Raising Pack Goats

[GoatPackr]

Has anyone had issues with predators while hunting? We raise goats as our kids show 4-H and Grange and this is our one big hang up. We are leaning more toward Llamas or mules.

I haven't talked to anyone that has had issues. I'm sure it's just as possible as with any stock in the backcountry.
Just remember goats are not to be left alone at camp. They will always need to be with you.
We are also a 4h family and the kids working with the animals for the project animals really helps. The more time you spend with them the better they will be.
We just returned home from our first trip of the summer.

 

[mkkjortiz]

That’s so cool! We raise Boers and Mini Nubians. My husband is trying to convince our daughter to switch to Alpines lol.

 

[MarkOrtiz]

I haven't talked to anyone that has had issues. I'm sure it's just as possible as with any stock in the backcountry.
Just remember goats are not to be left alone at camp. They will always need to be with you.
We are also a 4h family and the kids working with the animals for the project animals really helps. The more time you spend with them the better they will be.
We just returned home from our first trip of the summer.

Do you just let them browse and eat what they want when you go out or do you bring any feed for them?

 

[GoatPackr]

Do you just let them browse and eat what they want when you go out or do you bring any feed for them?

We don't bring any feed. They drink very little water and get most of what they want from what they eat. If they can get greenery to eat it will surprise you how they will go for days without water.
This weekend we left the house at 5 am. Drove 2 hrs packed into the lake that took 3 hrs. We returned home Sunday afternoon. Of the 4 goats only 2 took a small drink at the lake.
When we got home I put them back in the pasture and they walked past the water and immediately went to the feeder to eat hay.

Kris

 

[GoatPackr]

That’s so cool! We raise Boers and Mini Nubians. My husband is trying to convince our daughter to switch to Alpines lol.

I highly recommend Alpine for packing. Also Lamancha or a cross between the 2.

Kris

 

[parshal]

We've had a couple goats for 10 years. They aren't working animals but pasture art. They are fat and not too interested in escaping like most goats. I was always told if it will hold water it will hold a goat.

We recently moved to 40 acres and had to add welded wire fencing to the existing five strand on about four acres. Just that little bit in material was $2500 at a steep discount off craigslist. Containing goats can get expensive and they are always pushing on the fences.

We had lots of coyotes at the old place. One of our goats has a bite out of his ear. We had a llama, too, and I watched him chase off a coyote once but when the coyotes work in pairs and you've got a lot of goats I wouldn't be surprised if they got a couple. Our next door neighbors lost two to coyotes and brought the third over for us to take. Within two weeks two coyotes go a hold of him but I heard it happening in the middle of the night. He did not have horns while our others do which, I suspect, is why they were never killed like the neighbor's goats.

I've watched two coyotes harass one year old deer for 20 minutes out my bedroom window at night and know they're relentless.

We've had two goats die for no apparent reason. One was drooling for a day or two and wouldn't move around. We actually thought that one might have rabies and had it tested. I came home from lunch and saw two of the goats staring down at the barn and heard the third screaming when I got out of the car. It was laying on it's side thrashing and it never recovered. He never showed any signs of anything until that point.

The same thing happened to our first llama as the first goat. He basically seemed to lose the will to live. The second llama aspirated like a horse with colic. Was fine one minute and dead the next.

If you have enough goats you're gonna deal with escape, senseless death and death for no apparent reason. Same with the llamas. Quite frankly, I think the llamas are way more cool that goats. Goats are babies. If they feel a rain drop they run for cover.

 

[GoatPackr]

If you have problems with goats and fence you don't have good fences. Good fences have good hot wires.
We have a 100 Mile charger and 5 acres and never have problems with any of our animals pushing on fences or escaping.

Kris

 

[Zackcarp]

Has anyone had issues with predators while hunting? We raise goats as our kids show 4-H and Grange and this is our one big hang up. We are leaning more toward Llamas or mules.

We did have a guy here is SE Arizona have his goats attacked by a lion while he was in his tent. If I remember right he was able to kill it with his pistol or something like that. I think the goat survived too.

 

[mkkjortiz]

If you have problems with goats and fence you don't have good fences. Good fences have good hot wires.
We have a 100 Mile charger and 5 acres and never have problems with any of our animals pushing on fences or escaping.

Kris

My daughter says if a 3 yo can get in, a raccoon can get in. If water can get out, so can a goat.

 

[BKehoe05]

I live in Butte but my horse pasture is just outside of Anaconda by the rest area.

There is a breeder in Whitehall that’s been at it for 35 years. Was quite impressed with her operation.

 

[DuckDogDr]

Not to derail this thread, but what diet and mineral mix are you feeding them

 

[Bachto]

I feed mine orchard grass and goat grower mineral mix. Sometimes I will give them 50/50 grass hay alfalfa mix but that's only in the summer when they are grazing on pasture to give them some more protein. You can't give them too much alfalfa, they could die.

 

[parshal]

You can't give them too much alfalfa, they could die.

We were told this too so we don't give them any alfalfa. They graze pasture all year and are supplement with grass hay in the winter. We usually have a mineral lick out but they've not had that this year since we moved.

Goats are fairly self sustaining if they have pasture and browse.