Greetings,

I'm trying to plan ahead and prepare for those baby goats born next spring when there's still snow on the ground. In the past I've found cheap human baby t-shirts at yard sales and those worked okay but I wanted something warmer. I've also read somewhere about cutting the sleeves off of adult size sweaters and using those, but I'm not getting a mental picture of how it should be. Is the wrist part of the sleeve around the kid's neck and do you cut front leg holes? What about trap doors for the baby bucks? I've seen photos of handmade coats (like horse blankets) made out of fleece fabric and I thought that would be a good winter project for me. I have an old fleece bathrobe that has seen better days so I could cut that up. Anyone have a pattern to share? Thanks in advance. Charleen

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), November 27, 2001

Answers

I went to the thrift shop and bought used sweat pants with elastic leg holes. The leg hole goes over the kids head, and you would cut the leg off the length that you would need it. I make two holes for the front legs. For the boys I make a cut from behind the front legs up towards the tail. They are simple to put on and take off and wash. I was able to get 2 coats for .50 cents. You can also get a large assortment of colors, so if you wanted to use the same color for ones does kids and a different for another one you could.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 27, 2001.

please help me understand this .Won't these get wet in winter and stay wet and make the goats sick and when you take them off in spring won't they get very cold since they are used to having some thing on.when these get wet won't they chill in these sweaters I am in Spark,Ok. and it get's pretty cold here.Thanks for the answer I am concerned about them getting to cold.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), November 27, 2001.

Any material, unless made to resist water, will get wet. My newborns stay indoors with access to the outside if not raining. I only leave the coats on for about 2 weeks, and if it isn't that cold may only put them on at night. I also take them off and put clean ones on, check to see that they are not too tight, etc. It is a lot cheaper than running a heat lamp for the little ones. I have never used a coat on an adult. One that is older, sick, or clipped up for an early show may need one. I have seen in Premier's catalog, little coats for lambs. They are a type of plastic that wears off in about 2 weeks. I would not put a coat on everyone, and use it as little as possible on the kids. But kidding in Dec, even in WA state we can get snow. My barn can get chilly as I like to leave the doors open to get good ventilation. The older goats are not bothered by the cold as long as they have shelter from the elements and hay to keep their rumens going which helps heat their body. You are right, I think it would be a mess if you put them on and left them until spring. You would have very sick animals.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 27, 2001.

You see I was asking because i am just not to long into the goats,so I am very much in need of information my self lol.since it is getting very cold now.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), November 27, 2001.

We've only had goats a few years also, and last year was the first time kidding in Dec/Jan. We will be having 5 does kidding between Christmas and New Years so know that the weather can get cold (for this area). I have never used the coats on my later kid that are born in March/April. Somebody told me how to make these coats last year and it was great. I'm sure if you sew well you could come up with something also. Something similar to a little dog coat. I'm don't do a lot of sewing.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 27, 2001.

Make your own kid (goat) sweaters. Patterns for Hand Knitting, Machine Knitting, Crocheting. Click 'Patterns'


Patterns

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

Ok help me understand how goats and other animals survived thousands of years before humans started making clothes for them?

-- LJ (lellison@fast.net), November 27, 2001.

They kidded after a normal breeding season, which this year around here didn't start until November, which means April kids not the end of December kids!

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 28, 2001.

Okay, I will help some of you understand. We use old wool sweaters on our lambs. I get them at thrift stores or hand me downs from friends. Cut the sleeves off and thats all. No need to cut leg holes. I slip sleeve ( tube shape) on lamb around its body.It only needs to cover the abdomen. You can fold over at neck end if its too long. I have a variety of sizes to fit lambs from 4 to 12 pounds. And ONLY wool will do. Wool is warm even if wet.( Fishermen in Maine use heavy wool mitts in winter to keep hands warm when pulling in nets) And always wash between lambs as a ewe will reject a lamb if it has another lamb odor on it. I throw them in washer and dryer. If they shrink or felt up, all the better. We started doing this as an alternative to heat lamps, which I consider too dangerous. Besides its fun going into the barn and having a rainbow of lambs running around!

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), November 28, 2001.

Goat coats are much safer than heat lamps.

Craft stores like Michaels in Texas will carry plain grey sweatshirt dog sweaters to personalize for christmas, they are usually just 1$ each. I hit garage sales for sweatshirts, cut the sleeves off and about 6 inches down from the cuff I cut a slit for legs, the cuff becomes the neck, boys have a hole cut in the bottom. Bodies of sweatshirts are used for the girls. Though they have fancy coats for going trimmed to shows, the sweatshirts are fine for everyday wear. The only time ours wear them is if it gets very cold, not often in East Texas. I will put sweaters on quads or when there is just a couple of kids in the kid barn, not alot to snuggle up to. My old doe will have a coat on tommorrow with our first cold weather blowing in.

I do have a really nice goat coat that is really nothing more than a sweatshirt you slip on over the goat, it originally was made to be lined in wool, to warm for us around here. I used fleece bought by the bolt. It is the same premise as the lamb stockings they sell in Jeffers. I could trace it out on newspaper or something. I have small for 60 pounds, medium for 100 pounds and large for over 100, even 1 extra large one for a big doe or bred doe.

In the wild goats don't have triplets and quads, in the wild goats don't live to 11 and 12 and still have babies and milk every year. In the wild goats wouldn't live in the piney woods of east Texas, the fire ants would have killed them as infants or they would have died from foot rot. You only let them wear the clothes when it is cold, mine are taken off the kids when they go out into the sun to play. My oldest doe won't grow a good undercoat anymore, just like us, as a goat ages her coat get sparser, so yes she will wear a goat coat all winter until warm days of spring. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Don't forget those darling little pink and blue bonnets!!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 28, 2001.

What a wonderful idea Mitch! This way their little ears won't get frostbit! Do you happen to have a pattern? The one you use for yourself is fine, I am a seamstress an can make it smaller! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Oh, I like this idea. I have a doe due in 2 weeks and the weather's getting nippy here. I don't have electricity in my barn, so this is a good solution for those first few days when they aren't self- regulating well yet. Oh, and Vicky, you may need to make those bonnets larger than Mitch's pattern....I sometimes wonder when he makes those toung-in-cheek, pinheaded comments.... ;) (I'm really just kidding, Mitch...you set yourself up nicely for this one!)

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 28, 2001.

Ha HA Vicky you ought to be ashamed of your self. i wouldnt slam a outhouse door that hard! besides all that i hurt myself rotflmao. Bob se,ks. poor Mitch

-- Bobco (bobco@kans.com), November 28, 2001.

Look on ebay , someone had a picture of ones they made .At least it should give you an idea.It looked simple to do.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), November 29, 2001.

When I first saw this post a few days ago, I thought it was the trolls again! I never thought that anyone would want to put a sweater on a baby goat. Of course, I haven't ever raised goats - at least not yet - and never considered the possibility that they would be needed. I'm learning more everyday from reading these posts. What a funny mental picture - a baby goat in a sweater!

Charleen - have fun with your babies! I think the whole thing is just wonderful! :-)

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), November 29, 2001.

I seem to remember a bonnet pattern in my last issue of Goat Fashion International, I will see if I can find it for you.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 30, 2001.