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We have a small (about 1/4 acre) paddock behind the house that will be the horse's winter turnout paddock (they are coming home for the first time this winter which will be great) however it will be unoccupied for the rest of the year and is currently completely infested with docks.

My husband has just been out strimming (again) to try and kill the blighters and come the spring the 'round-up' will come out.

But the point of this post is that we have been offered the loan of a couple of goats if we want them to clear the ground. o/h is very tempted (largely I think because he is sick of strimming it ) but the people who offered them have said that we could have them permanently if we wanted them and he is tempted to get them as a permanent fixture (which I would like as I like have always liked goats)...however -

They could be out on the paddock all spring/summer/early autumn (saving grazing is not an issue for the horses on this paddock as they will churn it up instantly so they will mostly be on the large area of hard standing on the bottom section with ad-lib hay - it is more for fresh air and exercise than grass) but the goats will not have winter grazing. So during the winter the goats would be in the byre, they could come out during the day but it would be more for fresh air than grazing as they would have to be either tethered in a sectioned off area of the paddock (in which case they would have a little grazing but not much) with the horses or on the horses' yard while the horses were in the paddock. Byre space is not an issue, there is bucket loads of room for a goat stable! Grass is not an issue as the paddock will be standing empty 3/4 of the year. We are buying in round bales of hay every week for the horses so forage not an issue but I know nothing else about goat requirements apart from that they are escape artists...oh and I assume you need a DEFRA holding no for them?


Daft idea? Practical idea? I realise they will not be a money saving exercise and will basically be pets, but does this sound like a sensible plan, since we like them anyway? Ideally we would have a couple of nannies who could be put into kid and milked (we do like goats milk and accept that billy kids and any nannies we can't find homes for would be going for meat)

There will be lots of experts on here who will help you, i had goats for about 5years but i was never an expert , i found them easy to keep ,i used to tether them along the hedgerow, and take them for a wee browse now and again, the milk was great but easy tainted with whatever they were eating, eg, cabbage, turnip,beetroot, etc everything ok but all in moderation, i reared lambs on the milk, fed the dogs, and a couple of weaners (all at different times!!) we loved the milk ,and it was always fresh! if it was me i'd go for them

What sort of goats are they? (am just watching someone on a tv show trying to milk Angora goats - not known as a good milk producer from what I recall)

I don't know what they are, I have not seen them (o/h has but all he says is they are big and white which is not terribly specific ) but if the goat scheme was to happen then we might not end up taking these ones but might seek out some goats ourselves if something else would suit our needs better.

Oh and taking them out for a nibble along the hedgerows (well we don't have hedges here, but the verges anyway) would be easy as we are very rural and all on quiet single track roads, would be fun too as I have a toddler and another on the way so I think goats would be a nice thing to have for them too...to add to the chickens...quail....horses..dogs..cats etc that we already have I am a stay-at-home mum so have a bit of time available to care for extra animals.

It sounds ideal, really, depending on how good your fences are and what kind of temperament your goats have. Most of my goats have never challenged a fence, but there are the few who've wreaked havoc (eating hundreds of dollars worth of newly planted blueberry plants in less than 30 minutes!!). I have a herd of about 60-80 goats depending on time of year, and they are all pretty happy so have no urge to wander beyond their boundaries, which are all defended by very hot fence wires, I should add.

Big white goats sounds like Saanens. Good for milk!

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

Andrea is right, fencing is the main thing to worry about with goats... Otherwise, go for it. The air in my garden is often blue with my swearing at the little blighters, but I wouldn't want to get rid of them...

Paddock is fenced to horse/sheep proof standards, but I don't know about to goat standards! It is a well maintained dry stone wall on one long side and new post and rail and wire (not barbed wire) on the others. However it is the other long side that is the concern, not because it is not well fenced but because it is the division between our paddock and next door's very well kept flower/veg garden!! There will be an electric fence running a couple of feet within this side anyway to stop the horses' leaning on or over their fence but will this be sufficient for goats? We REALLY don't want to upset the neighbours and I'm sure a goat would make very short work of their nice garden...

Ah yes, If there's anything you want the goats to eat, and they don't like it - put up a fence in front of it, and they'll make sure they get at it... Saying that, not all goats are alike. My cashmeres started to ignore the electric fence (which had been perfectly OK for two years) last year. But then they have a lot of fibre for insulation, and one of them has horns, too, so is able to lift the wire and crawl under it...

Ask the current owners what they are like with fences, jumping them and finding holes where humans don't see any.

A well-placed electric wire, right about chest height on the goats, should do the trick. I would actually worry about their ability to climb a stone wall, but if they are Saanens, they probably won't even think about it. Saanens are pretty much the most placid breed.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

Stone wall I am prepared to take more of a risk on than the other side as the stone wall leads into a field of sheep...whereas the other fence leads into the nice garden However we have loads of electric fencing and stakes from strip grazing the horses so can electric fence right around the whole paddock easily.

Oh and having looked at some goat pics my husband has now elaborated on 'big and white' and says they look just like Saanens so I imagine that is probably what they are.

Thanks for all your help so far, we have now committed to the scheme, since it seems like it will be workable with a bit of thought and planning, and are getting a pair of weaned kids in October, a castrated billy and a nanny (twins) as we decided that one milk goat would be adequate for our needs all being well so her brother is coming as company for her. They are basically Saanens with a little touch of British Alpine somewhere in mum's ancestory. They look like Saanens.

So they are due to arrive in October once they have left mum and once I have had my baby (having it by c-section 16th Sept), gives us time to sort out goat housing and fencing!

We decided it would be better to get some kids who we could bring up ourselves rather than adult goats of unknown age and attitude etc. We went to see them today and they are lovely and mum is a nice goat with a nice attitude too (important when I am going to be leading them quite a lot, and have a toddler as well as the new baby about the place). Ok it'll be a while until she matures enough to be put into kid herself but time is not really an issue at the moment.

You can breed your doeling once she has reached 2/3s of her expected adult size. How old is she now - if she was born in Feb., she will be pretty close to breeding age or size already. I often borrow a young billy for breeding - the young ones are not as stinky and are the right size for doelings but still quite effective on mature does - but if you have to buy one you will still get your money back when you send him to market after you're sure she is pregnant.

Hope you are recovering well from your C-section - boy or girl?