Sierra Goat Noob & Q: Young Kids

[funcrew]

Hi everyone! My brother and I are long time Sierra backpackers. My brother just acquired a couple snobby dairy goats from the county fair. One is a nubian-lamancha mix. and the other a toggenburg-lamancha mix. We found out about goat packing and are fired up to try it, take the pack load off our aching old skeletons, and enjoy some fresh milk. We are doing our research, will be taking the goats on training walks and getting them used to their pack gear. But there's a complication:

Q: Can a 3-month old kid tag along on a week-long hike with his momma carrying a pack? Our first trip will be at the end of May. We will not be going more than five or six miles on our longest days. There are not a lot of mountain lions as far up as we will be, and we probably won't see bears either.

Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks!

[Nanno]

Hello and welcome! Glad you could join us!

I don't see why a 3-month old kid can't tag along. Keep in mind that the mama will be in milk and carrying a "load" all of her own, so fill her pack accordingly. Her baby will help keep her udder from getting too full. Sounds like a pretty easy trip to start the year. Have fun!

[nebs]

Sounds fun! Be sure to post up pics of your adventure.

[Charlie Horse]

I think the goats will love it. The babies especially. Just watch for people hiking with their dogs. Those little guys will be tempting to chase. I take baby goats on hikes-- They can do it and they really bond with you. . . Though I've never taken them with their moms before. They'll bond with their moms instead LOL

[funcrew]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. We were already planning on light loads for the does. Will post up a trip report of our first-timer learning curve.

[AmyB]

Hello and welcome! Glad you could join us!

I don't see why a 3-month old kid can't tag along. Keep in mind that the mama will be in milk and carrying a "load" all of her own, so fill her pack accordingly. Her baby will help keep her udder from getting too full. Sounds like a pretty easy trip to start the year. Have fun!

By the time a baby is 3 months old, it may be big enough to take enough milk there's no point in trying to milk. However, 3-month-old kids are old enough to sell.