The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: goosepimple on November 03, 2012, 07:45:34 pm
-
My girlies have nice country padded dog coats with velcro at the front breast area and a strap which goes on the underside, nice and cosy. I only put them on when I'm expecting it to be really cold / frost / snow. They make a bit of fuss getting them on but if it's done whilst eating they're fine about it.
What do you do?
-
Chuck another bale of straw in :innocent:
-
same as Bumblebear :)
All 4 of mine had sheds to go into if they choose/need to but they adore the snow! Its funny because Reggie will stand out waiting for snow and then stick his tongue out to catch flakes. I was really worried 2 years ago that he loved the snow so much but when I spoke to Fay Ogden (Togg breeder) she said its quite common and all of hers love it too. I think coats are good for certain breeds though or poorly goats - oh and our winters here won't be half as cold or harsh as yours probably are.
-
Same as BB and I let them grow their own coats which they can't do if they have a coat on
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/th_hawfrostmulesdec10172.jpg)
-
Billy and Toby now have their winter coats, either that or they are both pregnant as they've got huge! Ive never given a thought to putting coats on them to be honest, so Ill be interested in hearing what others say. The boys managed last year without them though so I think they will be okay. I only worry about them at night, although they do have loads of hay in their house.
-
Same as Goosepimple but they only have their coats on at night so they still grow their winter coats.
-
We don't do coats either - just their natural shaggy growth grow. The way my pygmy's nibble things I don't think a coat would last long.
I do make sure they have plenty of bedding to snuggle into though - which they add to with the hay they waste.
-
Oh, looks like Mad and me are a bit sappy then.....I put their coats on last night and it's very frosty this morning, coldest yet I think, white everywhere. Our pygmies don't seem to nibble them. They are getting their winter coats in too but a couple of ours are getting on a bit so I think it's ok to give them the extra blanket at night.
Lovely photo Jinglejoys - looks like a Christmas card, I tried to get it bigger but I can't, it looks lovely.
-
ours all have waterproof winter coats but we only put them on when we get a really cold or wet day. How often they will have them on this winter will depend on what kind of weather we get I suppose. :fc:
-
No GP, I don't think your sappy - when my girlies get older I can quite see me making fleeces for them, individually hand crafted while I'm going about in tat :innocent:
-
Ellie used to have a padded dog coat, cos she shivered badly during the -18C winter three years ago. She has quite a short, sleek coat for an Old English. Rowan's coat is so thick you can bury your whole hand in it ;D
However, since I've insulated the goat byre roof she hasn't seemed to need it and hasn't worn it for the past two years, despite last winter being another -18C one.
-
Ours don't wear goats unless they are sick, or they've had a bath. But they don't get baths in winter anyway. If we had hard enough ground here that I was able to put them out in winter, I might give them coats to wear outside. Even two years ago in the -18 no one was in coats.
Beth
-
Mine were outside in that, with no coats. But I thought they could move about to keep warm. It was when they were sleeping I was worried about. Hence the Kingspan in the roof which seems to have done the trick.
-
The wife asked me if we needed to get our lads some coats just this morning, but they seem to have grown their own winter coat.
Richard
-
One of mine actually changes colour every winter! She goes from being bright white to black and white - its quite surprising how different their 'winter' coats are. Not only fluffier but much denser. The Toggs are very densely coated now
-
We have several padded outdoor rugs that are made to the same design as horse rugs and have removeable neck pieces, we bought them off someone that sells horse rugs . They are actualy made for sheep that have been sheared.
we only use them is any are off colour though
-
Ours don't wear goats unless they are sick, or they've had a bath. But they don't get baths in winter anyway. If we had hard enough ground here that I was able to put them out in winter, I might give them coats to wear outside. Even two years ago in the -18 no one was in coats.
Beth
I'm glad to hear your goats don't wear goats. :roflanim:
I should add that my goats are not shut in at night as they seem to prefer having their door left open.
-
:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Well spotted!
-
Should anybody need rugs for their goats....................
I make waterproof, quilt lined rugs specially designed for goats. These dont slip as many do and can be worn all the time. There is always a steady demand for my rugs for a huge variety of breeds but particularly Anglo Nubians. Think some strains have thinner coats than others.
-
Maybe it depends on the breed - but I've never seen a goat with a coat on... As long as they can get out of rain and wind, they'll be better off without, I think! OK if they are sick, of course.
That's why every larger goat keeper I've met (more than hobby, I'm talking about) lets the muck build up over the winter: it keeps them warm overnight in their shed. Just add enough straw to always keep it dry - but then they are quite dry anyway, unlike cattle.
-
the only time goat coats are used on my parents goats is when they are at shows mainly to keep them clean ready for the ring other than that the only other times they would consider using one is if they have a sick or elderly goat that needs extra warmth.so long as a goat has shelter & bedding that gives them protection from the eliments. i dont know any breeders that over winter goats in coats. in real terms on a cold day if we want to get warmed up we usually head for either the goat shed or the pig sheds the body warmth from the animals soon warms us up :innocent
-
I was wondering about this last week when I was rugging up my Section A! lol They don't seem to mind too much the cold weather though, and they do have a shelter in the paddock if it's really bad - we bring them in at night, with Dusty.
Helen
-
Our 2 older girls are short haired but the younger is long and brissley - I think of goats as being mini horse-like, some like Shetlands, a bit hardier than others, but if you would think of putting a coat on a horse then a goat would be the same. I think if you can give anything a help in freezing weather then it's worth it, I hate hate the cold.
-
Seems to me its become the in thing to rug everything in site they'll have kids puttinbg pink fluffy rugs on their hampsters next!Some people have just too much money to waste
-
I made a outdoor coat for one of mine, thickish (but not warm) water-shedding material, more to protect her back from the rain than the cold, must get on and make another soon, then maybe 2 more for the yearlings. Their pens have the back half boarded over, with hay above, so there is like a den under there, so they seem OK at nights
-
Keep your hair on jinglejoys. Maybe it's a way of recycling fleeces from the sheep - just throw them on the goats! Will give them something to chat about in the shed anyway. :D
-
I made my rugs from an old quilted bedspread inside an old single duvet cover. Cheap to make and several layers means extra warmth.
-
I have an older lady friend who made a draft curtain for her front door from a recycled old wool blanket as the filling inside the curtain material, works really well, similar to your goat coats Mad.
-
Amazing what you can make with old stuff if you think about it.
-
Our Togs grow their own coats. But we do bring them in at night when it is below freezing, and pile their bedrooms with straw when it is cold.
They do always look very interested in anyone wearing fleeces, though, and in particular like to sample any toggles or zips incorporated into the design!
-
Mine eat each others collars, chew on skirts if I'm daft enough to wear one and just like yours Polished Arrow are obsessed with toggles. I used to have a mobile phone charm on my old phone but Reggie snuck the thing out of my pocket and ran round the field carrying the phone by the charm's toggle bit. I think any goats coats would be eaten quick smart here!
-
Mine like each others collars, tee-shirts, toggles and zippers but they don't eat each others' coats (just the fasteners).