# Newbie question about staking out goats



## TxMom (Jun 21, 2009)

I've never had goats before, and I'm getting two 4-month-old boer cross wethers next week.  We have a fenced in area for them to stay in, but we have some wild areas of our property (weeds, blackberry vines, poison ivy, underbrush) that we need the goats to help us tame.  If they can eat at least SOME of the weeds and underbrush, then we can more easily get to those areas to mow, landscape, whatever...  Those areas can't even be fenced in yet until they are better under control.  So...how do I go about staking the goats out there?

Here are my thoughts so far:  First, I have to let them get used to wearing a collar, then maybe walk them around on the property with a leash?  How long of a rope should I use to tie them?  Don't worry, I will not tie them up unsupervised...I know that's dangerous for several reasons.  What about age?  Are they at a good age to start learning how to walk on a leash?

Also, if I just walk them out there and not tie them up, will they be content to browse, or will they try to run away from me?  Or is that going to be different with each individual goat?

Can you give me any pointers?  Remember, I know nothing about goats except what I've read on this forum and in books...


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## helmstead (Jun 21, 2009)

If they are tame, and after a time at your place so they know where home is...

I would simply let them out loose.  Protect what you DON'T want them to eat, and let them at the areas you want them to eat.  They should return to your penned area at the shake of a feed scoop.

Neither is safe if you have wild dogs...bear in mind.  I know there are a lot of people that get away with staking out, but I don't consider it a great idea.  Entanglement, choke, predation...


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## bheila (Jun 21, 2009)

I stake my goats out with a collar and  a rope  but only if I am outside with them.  If I have to run in the house to grab something then I put the goats away or have my husband come and watch them.  We have coyotes, neighbor dogs and strays.  I don't even trust my own dogs alone with my goats  I would love to be able to let the goats have free run of our property but we live close to a busy road besides having to worry about the predators.


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## helmstead (Jun 21, 2009)

You don't have to   We also take ours out on leashes to clean up areas while we sit with them or are gardening.  Supervised, not tied out...that's a different story!


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## kstaven (Jun 21, 2009)

Portable electric fence systems work well for brush clearing jobs. Just keep moving it from place to place.

Of course you have to train your goats to electric.


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (Jun 21, 2009)

helmstead said:
			
		

> If they are tame, and after a time at your place so they know where home is...
> 
> I would simply let them out loose.  Protect what you DON'T want them to eat, and let them at the areas you want them to eat.  They should return to your penned area at the shake of a feed scoop.
> 
> Neither is safe if you have wild dogs...bear in mind.  I know there are a lot of people that get away with staking out, but I don't consider it a great idea.  Entanglement, choke, predation...


I agree with you.  It's dangerous to stake a goat, they strangle themselves SO easily.  I tried it once, came back two minutes later (literally) and my goats were bleating their heads off, tangled in their own leashes.

I just let mine run free.  They follow me like well-trained puppies, and I haven't done a thing to train them.  They just love me  .  Everyone's goats are different, I suppose.

Again, predators are always a problem.  I never let my goats run free unless I'm there to keep them out of trouble.  Even if I can't watch them, I never let them out of earshot!


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## TxMom (Jun 21, 2009)

Thank you all for your helpful responses!  I hope they love me enough to stay close while I supervise them...then I won't have to stake them out.  I'm not overly worried about predators, everything has been very peaceful here so far, even with my chickens (knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, etc, etc.).  My main concern would be them getting into the street.  If I can trust them to stay close to me and not run into the street, then I'll be a happy camper!  I guess I'll just play it by ear...do the best I can to keep them safe while working on my yard at the same time.


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## Goatfarmer (Jun 21, 2009)

We have staked all 4 of our goats out before we got our pin finished and never had any problems, we just used the screw in type stakes with 30 feet cables, we just staked them out just far enough to where they could get within about 2 feet of each other without getting tangled. However we always staked them out in our wide open field where we were close by so there was nothing for them to get tangled up in and we have neighbors dogs that run loose constantly and dont know if they would bother the goats at all but we never had any problem with it. When it started getting dark they would cry to go to the barn, we would just turn them loose and say lets go to the barn and they would all run right into the barn, not always into the right stall of course.


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## nightshade (Jun 23, 2009)

I use the green pound in stakes like you would use for a dog and a 25 ft cable.We used the twist in stakes for awhile but found out one goat could snap the top triangle off were the cable attached quite easily. He was not able to do that with the ones that pounded in flush with the top of the ground. Do not use chain if you can help it, if they have ear tags chain can easily catch them and tear them out. It is not life threatening but it makes a heck of a mess and ruins beautiful ears lol.  Also do not tether them around trees or where the brush is really thick, it will just be a nuisance to untangle them all the time.

If they are anything like ours when we have a new goat that we are teaching it is okay to be tethered The first few times are nerve racking. I have had ones run to the end of the cable so hard when you go to walk away from them that the flip over and land on their back when the reach the end.  It can be very scary so make sure you stay close by til they are use to it. 

As for age the earlier you can get them use to the collar and the lead the better off you will be because it will go a lot easier then trying to teach and older goat. 

If it is too thick to tether them with them getting tangled up all the time try using a portable 6ft high dog kennel and simply move it around the area as they eat it off. They are really easy to tear apart and reassemble to put them around thicker brush and small trees where the goats would get tangled up a lot. 

I don't mow most of my lawn anymore I just go around with an old fashioned weed wacker or reel mower and get the edges or outsides of the circle made by the goat cables lol In an day a few goats can mow most of a lawn easily.

Hope this helps


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## warthog (Sep 1, 2009)

I am also a newbie to goats (1 month).  I tie my goats out each day, they are always in view and within earshot, and me or my husband are always around the garden when they are tied out. (we have some thick bush).  They are tied to a stake or tree and from time to time they get tangled (nothing serious) just around a twig or they go around and around the stake to which they are tied.  At they first bleat we are there to check, we know if they are quiet they are OK.  If they don't bleat we check them every 15 minutes or so.

I know this is not ideal, and I don't like it, and I know that they could still injure themselves.

This at the moment is the only way we can get them out, until we fence off the bush area.


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## lupinfarm (Sep 1, 2009)

I think portable electric, or cattle panels would be better. My goats would surely kill themslves being tied out, Cissy got her head stuck in a hay net today LOL thank god someone was there to save her from her own demise.


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## trestlecreek (Sep 1, 2009)

Yes, hay nets are death traps. Good thing you saw it in time!


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## norcal (Sep 2, 2009)

warthog said:
			
		

> (we have some thick bush).
> 
> This at the moment is the only way we can get them out, until we fence off the bush area.


We have the same problem w/ THICK brush that is not (properly) fenced.  I've been debating how to deal with it.  Cattle panels would not work, as the brush is too thick.


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## helmstead (Sep 2, 2009)

We had the same problem, thick underbrush (mostly briars).  We used our ATV to smoosh down a path, and put up fencing in that path.  We dragged a RR tie with huge nails partially in it to really make the crud go away so we could safely walk in there and work, and made some paths inside the enclosure for the goats to rest in.  Our fencing was 4' dog wire, 100' long, with garden step in stakes every 6' - so we could pull the stakes, roll the fence up with the stakes, and move the pen to the next area when they were done cleaning up one area.  Worked like a charm.


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