[NormandyMary]

Hi everyone. Im just wondering if there is anyone out there currently keeping or who has previously kept goats. They are very popular over here (France) and Im looking to get one or possibly two in the spring. We have the land, but there are one or two questions re feeding and housing that I have. So if you are able to help me, please can you send me a pm?

Thanks, Mary.

[Aunt Sally]

Or even discuss it on this thread - I'm sure a lot of people would be interested Mary

[asd1]

my parents had two pet goats oldest one was 19 when she died lovely interesting pets ...very naughty too.

[joyfull]

grannie annie used to have a couple of goats, so hopefully she will be able to help 

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi all, sorry, been a bit busy today putting turkeys into bags and boxes!

Yes, we had 2 pet goats.  1 Bagot goat and 1 pygmy.  I'm no expert though!

Bagot goats are semi feral, I've never known one to be very friendly, even the lady who runs the Bagot Sciety told me that and she had 40 of them!

Pygmy's can be very friendly, but if they happen to live with a Bagot goat, they can copy their naughty ways!

They are very good escape artists too!  Brian built our 2 a lovely brick shed when we were in Essex as the Bagot goat was very good at splintering wood, but when we moved here, he made them the big house that we now use for the chickens, but he made it like the Smiths buildings, with the frame on the outside!  That made it harder for William our bagot goat to splinter the wood.

We used to feed them on goat mix, but they didn't like the one tht had molasses in it, and they destroyed any tree they came into contact with.  they'd eat all the bark off it and it died!

[elibump]

Just the mention of goats has the Gaffer and me shaking with fear after our experiences earlier this year.  They were very very naughty, the nanny used her horns to unlink the fencing which she then held open for the kid and billy to escape through she followed close behind them, the fencing then 'closed' so the exit couldnt easily be seen.  After eating the brassicas they destroyed 2 apple and 1 peach tree as well as a young oak we had growing in the garden.  Margo would then come and knock on the back door for the Gaffer to let her into the compound again which they would all exit again after about 5 minutes.  We only found the exit by hiding out of sight in the house and watching carefully, they checked all the windows to see if we were watching before using the escape route.

Do be very careful of your garden and trees with goats.

Eli xx

[Yorkie]

I haven't checked them for content but there are a couple of other threads on goats visible on the index of this board, they may have some further information or resources.

[pigeonpie]

Hi,
I've been wanting to keep goats for a while now and have been lucky enough to find a pair at a local RSPCA centre wanting to be re-homed so fingers crossed I will have my girls in the new year, once they have kidded.
I've done a lot of reading on goats and would say that the main issues I've read about (and spoken about with other goat keepers) has been making their fencing secure and protecting any trees or hedges that you may have.  Goats also hate being outside in bad weather and don't tolerate drafts so housing is really important.  We had planned to provide them with a large shed to sleep in but with the winters seemingly getting worse I'm now considering if we can offer them a barn up the in-laws farm during winter as it would be pretty miserable for them (and for us) being in a field with not a great deal of shelter in this snow.
Also, I'm not sure of the requirements in France but in the UK goats come under all the restrictions of DEFRA so you have to have holding numbers, tags, and movement paperwork. 
If you can get hold of country smallholding magazines there have been some really good articles in that about the needs and considerations of keeping goats.
 

[Eumaeus]

Hi - I'm a little bit late to the party (haven't been on here in ages) but I keep goats - will help in any way I can

[asd1]

our goats once got indoors and started eating the plants in the bathroom upstairs ha ha

[penninehillbilly]

Only just seen this so sorry for being late.
goats are great. I love mine, wouldn't have one with horns, make sure there is good fence, minimum 4ft, with an electric fence in front of it, nose height, heartbeaking when they first touch it but it's for the best.
cold shouldn't normally bother them as long as they are dry and draught free.
regulations hav tightened up in the last few years, no doubt in France as well.
'Google' goats, there's lots of info out there, the British Goat Society (BGS) have a web site, and the pygmy goat site is quite good.

[Junie]

While house hunting in France, one lovely lady( we spent 2 hours looking at her house, cup of, long chat!) warned us off goats, unless you are extremely careful about their pens.  she had 3 which escaped and ran rampage in the neighbours farm, she is in a fruit area and many peach, apricot and apple trees were destroyed, she said it was amazing, the amount of damage 3 small animals can cause in a few hours.  It did end up costing her rather al ot of money.  Some form of insurance may be worth a look if available.

[penninehillbilly]

Hi Mary
how do you feel about tethering goats? depending on your circumstances, whether you are around most of the day or whether dogs / children may cause problems, I have never had a problem and at least the goats are secure, though it's nice to see them loose if possible, I tether one of mine 'just in case' if I have to go out for more than 10-15 mins.
There are stories of escapes, just make sure the fence is up and secure (and electric running) BEFORE they find an escape route 
I've seen photos of French Alpine goats, they look gorgous, or maybe thats just an american version?

[Junie]

Our neighbours have their goats tethered in a way I ahve never seen before, they are on a quite short rope but that rope is attached to another long rope which is attached between two posts/trees and slides up and down this rope.  they therefore have a large area to roam, but without getting tangled in the rope and having natural shade from the trees.

[elzorillo]

Thinking of getting a couple of goats to keep the willow/blackberry bushes down on some islands at my local sailing club.

The islands are quite large with the smallest approx 500 x 40 metres.

Can goats swim?