Chat
08-04-2021, 08:14 PM
Lots of great questions here so I will try to answer them as best as a I can. We are homesteading on 15 acres ourselves.
1. Loafing sheds should work fine, we build a three sided shelter out of pallets because goats tend to be protective of their space. 1 pallet deep and 2 wide with a tin roof. I have 10 of these to accommodate 20+ goats. A wind break is most important for them in the cold temps and deep straw bedding and then the hay being digested in their rumen keeps them warm.
2. Livestock field fence is cheap and easy to put up but it doesn’t last. I fenced 15 acres with it myself and am now overlapping with 16’ x 50” livestock panel. Spendy but will last forever and give you peace of mind. Another concern may be predators. We corral our goats at night in a smaller area so that we can easily locate them at night to check on them. If mtn lions are a concern then I would recommend at minimum 6’ fencing in this area if not fullly enclosed dog runs at night.
3. Goats will kill any trees they have access to. I would be more concerned about this then the fruit. You will want to fence them out of any trees currently on the property to protect the trunks from being girdled.
4a. Goats will figure out the toxic plants to keep away from but I would still recommend clearing what you know may harm them and keeping activated charcoal on hand.
4b. Alfalfa/Grass is preferred. In the warm months I would supplement with alfalfa pellets and start developing your wild forage rather then planting alfalfa. Goats are browsers so plant a diverse option of shrubs and grasses for them. Supplement with hay as graze runs out. Set up your pastures for rotational grazing so they don’t wear it all down at once and sections have time to recover.
5. Ann Summerton is a breeder in Hamilton, MT. You can reach her through the Napga member search and she can put you in contact with a vet. She is also a wonderful resource on goats herself and I have two alpines from her that are everything I want in a pack goat.
6. Yes we regularly feed ours Christmas trees. They love pine needles especially the long ones and it’s a natural dewormer.
7. See #5. Adult goats pop up occasionally but these are typically problem goats or poorly conditioned. Not many out there selling high quality adult packers.
8. 15-20 is asking quite a bit out to them. 10-15 is doable depending on elevation gains and load weight. 5-10 is more realistic for most goat packers. I regularly hike mine 8-10 miles for training hikes but try and limit them to 5-7 for multi day adventures. You would need to have some pretty high performance goats to be able to do 10 plus day after day.
Join Napga for more info, or feel free to reach out to me privately. Thank Taffy for this response I am not usually on here. We also have a North American Pack Goats discussion group on Facebook.
Nathan Putnam
1. Loafing sheds should work fine, we build a three sided shelter out of pallets because goats tend to be protective of their space. 1 pallet deep and 2 wide with a tin roof. I have 10 of these to accommodate 20+ goats. A wind break is most important for them in the cold temps and deep straw bedding and then the hay being digested in their rumen keeps them warm.
2. Livestock field fence is cheap and easy to put up but it doesn’t last. I fenced 15 acres with it myself and am now overlapping with 16’ x 50” livestock panel. Spendy but will last forever and give you peace of mind. Another concern may be predators. We corral our goats at night in a smaller area so that we can easily locate them at night to check on them. If mtn lions are a concern then I would recommend at minimum 6’ fencing in this area if not fullly enclosed dog runs at night.
3. Goats will kill any trees they have access to. I would be more concerned about this then the fruit. You will want to fence them out of any trees currently on the property to protect the trunks from being girdled.
4a. Goats will figure out the toxic plants to keep away from but I would still recommend clearing what you know may harm them and keeping activated charcoal on hand.
4b. Alfalfa/Grass is preferred. In the warm months I would supplement with alfalfa pellets and start developing your wild forage rather then planting alfalfa. Goats are browsers so plant a diverse option of shrubs and grasses for them. Supplement with hay as graze runs out. Set up your pastures for rotational grazing so they don’t wear it all down at once and sections have time to recover.
5. Ann Summerton is a breeder in Hamilton, MT. You can reach her through the Napga member search and she can put you in contact with a vet. She is also a wonderful resource on goats herself and I have two alpines from her that are everything I want in a pack goat.
6. Yes we regularly feed ours Christmas trees. They love pine needles especially the long ones and it’s a natural dewormer.
7. See #5. Adult goats pop up occasionally but these are typically problem goats or poorly conditioned. Not many out there selling high quality adult packers.
8. 15-20 is asking quite a bit out to them. 10-15 is doable depending on elevation gains and load weight. 5-10 is more realistic for most goat packers. I regularly hike mine 8-10 miles for training hikes but try and limit them to 5-7 for multi day adventures. You would need to have some pretty high performance goats to be able to do 10 plus day after day.
Join Napga for more info, or feel free to reach out to me privately. Thank Taffy for this response I am not usually on here. We also have a North American Pack Goats discussion group on Facebook.
Nathan Putnam