The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: melodrama on June 22, 2011, 10:35:58 pm
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We are thinking of starting to keep goat and are busy doing as much research as we can. Do any of you lovely goat keepers stay in Scotland in the Dundee area. If so, I'd love to get in touch and pick your brains and maybe come and see your goats to help pick the right breed for us. Many thanks.
Melanie x :love:
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You have a font of knowledge on your doorstep. Gordon Webster and Gordon Smith (the Guilden herd) in Dundee. There seems to be a problem with their web page atm but you can get their contact details here
http://www.vanhkish.f9.co.uk/highlandgoatclub/hgc1.htm (http://www.vanhkish.f9.co.uk/highlandgoatclub/hgc1.htm)
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My 12 goats are in Leuchars, just over the Tay Bridge. If I can help please just ask.
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The Scottish Goatkeepers Federation hold an autumn show in Forfar mart, sometime the end of August. You would be able to see and compare quite a few breeds. There is no general public, but you could contact G Webster or G Smith and they would be able to tell you the date, quite often people come to look at prospective purchases at a show...
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Thanks for all your help. Skirza, thanks for their details - I found them today on the internet and will give them a phone. Just as an aside - we have 1/3acre - is this enough space for 2 goats? we also have additional barn space for shelter/sleeping etc.
Melanie x
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James, just a quick question. we have been offered a piece of land beside our house but it is separated from our by what is currently a building site but will soon become a house. We would have right of passage through another field to bring the goats between our house/barn/garden and this further area for the goats to play etc. How does this tie in with the movement licences. Would we not be allowed to do that as it would constitute movement in terms of the legislation???? I'm going to call our local animal health guy on Monday because unfortunately he had left early today. Any advice.
Melanie x
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James, just a quick question. we have been offered a piece of land beside our house but it is separated from our by what is currently a building site but will soon become a house. We would have right of passage through another field to bring the goats between our house/barn/garden and this further area for the goats to play etc. How does this tie in with the movement licences. Would we not be allowed to do that as it would constitute movement in terms of the legislation???? I'm going to call our local animal health guy on Monday because unfortunately he had left early today. Any advice.
Melanie x
Hi Melanie
To be honest I don't know the answer. Part of me thinks you would need a movement licence but part of me thinks you wouldn't. Obviously it would be a nightmare if you had to do this and not practical. I am sure there will be others on here that will know for certain but contacting the animal health person will give you a precise yes or no. I really don't think I would get upset as there is not a huge distance between the field and your home.
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Re the movement licence..
To my knowledge you only need a movement licence if you are moving the goats off your holding..
if you own the field it will still be on your holding..
we had cattle, now james goats, we have one field to the front of our place then had to walk them down a public road, thru someone elses farmyard(right of access) to our other 2 fields. No movement licence..
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Probably no movement licence, but make sure your fences are goat-escape-proof, so that they do not escape onto building site/someone elses house. they could eat all sorts on building site!
It would probably also be advisable that they have a shelter in that feild, so that they can escape from a shower/rain.
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Thanks everyone. We are definitely going to put in a shelter as well as some other toys so they don't get bored. We are hoping to rent the land not buy (not sure if this would make a difference but the guy who is renting to us is going to make access to the side of the building site that would end directly across a private road from our barn (which is owned jointly by 3 or 4 of us. I'm hoping it will be classed as same holding or its not really a viable option to move them. I'll call animal health on Monday - thanks again.
Melanie x