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moonwind

Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Posts: 1140

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 7:35 pm Post subject: Goats
Which breed of goat has the best temperament in the opinion of the goat keepers in here?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 7:45 pm Post subject:

Do you need a bigger spoon or are you sturing up enough trouble as you are?

Light blue touch paper & stand well back....

Now watch all the goat keeps fall out.

If you want laid back & chilled then BA (British alpine) are good but they are large (or ours are any way)

We have found Nubiens to be highly strung & stroppy like teenagers.

Toggenburgs tend to be trouble till they have had a kid to raise then settle down

Sannens do sulk (even more than most other goats) but are loving (saying that all our goats current & past are loving)

All the above comments are for the females. Males are a totaly different ball game.

Justme

moonwind

Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Posts: 1140

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 7:51 pm Post subject:
Are goat folk really like that? OOeer! Wouldn't dream of causing a punch up I am positively. What do goats need to keep them healthy and happy

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 8:29 pm Post subject:

moonwind wrote:

Are goat folk really like that? OOeer!

Wouldn't dream of causing a punch up I am

positively.

What do goats need to keep them healthy and happy

Er yeh most goat owners are very defensive of the type they have.

Happy & healthy? Well good shelter good food (check land for natural minerals [we are low on silenium & mag] & top up as needed) & good company (either other goats which is best or lots & lots & lots of your time). Treat all ilnesses rapidly with what they need medicaly & also lots of bedside company. Goats will worry to death & make terrible patients. Also if you have a realy sick goat dont let it die where the others can see it. They will grieve big time. Better they think its just gone than dead.

Justme

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 8:56 pm Post subject:

Better question would be what do you want.
If you just want weed munchers a couple of castrated billy kids hand reared will be easy.
If you want milk any of the breeds Justme has mentioned will milk well.
The nubians are reputed to have the richest milk
As for temperment of the three breeds I have kept I couldn't choose between them. (Brit Alpine, Toggs & Nubians) I think it's more down to the individual animal & how they are cared for.

Anna-marie

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 980
Location: West Wales

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 10:05 pm Post subject:

I have Boer goats, and their temperaments are absolutely lovely

They are more like partly-trained dogs than goats. They answer individually to their name, ie, if I call one of them, only that one will look up to see what I want.

I have three girls and one wether (castrated male), and have been delighted by them since the first day I had them.
They are bred mainly for their meat, so do not produce a great deal of milk, but should give enough to keep a household going for a day.
I also have two rather elderly angora goats (13 & 15 years old

), that I re-homed from some-one who didn't want them any longer.
Goats definitely need company; lots of attention to their hooves, as they grow at a very fast rate and need trimming; interesting places to forage when outside; easily accessible shelter as they are not too keen on the rain, and good fencing.

If you are thinking of keeping goats, why not get in touch with one of the breed societies, to see what they say.
Don't forget, if you want to keep any livestock at all, then you must have a County Parish (Holding) Number for your land. And (of course, lots of patience when filling in all of the paperwork!

But, they are well worth the trouble - on the other hand, perhaps I'm biased?

Anna-marie

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 06 10:17 pm Post subject:

Hi Anna-marie,

Do you breed & eat yours? If so were do you take them to the billy (assuming you use a boer) We want to cross our milkers with one for a while for meat animals till we need more replacement milkers but cant find one localy. We do currently eat ours but they do take a long time to finish.

How much milk does each goats give (I know it varies during the lactation)? Can you milk them through from one year to the next or do they dry off if you dont breed each year?

Justme

moonwind

Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Posts: 1140

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 12:00 am Post subject:
Thanks for all your information, just thinking about goats in general rather than on verge of buying any. We have CPH number and UK number and Maedi Visna accreditation (at the moment although that is probably going, as will the NSP). Have less than 25 head of sheep now, and just having a think about what, if anything, else we might like to have living here with us.

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 9:25 am Post subject:

Anna marie - that's really old for Angoras, well done on your good husbandry !

I love Angoras becaue they're so gentle and don't escape too much, the yarn is lovely and the meat is the best goat meat.

We've a milky Alpine cross who think she's a dog too and who still gives us a bit of milk - five years after she's kidded.

Goats are really very addictive - so watch out moonwind !

Edited to say that I'm such as rush today, that I forgot how to post photies

)

Last edited by hardworkinghippy on Sun Nov 12, 06 12:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 10:28 am Post subject:
Me thinks Moonwind is going to want a milking stool for chrimbo.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 10:37 am Post subject:
Could goats live in a mature orchard? Or would they damage the trees? I love the idea of goats, but put it on hold, as the farmer doesn't want to rent us any land. But the people over the way are thinking of selling their orchard, which must be at least two acres, and would lovely.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 3:25 pm Post subject:
WW Goats are very patient, they will wait and wait and then get your trees and plants. They would make mince meat out of a mature orchard I'm afraid.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 5:11 pm Post subject:
Do they ring bark trees? I mean, they can't get ladders out, can they (can they - sometimes nothing would surprise me!)

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 5:28 pm Post subject:
Never seen them climb ladders but when they stand on their hind legs & stretch they can reach 6ft. Mine don't eat the bark on apples but love the young shoots & leaves. If you have mature trees with the lower branches out of reach & some netting around the trunks should be ok.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 06 6:56 pm Post subject:

TAVASCAROW wrote:

Never seen them climb ladders but when they stand on their hind legs & stretch they can reach 6ft. Mine don't eat the bark on apples but love the young shoots & leaves. If you have mature trees with the lower branches out of reach & some netting around the trunks should be ok.

Mine reach 5 foot with all 4 feet on the ground. More like 9-10 foot on hind legs (they are big girls weighing in at about 120kg plus). Goats will plan & scheme for weeks to get into an orchard. We make sure that the goats have at least TWO fences between them & the trees we want to keep as that give us about 1/2 hour extra to spot them.

Justme

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