Hi All, I'm new to the group and to goats. A little history; We have been interested in dairy goats for some time now and have studied all we could find. We decided to get a young whether and see how it would fit in with us. We got one, a great natured little guy (about 30 LB),and he took right to us and us to him. He and our Border Collie/Heeler working dogs seemed to be friends from the first. I was surprised when the ponies didn't like him, but he doesn't seem to mind, just stays away from them. A few days ago he started eating dog food instead of heading out early to forage. Will this harm him? Then last night the dogs attacted him???(been friends for 2 weeks). His back leg got bite, not bad enough for a vet, but I don't know the best way to treat it. Thanks for any help/suggestions. L.A. Romsa

-- L.A. Romsa (lromsa1@state.wy.us), May 10, 2000

Answers

Sounds like the poor guy hasn't a friend! Yeah, dogs and goats are unpredictable together. Things seem fine, then one or the other does something that sets the other off and you have a situation on your hands. Keep them safe from each other. I also wouldn't let it eat dog food...not only was that probably the reason for the spat, but it just is full of animal protein and "fillers" that the wether doesn't need to prosper. He'll no doubt develop kidney stones or as they say in goat circles, "urinary calculi." Not sure why, if your interest was in dairy goats, you bought a wether, but I guess you had your reasons. Try finding him another goat as a friend. Feed him hay and plenty of water. Let him browse in the pasture. Don't worry about graining him. Keep him away from the dogs. I have BCs too, and they like to nip hocks, and goats don't care much for that.

Hope this helps. Their are lots of good "goaters" on this list, you'll get lots of help if what I said doesn't suit ya. :-)

-- Jim Roberts (jroberts1@cas.org), May 10, 2000.

The herding breeds are notorious for that kind of behavior, L.A., and should never be allowed to be with the livestock unsupervised. Same goes for any other breed of dog except the livestock guardian breeds. As far as the dog food not being good for him, Jim is right. We had a pony that foundered from eating too much of the stuff (before we got her). Of course, it was winter in Alaska, she and her mother had been running loose most of the time for four years and surviving the winters by stealing people's dogfood off their porches, so they weren't getting much else to eat. Anyway, it's maybe okay for dogs (though that is debatable, too!!) but not for other livestock (chickens like it, though!). As far as the wound goes, clean it the way you would clean a cut on yourself, disinfect it (we used to use an iodine solution on our horses, but it stings like all get out), and keep it clean. It's hard to bandage animals, as you probably already know.

Re: the benefits of starting with a wether rather than a milking doe, I can see a some already. You'll learn where the weak spots in your fencing are. You'll learn how to feed them, and you've already learned to keep them away from the dogs!! And you'll get some idea of the medical care a goat needs, though a doe needs more attention than a wether. Anyway, good luck!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), May 10, 2000.

For what it's worth, we have a female border collie that is as good as gold with the goats.She loves the kids and never acts aggressive to any of the goats, even though she's gotten butted a few times,she just licks them gently.In fact,I've tried to have her sit at a gate and bark to keep them from coming through it, and she won't, she just let them come right on through and acted like she was sorry to be in their way! Our neighbor had a blue heeler though, that was a real pest about chasing livestock,sure was glad when they got rid of it!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), May 10, 2000.

Thanks for the replies! I'll add some more details. We wanted to get 2, but here in Wyoming goats are not real common, so we went to an auction in Colorado. We wanted a whether and a doe. This guy attached himself to us while checking out what was available and there just wasn't much else there at this sale (we are still looking). The BCs are working cattle dogs and well behaved. They don't bother the cattle, free roaming chickens, or the ponies. Our only fences are to keep the calves and ponies on our land. From day one this goat slept with the dogs, played with them, and when he decided to eat the dog food(always available) They all had they face in the dish eating together. Will another Goat help avoid another attack? I can't fence in the dogs as they keep the coyotes, foxes,etc away and protect the other livestock. I also don't want to have to fence in the goat or goats so they can eat off the pasture. We don't have neighbors for 2 miles, so I like everything to run free(cheaper to feed). Again thanks for the advice and any more suggestions. He has also quit bleeping? L.A. Romsa

-- L.A. Romsa (lromsa1@state.wy.us), May 10, 2000.

Whereabouts in Wyoming are you? I have a book from ADGA that tells all the breeders(all the adga members) and what breeds they raise, how to reach them,etc. What breed do you want to keep? It might be a good idea to find some way to feed the dogs where the goat can't get at their food, maybe in the house or something.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), May 10, 2000.

Hi, I can understand what you are thinking as far as letting the goat run free...BUT...goats are a notorious bunch for climbing on evrything, tasting everything and generally getting into trouble.You really do have to fence them in. They are perhaps the only animal that you truly have to keep in a designated area, especially when you get a doe as you will want to protect her udder from low dangerous brush if you have that.

I had this misguioded idea that the goats would keep my "lawn" trimmed down and roam about being happy. First, i was working on a car and went to town to get a part, came back and my darling 4 month old wether had ripped all the plugs out and taken the ends off of them, lost the nut for the air cleaner, took out the wiring going thru the firewall, AND cut his leg on something in the process. I had a small fenced yard and tried to grow some plants in containers on the porch and my doe figured out the latch for the gate and I came home from work to a destroed ficus tree and no more flowers or tomato plants. I reiterate, they must be fenced.

Please don't let your goat eat dog food. The animal protein could kill him.

As for the dogs, all dogs have different temperments even within the same breed. After an incident like that, I would protect the little guy from any more misfortunate run ins with your dogs, again, a fence.

What do you mean he has stopped "bleeping"?

Good luck!

-- Doreen Davenport (livinginskin@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.