Raising Goats For Dummies. Cheryl K. Smith

out and roaming. I made sure to purchase her from breeders who had both parents on their property, and they were proven to be good guardians.

      If you have a large herd or a large area where your goats browse, one guardian may not be enough to protect them. Guardian dogs often act in teams to protect against packs of predators. Make sure before you get your dog that it’s from a stock bred to be guardians for sheep or goats.

      LGDs live to be only 7 to 9 years old because of their large size. Plan to add new dogs periodically as your protectors age.

      

Don’t buy a herding breed such as Australian shepherd or border collie to guard your goats; they aren’t qualified. Their job is to herd, and you may have a problem with them chasing goats. That isn’t to say that some haven’t been successful, just that they are unlikely to do a good job guarding and protecting goats.

      Donkeys

      Donkeys have been used for hundreds of years to guard sheep and other herd animals. They’re very intelligent and have good hearing and eyesight. They work better alone and don’t like dogs, so they can’t work as a team with an LGD. Donkeys’ dislike of dogs also makes them effective against coyotes (which aren’t dogs, but look like them). Miniature donkeys are also not good candidates, because they’re small enough to need protection of predators themselves.

      Because donkeys are naturally herd animals, if they’re bonded to the goats they can be counted on to stay with them most of the time. Ideally, you get a guardian donkey at birth or as soon as it’s weaned to make sure it bonds with the goats. Because they eat the same food as the goats, donkeys also will want to stay with the herd after they realize that’s where the food is.

When a guardian donkey becomes aware of a predator, she situates herself between the intruder and the herd and brays loudly. If the animal doesn’t leave, she chases it, and if that doesn’t work, she attacks by rearing up on her hind legs and coming down on the predator with her front feet.

      

Intact jacks (male donkeys) are too aggressive to be effective guardian animals, and so you need to get a gelded (neutered) jack or a jenny (female) if you want to use a donkey as a guardian. You’ll also be better off finding one that has been bred as a guardian. Donkeys not raised with goats or other livestock may be aggressive toward your goats, especially at feeding time. If you get one that wasn’t previously bonded to goats, be sure to introduce her slowly and supervise them closely for several weeks. When you purchase a guardian donkey ask for an agreement to exchange the animal if it doesn’t work out.

      Llamas and alpacas

      Llamas and alpacas are good guardian animals because they bond quickly to goats and also eat the same feed. Castrated males make the best goat guardians. Males can injure goats by trying to mount them and can be too aggressive toward humans as well. I had a female llama that I tried to use as a guardian, but she never really understood the job. She loved to chase goats for sport. She had been handled by humans for too long and didn’t get an early start on the job.

      

Because they’re smaller, alpacas are not the ideal guardians, especially if large predators are in the area. A neighbor of mine had a series of alpacas killed by a local cougar.

      I also disliked the llama trait that people are so pleased with: always using the same spot to relieve themselves. Unfortunately, the spot my llama chose was right in the middle of the barn. Rather than go out in the pasture, if she felt the urge she came into the barn and let loose.

      Unlike dogs, llamas work better as guardians when they’re alone instead of in a pack. A llama and guard dog combination can be trained to work cooperatively, though.

      Llamas need strong fences to help them do the job. If a guardian llama can’t scare off a dog or coyote with his aggressive attitude, the predator may kill him.

      Removing poisonous plants

Goats ignore poisonous plants most of the time, but because of their need to browse, they may try them just for variety. Whether goats that eat a poisonous plant show signs of poisoning depends on how much of the plant they eat, what part of it they eat, the condition of the plant (fresh or dried), the time of year, and the size and health of the goat. They may have no signs of poisoning, or they may get very sick and even die. Chapter 11 tells you how to identify signs of poisoning and what to do for a poisoned goat.

      Some of the common poisonous plants that might grow in your pasture or backyard include:

       WeedsBracken fernButtercupCommon milkweedFoxgloveLantanaLocoweedPoke weedSpurgeSt. John’s WortWater hemlock and poison hemlock

       TreesCyanide-producing trees such as cherry, chokecherry, elderberry, and plum (especially the wilted leaves from these trees)Ponderosa pineYew

       Cultivated plantsAzaleaKaleLily of the valleyOleanderPoppyPotatoRhododendronRhubarb

Many landscaping plants are poisonous, and a few are so deadly that even a few leaves can make your goat extremely sick. Don’t believe the old wives’ tale that goats always know what is poison or not. Before you bring your goats home, check your yard for these plants. The best resource for doing so is A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America (Teton New Media), by Anthony P. Knight and Richard Walter. You can find many chapters of it online at the International Veterinary Information Service (www.ivis.org). I can provide only limited information here, and so I recommend you check out the website and the book to make sure you’re familiar with the poisonous plants in your area.

      If your goats can get their heads through a fence to the neighbor’s yard, make sure that poisonous plants aren’t growing within reach there.

      If you find any of these plants, either remove them or make sure that your fencing will keep your goats away. If the poison plant is a tree, make sure that the leaves won’t fall into the pen in the autumn by either removing the tree or situating the pen far from the tree. Dried leaves can be the most deadly part of the tree.

      You usually don’t need to freak out if one of your goats eats a little taste of any of these plants or trees, but you do need to keep an eye on him in case he shows signs of sickness. (See Chapter 11 for more about poisons.) I had a rhododendron plant in my front yard for years, and when I let the goats out they sometimes took a little taste. I found it nerve-wracking and finally removed the plant, but none of my goats ever showed signs of poisoning.

      

I recommend that you talk to your neighbors about poisonous plants and ask them not to throw their garden trimmings into the yard as a treat for your goats without asking first. I lost a goat kid to oxalate poisoning from kale that a friendly neighbor had given my goats.

Building a Milk Stand

      One essential item for goat owners is a milk stand, sometimes referred to as a stanchion. This device enables you to secure your goat not only for milking, but also for doing all the routine care and important tasks that I tell you about in Chapter 10.

      You can purchase a metal milk stand at a livestock supply store or make a wood milk stand yourself, if you have the skills and equipment.