What have I gotten myself into?

[bcnewe2]

Yesterday my neighbor came by. He's old and sweet. Runs cattle. He asked if I would take his goat. Someone gave it to him a few days ago. So there I go walking down the road with a nanny.
I'll estimate her to be 3-5 yrs old. I have no idea what kind of goat she is. she has what looks to be a mastitis scarred udder and one normal side. Won't be breeding her. Will she get used to running with the sheep? Jesse the guard dog loves her, Tilly the goat stomps and butts her. I feel sorry for her.
So...a tiny bit of grain to be nice, she hasn't touched it so probably hasn't been grained. But doesn't look in poor health. Nibbling on hay but very nervous.
What do I need to do differently that sheep for her? Can I worm her like my sheep?
Here's a pic

Her head comes up to my thigh she's pretty little compared to my sheep.
Hmmmm I'm liking her! Lets hope she ends up liking me. She is tame, lead broke and today is liking me petting her.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Congrats on your new darlin'! Lol.

Not sure about the worming practices you currently use but I imagine the types of dewormers used on sheep are good on goats too. Just make sure to test before treating willy nilly or you aren't doing any good for your girl, or for you pocket book.

Goat need a lot more copper than sheep and copper will kill you sheep. Right now, Jeffers.com has a sale on their copper boluses---can't remember what the deal was but you might check it out. Give her one of those pills once a year and that should cover that base.

She might get used to the sheep and I am sure she will be your buddy. If you can, though, see about getting a wether friend for her so she has another goatie pal.

 

[bcnewe2]

Thanks for the cooper tip. I will look at jeffers. I took her for a walk(on lead) and she b-lined for the sheep. They showed a little interest but then got a bit scared of her. She is not intimidated by them. She doesn't really like jesse but jess is being her shadow following us everywhere. Crawling if she gets close. I think Tilly is gettin used to her quickly. Jess even offered her one of her favorite stuffed toys. Tilly was not amused.
I will see if I settle into goat herder before looking into getting her a buddy. how true is it that they are hard to keep in? I have 17 acres with a few loose spots in the fence (its always a work in progress) sheep dont get out but lgd can. Do I need to worry about keeping her home after she realizes this is home?

 

[elevan]

Some goats will happily stay inside the fence even if there is a gaping hole while others will find the smallest space and escape constantly. Time will tell which type of goat your new friend is.

 

[taylorm17]

I reall only know about the copper thing. Goats need a lot more copper than sheep do if sheep CAN have any at all idk, but anyway I think wormer for sheep is good fro goats and she looked hind of like a pygmy maybe. Congratulations she is very cute!

 

[bcnewe2]

An update on Tilly the goat!
Tilly stayed in the barn for a week. I kept her tied on a long line so I wasn't worried that she was going to get out. During that time Jesse the LGD fell completely in love with her. She on the other hand did not love Jess. So poor Jess spent the whole week in the barnyard (her choice) with her new goat. She'd crawl, belly up and cry to Tilly to like her.
After a week we set her out with the sheep. She quickly went right to them. They were afraid of her. But all have gotten used to each other. She rules the roost!
A few weeks later we got our big ram back! First Tilly wouldn't let him touch her sheep. She would scream at him and try to butt him away.
After a few weeks of this she has fallen in love with the ram. She stays by him and talks to him all the time. If he tries to get amorous with his ewes she gets upset. It hasn't deterred him from getting his job done but if you see the ram, you see Tilly!
I love having her. I don't think she needs a goat friend, I always see her right in with the sheep and laying next to the ram. Then there's Jesse the LGD who hardly lets the goat out of her sight. Tilly has finally decided Jesse is OK so they lay close.
We are enjoying watching her and never knew all the sounds that can come out of a goat!
Tilly is quite the character! And a great introduction to the world of goats!

 

[goats&moregoats]

Tilly looks like a Dwarf Nigerian, she could be that crossed with a pygmy. She doesn't need a goat buddy as long as she is happy with the sheep and it sounds like she is more than happy. She does need the copper, your sheep do not, so you have to find away to get it to her. The pill form talked about above seems like a good idea. I don't know if your sheep need hoof trimming, but Tilly will. Every 6 weeks or so. Each goat is different on that and it also depends on the terrain of your pasture. Enjoy!!

 

[bcnewe2]

Thanks for the info! Tilly is now a goat/sheep. I will start offering her minerals with copper but I have to figure out how to only offer it to her. Her hooves will be trimmed when I trim the sheep hooves. She makes the funniest noises we've heard! She is always talking to something. Again thanks for the words of wisdom.

 

[jodief100]

The care of sheep is just about identical to that of goats, except the copper which has been discussed. I would get the copper bolus's from Jeffer's and give her one 2-3 times a year. She is a dark colored goat so it will help. If the black is starting to get a little red, she needs copper.

 

[bcnewe2]

She is a dark colored goat so it will help. If the black is starting to get a little red, she needs copper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interesting. Thanks!