[foxywench]

1: goats are browsers and while they Will eat grass if nothign else is available they realy sholdnt be (its a great way to get yoursef a realy wormy goat) if you want a lawnmoer get a lawnmower or get a couple of southdown babydoll sheep, (sheep are grazers, they eat grass, goats are browsers they eat leaves/woody plants)

2: no pure fainters (mytonic) do not come in pygmy size, fainters are meat goats, there bred to be big...and meaty...you can however get MIXED goats (a fainter x pygmy or a fainter x nigerian) that will give you a goat thats somewhere betwen the 2 sizes.
there IS a breed called the mini silky fainting goat, which were origioanlly a mix of fainter and nigerian
MSFGA Registry
and yes you can buy them...

3: winter time.
yes goats can be in an unheated barn for the winter (i dont know anyone who heats their goats lol) they wil need to be ket DRY and Draft free but well veintilated, a good thick layer of shavings or straw on the floor of the barn/shelter/shack provides insulation from the cold ground. goats (and sheep) are VERY hardy.
my goats live in a home made shelter right now made of 6 wooden pallets and some salvaged tin roofing...in the winter i stuff straw into the walls (between the gaps of the pallet, in the summer i clear the straw out so theres plenty of additional ventilation and a through breezer.

goats are escape artists, personaly if your looking for "lawn ornaments" (just somehting cute to help keep the lawn mowed) go for babydoll or hair sheep (theres nothing cuter than a a southdown babydoll) queter, easier to keep contained, and generlaly easier to handle...

I love my dairy goats, LOVE them, but id never suggest a goat as a lawnmower...they do a terrible job with grass as they dont nibble...they PULL, great for thinning out brush, old brambles, wild blackberry, poisen ivy and oak ect though.

if your interested in getting goats PLEASE take the time to read Fiasco Farms website THOROUGHLY!

[Cinebar]

Originally Posted by foxywench

I love my dairy goats, LOVE them, but id never suggest a goat as a lawnmower...they do a terrible job with grass as they dont nibble...they PULL, great for thinning out brush, old brambles, wild blackberry, poisen ivy and oak ect though.

.....and fruit trees and blueberries and currants and other stuff you don't want them to. (That's why really, really good fencing is a necessity.)

My goats really have the best of the browsing world on this property - I have a five acre hillside full of blackberries, alder, knotweed.......They definitely get a variety and plenty of exercise traipsing up and down the steep hillside.

I do run hot wire around a portion of my yard every summer and let them in there, but the grass is not their only browse.

Of course, even with all the browse available to them all summer long, I still feed alfalfa. Just not as much as I do in the winter.

if your interested in getting goats PLEASE take the time to read Fiasco Farms website THOROUGHLY!

Yes, and not just FiasCo (although they're great) but there really is a wealth of information all over the internet. Even as long as I've had goats, I've learned more in the last few years by doing internet research than I had ever known before.

As for fainting goats. Welllll......I have a bit of a problem with them based on something I read years ago. It must have been in a magazine or something (it was before internet) but the author was of the opinion that the trait that causes goats to "faint" is a genetic disorder and that by breeding for that trait, you are essentially breeding FOR a genetic defect.

I remember that it made a lot of sense to me when I read it and the idea of breeding "fainting goats" has always given me a bit of the heeby jeebies.

[foxywench]

you are right Cinebar, it is a genetic trait and personally i too have a bit of an issue with it
i dont see how every muscle locking when spooked is a GOOD thing, especially if theres risk of predators and theres ALWAYS risk of predators

i have also read that it could potentially cause issues further in the future with muscular and skelatal development
id personally NOT be interested in mytonic breeds of any kind, not only because of the genetic trait but if im also not in it for the meat...so its nubians, nigerians and mini nubians for me (nubian x nigerian) they can clear the brush and when im ready a could of sheltand or babydoll sheep will take care of the grass/clover too lol)

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by foxywench

you are right Cinebar, it is a genetic trait and personally i too have a bit of an issue with it
i dont see how every muscle locking when spooked is a GOOD thing, especially if theres risk of predators and theres ALWAYS risk of predators

i have also read that it could potentially cause issues further in the future with muscular and skelatal development
id personally NOT be interested in mytonic breeds of any kind, not only because of the genetic trait but if im also not in it for the meat...so its nubians, nigerians and mini nubians for me (nubian x nigerian) they can clear the brush and when im ready a could of sheltand or babydoll sheep will take care of the grass/clover too lol)

Wasn't the idea with fainting goats that they could be kept with your dairy goats to protect them from predators? Sacrificial protection, I mean. Possibly a useful defect, maybe at least as useful as achondroplastic dogs?

[foxywench]

not sure about keeping fainters with dairy for protection, i do know mytonic goats were origionally bred specifically for meat...so it would seem a little counter productive to feed our meat goats to the widlife in order to keep your milkers safe lol...(in many places, a good emat goat is worth more than a dairy goat)

i guess it could work though...whole new meaning to sacrificial goat.

[pink123]

To have a goat as pet, you should prepare the food of hime\her, and goat likes goes out for breeding, not just keep indoor.

[Cinebar]

Woo Hoo!

My doe wasn't due until the 21st, next Monday, but she caught me totally by surprise by going into labor today!

Last year, she had her baby right ON her due date and I was expecting something similar this time around,too.

In fact, this morning I was looking at her and thinking she wasn't nearly as fat as she was last year and wondering if maybe she hadn't even gotten bred. Then she turned and walked away from me and I saw that her udder had about doubled in size since yesterday.

I still wasn't expecting her to go into labor today.

She had TWO big babies - an eleven pound boy and a 9 1/4 pound girl. Twenty pounds of baby!

Just thought I'd mention it here, since we were discussing goats and all (and I'm so proud of the momma - last year, I had to rush her to the vet when she had problems delivering).

I'm open to name suggestions - I want names that begin with 'A.' I kind of have my heart set on Ariel for the little girl but I might be willing to go with something else. I was thinking Aramus for the little boy; a friend suggested Amos.

[foxywench]

WOOT! congratulations on healthy goaty babies!
what breed?

I have 2 nubian doelings right now, they just hit 3 months today. LOVE my girls but there certainly not "easy" or "pets"

[Cinebar]

Originally Posted by foxywench

WOOT! congratulations on healthy goaty babies!
what breed?

I have 2 nubian doelings right now, they just hit 3 months today. LOVE my girls but there certainly not "easy" or "pets"

Mom's registered LaMancha, Dad's registered Saanen - so the babies are Samanchas!

They are full siblings to the doeling born last year - almost a year to the day apart.

Love my goaties!

[foxywench]

ooo they should be some nice milkers...
do they have the lamancha ears or the sannen ears?
i do like lamancha but not sure yet if i want 4 nubian does or 2 nubians and 2 lamanchas lol.