This ? may have been asked and more than once. Can you put a couple goats on leashes to 'graze' or do you have to put of a fence or pen?

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002

Answers

sure can,, fence isnt needed unless you have alot fo predators,, but I like to watch them fight goats anyways

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 13, 2002.

Yes you can put them on a leash to graze. Have a collar that is NOT a self tightening type. Use a stake type of system or an over head type. If you have them ground tied I would use a thick soft rope so if they get tagled they won't hurt themselves. Make sure the collar is tight enough so they can't slip out of it.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 13, 2002.

Cindy: If You have the time and good places to tie them and water to drink they do well. Goats are more of browsing eaters that grazers tho,they love bruch and weeds beter than plain ole GRASS. Make sure they have plenty of shade to get under during the summer. Take a stock panel they are 52 inches x 16 feet and make a half circle with 2 and cover with a tarp and this will make a great shade area for a few goats..good to get out of the rain also. Just tie it down with tent stakes to keep the wind from flying it to the next county.

God Bless and have a good weekend.

-- charles Steen (xbeeman@aol.com), April 13, 2002.

Hi! This is a friendly warning!! :-) I have no problem with staking goats as long as you are home and watching them closely. I don't mean never taking your eyes off of them -- -just be aware and able to come to the rescue if needed. Entire third world countries do this BUT .... Do not go to a goat list and ask this question!!! A while back another unsuspecting person did and they ate her alive. Seems to be a real goat person taboo and sets off all kinds of ugly stuff. Occasionally one will hang themselves or get caught by dogs and mauled or killed. Just be aware of the risks.

-- Tana Mc (mcfarm@totelcsi.net), April 13, 2002.

Just use good common sence when tieing a goat or any other animal on a rope or chain. We have quite a few goats ...over 70 with this years babys and we still tie a few out and use them as lawnmowers on areas that they cant run loose in.!! LOL

God Bless.

-- charles Steen (xbeeman412@aol.com), April 13, 2002.

I like getting free bucks, with horns, and stake them out for coyote bait,, sometimes dogs will attack them,, fun to watch them fight it out, ,especially when its a big mean ole buck,, and kicks the crap out of a few dogs,, FUNNYYYY !!!!!!

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 13, 2002.

A smooth cable seems to snag and tangle less than rope or chain. Also, don't get them too close to trees or they will tangle themselves up and probably break the tree to boot. I put their water in a bucket in the center of an old tire near the end of their cable. Keeps them from dumping it. And, yes, check on them periodically.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.

I tied my does out on that covered cable last summer. One doe got along just fine. The other, whew. I found her mostly strangled (it took the neck swelling a few days to go down), horribly tangled (leg was ice cold and took her a while to walk correctly) several times. I think it depends on the goat. Good luck! Two strands of electric fence work pretty darned well if you can afford the charger. Make posts out of saplings and use nail-on insulators. Good luck!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 13, 2002.

Do not go to a goat list and ask this question!!! A while back another unsuspecting person did and they ate her alive. Seems to be a real goat person taboo and sets off all kinds of ugly stuff. .....................................................................

It's only because "us" on the goat lists are the ones who have to help explain how to set broken legs and clean bite marks from goats eaten by Stan's dog thread :) I started with a very tiny barn and a very small yard for my goats, they would follow me every day out into the woods to browse. Also be careful that they can't get into posionous plants that are planted around your house. Staking them is fine as long as you are around to watch, when you leave put them back into their pen/barn. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Cindy,

One method I have used for staking out animals is to run rope, chain, cable or whatever through an old hose of the same length - it helps to keep the animal from getting tangled.

-- Debbie in IL (debbie@fli-soft.com), April 22, 2002.

Hi Cindy - I stake out one of my small pygmies once in a while. I take (2) 8 x 16 cinder blocks (Ol' Niblitz can drag 1 block if he decides too), and then run my cable through them, then to the goat. Check often though! If the cable can get caught, twisted, tangled, or just boogered in any way imaginable and then some, it'll happen. And the water dish'll be knocked over a few times as well.

And space the goats well apart too! I had 2 staked out one day, and they dragged the cinder blocks to the point where they had tangled the leashes, and after the panic of pulling on each other they were nose to nose.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), April 23, 2002.