New pack animal pic and a question....

Joe · 04-09-2008, 01:33 PM

Here he is at 24 hours. One of a set of triplets, he doesn't look like much at 8 pounds but he will grow like a weed!

My question for anybody who uses goats for packing.......

Do I have to take him away from momma and bottle feed to make him a good pack goat? I'm thinking time is of the essence here? I should have had that figured out I know but they surprised me by a week. More are dropping as I type and one looks to be a BIG buck so he will probably have a partner or two.

KingSlew · 04-09-2008, 01:44 PM

Santiam will prolly come on with info, but yes, they need to imprint on a human. Must be hand raised. Time is of the essence.

oregoncritters12 · 04-09-2008, 03:31 PM

I disagree Joe, I got my goats from Wil up the river from you.. I got one that was four and one that was two. I know they treat their animals incredibly well. I got them one day, put packs on them the next and we took a couple trial runs in the local woods and then it was off to the wilderness..They worked awesome...

KingSlew · 04-09-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregoncritters12

I disagree Joe, I got my goats from Wil up the river from you.. I got one that was four and one that was two. I know they treat their animals incredibly well. I got them one day, put packs on them the next and we took a couple trial runs in the local woods and then it was off to the wilderness..They worked awesome...

Question. Did they follow you, wherever you went, on their own with no leads, or did you have to lead them? Also, were they by any chance hand raised by humans before you got them?

Joe · 04-09-2008, 03:47 PM

Jody, Wil bottle feeds all their kids. Since they raise dairy goats the does have way more milk than the kids need. With our Boers (meat goats) they just make enough to feed the kids and they do a great job so we have always let them raise them. I don't want to take the time to bottle feed so I'm hoping somebody will tell me that if I spend a lot of time with the goats they will be bonded enough to follow us. I called Wil earlier and he thought my plan might work but suggested I milk the doe AND bottle feed. That won't be happening but I could buy the powder and bottle feed if that is really the way to go...

dubl_t · 04-09-2008, 04:28 PM

cool looking kid, Joe. what brand are they? I don't have any goats nor am able to answer your ??, but I have found good info on the 'net in the past. I've always wanted a couple of pack goats.

Joe · 04-09-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubl_t

cool looking kid, Joe. what brand are they? I don't have any goats nor am able to answer your ??, but I have found good info on the 'net in the past. I've always wanted a couple of pack goats.

He is a Boer Goat. They are the most popular meat goats and one of the fastest growing animals around. From what I gather from the 'net Boer crosses (with dairy goats) have longer legs, jump better and make better pack animals but some people use fullbloods. We just have the fullbloods from the kids 4H projects so I figure I will give them a try. One thing about it they are really tasty if they don't work out.

Old Goat · 04-09-2008, 07:21 PM

I've not had pack goats, but I have had goats and sheep and the bottle feeders are much nicer to work with. When we had some bottle fed sheep, the bottle feeders were always easy to catch and the momma feeders were always hard to catch for maintenance, but momma would bring them in. I would NOT bottle feed a ram or buck. They get too friendly and can come up behind you and butt you when you are not ready for it. I would not have a buck or ram also due to the stink. Gotta fix them goats especially. Females are fine un-fixed. I recommend getting on the bottle ASAP with lamb milk replacer. Although I knew a lady that got milk from the Gleaners and gave that to kids.

Have fun!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe

He is a Boer Goat. They are the most popular meat goats and one of the fastest growing animals around. From what I gather from the 'net Boer crosses (with dairy goats) have longer legs, jump better and make better pack animals but some people use fullbloods. We just have the fullbloods from the kids 4H projects so I figure I will give them a try. One thing about it they are really tasty if they don't work out.

BlacktailBowhunter · 04-09-2008, 08:58 PM

Hey, it's Ugly Kid Joe.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. That is the name of a one hit wonder pop star.

Santiam338 · 04-09-2008, 09:38 PM

Hey Joe,

They really need to be imprinted..I bottled raised mine and pretty much raised them like a puppy....At 2 weeks old I was hiking them around,taking them fishing on the river,hauling them around in the truck and just general getting them experiance in the real world....At three weeks they could swim the creek keeping up with the trout fishing...

The next couple months are the most critical..Packgoats are RAISED,NOT TRAINED..They need to learn that you are the herd leader...After that you will be good to go..A non imprinted goat may or may not make a good packgoat,but when the going gets tough and you have a heavy load and a long ways to go ,a imprinted goat will not let you down...A goat that doesn't care if you are the herd leader may decide to quit...If you are going to raise them,give them their own little pen with a doghouse away from the other goats and give them some of your time...

Most boers are crossed with a dairy goat for packers...Gives them a bit more leg...Boers are kinda low to the ground...They are good and strong,but more leg is a lot of help...I use straight Alpines...

If it was me and I was serious about raising a couple packers,I would sneak a big Alpine buck in there and get me a good cross....

Its going to take a couple years to raise a baby to packer...Best to get them off to a good start and raise the right goat so you don't waste 2 years..

Good luck...

Joe · 04-10-2008, 06:28 AM

Thanks Santiam! I might just wait till next go around and either get a couple Alpine does or borrow a buck.

oregoncritters12 · 04-10-2008, 07:25 AM

Joe, I would listen to these other guys far more then me..I do know Wil bottle fed all of his goats at one time or another. Not sure how that would affect someone else using if they had created a bond with a different handler. I do know they are awesome to use. I plan on using them every year for BT. I will get a few more of them as well...

Santiam338 · 04-10-2008, 07:49 AM

Goats will transfer thier bond to a new owner,BUT,they have to have it to begin with...Can't transfer something they don't have...

Limbhanger · 04-10-2008, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe

Jody, Wil bottle feeds all their kids. Since they raise dairy goats the does have way more milk than the kids need. With our Boers (meat goats) they just make enough to feed the kids and they do a great job so we have always let them raise them. I don't want to take the time to bottle feed so I'm hoping somebody will tell me that if I spend a lot of time with the goats they will be bonded enough to follow us. I called Wil earlier and he thought my plan might work but suggested I milk the doe AND bottle feed. That won't be happening but I could buy the powder and bottle feed if that is really the way to go...

Oh come on Joe, milking a goat sounds like so much fun........LOL

I can testify to the bond Santiam's goats have. If he walks out of sight and the goats dont notice until he is gone they FREAK out. They start calling and running around frantic wondering where their leader went. You cant hold them back if he walks off. They HAVE to follow and be right there.

Joe · 04-10-2008, 11:28 AM

So after a little more thought I'm going to try and get a couple 2 or 3 year old Dairy does from the same people OC12 got his from to get started packing a little then breed them to our Boer buck who has a ton of muscle but short legs. I know that does are not quite as good as wethers for packing but that way I can get started and have a source for future kids.

One other question.....

If they are as bonded as Limbhanger says can you leave them at camp and hunt without them calling in every coyote in the hills? How do you guys deal with them?

Thanks a lot for the info everybody!

Joe · 04-10-2008, 11:30 AM

BTW - That pic of the goat crossing the river with all the gear on is really impressive! I know goats don't like water so he is obviously a great packer....

oregoncritters12 · 04-10-2008, 01:04 PM

Joe, when Limbhanger said that i was wondering that as well..My thought is you may not want them as imprinted as some are. One of my goats is the leader and the other is the follower..For example, i put a lead rope on one to start the trip and the other follows..I also made a little run for the one goat in camp so i could go hunt. Just tied the one to the run and the other never leaves his side..They may not have all the characteristics of a great packgoat..But they sure work good..Since hunting season has been over, i just turn them loose on our property and really don't see much of them except when i go up on a quad or horse...Just bring a little grain and they come running

Limbhanger · 04-10-2008, 01:27 PM

He has left them tied in the trailer on a couple of occasions and they do just fine. They bawl a little at first then settle down....... I shouldnt speak for him, but he's not here right now.

I do know they pack bear meat out of deep holes real good.

oregoncritters12 · 04-10-2008, 01:38 PM

If they pack meat they work...I like them far better then our horses...Those dang horses are intimidating to me...

Duckwheat · 04-10-2008, 03:19 PM

If things went bad and you needed to survive, you could have Cabrito. Just get a good bed of coals and a rotisserie.

They are a smart looking critter. How do you haul them? They would be a lot easier than hauling a horse around.

DW

oregoncritters12 · 04-10-2008, 03:29 PM

I put grain in the back of my truck and they jump in