Can goats "free range?"

[KWAK]

If I let my goats out of their pen will the stick aroundf and return to the shed/pen at night?

 

[redtailgal]

Maybe........but I doubt it. They will continue to graze further and further away, until they really dont see the point in coming back. That is, if they dont get attacked by a predator before that point.

 

[Mamaboid]

If I let my goats out of their pen will the stick aroundf and return to the shed/pen at night?

We let ours out to roam around and graze and browse, but we stay outside with them the whole time they are out of fence. Goats are very inquisitive, will find a way to get into trouble. They will eat things that are bad for them, they will stick their heads into things that aren't meant for goats. Years ago, I had a single goat that had free fun of our property, and she was fine, but she had a dog for a buddy, and they both came in and laid on the couch together. She didn't know she was a goat. I wouldn't think of letting this bunch I have now out without supervision....they are definitely goats all the way.

 

[mama24]

Mine stay very close to home and always go back to the barn at night. I only have 2 does, though, plus a doeling baby. I'm milking my lead goat, so she keeps them close by and starts yelling for me at milking time.

 

[Catahoula]

We have them in a pen about 1000 sq feet with their shelter. We also fenced in about 2 acres. After about three weeks in their pen, we started to let them roam around. It's been a week now. They do roam and browse but most of the time they are back in the shelter sleeping... I would go out a few times a day either to sit with them or walk the property with them. They enjoy the company and follow me (more the the dog) around. We plan to fence off two more acres so they have even more room to roam.

 

[DonnaBelle]

We've got 18 Nubians, does, kids, wethers, that are electric fenced in about 10 acres. This is pasture and brouse, trees, etc. They go out of sight during the day, but come back in a couple of times to drink and chew their cud. At about 2 hours before sunset they come back to the barn.

We have never had a problem with them trying to get out of the the electric fence. It's 3 strands of wire, with 7,000 joules going through it.

Everyone has different issues with the areas surrounding their property. DH make sure the electric is hot, and patrols the fence lines to make sure they're up and working.

DonnaBelle

 

[L&L Ranch]

i let my goats out but keep a chain on my billy to lead the other goats in the pen but they will probably stay in the yard

 

[currycomb]

with the drought here, the goat pasture looks like a concrete yard, nothing green in sight as high as the goats can reach up into the trees. hay is going to be very hard to get here, so to help with the feeding of the goats, we have cut a hole in their fence in the back of their lot, allowing them access to the browse and whatever else they can find on our 26 acres. i have seen them come around the pasture, but the neighbors dogs must run them back to their safety zone, because they have not been in the road(yet). and i must say, they look better than they have all year. we do go out and feed in the late afternoons and lock them in the goat yard. this way we can sleep better knowing they are not in the road, and the varmits are not munching on them. on a sad note, the shepherd mix pup i had gotten this spring, hoping her to be a good farm dog and protect the stock, killed 3 chickens today, and is not staying in her dog pen, so hubby is taking her out back to put her down. so afraid her prey drive will cause her to attack a goat or one of my mini horses, i cannot risk it, and i could not find another home with no animals for her to chase.

 

[Teeah3612]

My two bucks free range daily. In the evenings I clank their food bowls together and they come running to their pen. Of course, I'm not sure either one of them knows they are goats. They follow me around just like the dogs and cats. Alot of it depends on your situation also. We are on a very rural road and even then there is a large field between the house and the road. Let them out and see. The most that can happen is that you will have to chase them down

 

[meme]

Our goats are locked in a shelter with two small "runs" at night for their protection. During the day they have free roam of about 1.5 acres of our pasture. The other 3 acres on the other side is where our horse is. We mostly fenced off part of it because of the coyotes and mountain lions, and we wanted them to stay close. The pony came later.