i would not stake a goat out.

 

Check out this recent thread... different views on the subject.
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=255697&highlight=tether+goats

 

Most pet departments in stores have tie out stakes. Some are corkscrew, which are a pain, or the hammer in kind which is what I use. Goats do well staked out, but there are a few rules. Stake them out where they can't get caught on anything. If that is not possible, then you have to be near them the whole time they are staked out to keep an eye on things. Make sure no dogs or other predators can get to them. I stake goats in our vegetable garden in the areas we haven't planted yet. Its a secure area and they can't get into trouble while staked.

 

I only stake them out when I'm in the yard nearby---like if I'm gardening, cleaning the car, having a garage sale (which of course the visitors LOVE). I NEVER go in the house and leave them alone. I'm too afraid they will get caught up or a dog/coyote will come along. The goats love being tied out, though.

I got my tie-out stuff from Wal Mart: a corkscrew dog tie-out and nylon-covered steel dog cable. Attached to a wide, thick nylon dog collar with metal buckle, tight enough that it won't slip off, but loose enough not to interfere with breathing and eating. Works good. Don't use any kind of leash/rope that a goat can chew through.

I'm personally in that camp that says don't tie out for long periods where they are not supervised at all times.

 

I had a goat kill herself on just her collar (not even a stake out line)... and the culprit was a small twig sticking out of the ground that just wouldn't break.

From what I've seen, goats are willing to kill themselves if you give them any means to do so...
So what I would do... is get a small and light weight pen of some sort that will hold them in and you can move around easily. Stake down the pen with Rebar and a hammer.
This is what we are currently doing with our bucks so they can get plenty of fresh greens!

If you do decide to stake them out... Please Please PLEASE watch them carefully and check up on them atleast every 10 minutes.

I have all of my girls trained to stay near the house now and I can let them roam free without collars. If they get too far away, I just stick them back in the pen for a few days.. and they get the idea. This method has been working well for me... and boy are they SHINY and FAT! I love it!

Good luck with what you do!

Cricket

 

There was a sad thread here a couple of days ago started by a member who tied her goat out...with a tragic ending.

I don't know how to do links, but maybe someone here who does could pull that up?

I am in the "no stake" camp. As with the above-mentioned poster, she thought she was doing it right and got complacent and thought she could turn her head briefly and ended up losing a loved pet.

You might ask her opinion.

Janis

 

Here is the thread on Bullet
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=259498

Cricket, Can you post a link to the kind of lightweight portable pen you use?? I would like to see what works for you...sounds like a great system

 

You can use cattle panels as moveable pens. Three to four panels works for a few goats.

Staking a goat out depends a lot on the goat itself. Some goats are really good about it. Giselle was very good about being tethered along the road. She spent most of her first six months here tethered. She was in an area we walked by regularly and she was intelligent about stopping if she ended up tangled.
Braveheart, on the other hand, was incredibly dumb about being tethered. We're lucky she never killed herself, though she convinced the dog she was dying and ended up needing stitches.

 

I would never stake a goat out unless you can be there to watch it. Tied up, they are vulnerable to dogs and wild animals, and they could also get tangled up and strangle themselves. If you are willing to keep an eye on your goat, they have those stakes for dogs that should work. Some feed stores also sell portable electric netting that works to put your goats where you want them to eat weeds.

 

As others have said, unless you can see the goat at all times, its NOT reccomended.

I gave a goat to a friend years ago....he staked her in the yard to eat some bushes......a friends dog came along while he was gone and killed the goat.

I don't sell to people who tell me they plan to stake the goats out anymore. I don't want to get that phone call again.

 

That's what I use.. Just cattle panel (not the horse round pen type) but the thick metal-rod mesh type. We put 4 together and made a pen that is easily staked down with rebar and a hammer. 2 people can move it pretty good, but if it is still too heavy for you... since they are 16 foot long, and if you are only doing 1-2 goats.. you can cut the panels in half and make a smaller square. Just make sure you move it around enough! ^_^

Cricket