Keeping goat in suburban garden?
Ken
plenty of room, it is 60 foot long and most of it is lawn. There is a 6 foot
fence and wall around the garden so it couldn't escape easily. The fence
between us and next door is about 5 foot.
Anyone have any advice on the practicalities of keeping a goat?
TIA
Ken
Ken
Alison
IMHO I don't think your garden is big enough for a goat. You'd have to have
a shed for the winter. I think a goat would be bored and lonely on it's own.
I'd love to have goats too but only if the conditions are right.
alisonnews:8rqa5e$9vj$1...@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk...
Adrian Chapman
(in message <8rqq6o$65m$1...@uranium.btinternet.com>):
> hi ken, IMHO I don't think your garden is big enough for a goat. You'd have
> to have a shed for the winter. I think a goat would be bored and lonely on
> it's own. I'd love to have goats too but only if the conditions are right.
I would agree with you Alison. He has enough space but goats do need
company. We had two goats for many years but when one of them died the other
one became much more dependent on our other animals for company. We also
have a couple of horses and they sometimes grazed the small paddock on which
we kept the goats. The single goat would trail the horses everywhere,
grazing alongside. If the horse took a couple of steps forward so did the
goat.
She even got to like the dog although it was alaways a cautious relationship
as far as the dog was concerned.
Goats do not like wet weather so proper shelter is essential. They also
require regular worming. One wormer which is not approved for goats but is
widely used is the horse wormer panacur. There is an approved one (I forget
the name) but it is only available in large botttles so it works out
expensive. They should also really have an annual vaccination with Lambivac.
You can do this yourself quite easily if the vet will give you a dose in a
syringe.
You will also need to keep the feet trimmed. This is easy enough with a
standard hoof knife.
Don't be put off. Goats are wonderful and affectionate animals but if you
get a Billy make sure it is neutered. An unneutered goat is always easy to
find - by the smell!
Good luck.
--
Adrian Chapman
Coleen Taylor
You would need to make sure that the fencing is 100% bomb proof.
Goats can and do jump incredibly 5ft might not be enough - and your
neighbours will be livid to find their garden has been demolished and
eaten - so please think carefully. To a goat the grass is always greener on
the other side. That is why a lot of goats spend their life tethered. A
lot of our plants are also poisonous to them.
They will also eat anything other than what you want them to - they will
also soon turn your lawn into a mud bath very quickly come winter. So
shelter, and feed will be essential - and like the previous two postings,
company.
A lot of people think that keeping a goat is less expensive version of a
lawn mower. Not so!!
Coleen
.
Adrian Chapman <adrian...@NOSPSPAM.mac.com> wrote in message
news:01HW.B6073A3D0...@news.claranews.com...
Jon Rouse
>I've always liked the idea of keeping a goat in my back garden. I have
>plenty of room, it is 60 foot long and most of it is lawn. There is a 6
foot
>fence and wall around the garden so it couldn't escape easily. The fence
>between us and next door is about 5 foot.
>
>Anyone have any advice on the practicalities of keeping a goat?
Goats will eat anything and everything. You won't have a garden for long if
you have a goat. Don't hang out the washing within reach of the goat, and
make sure the fence isn't built of anything the goat can get its teeth into.
--
The views expressed are my own, and may not necessarily reflect those of my
employer.
Alison
Adrian Chapman <adrian...@NOSPSPAM.mac.com> wrote in message
news:01HW.B6073A3D0...@news.claranews.com...
> On Sun, 8 Oct 2000 22:48:51 +0100, Alison wrote
> (in message <8rqq6o$65m$1...@uranium.btinternet.com>):
>
> > hi ken, IMHO I don't think your garden is big enough for a goat. You'd
have
> > to have a shed for the winter. I think a goat would be bored and lonely
on
> > it's own. I'd love to have goats too but only if the conditions are
right.
>
> I would agree with you Alison. He has enough space but goats do need
> company. We had two goats for many years but when one of them died the
other
> one became much more dependent on our other animals for company. We also
> have a couple of horses and they sometimes grazed the small paddock on
which
> we kept the goats. The single goat would trail the horses everywhere,
> grazing alongside. If the horse took a couple of steps forward so did the
> goat.
your horses didn't mind the goat? mine used to go berserk when he saw one
and bolt off down the road. .
alison
Jenny M Benson
ville.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>A lot of people think that keeping a goat is less expensive version of a
>lawn mower. Not so!!
No indeed - goats are *browsers*, not grazers.
--
Jenny
Kat
why eat grass when there is a nice tasty(expensive) bush/tree over there.
Or why eat something safe if there is a plastic bag/clothes/rhodedendron
bush avaliable!
Kat
Snipped>
Terry Sanford
Jenny M Benson wrote:
> In article <8rsd2r$6jg$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>, Coleen Taylor <coleen@sea
> ville.freeserve.co.uk> writes
> >A lot of people think that keeping a goat is less expensive version of a
> >lawn mower. Not so!!
>
> No indeed - goats are *browsers*, not grazers.
> --
> Jenny
Geese; maybe?
Adrian Chapman
(in message <8rsumd$j97$1...@uranium.btinternet.com>):
> your horses didn't mind the goat? mine used to go berserk when he saw one
> and bolt off down the road. .
> alison
They were very good friends. In fact a lot of people keep a goat just as a
companion for a horse. Mind you our youngster did occasionally try and pick
one of the goats up by the leg. No harm done.
Worse than that. When the goats were in season they got a crush on the
gelding. Quite funny to watch.
--
Adrian Chapman
Adrian Chapman
(in message <8rsd2r$6jg$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>):
> Hello Adrian,
Nope, I was replying to the original message from Ken.
I agree with you though.
--
Adrian Chapman
Surfer!
erve.co.uk> writes
>
>"Ken" <k...@thumper88.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:8rl472$707$2...@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
>> plenty of room, it is 60 foot long and most of it is lawn. There is a 6
>foot
>> fence and wall around the garden so it couldn't escape easily. The fence
>> between us and next door is about 5 foot.
Don't bet on it. Goats are agile and great escape artists.
>>
>> Anyone have any advice on the practicalities of keeping a goat?
Don't keep an uncastrated Billy goat - they stink!
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Ken
>>
>>
>
>
--
Surfer!
Surfer!
<jennym...@cedarbank81.fsnet.co.uk> writes
>In article <8rsd2r$6jg$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>, Coleen Taylor <coleen@sea
>ville.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>>A lot of people think that keeping a goat is less expensive version of a
>>lawn mower. Not so!!
>
>No indeed - goats are *browsers*, not grazers.
AFAIK sheep are grazers. So are cows but they are a bit large for the
average back garden.
--
Surfer!
Coleen Taylor
Coleen
Kat <ka...@ukgateway.net> wrote in message
news:8rvi2e$2r0$1...@lure.pipex.net...
> The goat theory on life is:
> why eat grass when there is a nice tasty(expensive) bush/tree over there.
>
> Or why eat something safe if there is a plastic bag/clothes/rhodedendron
> bush avaliable!
>
> Kat
>
>
> Snipped>
> > No indeed - goats are *browsers*, not grazers.
> > --
> > Jenny
>
>
Ken
"Alison" <alis...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:8rqq6o$65m$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
> hi ken,
> IMHO I don't think your garden is big enough for a goat. You'd have to
have
> a shed for the winter. I think a goat would be bored and lonely on it's
own.
> I'd love to have goats too but only if the conditions are right.
Hi Alison
I'd love to have had a couple of goats living in my garden but agree that it
wouldn't be fair on them. However, the chairman of our residents association
has no sense of humour and when I mentioned to him that I'm getting a goat,
he couldn't see that I was only kidding.
I may forward some of the replies to him to make him think that I'm serious.
:-)
Ken
Ken
"Coleen Taylor" <col...@seaville.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8rsd2r$6jg$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
> A lot of people think that keeping a goat is less expensive version of a
> lawn mower. Not so!!
>
Ken
Alison
Hi Ken,
Years ago I came home from our county show and said I'd like to have goats
and my dad nearly had a heart attack.! I worked for the RSPCA and every
time I used to come home with a cardboard box, it was 'Oh no , Now what have
you got!!'
Alison
>
>
>
>
Terry Sanford
Alison wrote:
> every time I used to come home with a cardboard box, it was 'Oh no , Now what
> have you got!!'
>
Fairly large box for the average goat!
Ken
of grass would it need to be happy?
Ken
Nhoj Eel
groups of more than 3, so perhaps it would be very lonely on its own...
Laila
Kat
> So it looks like a goat was a bad idea. Would a sheep be better? What area
> of grass would it need to be happy?
>
> Ken
>
>
would need to start of with a bottle fed lamb, so its not quite the right
time of year yet.
Plus are you prepared to remove all toxic plants from the garden, eg Azleas,
Rhodedendrons and other nasties.
As sheep like goats love to eat the wrong things.
You may be best off with a couple of Rabbits in a movable hutch.
Kat