How to get
the most from your Goat

Goat Keeping (Continued)

Whilst on the subject of food, what else do goats eat? Well, although mine have not got around to eating the washing on the line, they have eaten practically everything else in the garden: So, if you want to grow flowers, vegetables, trees or shrubs, it is essential to erect goat-proof garden fencing. By fence I mean a four foot high barricade, because unless tethered, a goat will move heaven and earth to get into the vegetable patch. If you have a large field surrounded by sturdy hedges, your goat can be allowed free range and will browse for hours on the hedgerow and brambles, consuming thistles, nettles, docks and grass with relish. If however, you have only limited ground available, it may prove easier to tether her, Do not be put off this practice by a blaring goat. As long as your neighbours are equipped with ear plugs for the first few days, you will find that your goat will soon get used to the idea, and as long as you move her periodically through the day, she will browse quite contentedly.

Whether you allow free range or tether your goat, an eye should always be kept on the elements. The goat is a hardy animal, but the majority hate rain on their backs, so there should always be some form of shelter within easy reach. Another point not to be forgotten, especially with tethered goats, is water. Goats are a little strange in this respect in that they appreciate warm water. It is certainly advisable to give warm water in winter, as they derive their heat from fermentation of roughage in the rumen, consequently cold water should only be given to a goat with an ample store of roughage inside her.

This brings us onto the goat in winter. When the days are short, the wind cold, and one wonders if the rain will ever stop, the goat shed should be free from strong draughts, but avoid making the temperature inside the shed warmer than outside as the goat may well succumb to a chill followed by pneumonia, and then you have a great deal of trouble on your hands. This is doubtless the hardest time of year for the goat and keeper alike. The hedgerows are now bare, and even if weather permits there is little for the goat to glean from the land. This is when she must always have an ample supply of hay to keep her rumen working to capacity; and so keep herself warm. Hopefully, if she did not break through the fencing, you will be able to supplement her diet with vegetables from the garden. Potatoes and carrots, stored, are invaluable as are kale, cabbages, brussel sprouts, in fact practical-ly everything that is left growing in the vegetable patch. Swedes are also highly palatable, but the swede tops must be left to die down as they are poisonous.

Autumn and winter is also the time for the goats to come into season. This is the time of the double take as goats are ferried over to be served in a very wide variety of vehicles, and the time for fellow goat keepers to compare notes and swap harrowing tales.

The classic signs of season are a bleating, restless goat with rapidly wagging tail, and a red and swollen vulva with perhaps a slight discharge, but I would stress that these are the 'classic' symptoms. Many an inexperienced goat keeper is foiled, and having 'phoned the owner of the billy, it is rather embarrassing to arrive with high hopes only to find that the billy shows no interest at all, and he is most definitely the best judge.

Do not be disheartened. It happens to even the most experienced, and as a goat comes into season at approximately three-weekly intervals, as long as you keep a watchful eye, you are bound to strike lucky: So your goat has been served, and provided she shows no further signs of coming into season after three weeks, it is fairly safe to assume that she is in kid. For the first three months the rate of growth of the unborn kid is slow, but in the last two months of pregnancy, the kid can be felt moving, the goat bulges in the right places, and all is well in the world: If she is still milking, now is the time to dry her off because she needs to devote all her energy to maintaining the growth of her unborn kid or kids. Then at last comes that fateful day when your herd is doubled or trebled, and a very satisfying time it is for all, keeper included. Goats generally have little trouble kidding, but unless you have a shepherd who will help in an emergency, keep your local vet's telephone number handy.

If you have managed to read this far, I hope you have not been put off the idea of goat keeping. This article only touches the tip of the iceberg, but if it has kindled an interest, you will hopefully gain as much enjoyment from your animals as I have from mine.