Chat
02-02-2015, 11:04 AM
Marc, you are right on, about having an age spread amongst your pack goats.
Between various websites like Craigslist, Facebook, and other media, it seems like there are always healthy goats available, (many of them free or next to nothing) so I wouldn't get too hung up on not being able to find "the right goat at the right time." You just need to make sure they come from a healthy herd. As far as them being specifically "trained as packers," I wouldn't get too hung up on that either. I know of several people that have even picked up goats (including females) from dairy operations and these goats turned into excellent packers.
Bottom line--I believe with a combination of quality and quantity time spent, most (not all) goats will eventually become very bonded with their owners (this even applies to goats that are not bottle-fed). For example, we picked up a "free" goat from some neighbors last year that probably would have ended up in their freezer had we not taken pity on it. He will be 3 years old this spring & he has turned into a nice pack goat with a very sweet personality!
As far as age of useful pack goats--that is a bit more difficult to categorize. I hope others will add their opinion on this. I have a neighbor that packed with his goats until they were over 10 years old. But I think that is an exception. I think they are probably similar to dogs in that they start slowing down by that age. I know a lot of people tout the advantages of giant goats (250+ lbs) because they can pack more weight. But in my experience, size does have drawbacks. I think goats are also similar to dogs, in that the bigger the goat, the shorter their life-span. Again, perhaps others have their opinions on this.
So, to repeat, I think you are correct in trying to bring younger goats into the herd as the older ones start to slow down. Plus there definitely is something in the theory that the older goats can "show the younger ones the ropes," so to speak--Saph
Between various websites like Craigslist, Facebook, and other media, it seems like there are always healthy goats available, (many of them free or next to nothing) so I wouldn't get too hung up on not being able to find "the right goat at the right time." You just need to make sure they come from a healthy herd. As far as them being specifically "trained as packers," I wouldn't get too hung up on that either. I know of several people that have even picked up goats (including females) from dairy operations and these goats turned into excellent packers.
Bottom line--I believe with a combination of quality and quantity time spent, most (not all) goats will eventually become very bonded with their owners (this even applies to goats that are not bottle-fed). For example, we picked up a "free" goat from some neighbors last year that probably would have ended up in their freezer had we not taken pity on it. He will be 3 years old this spring & he has turned into a nice pack goat with a very sweet personality!
As far as age of useful pack goats--that is a bit more difficult to categorize. I hope others will add their opinion on this. I have a neighbor that packed with his goats until they were over 10 years old. But I think that is an exception. I think they are probably similar to dogs in that they start slowing down by that age. I know a lot of people tout the advantages of giant goats (250+ lbs) because they can pack more weight. But in my experience, size does have drawbacks. I think goats are also similar to dogs, in that the bigger the goat, the shorter their life-span. Again, perhaps others have their opinions on this.
So, to repeat, I think you are correct in trying to bring younger goats into the herd as the older ones start to slow down. Plus there definitely is something in the theory that the older goats can "show the younger ones the ropes," so to speak--Saph