chain, some using a nylon dog collar, some just using plain chain. what is best?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

I have a guy http://ryansproducts.com/ who makes me nylon web colars that have the plastic break away buckles. I use the 1/2 inch ones for kids, the 3/4 inch ones for my does and he makes me 1inch extra long ones for my boys. The boys are the only ones who dont' wear collars all the time, only in rut. They have extra large D rings in them so it's easy for me to hook my lead line to them for breeding...without having to get to close to them I use slick paint and put everyones names on their colors also. If you contact him just tell him what you want, I found him initally on ebay, now I just email him and he makes me what I want...like right now new collars and short looped leads for my mini-manchas. Plus he has real red, not that ugly burgandy. Vicki

[RiverPines]

I buy size adjustable nylon webbed dog collars at the farm store.
Cheap. Easy. Works great.

[BethW]

I've been using nylon dog collars with ID tags. Lately, though, I've noticed the ring connecting the ID tag on one of my goat's collars has been pulled out of shape on several occasions. He's clearly gotten hooked on something but been able to pull loose due to that cheap metal ring. Not wanting strangled goats, I took the collars off of all of them.

I've been considering break-away collars, but wasn't sure they'd still be strong enough to lead with. Might look into Vicki's option.

[KimM]

Those are great prices!! I've been getting mine at TSC and while they're not expensive they're still twice as much as this guy. Thanks for the link!!

[crazygoatgal]

I also use the breakaway nylon dog collars. I like the peace of mind I get knowing that if they get in a pickle, they can get out of it on their own and not get strangled.

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

I have a guy http://ryansproducts.com/ who makes me nylon web colars that have the plastic break away buckles. I use the 1/2 inch ones for kids, the 3/4 inch ones for my does and he makes me 1inch extra long ones for my boys. The boys are the only ones who dont' wear collars all the time, only in rut. They have extra large D rings in them so it's easy for me to hook my lead line to them for breeding...without having to get to close to them I use slick paint and put everyones names on their colors also. If you contact him just tell him what you want, I found him initally on ebay, now I just email him and he makes me what I want...like right now new collars and short looped leads for my mini-manchas. Plus he has real red, not that ugly burgandy. Vicki

I just looked at the collars. Those are the same ones I buy with the plastic buckle. They dont break away when I tether out my goats and the description at the link doesn't say anything about breakaway.
I am wondering if I am looking at a different collar than what your talking about because those collars are not meant to be break aways from my understanding and from experience using them.

Here are the collars I am looking at. They even say when you click on them...adjustable, not breakaway. And my boer doesnt get off of his collar. Those plastic slip together buckles are strong!LINK

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

I live in the woods, I have gone on the great Collar hunt looking for someones collar many times. The only strangled goat I have had was from hay string someone got into, I was new and stupid. The panic of being stuck when your friends are walking off from you, and the panic of being tethered must be different. I have used the plastic buckled nylon web collars for years obviously YMMV.

So now answer the OP answer now that you have critiqued mine.

Beth with your guys being small, you might want to stay with my baby collar size I use. I start my infants with velcro ID bands for cattle legs, cut them in half length wise, they wear their dams and sires name and the date of birth. They don't move into regular collars until over 8 weeks old. And we also don't have horns, horns and collars don't mix, another goat can get their horns stuck in your goats collar, not a pretty site. Also don't keep alot of slack in collars, they should fit right against the neck, then when pulled higher give you room to control the goat with it up against the throat. Vicki

[mygoat]

I don't keep collars on mine all the time, just when I need to handle them. I use a length of chain with a small bolt snap on the other end so I can quickly snap a collar on them that offers high control.

I don't like using nylon collars because it rubs away the hair on the underside of the neck, and sometimes on the back of the neck as well if you leave 'em on them 24/7. Nylons seem to do it worse probably because they're a bigger width than a chain, though all collars on 24/7 will rub away hair.

I don't like collars in general because I'm afraid of them catching on something. I'd just rather have does that don't object to me walking up to them and putting a collar on them if I need to lead them.

[hoofinitnorth]

I was buying the cheap dog collars at the grocery store until my local mentors told me about the Lupine collars for dogs & cats. They are affordable (about the same cost as the cheapies at the grocery store), colorful, strong, and guaranteed for life, even if chewed! I love them. But a word of caution, the cat collars break away MUCH too easily so stick with the mini puppy collars for the little ones.

Mine don't get collars until they are disbudded. Before that they wear a little tyvek type stick-on collar that can be sized and cut at birth and written on. I write their birth time & order. Since I only have a few kiddings each year, mostly spread out, with individual does in their own kidding stalls just before the event, I don't have to worry about any more information on the tags. You can buy them from several goat supply places - they come in packs of 4 colors, I think a total of 40 or more tags in each pack.