New to site and pygmies!

[bridget399]

Hello!
I am new to this site but have belonged to backyardchickens since March.
I would like to get 2 pygmy goats this spring, and have a few questions...

I have read that goats have been used in other states to eat off brush to prevent forest fires. I have thick brush on about 5 acres that I would like the goats to eat up for me.
If I wasn't able to build a fence the whole way around our property, could I put the goats on a "line" (like a dog chain) and just move them from area to area as needed? (I would attach the line to a tree so they couldn't pull it out of the ground.)
I would provide them water and make sure they have shade, of course. I would also keep them in a shed at night and supplement their feed.

And could I keep doing this in the winter? It gets awful cold and windy here... But, I'd hate to keep them penned up in a shed all day long.

And suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Bridget

 

[mully]

Not a good idea to tie a goat ...too many things can happen, get tangled, choke to death. wrap around a tree and have no water. You get the idea. Better to fence some even if temporary.

 

[cmjust0]

I could never advocate putting a goat on any kind of tie-out line.. They're good enough at finding their own trouble without intentionally adding a rope to the mix.. Not to mention, if it gets cold and windy and rainy...or any one of the three at any given time...you'd want them to be able to retreat to their shelter at will. A tie-out line would prevent that.

To most goats, you'll find that there's no fate worse than being rained on. The slightest shower sends ours to the barn so fast you'd think it was a raining yellow jackets on fire.

 

[trestlecreek]

Yep, get some fencing done and a building built before you get your goats.
They will need a nice shelter and deep hay to stay warm this winter.

 

[lupinfarm]

While tie outs are extremely common, I wouldn't do it personally. If you can't put up fencing fencing, I would electric fence train them and electric fence them in, it is/can be temporary and works great.

There is a goat farmer around the block on Wellmans Rd who has put insulators on the traffic poles that butt his ditch on a hill and attatches electric fence to it to have his goats eat out the ditch every month I think it's pretty rad.

Cm, theres a farmer about 4km south east of here that chains a pony to his fence to eat up his ditches. It's about 14hh, and doesn't even seem to care that he's tied to a fence on a busy road lol. He's very cute, and spends his days when tied munching down grass in the ditches.

 

[warthog]

I am also new to goats and have four.

I also thought you could just tie them out and I do at the moment. But I have to agree with what everyone else says, its definitely NOT a good thing to do.

Mine are supervised all the time, can you image how long that takes in a day? They do get tangled, and if you don't tie them far enougth apart they also get tangled with each other.

It makes keeping goats really hard work.

I am currently having areas fenced off for them, but until this is done, they are tied out SUPERVISED. I only tie them out because I don't want them penned all day.

Please, please, please get some fencing, far safer for your goats, and a lot less work and worry for you.

 

[JestersEye]

I've had two pygmy goat wethers for about four years now. They live in a large fenced in backyard, with our horse and three dogs, who come inside at night. The yard used to be overgrown with small bushes and underbrush, but the goats have totally cleared the place out. They still forage on fallen leaves and low-hanging branches from time to time, but most of their diet consists of 1/2 cup of Purina Show Goat each morning and evening, and a bale of hay that they share with the horse every other day or so.

We also have a lush front yard, with a large area of grass and weeds, surrounded by a woody area full of bushy underbrush. We are hoping to eventually fence in the entire area so the livestock can be left to forage out there sometimes. However, until that happens, we occasionally tie the goats out to let them browse. They do get tangled easily, like everyone said, so we never leave them out without regular supervision. Unfortunately, we can't manage to put them out as often as I'd like, due to our busy schedules. I feel bad everytime we have to mow the grass or cut the brush back, knowing how tasty it would be for the animals to eat.

 

[crazygoatlady]

You are in Penn right? Do you get snow? My goats will go out in the snow IF they want to, but if they want to stay in, they stay in. I feel that you will need hay to feed them in the winter. Windy, cold weather is not good for goats. I would put a pen around the shelter for them, I also do not make them go out, my goats are fed their hay and they need water every day. Lots of nice warm straw and here sometimes it gets really cold in the winter, so my goats get some grain in the winter because they need the nutrition-wethers and bucks get AC to prevent UC. when I first got goats, I tried the tie out thing, but had a wether that got the leash/ tie out wrapped around his leg and something scared him, he broke his leg! I was lucky, cause one of my brothers was an EMT and my sister is an RN.--you can destroy them or doctor them--but it can also entail Banamine for a painkiller and so their gut doesnt' shut down--a lot of goats die because they go into shock from pain. My cousins son has a herd of Boers and crosses that he rents out for brush control. he has temp pens put together and moves the pens around. We both found that electric fences don't work for us--but others do have luck with electric fences. If it gets cold and windy, they need nutrition and a draft free shelter with good bedding.