[chickenlittle]

I know that strictly speaking this is a poultry website but I am after some advice
does anyone here know where i can purchase a couple of goats as pets for the kids?
I have a large area for them to roam in and would prefer 2 or 3 so that they have company
any help would be gratefully received
thanks
sam

[van connick]

hi sam,

what sort of goats are you looking for?

[GrannieAnnie]

Depends on what sort you want.  I used to have pygmies and they can be VERY friendly, but keep away from Bagot goats they are semi feral and can get very vicious.

Get in touch with the British Goat Society, and tell them what you want and they can put you in touch with registered breeders in your area.

http://www.allgoats.com/

Good luck!

[babe]

goats have very hard heads and if they decide to butt a little one, it can do a lot of damage.

but they are great to have around - boy goats do stink really bad tho!

[Ruth Cross]

Dad got ours from the local livestock market

[muntjac]

dont get a billy  toggs are a no no for small peoples

[van connick]

if you get your goat at a young age, it can be taught not to butt or raise up on its hind legs.
at the moment i have 26, ( soon to be 65 all been scanned and all in kid, some with twins and a few with triplets ) including several bucks, and none of them misbehave, truthfully.
they all have good manners, apart from feeding time, when it can be a bit of a scramble, lol, but i can and do take anyone into the fields with them and they are fine.

i have found thru experience the goats that butt, usually have a problem. mainly boredom. even full adult bucks can be friendly unless they are threatened, bored or it is the rutting season.

and it is only the adult full bucks that smell, if they have been castrated there is no problem.

check out my website for information on the differrent breeds found here in the UK, and also their temperments.
i will be happy to give advice on any aspect of keeping goats. i am not an expert, but i have had many years experience ( over 30 ) of keeping them  

[muntjac]

looks like we have a taker for the " know your goat " spot anty   . left in the carerful hands of van

[Aunt Sally]

Brilliant  :!: I always think goats smell ..... of goat's cheese    

Oh dear :roll:

[Selkie]

am making a goats cheese and leek tart this afternoon - with goats cheese in the pastry too, my first time attempting it so i'll see how it goes

[Aunt Sally]

Yumm... save a piece for me Rosemary  

[Selkie]

:roll: don't know if it will work yet

[lucyeff]

I know nothing much about goats and breeds...but, in a magazine I borrowed from mum today it says (under 3 of the best child friendly animals):

'Although highly entertaining (and child sized) , boisterous breeds of goat such as pygmies are best avoided where children are concerned. The Golden Guernsey's calm, gentle nature will withstand lots of patting.

Still smaller than most breeds, Golden Guernseys are pretty faced with prick ears and their lustrous coats can make for hours of grooming fun.

If they are around children, goats should be disbudded (hornless) to avoid accidents by sudden head movement'.

There is a pic and they look lovely.

I would love a goat. No space though.  

The other two best ones were welsh ponies and call ducks, just in case you were wondering  

Hth,
Luce

ps Hope your goats cheese and leek tart goes well Rosemary!    I have goats cheese and a huge load of leeks in the fridge (leeks were REEEEALLY cheap from Lidl), I might give it a go if it's fab and if you wouldn't mind posting the recipe?  

[van connick]

lol...bit of a fallicy about goats and horns.....

goats are well aware they have horns, and so are we....lol...and they usually use them for scratching their own backs.....not much else.

it is not the horns that people should be wary of, it is the hard helmet they have on the front of their head, this is the place that most damage is caused ( horned, disbudded or polled )

goats are by nature quite gentle, curious, sociable creatures, and the bad tempered ones, are that way because of the way they have been treated in the past, the same as a biting dog, spoilt child, arrogant adult....lol...if they are taught manners from a young age, they will remember them all their life.

just be aware of this when you buy your goat, and you should be ok.

generally as a rule, with most animals, the smaller they are, the more they have the ' little creature syndrome' the larger they are, the more gentle they are. ( but there are exceptions to every rule )...fofl.

[mushroom]

:roll: don't know if it will work yet

if it works, please post yer recipe to the usual place   thanks!