# A "What Do You Do With Them?" topic



## StarRidgeAcres (Mar 9, 2011)

OK, I'm intrigued by all the people that have minis and goats. But I don't get why!




I understand a large goat milk production farm; that makes sense. Or maybe a couple for personal milk/cheese consumption. And my good friend Mudar's culture requires him to sacrifice a goat when a child is born in the community



(don't personally approve of this, but he's legally entitled to his custom if done in a certain way) and in some cultures they are meat animals. But aside from those large type of farms, what does one do with a couple of goats? I've never had any type of goat and really haven't even been around any. I think they're fun to feed at Grant's Farm, but other than that I don't get it!



And mostly I've heard they are stinky, hard to keep confined and they chew/destroy everything.





So what is the attraction????

ETA:

If you have goats, please say what breed and why that specific breed. Thanks!


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## TheCaseFamily00 (Mar 9, 2011)

I have never really been into goats but love all animals and have inherited mine from people who couldn't care for them. I have 3pygmy,nubian and not sure on the other one off hand.They are just pets and the big goats have never destroyed or jumped out of their lot. The pygmy on the other hand is quite the jumper,but she's never destoyed anything either. They do not roam free,they have areas just like the horses.They don't smell either.


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## Leeana (Mar 9, 2011)

My dad raises goats, various breeds just for the fun and joy of it, and it does bring in some extra cash from time to time esp when its time to sell the babies. He has about 12, well 14 right now. Only one set of kids so far, and they are sooo adorable! I love playing with the "kids", the babies make it all the fun! Dad has 9, poss 10 bred and due between now and Spring. Then we have one pygmy goat that has free range of the barn and pasture, the ponies love him, his name is "Kid Rock", he stays out of the way and the ponies are very friendly and gentle with him.

This is one of the pgymy goat does, she is due any day now, I was actually expecting new kids this morning but mother nature knows...she is one of my favorite as she is so pretty, her name is 'angel eyes'






One of our current kids, just being a goat..... *smiles*


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## ErikaS. (Mar 9, 2011)

Hi! I've always liked goats at the petting zoos when I was growing up in San Diego, but not until I moved to Nebraska did I have a chance to own one. We bought an acreage and got a pygmy to eat weeds. Well, you can't have just one goat. Got another, had babies, got more goats. And yes pygmies are notorious escape artists. When I got my Fainting (or Myotonic) goat buck(boy), I knew that was the breed for me. He is sweet, funny, affectionate and not aggressive at all- and he stiffens up and falls over- as the breed name implies. Sold the pygmies to 4hers and got more Fainters. I have a herd of 10 standard Fainters and mini silky Fainters and 1 PITA old Nubian wether. What's the attraction? Well Fainters don't jump fences. They are meat gaots, but I don't sell them for meat, mostly for show and pets as they are a novelty. They prefer weeds to grass- a plus for my pasture and love saplings. Thay are friendly and very pretty and goofy- always entertaining. My minis get along with the goats and boss them around sometimes. All of my horses are used to critters under them and around their legs.


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## StarRidgeAcres (Mar 9, 2011)

TheCaseFamily00 said:


> I have never really been into goats but love all animals and have inherited mine from people who couldn't care for them. I have 3pygmy,nubian and not sure on the other one off hand.They are just pets and the big goats have never destroyed or jumped out of their lot. The pygmy on the other hand is quite the jumper,but she's never destoyed anything either. They do not roam free,they have areas just like the horses.They don't smell either.


Your new babies are ADORABLE!!!







Leeana said:


> My dad raises goats, various breeds just for the fun and joy of it, and it does bring in some extra cash from time to time esp when its time to sell the babies. He has about 12, well 14 right now. Only one set of kids so far, and they are sooo adorable! I love playing with the "kids", the babies make it all the fun! Dad has 9, poss 10 bred and due between now and Spring. Then we have one pygmy goat that has free range of the barn and pasture, the ponies love him, his name is "Kid Rock", he stays out of the way and the ponies are very friendly and gentle with him.
> 
> This is one of the pgymy goat does, she is due any day now, I was actually expecting new kids this morning but mother nature knows...she is one of my favorite as she is so pretty, her name is 'angel eyes'
> 
> ...


Dang it Leeana!!! Your girl Angel Eyes has just the kind of face to get me in trouble!



I love her sweet face







ErikaS. said:


> Hi! I've always liked goats at the petting zoos when I was growing up in San Diego, but not until I moved to Nebraska did I have a chance to own one. We bought an acreage and got a pygmy to eat weeds. Well, you can't have just one goat. Got another, had babies, got more goats. And yes pygmies are notorious escape artists. When I got my Fainting (or Myotonic) goat buck(boy), I knew that was the breed for me. He is sweet, funny, affectionate and not aggressive at all- and he stiffens up and falls over- as the breed name implies. Sold the pygmies to 4hers and got more Fainters. I have a herd of 10 standard Fainters and mini silky Fainters and 1 PITA old Nubian wether. What's the attraction? Well Fainters don't jump fences. They are meat gaots, but I don't sell them for meat, mostly for show and pets as they are a novelty. They prefer weeds to grass- a plus for my pasture and love saplings. Thay are friendly and very pretty and goofy- always entertaining. My minis get along with the goats and boss them around sometimes. All of my horses are used to critters under them and around their legs.


Thanks Erika for explaining your type of goats. I've seen the fainting goats once at a farm (Lenny Bertrand's place I think) but didn't know there were different sizes of them. And different coats? Never heard that before, but then again I don't know anything about goats!


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## chandab (Mar 9, 2011)

StarRidgeAcres said:


> Thanks Erika for explaining your type of goats. I've seen the fainting goats once at a farm (Lenny Bertrand's place I think) but didn't know there were different sizes of them. And different coats? Never heard that before, but then again I don't know anything about goats!


We have a neighbor/friend with an usual and loud laugh, he visited a place with fainting goats, started laughing and they all "fainted" and kept fainting til he left. Wish I could have been there, as that would have been a sight.


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## REO (Mar 10, 2011)

chandab said:


> We have a neighbor/friend with an usual and loud laugh, he visited a place with fainting goats, started laughing and they all "fainted" and kept fainting til he left. Wish I could have been there, as that would have been a sight.


I'm afraid if I'd have witnessed that, that I would have peed myself laughing!

We had 2 girl pygmy goats for a few years. They were funny! One was round! (ribs sprung) Imagine her on a hill and slowly rolling down the hill, not able to stop!

My foals liked to push their butts into the chain link to itch their butts. The goat, on the other side of the fence, didn't like that! So each time the foal pushed the butt into the fence, the goat lowered her head and BAM! Rammed-a-head-butt! The foal would be propelled off the fence! The foals thought that was a fun ride and would line up to get their butts boinked!


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## Jill (Mar 10, 2011)

Harvey and I have four Nigerian Dwarf Goat wethers (neutured males). We got the first 2 as adults. They belonged to the wife of one of H's co-workers, but she got tired of them. They also had meat goats and they were going to take the little goats to the market with the meat goats if no one wanted them... H told me about them and even though we didn't know ANYTHING about goats, we thought they had a better chance with us than at the meat auction... that was 7 years ago now





Once we got "George and Leroy" home, we saw how devoted and loving they are. Honestly, I don't know of any animal other than a dog that enjoys people's company more than goats! I had no idea they were that way. So we decided to raise to baby goats, and got two more dwarf goat wethers. We picked them out at just a couple days old and if I remember right, brought them home at 3wks and bottle fed them (they were bottle fed prior at the farm we got them from)





We just happened onto Nigerian Dwarf Goats, but when we decided to get some baby goats, we looked into pygmies, too. I heard NDG's are like the golden retrievers of the goat world, and pygmies are like the Jack Russels and that kind of made up our minds





For us, they are just affectionate and playful pets. If you do not have a place to keep them out of your way at feed time, though, they are like 50 pound cats. I really like them because of how much they like us





Here's a shot of our goat boys, Leroy and George in the front, Jasper and Henry in the back:






PS wethers have no odor the way bucks do.


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## hunterridgefarm (Mar 10, 2011)

We raised the boar goats for sometime. we had up to 20 at any given time. we made money on them as it was a hot item at that time. We sold ours to farmers and for meat.

Goat meat is really good if it is cooked right. better then lamb.. Yes the males can smell bad during breeding season.





My father in law got us into them. Ours was reg. stock we would get any where better 1000.00 and 2000.00 for show stock. We keep our buck that we had for the longest time even after we got back into the minis. My Husband did not want to sell him as Bo was the last one that his dad had gotten before he pasted. when my father in law past that goat cried for days and would not let anyone come in the barn. Bo had a love for beer and sodas out of a can but if you would put water in a can he would not drink it. Goats are fun to have they can make you laugh your but off.

The babies or kids are fun to have around. they are clowns to say the least.

My mother in law and her husband raised the dairy goats and the sold milk. showed theres too. they had a grade a dairy I think that is what she called it. they never left the babies on the mom. they bottle raised their. because they milk their goats every day. I for one dont like the dairy goats and much as I do the meat goats. My mother in law and her husband would raise up to 40 kids a year.they also had miniature horses at that time too. Her husband love all animals. He said that his life would not be the same with out the horses and goats.


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## Matt73 (Mar 10, 2011)

I find it surprising that you're wondering what people "do" with goats, Parmela. I don't do anything with my minis...they just get to eat, be groomed, be silly in the paddock, and be their pony selves



If I had goats, they'd get to do the same



I love watching some of those goat vids on YouTube. They look like they'd provide hours of entertainment from just lying on the grass and watching them lol.


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## REO (Mar 10, 2011)

Matt, if you were laying in the grass, they would hop on you in play!


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## cretahillsgal (Mar 10, 2011)

I've got a handful of goats now. They are boers that my kids can show. I don't find them to be any nastier than the minis, with the exception of the bucks during breeding season. For that reason, I don't have a buck here, just take my does to a neighbor to be bred.





We did have the pygmys. And I think the analogy that pygmys are like jack russesls is true. They were spazs. Could never keep them in. They got into EVERYTHING! But I find the boers to be much better for us.

I've had a rough time with one the last couple of days. She went into labor early and delivered a set of quads that were malpositioned. So I had to go in and assist. The delivery was very traumatic for her and she is still critical right now. I don't know if she is going to make it. The kids all died within 20 hours. So heartbreaking. And this momma goat is the sweetest thing. We all love her and even though she is bigger than my daughter she is always so gentle with her. We really hope she makes it. If she does, then she will become a pet and official babysitter to out other goat kids.


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## Reble (Mar 10, 2011)

Years ago, horse people used have one goat in their barn, for health reason, goats would get a virus before their horses.

This would give them heads up before they had problem with their horses.

At the race track they had goats to keep the horses calm.

They also eat what horses don't like weeds.

Also have read can protect horses from predators (wild animals)

Hope this helps with some reasons..

We have a pygmy goat in with a mare that hates to be alone and makes her happy..


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## Kim~Crayonboxminiatures (Mar 10, 2011)

This is my story, others have already listed reasons folks own goats.

I "grew up" with goats, had them way before horses. My parents got their first goats when I was little, my mom is allergic/sensetive to cow's milk, so they got dairy goats to milk. We had one or two or more dairy goats for a few years, and then my parents discovered Pygmy Goats. For awhile we bred and showed Pygmy Goats registered with the National Pygmy Goat Assoc. My parents traveled to different states to show, I learned to show and more. My parents started a 4-H Pygmy Goat Club in our area with shows at our local fairs (instead of a county fair, several of our townships have fairs from Aug to Oct). A few years after all that started my parents decided to try a hand at selling raw goats milk, so we started a licensed goat dairy, we sold the raw milk off the farm. That went well for a few years, but my parents weren't good at the marketing side of things, and I wasn't interested in taking it over (I was graduating from highschool in a year or two), so we dissolved the dairy when we had to "throw milk away". We tried meat goats for a year or two after the dairy, but goats had always been pets to us, so that wasn't the right road (I don't care for the boer breed at all) and so we sold out all of our goats and didn't have any for a few years.

I missed goats so much and knew I had to get some more, they are so personable, loved to be scratched, I always say they are like dogs. They love their people and can be taught to walk on a leash and do tricks too if you are patient enough to try it. I loved Alpine Dairy goats we had before the dairy, and during the dairy, but I also loved the small size of the Pygmy Goats. I didn't want to get back into Pygmy Goats because of the dystocias they are very prone to, so I started looking into Nigerian Dwarf Goats, they are dairy goats, but the small size of Pygmy Goats. I've had them for a few years now, and just love them! I breed and sell some kids each year, but mostly have them for my own pleasure. Last year my sister bought an Alpine Dairy goat, so we are planning to breed her this fall and milk her next year to have fresh milk again! I tried to milk my Nigerian doe Willow, but it was torture for both of us!





You can see photos of my goats on my website. I know I won't be without goats again as long as I am able to care for them.


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## chandab (Mar 10, 2011)

Kim~Crayonboxminiatures said:


> You can see photos of my goats on my website. I know I won't be without goats again as long as I am able to care for them.


Kim, weren't Fir, Winterberry and Holly born this year? The website says 2010. Maybe I'm that far behind, but I just saw your post for the kids recently, so thought they were this year's kids. And, Lilac is just too cute, I can see why you kept her.


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## Helicopter (Mar 10, 2011)

Love to have a goat but I was told that they were impossible to keep in. Build a 12ft high fence with razor wire on top and you might keep some of them in, I was told. LOL (my emoticons have disappeared.)

I have a sheep (Lamington) who thinks she's a horse but no gaot.....YET.


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## Kim~Crayonboxminiatures (Mar 10, 2011)

chandab said:


> Kim, weren't Fir, Winterberry and Holly born this year? The website says 2010. Maybe I'm that far behind, but I just saw your post for the kids recently, so thought they were this year's kids. And, Lilac is just too cute, I can see why you kept her.


You are correct, they were born this year 2011, you caught one of my many website goofs, LOL! Thanks for catching it, I will fix it soon! Winterberry is a real hoot, so I just had to keep her this year! She loves to jump up on my coat and nibble on my zipper pulls or anything else she can get her little mouth on. Fir will too, and Holly is finally getting curious and warming up to come close and nibble on my pants.


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## Raine Ranch Minis (Mar 10, 2011)

I have Boer/brush Goats. My grandaddy has had them since I was little. I have always had one or two, but in the last year or so my grandaddy has gotten older (82 soon to be 83) and now out of 14 I own 11 he owns 3. That is one of my two incomes right now.

But here are some babies!











Here she is now.






More goats











You can go to my website to see more.


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## chandab (Mar 10, 2011)

Kim~Crayonboxminiatures said:


> You are correct, they were born this year 2011, you caught one of my many website goofs, LOL! Thanks for catching it, I will fix it soon! Winterberry is a real hoot, so I just had to keep her this year! She loves to jump up on my coat and nibble on my zipper pulls or anything else she can get her little mouth on. Fir will too, and Holly is finally getting curious and warming up to come close and nibble on my pants.


As long as I'm not losing it and thinking I read something, when I didn't.

All three are too cute, I really like Fir, but if I were to get a goat, I think I'd prefer a female, don't know why (can't have one anyway, but I can dream).





My coming 2 year old cremello filly sounds like Winterberry, while she doesn't jump on my coat, she is always putting stuff in her mouth. I swear I saw her pick up and eat a dead mouse in the barn, done before I could stop her (there is a slight chance it was a road apple with hay stuck to it, my barn isn't well lit). Yesterday, I was cleaning the barn and removing tons of packed snow from the entrance, the barn cats had eaten a prairie chicken or grouse in one of the stalls (only feathers and a wing left); Dolly does a dash through the barn and grabs a couple feathers and off she goes, and before I realize what she has, she's chewing and I think swallowing.






Gotta watch her like a hawk. She also pulls on my coveralls and zipper pulls.


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## ErikaS. (Mar 10, 2011)

Found this with my Photobucket pics. Tell me you don't want a cute little goaty.



ETA: Click on the pic(it's a little video clip)


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## Reble (Mar 10, 2011)

Have to share my photos.

These are pygmy goats..

this was Sabrina with her triplets.

Sold them all a few years ago.

Than this fall got the black one back and she is pregnant.

The black one is Angelina, due this spring.

She is much smaller than her mom was...







Angelina back home...


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## StarRidgeAcres (Mar 10, 2011)

I'm loving all the pics and stories! Keep 'em coming!

And Matt, I know, I know. But for some reason I've never really had the "itch" to have goats even though I've generally always wanted any animal I ever saw!






But all these cut pics sure makes it difficult not to want one...or two...or three.

Jules, I'm so sorry you lost the babies. I was hoping the boys would do ok after you lost the little girl.



I hope the mommy goat pulls through. I guess there's heartache in breeding all animals.

How big (how tall, weight) are the "dwarf" goats at maturity? I'm not sure if I've ever seen one in person. Probably have, just don't know one breed from another. And why do several people say they don't like boer (sp?) goats?


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## chandab (Mar 10, 2011)

Raine Ranch Minis said:


> I have Boer/brush Goats. My grandaddy has had them since I was little. I have always had one or two, but in the last year or so my grandaddy has gotten older (82 soon to be 83) and now out of 14 I own 11 he owns 3. I raise them to sale for my horses. That is one of my two incomes right now.
> 
> But here are some babies!
> 
> ...


I didn't know the Boer goats had floppy ears, I've only seen Nubians with the floppy ears and just love those floppy ears. How big are Boer goats?

They are so cute, thanks for sharing the pics.


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## uwharrie (Mar 10, 2011)

Boers originally came from South Africa and were developed from the Nubian. The breed was developed to be a hardy, heat tolerant, fast growing, high milk production ( for faster baby growth) meat goat. Many Boer breeders use Nubians as suragate mothers for embryo transplants.



chandab said:


> I didn't know the Boer goats had floppy ears, I've only seen Nubians with the floppy ears and just love those floppy ears. How big are Boer goats?
> 
> They are so cute, thanks for sharing the pics.


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## chandab (Mar 10, 2011)

uwharrie said:


> Boers originally came from South Africa and were developed from the Nubian. The breed was developed to be a hardy, heat tolerant, fast growing, high milk production ( for faster baby growth) meat goat. Many Boer breeders use Nubians as suragate mothers for embryo transplants.


Cool. Thanks for the information. I just love those floppy ears, and now I know another breed that has them.


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## Raine Ranch Minis (Mar 10, 2011)

chandab said:


> I didn't know the Boer goats had floppy ears, I've only seen Nubians with the floppy ears and just love those floppy ears. How big are Boer goats?
> 
> They are so cute, thanks for sharing the pics.






I really don't know. I would say 27-28 and shorter.


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## Matt73 (Mar 11, 2011)

REO said:


> Matt, if you were laying in the grass, they would hop on you in play!






I've, often, though of getting a couple. But I have just heard too many tales of destruction and them getting into everything...


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## HGFarm (Mar 11, 2011)

Well if you've never had goat chops or deep pit cooked, you dont know what you are missing. My neighbors raise Boer goats and they are delicious on the grill. Make excellent tamales too... etc... Boers are bred for more meat but their milks is very rich and it seems they make great milk goats too!


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## Katiean (Mar 11, 2011)

One of my first pets was a weather goat. He would not stay in his pen and ate our neighbors roses. Oops!



Then when we lived in Oregon my parents had a friend that had goats for meat. He had to thin his herd and gave us some goat meat. It tastes like venison only it doesn't have as much of a game taste. Then when I was about 13 and lived in California my dad took me to the livestock auction. He let me buy bummer lambs and a few goats. I would buy them cheap at auction and fix them up and sell them for quit a bit as pets. I also had milk goats and didn't know I bought a "fainter". I went to visit my sister one summer and Dad was supposed to milk the goats. He tied Grace up to milk her and she went stiff. He thought he killed her. I came home to no goats. Our last little girl was a dwarf Pygmy. Our neighbors, (for which I have a few names for them that I can't say here) poisoned my sweet Baby Goat (her name). They also poisoned our dog that didn't even bark at them. We haven't gotten a goat since. Here is a picture of Baby Goat. She thought she ruled the roost.


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## Reble (Mar 11, 2011)

Katiean said:


> Here is a picture of Baby Goat. She thought she ruled the roost.


Oh my sure looks like my Angelina


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## Sun Runner Stables (Mar 11, 2011)

I love our goats! I mentioned in the other thread that we have Nigerian Dwarfs as well- They are by far the most fun to be had at the farm!

I can't wait till the month gets a little more advanced, as I have 3 does due, all first freshners.

As far as what do you do with them- smooches would be one thing that happens quite a bit here!






You can see the rest of my herd at www.wijimgoats.com


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## Sonya (Mar 12, 2011)

Why? For entertainment:











They were pets for me, I got one from my vet, Rambo, the black/white one (someone had found him wandering around and picked him up), I searched and searched for another horned buddy for him and found another, Rocky, the whitish one. They were both wethers and dwarfs. I believe Rambo was a nigerian dwarf and Rocky a pygmy, I do not believe they were pure dwarfs though, both were a little bigger than they were suppose to be, but it didn't matter to me. They were the most fun animals to watch, they were friendly, loving, and very easy to take care of. I hear horror stories of horned goats, but mine were little angels...never caught in the fence, never escaped, never tore anything up, and never tried to butt anyone. Now they did butt each other, but there was never an injury...they were inseperable. When I had to get rid of them, I made sure they went together. I miss them.


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## little lady (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks for starting this thread. It is very interesting and I LOVE seeing everyones goats.



I have grown up around goats on and off my whole life. As a child my Dad raised Nubians. Fast forward many years and some friends were given a goat as a baby and raised him in the house. They enjoyed him so much they got more goats(milking goats) but he would head butt them and they thought he was being mean to them(but typical goat behavior) and wanted to get rid of him. So we took him and the kids named him Max. Not sure what breed he is or even how old he is. I am thinking either a Dwarf Nigerian or Pgymy, he is a wether and the original owner or somebody before our friends tried to debud him and didn't do a very good job so he has one horn growing and curling around and the other is just barely a bud(it gives him character) He looks like a cocca puff. He is so much fun to have around. All of our friends and other people that come to the farm enjoy him.



He has free range, never gets too far from the barns. Doesn't eat too many weeds(darn)but loves to eat my sappling trees :arg! He never jumps on anything except thinks the stacks of hay are a blast to jump up and down on. He enjoys interacting with the horses, cats,chickens and our Shih Tzu and him love to play toether. We have one cat that loves to sit on his back and one chicken that will do the same. He loves animal crackers and doritos. My Paint mare and him seem to have a close bond. I see them out in the pasture together alot and will even catch them laying in the barn together. My grandsons love him. He reminds me more of a dog. In the morning when I go out to feed it is not uncommon to walk out the door and have a our goat and several cats waiting for me then they all follow me to the barn. So here we are about 9 years later and just love him. I am hoping to add a couple more young goats to the farm.(I think the grandsons as well as myself would enjoy them



) I am currently trying to decide what breed so this thread has been very helpful.


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