Long time no see. I have a question for DU'ers about goats.

[Jamastiene]

Considering the fact that my computer and I got on the wrong end of some ferocious lightning Sunday, my budget for a lawn mower is blown. Money I had set aside to finally get a Troy Built went to U.S. Robotics and Creative Labs and other assorted computer companies. I had to buy a new modem and sound card to fix my precious toy here.

So I commenced to weed eating this nightmare this morning just to fight it back some. Stinging caterpillars and funky looking lizards and snakes ran for their little lives much to my chagrin. I didn't want to hurt them or destroy their homes, but damn the wysteria is slapping me in the face when I step out the door.

Let's put it this way, I tried weed eating just a smidgen of the yard (jungle) today and ended up with a nosebleed. I don't know if I got overheated or what. Reminded me of Sunday, deja vu. I ran out of string and only probably covered about 30 square feet of the triffids. I came inside shaking. I don't know why I do that when I have been doing yard work. I do it every time. I was getting ready to take a nice long shower then bath and remembered that I had forgotten to take my high blood pressure meds. I went back to get them when my head felt like it was going to explode if I didn't hug the porcelain, nevermind. I ended up with a nosebleed.

That got my mind into the goat thing. A distant neighbor said he keeps goats and doesn't waste energy (his energy OR the energy with a big E that costs upward of $3.00 a gallon right now) mowing the grass. I love animals. Can goats come inside at night? Other than everything, what are their nutritional requirements? Can veterinarians spay a female (nanny?) goat? Do they get along with cats if you get them young? Has anyone ever had one of the miniature pygmy goats as pets? What tricks can you teach them? Do they like dog, ahem, I mean, goat houses to sleep in? Is is a good idea to look into getting a goat to do my landscaping and be my outdoor pet? Is it a bad idea? Will one of you come mow my nightmarish yard for me until I decide? Pretty Please. Hey, I figured it was worth a try. Who around here in the Lounge is feeling pretty outdoorsish and adventurous this week? :P

P.S. I won an award from the North Carolina Community College Association and got congrats letters from our state representatives, Purcell and Goodwin. I don't know about Purcell, but I know Melanie Goodwin is a quality Democrat and not a dino. For the record, I got my grade report today. Yes, the 4.0 is still intact, but only by the skin of my teeth. Whew, I am glad that hellacious nightmarish semester is finally over. Good riddance to a bad semester for me.

[skygazer]

1. I have had goats before

I'll try to answer your questions.

1. Goats can come inside but they will poop all over your floor. You probably don't want the goat in the house. A pen or a tether work fine for a goat. They do need to be contained because they will wander off and eat your neighbors' flower gardens.

2. Nutritional requirements - I always fed my goat a bit of grain to supplement the grass. I'm not sure what kind is best but a feed store would know. One goat would not eat a lot. Hay when there's no grass (if you live in a place that gets winter).

3. No real need to spay. Goats aren't like dogs and cats - there's never really enough of them around so you get unwanted progeny.

4. Goats don't tend to notice other critters much as long as the other critters aren't bugging them. I've had cats, dogs, horses, pigs, birds and goats. Goat didn't care.

5. I've never had a pygmy goat - only large ones. I've known people who had pygmys and they were nice pets. Don't know about tricks but goats in general are smart.

6. I would provide the goat with some sort of shelter for bad weather and warmth. A shed or barn works fine. A goat house would be perfect.

7. No, I will not mow your lawn. It sounds like a nightmare! :P

[supernova]

2. Pygmy goats are so cute!

I've considered them out here. But there would be no one to look after them but me.

[liontamer]

3. i have been dying for a goat

you don't have to spay them but you can if you want to. They're fine with other animals. You should get them some kind of shelter (no one likes getting wet in the rain) I'm not so sure that you should depend on a goat for landscaping unless you only have grass (they'll eat flowers too). oh and they're farm animals they'll poop in your house and eat your furniture.

[Maddy McCall]

4. Don't do it unless you have plenty of room for them...

because after they eat your grass, they'll start eating the wood siding on your house. Goats will eat anything. Your shrubs will be gone. Ornamental trees will be history. Don't even think of planting flowers.

They are destructive...I would NEVER bring an adult goat in the house, not even a pygmy.

We raised goats when I was a kid. My grandfather raised goats, too. A friend of mine raises goats now.

If I were you, I'd look at another way to take care of the grass problem. Instead of mowing the grass twice a month, you'll be caring for a very demanding animal 24 hours a day.

[wovenpaint]

5. How about a couple of alpaca

These animals are the BEST! They need to be in a herd-at least 2.
They're very quiet, the usual sound is a humming noise. They eat hay and water-some grain/minerals and they love grass. Low maintenance and earth-friendly.
They need to be shorn on a yearly basis, but I bet you could find a local person who'd do it for the fiber.
I can't recommend these magnificant animals highly enough-wonderful companions!! And they love children also, very docile animals....no, they don't spit at you, either.

[MrsMatt]

6. The bucks stink to high heaven

the does less so.

If you do get any, make sure they are ALL does - bucks can breed as young as 6 months of age.

[madeline_con]

7. Go to the Dr.

You may be having an alergic reaction.

[uppityperson]

8. rather than pygmys, check out nigerian dwarf goats

they look like regular goats but really small, smaller in height than pygmys and not potbellied like pygmys. They would be perfect for inside/outside goats. I saw some at a fair, looked to see why there were kittens in with the baby goat. Turns out it was a mom nigerian dwarf and her babies. Here is a link to look at.

http://www.ndga.org/ndga.html

[BikeWriter]

9. Buy a herd of them, and take your meds.

[hfojvt]

10. I got a used lawnmower for $25

Find a hardware store or check rummage sales.

I tried the weed-eater a couple times but that was a nightmare.

One rural joke I heard told of a man who lived with a goat and was asked if the smell was not a problem. His reply was "after a while the goat gets used to it."

[NV Whino]

11. You will want to be careful about preditors

Don't know your area, but some dogs, coyotes, and bobcats all have a taste for goat meat. A secure night time lockup should take care of that.