Capturing goats

[Chuck]

okay, we're trying to get out of this house and take our critters with us - but I just spent three hours chasing goats around the back field and only caught two.

They usually come to a bucket of feed, but this time they had no interest and ran the other way. It's almost like they sense I have an ulterior motive. Well, perhaps it's because I caught them all last week to give their wormer shots so they're still a bit leery. I should have penned them up then, but didn't have any reason to think catching them this week would be a problem.

So what do I do? I have to leave tomorrow, and if I can't catch them, I've lost my entire herd! Any suggestions?

Chuck

[mawalla]

Prayer and patience, Chuck. Some herding dogs might help, too. Good Luck!

[marvella]

1. start early.
2. get as much help as you can.
3. corner them somehow.
4. a rope made into a lariat or slip knot slipped over their head. (this is the hard part.)
5. pull.
6. pick up and put in truck

ask me how i know.

i moved my heard of brush goats last year. young men move faster than old ladies so i gave my sons buddies $20 and a good feed at the local all you can eat buffet, to help. got them all pretty easy, except one young buckling. 3 hours later, i told him to get his butt in the truck or i was leaving him behind for the coyotes, and meant it. we caught him next try.

so, if worse comes to worse, you can always try talking them into it.

[Jen H]

Get a bunch of neighbors, everyone has a towel or something similar. Get around the goats so they're surrounded and the only way to go is toward your trailer (or whatever you're hauling them in). Everyone spreads out their towels and starts flapping them while calling "hup!" or some other abrupt syllable. The goats will startle and go running in the only direction that doesn't have strange humans flapping things at them, so be ready to herd them right on into whatever you're hauling them in. And make sure no-one's in front of them, so nobody gets trampled or rammed. If you can back the truck right up to the pasture gate and block off everything but the truck itself (just has to be a visual barrier) they'll run right in.

Once a couple of them start in the right direction the rest will follow. You're right, they know when something's up. The same goats that hop right on into the truck happily when we're going hiking have to be hauled in bodily when we're going to the vet.

[dale anne]

Howdy...anytime ya chase a goat it will run even tame bottle fed goats...if ya cant get a bunch of folks to help ya out...then try to get them cornered as another poster said...if ya can do that grab for the back legs not the neck...trust me is easy to grab a leg....I always catch a aunery goat by running away from it while I have my son sit on the ground...my goats are use to him so will run right by him ...he just reaches out and grabs at the legs...you can also use a chicken catcher...looks like a shepards hook...hook the back leg.....go out and try running away from them ya will see they run with you...perhaps even run into the trailer.....can always try the squeeze also...get ya a big peice of plywood or whatever ya have around and chase them into a corner of the pen/field and then grab them one by one.....grabbing a kidd will also get ya the nanny goat as she will follow her screaming babies...dale anne

[lgslgs]

Can you bait them into the garage or the laundry room?

We have a small fenced area we call "the air lock" next to the gate. Even wne folks don't want to be caught, they'll come into the airlock for grain or for the mineral block.

If they see you stocking the garage with hay, corn, sweet feed, and mineral block (like you're stocking a new luxury shelter for them), they may venture in even if they are avoiding getting into catching range. I'd rather corner them in the garage or laundry room than in wide opn spaces.

Good luck.

Lynda

[trappmountain]

If you know who the leader is try and get him/her. I only have 2 goats but if I get one the other follows. You still may have to get others to help becuase if they don't want to get in the trailer they will back out again.

[mary,tx]

When we first brought home goats, I was amazed to find that they just don't herd like cattle do. Crazy animals. It didn't take us long to close in the barn so that when they came in at night, they were stuck in until after morning feed. Do you have a barn or any other place where you can close them up once they are in? I liked Lynda's idea of "stocking" the barn. They are very curious animals, and much easier to catch if they come to you, almost impossible to catch by chasing. Is there something they like as a treat better than anything else? Coaxing and calling will likely get them faster than any other way, and save you energy in the long run.
Good luck. I know how frustrating it is to try to trailer an unwilling animal.
mary

[Meg Z]

Any way you can park the trailer in the pasture and put the feed in it?

I'm almost jealous. I have trouble walking in my pastures, for tripping over goats.

[Goat Freak]

When we had to catch goats for a friend we used a big tarp and got them in a corner and it traps them real well. If you have a couple tarps you could catch them easily, with the right amoumt of people.

[mpillow]

We moved our goats Sat....had them loaded in 3 stalls (2 to a stall with babies in the middle) in 5min. The trip went very well....sorry to brag!

Make a saltine cracker trail .... eat a few in sight of them and see if the buggers don't come running! Potato chips too!

Goodluck in the round up.....a sheep neighbors border collie???

[TexCountryWoman]

Mine are all way too tame to have a catching problem. However, I do use the "shaking the can of feed trick" and the "leg grab" when necessary. I would like to know how the end of the story came out? Were the goats ever caught Chuck?....Diane

[Laura Workman]

Gosh, Chuck, I wish I'd seen this earlier. I'd just withold all feed overnight. Then fill the feeders and snag back legs while they're eating. But maybe your goats are ranging? Maybe throw down tasty treats and snag back legs some more? Hope it went OK.