# can goats free range like chickens?



## abhaya (Nov 10, 2010)

I live in the last house on the road nooooo trafic except for the mail man and he watches for my cats and chickens. I have chickens that free range and I am thinking goats would be cool. Never had them know nothing about them. what kind of shelter do they need? Food And Water not a problem all my animals drink from a spring fed stream that I test the water is great quality. And I can rig up a feeder can they free range like chickens I have a ton of brush on the edges of my yard that I cut and cut and cut and it just grow back from what I know goats will take care of the brush. What kind of milking schedule do they need. I grew up on a dairy farm so I am no stranger to milking.

I am asking because it seems as if people around here just let them raom around. People down the road have 3 thst seem to hsve free run,


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## warthog (Nov 10, 2010)

I think you need to do a lot of research on this site and others before even considering goats.

Goats are wonderful animals, but if you just get goats without knowing anything at all about them, you are in for a lot of heartache for them and you.

Please do a lot of research first.

Good Luck


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## chandasue (Nov 10, 2010)

I'd say no, they cannot "free range". They need good fencing and shelter to protect them from predators. I've heard a couple of stories of goats getting out and being found miles away, if they're ever found at all. And I second the research aspect. Storey's Guide to Dairy Goats is a good place to start. Goats are wonderful creatures but know what you're getting into and have their housing and such in line before you bring them home.


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## Chirpy (Nov 10, 2010)

Welcome to BYH!  You're in the right place and asking the right questions... there's tons to know about animals before actually bringing them home and it's great that you are learning first.  It really does save you and the animal from a lot of potential heartache.

I kind of free range my goats during the day... when I'm home and can keep an eye on them.  I check on them every little bit.  I do, however, have perimeter fencing (we have 40 acres) so they aren't actually "free".  They have access to the entire acreage.  My goats have never gotten far from the house/barn area... they've never even gone over the hill in the back pasture and out of sight.   Goats can very easily be chased, injured and killed by dogs, coyotes, etc.  They need to be protected by us.  Goats should be locked in a secure area every night to keep them safe and always in goat proof fencing if someone can't be watching them.

Goats get into everything... they can get themselves in trouble real quickly and need human intervention to prevent injury or death (strangulation, catch a leg and break it, eat something they shouldn't eat, etc.).  There's even more danger if they have horns.

Goat fencing needs to be REALLY strong and secure.  The old saying:  "If a fence can't hold water, it can't hold a goat." has a lot of merit.  The more play toys a goat has to play on/with the less likely they are to try and escape their fenced area.  

Goats HAVE to have another goat for a friend.  They are very social animals and can actually have health problems if alone plus they try to find things to do and are more likely to end up in trouble out of boredom.

They don't need a large shelter but it has to be draft free and completely dry.  

I've heard of some goats that won't go near moving water (like a stream or river), I've heard of others that have no problem with that... it's a personality thing.  You would need to be prepared to supply water via pails or water tank if you ended up with one that fits the first type.

If you want to milk you need to be prepared to milk twice a day, 12 hours apart, until they are dried off.  You cannot skip a milking because it didn't fit into your schedule or you were busy.  It helps that you have some experience from your childhood.  It's a big commitment.  You can always start to milk and if it isn't going to work out you can dry off the doe... but, you have to dry her off correctly or she can end up with mastitis.

If you want just a gallon of milk a day then you would want to start with a single large dairy breed (Nubian, Alpine, LaMancha, etc.) and give her either a dry doe or wether (a male that cannot be a dad) as a companion. 

Wethers make great pets. 

Stay away from getting a buck until you've had lots of experience (I'd say a few years) as they require better fencing and literally stink terribly during breeding season.  (They pee on themselves on purpose.) They also need a companion so you can't have a buck alone.

Unless you are milking a doe (or she's pregnant) a good quality grass hay will be fine for them.  If you aren't milking they can also eat pasture grasses/weeds.  If you are milking you probably don't want that doe to eat on pasture as many things they eat can change the flavor of their milk.

When milking you need to feed a high quality alfalfa hay with a good grain or goat feed.  (I like Klassy goat - other areas of the country have other options.)

Feed and grain should never be fed to wethers (except as an occasional treat) as they can develop a serious urinary problem that can lead to death.  Bucks can also get it (Urinary Calculi -- UC) but often do need a supplement of feed during rut (breeding season) to help keep their weight up and keep them in good condition.  Alfalfa hay can also be a problem for them.

See... lots to learn.  Hope this is a good start for you.


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## Ariel301 (Nov 10, 2010)

Maybe, maybe not. It would be best to have them fenced in on your land so they don't wander too far or destroy something they shouldn't. They are bad about tearing things up, climbing on cars, making a mess on your porch, helping themselves to a salad made from your flower beds, walking right into any open doors they find...

They will need a shelter, a three sided shed or large dog houses work fine if you don't have a barn. 

Depending on the goats, browsing on brush, weeds, etc can be enough feed. A milking doe may need something extra, but if you get neutered males, they are pretty easy to keep fat. (You don't want an intact male unless you will be breeding, they STINK and can be a challenge to handle and keep contained in one area) If you can't fence them, it is possible to train them to be tethered on a long rope. Most people here won't agree with it, but I do it with mine and never have a problem. I don't leave mine like that alone though, I check on them once every hour or so. I train mine this way because I take them hiking, and need to have an easy way to secure them around camp. 

Milking is usually done twice a day, but you can milk once a day instead, you will just get less milk. They need to be bred every year for milking (some get by with every other year, but not many goats can do that) so you will need access to a male and a plan for doing something with the babies. A doe will milk ten months and then needs two months off before she kids again. If you are going to breed, it would be best to buy the highest quality does you can find, and breed to a high quality buck, so the babies will be good animals that would be worth having. A quality animal eats the same as a poor one, so it is smart to keep the best stock you can afford. 

They will need some routine  care--hoof trimming every 6-12 weeks, depending on how much they are walking around and trimming their own. It's easy to learn though, and you can do it yourself. They will need deworming regularly. They will need access to a mineral source, the best is a loose powdered one made for goats, but a "salt and mineral block" will work if that is all you can get. Better than nothing.  

Goats are great pets, you can do a lot of things with them. I encourage you to do some research about basic care before getting goats, and figure out exactly what kind would be best for you before you buy something.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Nov 10, 2010)

Welcome!

I personally would not free range goats.  Especially if your gonna milk em.  But for their health and safety..I would fence them and house them.  They need alot of care to be healthy.  I free range my chickens all day but close them in at night for their safty too.  They go right in on thier own ask dusk and I shut the door. 

I never heard of anyone doing that with goats..but Im sure anything is possible???

Good luck...


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## dkluzier (Nov 11, 2010)

I have one that jumps the fence during the day and she hangs out in the front yard without problems, jumping back in for evening feedings. You have to have a strong bond with the goat and they need to know where you are or they will go off looking for people though.  Make sure you have no poisonous plants or expensive landscaping that you are attached to. 

AND you MUST check on them very often, like 5 minute intervals.  

I also have some that jump the fence and neighbors will knock on my door to let me know that they have ventured onto the road or into the field across the road.  Those 3 or 4 are NOT good free-rangers. They are worried about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, not where their person is...


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## scrambledmess (Nov 11, 2010)

Well,  I guess I am the odd ball jumping in with both feet into unknown waters.  

My goats are usually running loose in the yard when I am home during the day.  We are the only house in the middle of a few hundred acres.  Not our land, but still there isn't really much else around.  They stay right around the house and go into their enclosure at night.

They are only loose when I know I am going to be home all day, as there is the occasional stray dog that wonders our way.  

Mine are just pets though.   They are pygmy wethers.


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## Calliopia (Nov 12, 2010)

eh.. Spent yesterday afternoon rounding up some goats that decided to free range themselves. They ended up being with animal control.  I felt like we were picking up delinquent children from the police station.   And $85.00 later they were back home. 

Free ranging has it's costs.  


(These were not my goats. Mine are behind chain link with electric and have yet to escape)


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## Beekissed (Nov 12, 2010)

I don't know what kind of goat these folks have, but there is a family that free ranges these Spanish-looking goats, a large breed, right by a major highway.  They never get out in the road but you can see them clinging to the steep cliffs and hillsides at any given time and sometimes they are grazing in their yard. 

These goats are lovely and meaty looking and seem to subsist without human intervention....these folks don't even have a barn, paddock or fencing of any kind.


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## Arabiansnob (Nov 12, 2010)

There must be something wrong with my goat then....lol.  We used to let her free ranged every where and put her in the barn at night......but with her free ranging she would poop on the tared drive way and she is agressive to other people... (like my grandmother)  Needless to say we had to built a fence.  Buuut for about five year we would just let her out in the morning and let her run around and eat and she would never run awway or anthing.  we would just put her in at night.  We also have a camp on a lake, and surring the summer my dad would just leave the barn door open for her to go into at night (witch i was agianst) I thought a cyote might get her or something.  Buut it might depend on where you live to and your goat personality?


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## Sydney (Nov 20, 2010)

I haveread they will usually return home at night to their shelter.  Check out this site,its about a free eange goat farm  http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.net/cgi-bin/page.cgi?id=644


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## Bryannjamie (Nov 21, 2010)

I think the term free range confuses people.  Our goats/chickens/rabbits free range over about an acre, but it is fenced.  They go anywhere they want all the time within the fence.  Smaller chicks and most rabbits can get out but dont seem to leave the yard.   There are two goat shelters out there and some times they go inside- typically rain- other times they sleep out on palets that are stacked here and there.  Predators dont bother them at all (and we do have coyote in the woods) and I would swear their presence keeps the rest of the free rangers safe.  
The few times they have unlatched the gate, they wander around the yard together looking bewildered and easily go back in.  
This is nothing like an escaped dog that you have to chase down and bribe with food to get home.


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## savingdogs (Nov 21, 2010)

It looks like you have been given some really great advice already about goat keeping so I just have one comment to add.

My goats do free range....sort of. We live in a very remote area. Our dogs patrol the entire hillside for predators and keep them away from the house. We have fencing around certain areas where landscaped and poisonous plants grow. But other than that, they do free range the forest here. But we let them out only when we are home, especially when working outside, so we can keep an eye on them. Our goats are VERY bonded to people and we find they usually are hanging out on the porches, not trying to leave. But I don't believe all goats would have this type of personality. They are also bonded very much to each other, so where one goes, the others follow. But we did not PLAN for this to happen and had goat appropriate fencing around their shelter and kept them there for months and months before ever letting them out. We did take them on "goat walks" and found they would follow us without leads and have always tended to want to run back to their house.


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## scrambledmess (Nov 22, 2010)

We just ran into a chink in our free ranging venture.  They found their way into the garage and are NOT leaving  LOL  I guess they figure it is rainy and windy and they want better shelter.   So they are locked up in the garage for the night cause non of us humans want to be in the rain or wind either.


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## lilhill (Nov 23, 2010)

scrambledmess said:
			
		

> We just ran into a chink in our free ranging venture.  They found their way into the garage and are NOT leaving  LOL  I guess they figure it is rainy and windy and they want better shelter.   So they are locked up in the garage for the night cause non of us humans want to be in the rain or wind either.


Goats are smarter than some people think.


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## IloveEdwardCullen (Nov 23, 2010)

hmmm idk


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## Bryannjamie (Nov 23, 2010)

I thought of you today when the kids left the fence door open.  Although there is plenty of land back there, the doe came out of the fence and ate all the forage around the door.  I yelled from my deck "get back in there" and by the time I went outside she was in.  But......today I went to visit the buck we breed with.  He leaped the fence and went into the road.  He is no longer.
You just never know.


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