DustyBoot
Loving the herd life
Next month we will be acquiring three Kiko-Boer does and two GP/Anatolian mix guardian dogs. The dogs are 4.5 years old, brother and sister, spayed and neutered, been with goats their whole lives and -- according to the seller -- doing a great job. She's selling out so they'll be out of a job, and we figured a pair of pre-trained LGDs at a very reasonable price was not something to pass up. These will be our first goats. Our previous experience consists of having cows, horses and chickens when I was a teenager. Lots of reading, research, and talking to people, of course, but no experience yet. I've tried to learn what I can, but I'm hoping y'all can help me figure out what I don't know that I don't know.
The dogs will stay with the goats, of course. Goats will have a secure night pen with a shelter, and during the day they'll go out on pasture in temporary paddocks made with movable electric fencing. Dogs are currently UTD on shots and heartworm. We do have ticks out here, so I was thinking maybe Serestro collars would be a good idea. I need to figure out an affordable but decent food, and how much they should get. And I'll keep up with heartworm pills and shots. I'm told they're good with children, and used to the current owner's pet dog. We'll take those introductions slowly and keep an eye on things. Not sure they've been exposed to poultry, and we don't have any yet, but when we do we plan to do the temporary electric paddock thing with them too, so they should be inside the dogs' perimeter but the dogs shouldn't have immediate access to them.
I'm not sure how hard it will be for the dogs to adjust to the move. The goats we're getting are their goats, so that may help, but the owner also has sheep and we won't be taking those so it will be a smaller herd than they're used to. I suspect our property is smaller, too.
The dogs will stay with the goats, of course. Goats will have a secure night pen with a shelter, and during the day they'll go out on pasture in temporary paddocks made with movable electric fencing. Dogs are currently UTD on shots and heartworm. We do have ticks out here, so I was thinking maybe Serestro collars would be a good idea. I need to figure out an affordable but decent food, and how much they should get. And I'll keep up with heartworm pills and shots. I'm told they're good with children, and used to the current owner's pet dog. We'll take those introductions slowly and keep an eye on things. Not sure they've been exposed to poultry, and we don't have any yet, but when we do we plan to do the temporary electric paddock thing with them too, so they should be inside the dogs' perimeter but the dogs shouldn't have immediate access to them.
I'm not sure how hard it will be for the dogs to adjust to the move. The goats we're getting are their goats, so that may help, but the owner also has sheep and we won't be taking those so it will be a smaller herd than they're used to. I suspect our property is smaller, too.