# Help needed PLEASE!



## warthog (Jul 29, 2009)

Hi all,

We live in Belize and have spent several days now looking for goats, we are told that goats are very hard to come by in Belize.  But there are sheep a plenty!!

We wanted goats mainly for eating brush and weeds, it was our intention to get 4 females and maybe when we are used to looking after these, increase the amount by introducing a male and letting them breed.

My question is, if we cannot get goats, are sheep suitable for the same job.

Also sheep in this country do not seem to be sheared, they just seem to let the molt like any other animal, if this a good thing to do.

I have always wanted goats they seem to be more fun creatures than sheep.  Sorry don't wish to offend sheep owners, maybe you will tell me different.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks


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## username taken (Jul 29, 2009)

if you are having that much trouble finding goats, hair breed sheep like you have access to will do a similar job 

enjoy them, whatever you end up getting


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## warthog (Jul 29, 2009)

Thanks for that information, but being new to all this, what do you mean by hair breed sheep.

Sorry if this sounds like a silly question.


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## username taken (Jul 29, 2009)

not a silly question at all

hair sheep means the ones that shed/molt by themselves, they dont need shearing


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## beefy (Jul 30, 2009)

sheep dont really eat the same thing as goats. they eat more grass than brush.


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## username taken (Jul 30, 2009)

beefy, the hair breeds tend to browse more like a goat

the traditional woolled breeds are a different story


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## warthog (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks everybody, I'm off out this morning to look at some 'goats', I have a feeling I might find there are sheep.

People here don't seem to know the difference between sheep and goats.

Ah well, we will see.

I am going to stick out for goats, but will have sheep if I can't get them.

Or there again maybe both, who knows.

Will let you have some pics, when I get some.


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## username taken (Jul 30, 2009)

good luck warthog

A lot of hair sheep look just like goats, and some goats (angoras) look like sheep. So I dont blame people too much for having difficulty telling them apart sometimes. 

The key is in the tail - sheep tails hang down, goat tails stick up!


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## warthog (Jul 30, 2009)

I have tracked down 3 girly goats and possibly a boy.  I didn't want to get to the breeding stage initially, but in that they are so hard to come by, as we say in England "in for a penny in for a pound".

Thanks for the info about the tails, I didn't know that.

I will be going to collect my little one in the morning, so fingers crossed please.


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## helmstead (Jul 30, 2009)




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## username taken (Jul 30, 2009)

thats great! keep us updated


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## ()relics (Jul 30, 2009)

With the proper breeding program you may be able to corner the market on the goat trade in Belize...


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## warthog (Jul 31, 2009)

Well thank you everyone,

I am now the proud owner of 3 girls and 1 boy.  Pepper, Poppy, Polly and Rambo

I have taken some picutres and I will sned them as soon as I can.

Life is now yet another learning curve.

The little boy Rambo, is still on the bottle for another month, Oh boy, it's over thirty years since I did any bottle feeding.

But he is a lovely little guy.


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## username taken (Jul 31, 2009)

WHOOOO - HOOOOO!

Love the names 

Pics when you get time, please!

Congrats and enjoy them


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## lilhill (Aug 1, 2009)

Congratulations!  Can't wait to see pics.


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## chook pen jen (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi congrats on the goats and you might want to keep an eye on Rambo, little boy goats can mate Very young, I think about 3-4months, but the girls need to be a lot older. good luck


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## warthog (Aug 1, 2009)

My little boy is only 7 weeks old and still being weaned.  I am having difficulty getting him to take his bottle.

I have follwed the mix instructions on the milk replacement bag, which is 125g to a litre of water and he is supposed to be on three bottles a day for the next week and then two a day for a month.

This mix looks a bit rich to me, I am going to try a slightly weaker mix.

At the moment he is very healthy and playing around.  
But that won't last long unless I can get some milk into him.

Also I have him in the same pen and shelter with the girls, two are 10 weeks old and weaned and the other is 4 months old.

Any assistance would be appreciated.


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## Griffin's Ark (Aug 2, 2009)

Warthog is he eating at all?  If he is eating put the milk replacer on the food dry.  At 7 weeks he should be eating with the best of them.  He should not have come off mom till 8, but you get what you get and hopefully it will work out.  Make sure he is drinking water also, and you should not have to much trouble.  You can also put the milk in a pan and see if he will drink from that.  I am guessing that you don't have access to a lot of feeds and equipment for goats in Belize, but I am sure you can find what works.

Chris


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## warthog (Aug 2, 2009)

Well here's some pics of my goats




























            

The first one is Rambo, second Polly, third Pepper, fourth Poppy and last but not least three of my Chicks.  Not such a good picture of Poppy, I think she is camera shy.  The lady I bought the three girls from said she wasn't going to charge as much for Pepper, because she wasn't has pretty as the other two, well I think she is just wonderful, we love her.

The chicks I have twelve of them, all layers and they are now 8 weeks old.  I don't give them names, I just call them the girls,  I have enough to remeber the dogs, cats and now goats, without 12 chicks.

Griffins Ark,  Thanks Rambo is eating not much on the grain, but I am working on that, he is browsing a bit of grass and weeds, and I am getting most of his bottle inside him.  He appears fit, happy and healthy, and he's certainly a fighter, when I try to get the nipple in his mouth, he throws his head back, and I get his little horns, I am sure I will be full of little bruises at the end of this.  But he's such a lovely little guy.

Hope you all enjoy the pics.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 3, 2009)




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## Farmer Kitty (Aug 3, 2009)




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## mully (Aug 3, 2009)

They are so cute ... congratulations and welcome to the world of goats... you are going to have lots of fun !!


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