# Camping with goats



## Genipher (May 13, 2013)

A couple of years ago our family went camping with a bunch of other families. Since all of the families were supposed to bring milk to share (all food and drinks were stored together for group meals) two of the other families brought their milking goats (and kids).

I am now looking into getting a pair of goats (mother and doeling). The doe is currently "in milk". My family is also planning on taking a couple of camping trips this summer. Do you think it would be too stressful to take a milking goat camping with us or, with proper care and protection, would they do just fine?


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## OneFineAcre (May 13, 2013)

Genipher said:
			
		

> A couple of years ago our family went camping with a bunch of other families. Since all of the families were supposed to bring milk to share (all food and drinks were stored together for group meals) two of the other families brought their milking goats (and kids).
> 
> I am now looking into getting a pair of goats (mother and doeling). The doe is currently "in milk". My family is also planning on taking a couple of camping trips this summer. Do you think it would be too stressful to take a milking goat camping with us or, with proper care and protection, would they do just fine?


I will say one thing, this is the most unique question I've seen on this forum.

Any time you tranport a goat, and take it out of it's normal space, it causes some temporary stress.

Since we take our goats in milk along with their kids to dairy goat shows and they do OK, I don't see how taking them camping would cause any more stress than that. 


Have fun.


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## lovinglife (May 13, 2013)

One year I took my milk goat to hunting camp with me.  We had fresh milk the entire time!  The only problem I had was she hollered and hollered when I left to go hunting, until one day she got loose and followed my scent to where I was sitting towards the top of the mountain.  Once she got too me, she shut up, layed down and started chewing her cud, happy as could be.  Take her with you, its fun and mine seemed to handle it just fine.


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## Catahoula (May 13, 2013)

If you start training your goats to go on car rides or just walk her around outside her pen/shelter, I'd think she would get used to it. People have pack goats that they take all the time camping and are used to it. I have heard milking does go packing and the packers get fresh milk everyday.


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## cindyg (May 13, 2013)

I'm just curious, where will they sleep?  Will there be predators around?  We've always taken the dog camping, but he sleeps in with us at night, not sure if that would work with goats.


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## Catahoula (May 13, 2013)

Some people put up a tarp or a canopy with portable electrical fencing for the goat when camping. You'd keep the goat near you. If you camp at places with predators, you'd do whatever you normally do to protect yourself with or without goats. Pack goats are used to sleeping outside. The handler may put up a tart and sleep outside with the goats. Some goats know to stay with the packer so they don't need to be tied.


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## Mossy Stone Farm (May 14, 2013)

we take our goats hiking they pack for us.... I havent taken a doe in milk tho ... Our goats do fine..
we have over nighted with them that takes a little more effort than just our day  hikes
We also have our LGD that come along with us...


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## CrazyCatNChickenLady (May 14, 2013)

You should read up on packing goats. I know a lot of people bottle raise goats to make them stick around camp without having to be tied. Otherwise you just have to keep them tied or in some sort of pen. I think it would work out just fine as long as the doe and her baby are used to being handled.


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## Genipher (May 14, 2013)

I hadn't even thought of pack-goats. Or the fact that people take their goats to shows, etc. 

Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone! With just two goats we should be able to travel with them pretty easily. That is, if we can get a trailer or bigger rig to travel _in_.


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## lovinglife (May 14, 2013)

When we went hunting, we had horses, so had to take hay, we piled the hay up around our girl and tied her in that back of the pickup.  She was trained to tie, and we made sure she was secure.  So picture a hay bale, my white goat facing forward, and another hay bale...  We got some looks...  I don't think her milk production even dropped much, I actually think she liked it.


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## Genipher (May 14, 2013)

And as long as the camp ground doesn't mind, the goats would have plenty of brush to eat!


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## BrownSheep (May 15, 2013)

We have a goat carrier for the back of our truck. Would be a secure place to put them at night.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (May 15, 2013)

*You'll definitely want a bottle baby (bottle fed goat) for this. My bottle fed goats follow me around everywhere I go no matter where I take them. As long as they are near me they act just fine, they don't stress out until they can't see me.*


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## Catahoula (May 15, 2013)

BrownSheep said:
			
		

> We have a goat carrier for the back of our truck. Would be a secure place to put them at night.


For camping yes but not packing.


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