Howard the Christmas Goat

Well, I got a bit ahead of my fencing but he needed a home that wouldn't eat him as he kept escaping from an acquaintance's yard and sleeping on his elderly neighbor's porch causing her to call the cops. He's a Boer, about 150 lbs, 1 1/2 yrs old, a pet, and raised with dogs. Oh, and unneutered and in rut but still seems easy to get along with. Totally against all advice for fairly novice goat owners but we'll make it work. He had to go immediately and so he's here as of last night on a 30 ft. chain with a deeply bedded stall in the wood shed and all the other comforts of home he wasn't really used to. Right now he's hanging out with the dogs but I'll get him some caprine companionship in the spring. Fencing commences after the holidays!

Years ago my brother ended up with a goat for unknown reason. He kept him on a chain the whole summer. Moved him from place to place, so he had fresh grass. His property was wooded all around & had lots of poison ivy, Minnesota variety. The goat would eat that first, by the end of summer he had no poison ivy left & it never returned. I don't remember what became of the goat, I know he didn't eat the poor thing.
Your goat won't run away if he is on a chain. Nice looking goat, by the way.
Bernie

I had our first goat on a chain while we were waiting for the fence to be built. It works for a while, if you keep moving him, but beware if he gets his chain tangled up around the trees, he will panic and get really out of control fast. If he does that, he could strangle in his collar, so be sure and keep him chained up where he can't get his chain tangled around a tree or anything else. He's a fine looking goat! Good luck!

So far so good. I was already concerned about him getting hung up so I had actually dragged the chain around the yard to make sure he could get into the shed and wouldn't get tangled up on anything. My next plan (other than fencing and building him his own shed) is to stake him out along a honeysuckle/poison ivy-covered old board fence at the edge of the yard (I didn't know they'd even eat poison ivy until Bernie posted above) but put the pin far enough away so he can eat without getting tangled or climbing the fence and let him start working on that. I'm only going to leave him staked over there for an hour or two at a time (while I'm home so I can be here if there's a problem) but I'm pleased I can get that row cleaned up without chemicals or setting the place on fire! Meanwhile he's gone from indifferently waiting for me to approach to trotting up to me and bleating quietly when I come out the back door, then he stands there so I'll scratch him. Funny how simple stuff like that just makes your day!

Ahhhh. He's probably lonesome and your scratches are the highlight of his day.

You'll have to get him a friend!

Actually a friend is already planned for spring once the fencing is done. I can't imagine the macrame goat situation with two of them tied out! So- fencing with plenty of safe room of their own and visitation rights to hang out in the rest of the yard with adult supervision, their own proper dedicated and appropriately appointed shed, and a life of leisurely munching. For now he'll have to settle for companionship from me and the dogs.

Goats definitely love poison ivy.. another favorite of theirs is thorn trees.. They have killed an amazing number of those on my place.. They leave the really really big ones alone, but the smaller ones are candy to them.

A fine looking fellow you have there.

Goats are herd animals and need to be with other goats to keep them at low stress. Don't worry about your goat running off, they pretty much will hang around were they are getting their food. Goats are a lot of fun and make great pets.
Ken

This message was edited Dec 31, 2006 11:46 AM

I've two that i just turn lose in the yard the other three haven't been here long enough to do that with and one of those we would never catch as of yet she getting better i can lay my hand on her when she wants her grain got those three the 11 of this month

Unless you honestly plan to deliberately breed & then butcher or milk these goats I hope you get him castrated immediately. Since you don't know if he is even purebred that still is the best action to take. This world doesn't need more cur goats anymore than it needs the extra cats & dogs because people don't neuter/spay. Castrated bucks are called wethers and make fine companions and pets.

I wasn't planning to castrate him because I'm going to get him a wether for companionship. I don't have the space to properly breed and manage a goat herd (or, if I was breeding goats the desire to make a profit off them as all my creatures are pets and there's no way I could sell one) so all I've wanted from the beginning are a pair of goats who can keep each other company, keep the pasture space that I have under control, and live out their lives as well cared for and cherished family members. Originally I was planning to get wethers or does anyway, but he's a nicely mannered boy who didn't need to end up on a dinner plate so I'm willing to be flexible and give him a good home.

Being a buck, he will likely fight with even a wether. He will sense that it is male and therefor a competitor even tho no females are around. Just my experience.

Do they eat blackberries? How tempting!

Gwen

My sister has three wethers for the purpose of keeping the blackberries under control. She's in Oregon, where those vines grow even faster than in Washington. LOL!

I'd love to have a blackberry patch. We used to have them on my boyhood farm out in the woods. Boy were they good!
Bernie

Bernie, contact me in a few months & I can probably send you a few plants to get started with. Once you have these you will have them forever.

Well, that's not the best news leaflady.....I'm hoping you're wrong but will neuter him if I have to in order the keep peace in the family and keep him out of the stockyard. Meanwhile if anybody needs blackberries I'll have plenty available until I get the fencing done and turn Howard loose in the patch!
leigh