Don...CL scares the be-Jesus out of me as well. When we had those wethers 5-yrs ago, we didn't have any fence up...so they stayed in a stall in the barn. After I got rid of them (wish I had culled them knowing what I know know)...we remodeled the barn to make it more "goat friendly." The area where the wethers were in is now where I have tools and such. No goats go there except if we lead them through the barn to the side door. We spend a lot of time with our goats. They get all their vaccinations and wormed along with trace minerals etc, etc. We are constantly looking for any abnormalities and promptly call the vet or other goat friends for advise if we think one of them is acting peculiar. 5-years after our little episode so far...so good. I really think we are out of the woods. Whenever we introduce new goats to our place...we quarantien?? (I can't spell) them for 3 - 4 weeks watching them closely. We make sure they get all the shots (CDT, BoSe, etc, etc) before we move them into the herd. I still can't get over -26 F where you live...LOL. Brian

Congratulations on choosing such a wonderful animal! Are you getting kids or adults? We don't have milkers here but your questions certainly apply. Nubians I believe are a dual-purpose goat. First be sure to destroy any poisonous plants. A good reference can be found here: http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/top_goat.html Maryland Ag has a good listing, too, I don't have the link handy though. Also be sure to acclimate them to the woods/browse slowly, particularly in the lush spring or if they have been fed strictly hay & grain. Couple hours a day & gradually increase the time. Your shelter can be just about anything, as long as it provides shelter from the wind, rain, snow, sleet, sun and hopefully predators. It could be something like a large dollhouse, or a plastic barrel cut open & made into a U shape held open & one side closed. Many have used cattle panels folded into a U shape & held in shape at the bottom with 2x4's, then covered with tarps or plastic(be careful assembling these as the re-coil can be dangerous). Old pallets, plywood, or a xtra large oversized dog house from free-cycle work great, too. If you can get the shelter up off the ground all the better. We've used patio blocks in wet areas. Tarps & plastic can and most likely will be chewed, so secure all loose ends, and make tarps & plastic steep enough & high enough so they don't jump on it and rip it. Being in Canada I would recommend a 4-sided shelter to prevent driving rain & snow, but some use only a 3-sided, I guess it depends on the size & your weather. Just remember a wet & cold goat is a sick goat. BrendaSue

Thanks Bonnie. First of all, I don't know what kind of goat it is. Like I said, my daughter bought it at an auction. It all happened so fast....I was protesting as she was bidding! As I am remembering, her mother wasn't much bigger than my labrador retreiver. We think she came from the Amish as we have a settlement in the area. We have had an eventful morning here as it began raining at dawn. My husband made a makeshift house for her last night out of some lumber and bricks, but everytime I went to check on her, she had knocked it down. Anyway, we had offered her some horse grain the first day we got her and she took it, so this morning while it was raining so hard I took her into my tack room and offered a cupful of sweet feed. She picked out the corn and the oats. She was very glad to see me this morning, but after I got her inside she acted timid, finally allowing me to pet her. When I pick her up and hold her she is very good and is almost cuddly, so I think she has been fooled with some. I eventually put her on a long lead line and with coaxing she would follow me around the yard, so I'm getting her used to being on a line. Today my husband constructed a permenent shelter (big enough for 2 if need be) and expanded her enclosure. The pen is out in my horse pasture just inside the gate. While we were working on her pen I tied her to the hay rack and she quickly played "queen of the mountain"! The 4 horses soon came to check her out, which was pretty interesting. They are used to dogs so they aren't particularly aggressive. She ate some of the grass hay while all this was going on. When we finished our project I placed some fresh hay under her shelter, to eat if she wanted or hopefully as bedding as there is no bottom to the shelter. We will probably try to hold off, like you said and see if we can get her settled down before we go shopping for another one. I was in hopes that my schnauzer would take up with her, but he is pretty jealous natured and wanted to chase her if she ran.

Thanks, Yes they will be pets! Their names are Tanya, Tucker, & Toby! We brought them home today. I have done so much reading that I'm so overwhelmed and scared I might harm them! They are grazing on the grass and some leaves that are in their pen, and we have cleared out as much brush as we could. I'm learning to identify the harmful stuff, but I just hope I didn't miss anything! Should I let them browse till their hearts content or pen them in the barn and let them out only for short times till they are bigger! I was planning to give them sweet feed, the seller said 1 cup each a day, he said he fed them it all at once, but I was thinking 1/2 in the Am and 1/2 in the PM! And hay at free will, is that a good plan? I will send some pics soon! Thanks,Brenda PS How do you not worry yourself's when they are browsing in thick brush?