You could get some adults, and some young ones. I can't counsel on breeds, but I am sure someone here can.

Fencing is a big deal with goats, you know that. Keeping them in is as hard as keeping the neighbors dogs and horses out. My goat Delila used to lead my baby sheeps up a sheer cliff, and down the back road at the farm. I would be out there doing the rodeo thing.

You might want to think about getting a donkey to live with them. Nothing better than a donkey with cattle or sheep or goats. They hate coyotes and dogs, and don't tolerate anything messing around with their livestock.

You can sure lose your heart to a baby goat. Nothing sweeter or more cuddley.

Janie

I remember the fencing problems and we already have a Mini Jack lined up.
I will have the rest of the hotwire (additional to fencing) in next week, good lord willing
Janie, I'm sure I will lose my heart to anything we get.
Our fish are named and I think they are lovable too, lol
Maisy Mae and Tweed both have been trained to herd, not that they needed that much training.
Thanks Janie

a jolt from an electric fence on the inner thigh is just the thing on a sultry afternoon.

LOL, hopefully it will be more for the neighbors animals, lol and with any luck, the neighbors

Jolana, please consider getting two donkeys to run with your goats. Donkeys are very socialble creatures, and like to have at least one more of their kind to run with.
The people next to me run cattle on 100 acres, and they have one mammouth jenny running with them. She is constantly at the fence calling to mine (or me if she thinks she can coax a "cookie" out of me). They will "take care of" coyotes, dogs or other predators that happen to roam into their territory.

Carrie we are, just don't have any leads on the second.
Thanks tho, you sweet donkey lover, lol

I've never owned either but I'll bet a pair of each (donkeys and goats) would be a good place to start. I milked a goat at a friend's house back in CA. It was sweet as it could be(Nubian I think). My favorites are the wee ones tho. Dwarf Nubians? I don't remember. Anyhow, I do know that they will wipe out everything they can reach and get quite clever at escape and I've even seen them climb part way up a low tree to eat the leaves. I'd be nervous having goats around my posies!They are awfully cute at any rate.PJ

Got one. Donkey I mean. His name is Joe Joe, he's my Mom's and she named him. Let me know if your interested. He's Freeee!
deb

OOOOH free and free manure. what a deal!
You lucky girl. LOL

Deb, I didn't know y'all had a donkey. I'll get with you on a deal. It's meant to be!
Well with the seeds I have for you, is that a trade, lol
Do you still leave work, early after noon?

Kathy, I said to DH, omg we'll be getting free poo from both the goats and donkeys. He just looked at me weird, dang city boy, lol

Jolana, you are so lucky & I'm so jealous !! When we go down to see the "kids" at Ft Hood there are many goat ranches on the way, in the spring with all their "kids" I just beg for DH to stop & get 1. We were supposed to move out to the country when all the boys left home. oh well. Wish I could be more help but I'll just be real happy for you instead. Goats, Donkeys & an endless supply of poo !!Bev

I have kept both goats and sheep (currently only have sheep). I stopped keeping goats because they were so hard on the fence and it's hard (not to mention expensive!) to find good fence people.

Keep in mind that goats prefer broad leaf weeds (and will pull up plants by the roots), while sheep prefer grass, so depending on what you are trying to keep 'mowed' one may be better than the other. As for breeds, if you aren't going to get into breeding them, find some Spanish-x wethers. They are very thrifty animals and aren't as prone to getting wormy, etc. Boers pull in better $$ at auction b/c they put on a lot more weight at a younger age, but in my experience, they cost more to maintain because of frequent worming. Wethers are just healthier overall because they aren't part of the breeding process.

And if you know someone who does fencing in Bastrop county, let me know because I need to put in some more cross-fencing! ;)

Kerri

My dh's cousin had a buck, (ram?) and regretted it. They just couldn't control him, and he did a lot of damage. They said if they ever got another goat, they'd get a nanny.

Roday had a book out years and years ago about raising small livestock, and I think I remember it having a chapter on goats. Maybe Amazon would still have it.

Sally

I am so jealous of everyone who has room for such FUN pets at goats and donkeys!!! They is a home in a rural part of keller that sells pygmy goats (sp?) ...I've ask my husband several times if i could have just one in the back yard...but can't get him to give in!! I can't wait until these kids get alittle older and out of school so I move to the country and have ALL the animals I want (Including a DONKEY!!!)

My donkeys do a pretty good job of keeping the grass down on the acreage they have, and they are "fairly" low maintenance. They give no problem with the fences or being destructive (well, except they ate the bark off of one of my trees once), but all in all, they are just very loving little critters that I enjoy a lot.

I'm jealous too!
I would love to live on a little acreage and have some goats, donkeys, chickens & maybe a cow.
Won't ever happen because George is determined to live on the lake. Acreage is getting as expensive as waterfront, so we can't afford both.

OOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhh goats..........get some and invite me over to play with them eh? My city boy DH holding strong with car damage stories, blah blah blah.
Had him all talked into a Donkey until lunch buddy gossip convinced him a donkey will leap our fences in a single bound, stomp our dogs flat, cause car accidents and eat the neighbors tires off their car. I'll just lay low for a bit than slip him a baby donkey names book with an attorney business card and mention how Jolana gets to have goats AND a donkey, hehe

Goat shopping! Now that should hold you over til spring really hits.

Jolana, Mom said it's a cross between a donkey and mule....must be a Jackass. She had 22 sheep and JJ a year ago. Now there is only JJ and 1 Ram. She's got several acres so it was too hard for JJ to take care of the sheep. She has no way to transport JJ so..... sorry to get your hopes up.
deb

That's okay Deb, eventhough I don't quite understand, lol

If memory serves, jackass is the *male* in Donkey World and.....LOL

I'm going shopping with Mom today and will talk to her some more about this.

I thought mules, which are a cross between a donkey and a horse, were sterile. Am I wrong?

Sally

You are VERY correct, Sally.

Yes mules are sterile
Deb, I have some possibly lined up so don't worry about it.
I appreciate the offer tho
jolana

Awhile back, the SPCA of Texas had some donkeys/burros they were adopting out. Not sure what rescue group is near you, but I do know the SPCA has facilities for livestock that need a new home. And, I think their adoption fees were very reasonable for donkeys. Not sure if they had any goats, but you never know when it comes time to rescue animals from mistreatment at farms, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: SPCA of Texas

Thank you, rescue groups are where I have been looking first. There are some fosters in or around Dripping Springs that I have gotten in touch with. I will for sure check out the SPCA
Thanks again
jolana

Good call Denisew!PJ

I saw part of a show on Animal Planet that focused on a group that caught wild donkeys, tamed them, and adopted them out. They did this because the wild donkeys were starving from over-population and decreasing range, or something like that. Anyway, this group was way out west, but I forgot which state - Montana or Wyoming, or somewhere like that. It was a fun show to watch. Donkeys are soooo cute. So are goats.

Sally

Well, The SPCA still doesn't have donkeys, goats or sheep.
The rescue groups I have been in contact with have some that aren't ready to go yet.
I guess it will give me time to get even more prepared.
Thanks for all of the advice.
I'm sure I will post pics when we get our new pets
jolana

Three of my donkeys are from Black Beauty Ranch. They were rescued by Cleveland Amory's group from the Mojave desert, where they were being shot. I have been able to completely tame only one of them, and he is a very loving donkey. The two females are still skittish even after 5 years, but they will take treats from your hands. I believe the Ranch does not adopt out any more, Jolana, but they may know of someone who does.

We used to have two full size nubian goats on about an acre. We also got them as 'lawnmowers' but two goats were not enough by the way. Ours were nuetered males which I would recommend. Very friendly and fun. Our husky grew up with them and they all played well together. Make sure you have a high fence or an electric fence. We opted for electric. Worked great! Another thing to consider is having them dehorned. Our fence had six inch gaps between the wires. If they had had horns, they might've gotten stuck. Also, if you have trees, they will will strip the bark right off of them. But enjoy them, they are really fun.

I have 3 donkeys. I bought them to keep the coyotes away and it saves me tons of money not having to mow that pasture. We had dairy goats till late last summer.
Mine love treats like carrots. As it turns out Maggie had a baby last summer.

Did you know donkey's are very often abused?

what kind of person could abuse such a cute animal? or really any animal ? I save on TV last night that locally there have a ton of horses and a few (maybe one) donkey that were recently taken by SPCS for mistreatment and starving. They have been asking for hay donations - they already had quite a few and I believe they took in 4-6 more just yesterday. So sad