What did you do today?

[hihobaron]

Hello Dave
Thanks for the come back and I do agree with all the items you point out.
I have worked with horses, all my life. Heavy Draft included 2200-2400 pound critters.
My favorite and I still own (2) Arabians. The Equivalent of a well bred medium size Pack goat.
Granted a little bigger than a goat. They are smaller than a lot of horses but when you need them they are there.
Like a good Goat I suspect.
RE: Pack weight for my usage here will be in the 15-20% number for fun and training up to I agree with.
The 5% "Reserve" for short heavy packs I can see.
The BIG horses I have worked with have "Mobility" problems in tight spaces, BIG goats with a big pack I can see being the same way. Our terrine here in SC can be steep but in most cases is also very wooded and choked with underbrush unlike a lot of the Arid pictures I see onsite here at PGC.
Medium size goats and smaller packs is what I am "Thinking" will work best here.
We do not have the hunting incentive here that you do out west. I do hunt but goats are not needed to pack into a hunting camp here in most cases. I will be exploring that too as my boy's and I get more experience.
Mostly goats will be hiking and just camping companions.
I hope I can do some good PR for pack goats for the Hiker,Camper base here.
Who know I might just be able to start a Pack goat group here with some luck.
My weight tape here is just marked in inches it is a dress makers tape. NO I don't cross dress.
But it is handy for animal measurements it dose not "Crinkle" like a steel tape and spook the critters.
I was looking for a goat measurement to weight conversion chart.
I know they are not accurate in most cases all I need is a rough idea.
Happy Trails
Thanks for the advice.
hihobaron Pete and Sam

[Nanno]

Here's an inches to lbs. conversion chart: https://fiascofarm.com/goats/weight-chart.htm

It's not totally accurate--Cuzco is 45" around and weighs 200 lbs., but it's a decent ballpark estimate. Make sure to pull the tape good and tight for an accurate reading.

At only 33" tall, Pete is not a very big goat. If Sam is not quite one year, I expect him to grow considerably larger than Pete by the time he's three. I've noticed with my boys that they grow a LOT from birth to six months. Then they grow fairly slowly until they are around 18 months or a little more, then suddenly their growth takes off again for about the next 6 months or so. They stop growing by around three. They'll fill out some after that and their muscling will change, but nothing significant.

The growth pattern I've observed may be different for other folks and for other breeds. I've noticed that my boys seem to take longer to grow than a lot of the other goats their ages. I worried about this with Pac-Man because he was so small for so long. Then suddenly he got enormous and I learned that Nubians are typically a later-maturing breed than others. Looking back at my old photographs I realized that Cuzco was the same way. So now I'm not worried about whether my boys will "catch up." They will.

[Charlie Horse]

I have 3 goats with very different body types.

Shelby is a pure Alpine. He's got that bony-hip, tight gut, long-legged pack goat body. Classic. You'd be tempted to think he was underfed or something but you know how that bony pelvis, raised spine is actually normal.

Then there's Bacchus, another Alpine. Same height as Shelby but he's got some real mass. He's not fat, but he's just heavier. For sure he has horns and you'd think he's bigger because he rules the food, but all of my goats eat their fill and there's always leftovers for the horses to clean up, plus most of the year they can graze and munch. He has little bone showing and is more filled out. He's going to be a little intimidating to oncoming hikers on a narrow trail.

Woodstock is half Alpine and half Boer. A touch shorter in height and length. Rounder in all ways. More mellow personality, as if he had been smoking a lot of weed and listening to Hendricks and going "Yeh dude. What?" And you know, I wont say he's "not as good of a pack goat". So far I've seen zero sign that he's inferior to the full Alpines. But he is certainly a different build.

To be honest, using the same method of measurements to 'weight' a goat on my 3 guys is going to give wonky results. Too much variation in body type (girth, leg, muscle mass). I'm curious about weight but until my next visit to the vet... Who knows. I'd bet there's a good 70% chance that Vincent VanGoat, the LaMancha baby is going to weigh the most when he's grown. His dad was a monster.

In regards to the 2 females I have, they've got very very different body types-- One with the more male build and one with a more gracile build but a bubble gut.

[hihobaron]

Hello all and thank you for the information and comments.
Pete and Sam may not be ideal pack goats but they have the personality and trainablity I like in my horses.
I am not planing on using them for major packing just as promotion for pack goats and local hiking/camping.
Most people here (SC) see goats as yard pets,milk or meat.
I hope to generate some interest around here in them as hiking/camping companions.
With 5 horses (2) that I can pack or ride,One Warmbood that drives and rides to pull my Wagonet ,, A Saddlebred that is hot but would make a good Scout horse with a "Experienced Rider up" and the 2 year old Frizian filly that knows she is a Devia.
What is playing with a couple pack goats going to cost me? Not much.
I do have a bunch of places I can go for day trips and a few were I can camp with the goats but not the horses.
Thank You All for the info
Happy Trails
hihobaron and the Troops

[nebs]

Very cool! I grew up riding and packing with horses. Now that I ha e some property I plan to adopt some Kiger mustangs from Eastern Oregon. Love the pics

[hihobaron]

Very cool! I grew up riding and packing with horses. Now that I ha e some property I plan to adopt some Kiger mustangs from Eastern Oregon. Love the pics

Hello nebs and All


Here is the latest goat project here at BC1.
Transporting your goats/small livestock/ calves/piglets/etc.
To Start with: 
I wanted a Goat Crate to move Pete and Sam when I go walkabout that would fit in our small truck. Not have to pull a trailer for just day trips or overnight pack camping.
Commercial ones are $4-500 or more.
This poor redneck dose not have that kind of Extra Cash around.
If I did I would be spending it on Prepper supplies or guns and ammo.
Just so happens my feed store has taken on a source that supplies all kinds of recycled food grade plastic barrels and 275 gallon square plastic totes that are enclosed with a steel tubing frame and on a steel pallet.
Rough dimensions 44 X 46 X 52 inches.

It will slide into small truck on its side.
Ok, Cut the top out for a door for the boy's, put some soft Rubber mates down on "Floor"
Mating was "Salvage" and free from a doggy daycare center that went out of business. 
Cut (2) mat's (each 1/2 inch thick, put in "Bottom" and put a "Salvaged" Dog Gate on front with a cargo strap to keep goat boys in.

Of course I had "Supervision" 
So the boys got to "Test" their new Goat Crate.
[img=336x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455892904/tsafbf5qn1nkikhdrbci.jpg[/img]
As to "Storage" when not in the truck.
They are going to have it in the Redneck Goat Shed for "Extra Shelter"
[img=344x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455893120/esejwbcqs4cklsyqpi2m.jpg[/img]
Happy Trails
All up cost for me $75 and has more than one use.
hihobaron Pete and Sam

[hihobaron]

Hello All
Another Reason I like working with hornless goats.
They fit better in close quarters transport containers.
Happy Trails
I am getting a BIG itch to get out on the trails.
hihobaron pete and Sam

[Charlie Horse]

The metal framework makes me worry about legs getting broken. I'm wary of those water crates-- I think I'd like to wrap a tarp over the framework or something. Otherwise they'd be great. I got some of TOU's Polydome shelters -- Bigger and much thicker. Honestly a great deal considering how much plastic you're getting for so little money. But of course they're still more expensive than those free water tanks. At least with the water tanks you can transport with sawdust in there. I cant do that with the suburban and let me tell you, the goats can get pretty gross after a 4 hour drive with just plywood covered by a blanket. Actually, they're pretty gross just from their normal goat houses with wood floors. This winter they've spent too much time in there and they dont have the sense to not pee in them. Bleh. Goats. Other animals dont poop in their own den!

[Nanno]

Today we took a few moments to survey the damage done by the terrific wind storm that swept over us yesterday. The wind blasted in around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and startled Phil and I out of a deep sleep. It was so loud we ended up sleeping in the guest bedroom on the lee side of the house. It only got worse as day dawned. When I first looked out the window in the morning, our goat tower was still intact, tattered American flag still fluttering gallantly. An hour later the entire top portion was demolished. The wooden shed that provided the base to the topmost spool and the flagpole was upside-down on top of my electric fence and the spool was on the ground. 

After further assessment, we've decided that the wooden shed is done for. It's not worth screwing it back together again, and as this is the second time it's taken flight in a wind storm, I think it might be more of a hazard than it's worth. I really don't need it winging its way across the pasture and landing on an animal like the Wicked Witch of the East.  
 
   

Goats, of course, love any kind of change to their environment. The jungle gym hasn't gotten so much attention in months! I should take this to heart and move a couple of the spools every other week or so or maybe add a stump or two and then take it away. 
   

Finn poses for the camera by standing on his sister, Petunia. Pictures don't lie!  
   

[Nanno]

Petunia and Tigerlilly were the Queen and Princess of the spools respectively. They spent more time up there than everyone else combined. But that's because they know how regal they look up on a pedestal! 

I affectionately call Petunia my "Pretty Pet". I love her funny airplane ears and heart-shaped nose. When her mother, Lilly, left the scene, Petunia stepped gracefully into the role of herd queen, but luckily she's not the vicious tyrant her mother was. Overall, we've had a much more peaceful herd this past year.  
   

   

Princess Tigerlily! I don't usually like white goats, but I have to make an exception for this little cutie.