# How long have you owned goats?



## ksalvagno (Aug 26, 2009)

I was curious as to how long people have owned goats. I saw a post that said many people get out after 4 years. I have only owned goats for 3 months so I'm not jaded or anything yet. However, I have been in alpacas for 12 years so I think i do have some sticking power even after the initial glow wears off.


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## lupinfarm (Aug 26, 2009)

A week 

They escaped their second day here, but that was mostly my fault. Naughty girls, caught them trying to break into the horse pasture. I think with the initial glow, it's more an issue with breeders who lose interest due to mortality rates, not enough time, escapees, etc. COST. I think the hobbiests, those who have a few goats, maybe a small herd tend to stick to it a bit longer because they are family pets, not just another number (and their are many-a-breeder in this category)

I love Alpacas, we have 2 Alpaca breeders closeby, one in Stirling is called "Alpaca Lunch Farm"


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## lilhill (Aug 26, 2009)

Five years for me, and plan on going another 15 at least.  Yep, folks want to be a breeder and make lots of money.  Then they find out they aren't going to get rich doing it and the work is quite intensive, expensive and sometimes heartbreaking.


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## norcal (Aug 26, 2009)

3 months.

Our plan was to get lil ones, let them help clear brush & weeds and then to eat them (hope I don't offend some of thee).   However, we got bottle babies, mistake #1, probably won't be able to slaughter ourselves (as they're kind of pet-like now), and I've heard it costs too much to have someone do it for you.   

I don't want the land getting too over grazed and the bottom of the property is not "properly" fenced, so don't know how we're going to get them to the brush there.    So, we may be those that have goats, then don't have goats, then miraculously have goats again - if that makes sense.


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## Roll farms (Aug 26, 2009)

I've owned them for 15 yrs or more.
Been breeding them on purpose, but still just as a hobby, for 9 years.
My job went to Mexico 6 yrs ago and I decided to raise goats and sell hatching eggs / chicks for a living.
I'm not getting rich, but they have finally started at least paying for themselves...more than I can say for the prairie dog / ferret / cavy / dogs / cats / rat / fish that live here!


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## freemotion (Aug 26, 2009)

I've had them for about 7 years, plus a few years when I was a kid, the family had goats for milk and meat.  I've had my own goat to milk for the first time recently....my younger brother milked when we were young.

I did get in trouble once when my mom looked out the window and caught me leading one of our dairy goats across the snow, with the toboggen tied to her collar, then I would turn her around and let go and jump on the sled while she ran back to the barn!


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## FlightsofFancy (Aug 27, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> I did get in trouble once when my mom looked out the window and caught me leading one of our dairy goats across the snow, with the toboggen tied to her collar, then I would turn her around and let go and jump on the sled while she ran back to the barn!


OMG! Too funny!   My girls (3 and 5)  are constantly doing things like that. They are grounded from the barn this week for tieing Barbie to one of the goats.(But Mommy she wanted to go for a ride )  The goat wigged out and ran around bizerk. It took me 20 minutes to catch her.

I have had goats for 3 years and I am only getting started!


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## goat lady (Aug 27, 2009)

We started out with two in March of this year.  Now we are up to 8. One gave birth to twins two weeks ago. I pulled them and have started the process of bottle feeding them in hopes to sell them off. Too many females for my 4month old buck.  My daughter bought two does about 5 weeks ago that are bottle babies. I have one doe that is about 3 weeks from kidding and another that should kid in Nov. We got those two pregant.  Our human kids are adults and we started with rabbits and chickens and just expanded to goats. It is alot of work sometimes, but I think it is worth it.  In this economy we get so depressed with money and not having jobs, but my goats always put a smile on my face when I go out to visit with them.  I am just hoping they will pay for their own feed one day. Not hoping to get rich by breeding them. The nieces and nephews love visiting them and one day I will have grandkids that will want to come visit also.


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## mully (Aug 27, 2009)

5 years an never tire of them ... they are such silly creatures and so fun to play games with.


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## freemotion (Aug 27, 2009)

FlightsofFancy said:
			
		

> freemotion said:
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Whatever you do, don't let them watch the old version of the movie "Heidi!"  That is where I got the toboggen idea, seeing the goat hitched to a little cart.  Of course, that goat was trained, not lactating, and had a proper harness for pulling.  Something my childish brain ignored!


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## crazygoatlady (Aug 27, 2009)

About 15 yrs ago, then I sold them because I went through a divorce and everyone thought it was not a good thing.   Maybe at that time, it was a good thing, they needed more than just feed and water.  But it didn't take long, life is not life without goats--when I moved into my little mobile home, we were fixing it up and my brother airbrushed a Nubian goat on my cupboard doors so I could look at goats even if they weren't real.  LOL   So I guess I have had real goats for about 13 or 14  yrs.  I didn't know anything about milking when I started, but jumped in full force and for a few  years milked at least 12 goats year around.    Now  we are breeding for year around milking again, but now I have help   Milking year around  2 times a day is a real commitment.  We are going to stay at about 10 to 12 milkers, no more than 15.   We pull kids so that is more commitment.   Next to my grandchildren, my goats are my life --my children are all old enough to  do their own thing.  .


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## crazygoatlady (Aug 27, 2009)

I woud really like a couple of Alpacas too


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## crazygoatlady (Aug 27, 2009)

Just me again or those that ask about getting goats jsut so they can make and sell soap  until I tell them how much work it is--then they say oh, do you have to do this and that --umm yes--- when I ask where they are getting a buck to bred them to--uh what??   yes a buck--why do I need to think about that?   because you need to breed the does to have kids so you can milk the does for the milk to make soap.  ohh.  How often to I need to milk the goats--best is 2 times a day at the same time each day---oh--every day?   yes every day.  ohh.   One really does need to worm them and give them shots, trim hooves--ohh, that sounds like a lot of work.    they eat junk and garbage right?  um no--they need good browse or if in a pen good hay and milkers should have feed-so I would have to buy this?  yes unless you have enough acreage and fencing to let them eat and access to your own oats,etc.  OHH sounds expensive.   No not really, we drink the milk, make soap and will be making cheese with the excess, sell kids for hay money etc.    Your drink the milk????    ahhh yes.  
people jsut  don't get it


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## dianneS (Aug 31, 2009)

I had goats for a few years (around three) when I was much younger.  I didn't want to get rid of them, but a neighbor complained about the escapes.  My father wouldn't put up a goat proof fence (I wasn't as attractive as landscape fencing) so we gave up on trying to keep them contained.  They became free-range goats, and that worked fine until the neighbor complained, then they went to auction.

I've been waiting all of my adult life to get back into goats, but was always intimidated by how difficult it seemed to be to contain them.  My husband loved my goat stories from my childhood, and really wanted goats too.  I told him "if you want goats you'd better build good goat fence!"  He did, and we have no problems keeping them contained!

I've only had my goats three months and plan on staying with it for a long time.  Ours are just pets, we don't intend on making a dime off of them.  They are very spoiled and we just love having them around and playing with them.  They think we are goats too!


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## dianneS (Aug 31, 2009)

Ha! Ha! Ha!  That's great crazygoatlady!  I get the same reactions from people too.  I don't breed my goats, or don't plan on it anytime soon, and people ask me all the time "Do you milk your goats?"  When I tell them no, we haven't bred our does.  They want to know "Why would you have to breed them??"

People really just don't get it!

I had a lady ask me once if my mother hen NURSES HER CHICKS?!?!

I had a man who was shocked that my hen hatched 10 chicks!  He couldn't believe all of those babies came from one hen, like she was Octomom or something!  He didn't seem to understand that she just sat on a nest of 10 eggs, she didn't carry ten babies in her womb!

People are utterly clueless some times.


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## freemotion (Aug 31, 2009)

My best friend (genius IQ, I kid you not) asked me, when she saw my broody hen's six new fluffballs, "Did you know she was pregnant?"


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## ksalvagno (Aug 31, 2009)

I think there are a lot of people out there who honestly don't know where food really comes from. Walmart, right?


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## dianneS (Sep 1, 2009)

Oh, freemotion, that is hilarious! LMAO!
A pregnant chicken.

I would say the majority of the stupid questions I hear are typically about the chickens. (and from intelligent people too)  I don't understand why either?  I mean they are not mammals.  Didn't we learn the difference between mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, when we were in elementary school?

I get asked a lot about store bought eggs and "am I eating a baby chicken?"  "No, they are not fertile." and then that opens up a whole sex education conversation.

I haven't been asked too many strange questions about the goats yet, but I guess its too soon, I've only had them a few months, I'll give it time.


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## kimmyh (Sep 2, 2009)

14 years


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## hoosiergal (Sep 4, 2009)

just about 2 months and love it already.


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## JestersEye (Sep 5, 2009)

We got two pygmy goats for our boys to show in the 4-H, about four years ago.  (I grew up with chickens and ponies and wanted them to have some "farmyard" experience, also.)  We got two black wethers from two different breeders in PA, and named them HyJinx and BlackJack.

Unfortunately, we lost BlackJack to Urinary Calculi when he was only 7 months old, so we had to get a new herdmate for HyJinx.  After one failed attempt at a replacement (the new wether died after owning him for only two weeks, probably due to Coccidiosis), we finally succeeded in finding him a new pal, which we named Gambit.

We love owning wethers because they make such great pets!  Ours get along with all of our other animals...  I swear they actually think they're dogs, too!  They come running up to the fence to greet us when our car pulls in the driveway, and we've even seen HyJinx carrying a stick in his mouth.  We got a horse and chickens about a year ago, and the goats didn't bat an eye about sharing the yard with the new arrivals.  In fact, they're as happy as can be to have more food to try to steal!

They have recently escaped a few times, but luckily the neighbors have been great about the curious critters when they go visiting.  They do like to push against the fencing, either to scratch themselves or to test their limits, not sure which.  HyJinx is the real character, and he seeks out attention from people.  He's a bit of a nibbler, and comes over on his own; while Gambit shies away somewhat.  I think the breeders must have handled 'Jinx more as a baby than Gambit's breeders did.  They are really funny to watch when they play together, sometimes!


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## Pipit (Sep 9, 2009)

We got our first two bottle babies on May 30th this year.  We are SO in love with these adorable creatures!  I want more, but DH thinks two are plenty for now. 

I'd love to get some alpacas as well.  Can you house goats and alpacas together?


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## savingdogs (Sep 9, 2009)

We have had our new baby goats four days now! 
They are so adorable, we had no idea we would like them this much. I had no idea goats are so friendly and funny little creatures. 
I'm obviously here to learn! Our goats are nubian/nigerian/pygmy crosses, two doelings and a wether, all four months old. 
Having fun!


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## Mini-M Ranch (Sep 9, 2009)

This is the 4th day we've had our goaties, too.  How could I already feel so attached to them after only 4 days?

Our girls are all mini-nubians and have the best little personalities.  We are looking forward to breeding/kidding/milking/cheese and soap making.  I honestly had no idea we would love them so much!


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## ksalvagno (Sep 9, 2009)

Some people say you can house goats and alpacas together and some say you can't. I think it will depend on the goats and alpacas. I would only put gelded males together. You definitely don't want hormones involved. The one thing you would have to look out for is lice. supposedly goats pick it up very easily and then they would pass it on to the alpacas. If the alpaca's fleece is full of lice, then it is no good to use.

If the goats ram the alpacas hard enough, they could hurt them. But I have been on other sites and people do put them together and have no problems.


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## dianneS (Sep 9, 2009)

I've only heard that lice are species specific.  I don't know how that applies to alpacas though, they are not really native now are they?


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## ksalvagno (Sep 9, 2009)

No they aren't native but they are more and more Americanized. I'm not sure about the lice but alpacas can get diseases that other ruminants can get. They can get CAE, CL and Johnes diseases from goats and anything that is airborne.


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## kimmyh (Sep 10, 2009)

Lice are species specific, goat lice is not people lice etc. I have a llama in with two of my baby bucks, and he is fine, but he is gelded. I would assume alpacas would be the same in temperment, not as protective, but able to get along if they both have their own eating areas, and plenty of room.


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## ilroost (Sep 13, 2009)

i have raised pygmies for 6 yrs now and god willing i will never be with out my goats


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## crazygoatlady (Sep 13, 2009)

We were jsut discussing life without goats--I don't think it will ever happen --goats are our staff of life--our life-next to my grandchildren.  My daughters will have goats and DGS #3 (will be 4 in Oct) loves his goaties, does chores and starting milking at age 2 1/2--no, he isn't able to finish, but he knows the routine, down to brushing their "tummies" and cleaning the teats, milking the first milk into a separate cup and the teat dip at the end.   right now he we are waiting for babies and he checks their sides and is learning to check ligaments--he maybe doesn't know what that completely means, but he is learning and I think goats will always be apart of his life.


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