what kind of goat do I want?

[cindy-e]

I finally got my fences repaired on one paddock. So I can get goats. Here is what I need from a goat.

1) a mower. =) I have lots of weeks, brambles, etc... My 10 acres should keep a few goats very happily grazing.
2) I also have grass so probably need sheep or a cow too, so I need a breed of goat that generally gets along with sheep or cows (and a breed of sheep or cows that generally gets along with goats).
3) all of the fences are not fixed yet, so a goat that can be trained to a tether of some sort (a friend who does goats suggested this). ?? That would help with keeping the place mowed.
4) I am not opposed to either dairy or meat animals or a dual breed if such a thing exists, but really, I just need a mower. LOL!

What kind of goat do you think I need? We are in the pacific northwest, which is wet and chilly for a larger part of the year so if the climate matters to the breed (and I am sure it does)... consider that.

Thanks for your help!
Cindyc.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Goat's don't mow. They browse.

Goat's don't do well AT ALL on a tether.

You need sheep.

[MDKatie]

If she has weeds and brambles, goats are better than sheep.

[CraterCove]

I'll tell you what, regardless of which animal, or mix she chooses my recommendation would be to address that fencing issue first! Take it from me, I am renting a property with crappy fences, I have to goat herd during the day and I use stalls in the barn to contain at night. They will wander off or get stuck in loose fencing--- all manner of things. And I would, personally, recommend not to use a tether with a goat, too much that can go wrong. One of my favorite things an old goat guy back home says is, "A goat was born to die." Meaning they are in league with Murphy and know his law well.

Fence first and then, since you only really want them for land management I'd go for a number of different kinds as long as they are from healthy herds and you might find a love for one kind or another!

[CAjerseychick]

In a similar location (not so damp and foggy as the coast but our pasture has a seasonal stream so it pretty boggy much of the year)-- I was looking at kikos - they have excellent feet(do ok on wetter locations) and are very parasite resistant and hardy....

[Awnry Abe]

I hear what you are saying on the mowing (weed/brush control). Dairy goats make good meat goats, but meat goats don't make good dairy goats, if you catch my drift. But a dairy goat that is treated like a meat goat does not generally yield a happy and healthy dairy goat. But they all do a decent job on weed/brush control. I say decent, because they aren't garbage disposals. There are plenty of unsavory weeds that they will ignore.

If at the tip-top of your list, the reason for getting a goat is vegetation control, I wouldn't do it. Even if I had an iron fortress to keep them in. On the spectrum of livestock care and management needs, I'd rank them right up there with toddler humans. There are days that I would rather go out and yank the bleeping weeds myself.

There are tons of great reasons to own goats. If you really do have a vision for things beyond pasture improvement, but it is fuzzy, give it some time to gestate. Get your infrastructure (fences AND pens AND shelter) in place. Once your vision gels, set out to achieve some goals and pick a breed that lines up with them.

If it really is just pasture improvement, I'll fill you in on a little known secret: cows eat more weeds and bramble than goats do. Just not all types of weed/bramble. They also trample them and do a great job on mowing the grass. But they won't come up and give you some goaty love. But you can steal milk from them and they are tasty.

And I would avoid the tether, unless your butchering skills are crisp. Unless you babysit them 100% of the time, but there we are back at besting the toddler humans again.

[Bret4207]

Wet and chilly and you need a mower? That is a recipe for sheep. Cattle would be a second choice. Goats are great within reason, but goats are not the eating machines sheep are. We have all 3 running together currently. Good fencing is a must have before anything else.

[o&itw]

I suggest that you check with some local goat owners, if you need brambles eaten down.

They may be willing to pasture goats on your property, and you could learn about goats at the same time. The downside to this is that they may bring (goat) disease or worm problems onto you land, so that you might want to let the land rest (for goats) a couple of years before you get any of your own.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

The grass in my fenced backyard looks like a manicured golf course. lol. So they do eat grass, but I feed them alfalfa, oats, sunflower seeds, and minerals too. The grass eating is more for their entertainment than nourishment. Have I mentioned they'll eat any trees you may have?

[motdaugrnds]

Well my goats won't eat what I call weeds, i.e. those plants I cannot make good use of like "wingstems". And I am quite biased against putting a "dairy" goat with nice udders in a briar patch.

As for tethering a goat? I would never do this as it makes them too vulnerable to predators.

If you're dead set on getting goats, you might just get some wethers and a few sheep. Those would probably do a pretty good job on your brush.

[Pony]

My goats are not really into grass, but it's interesting to watch the Katahdin sheep match them plant for plant at eating weeds. One of the funnier things I saw this year was a lamb trying to "climb" a tree with the goats. LOL! Their center of gravity is just a bit different from goats!

As has already been said, but definitely bears repetition: It is NOT a good idea to tether a goat. In fact, it's a bad idea. Sure, sure, there are folks who say, "Well, my meemaw used to tether her goats all the time..."

And I'm equally sure those are folks who were incredibly lucky that their goats didn't get attacked by predators or get their tether completely wound around the post to choke themselves to death. Or else they were out there with the goats pretty much the entire time the goats were tethered.

[95bravo]

Hair sheep will eat any kind of weed that grows on my little Ky ranch except for poke weed. Rams with horns will kill all of your cedar trees. They really like to polish horns and Ram them for some reason.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by 95bravo

Hair sheep will eat any kind of weed that grows on my little Ky ranch except for poke weed. Rams with horns will kill all of your cedar trees. They really like to polish horns and Ram them for some reason.

I don't keep any rams, but I can see why they'd set out to destroy those cedar trees. I do not like them at all. Not very pretty, and they smell funny to me (kind of like cat urine).
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