The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: sokel on August 31, 2014, 07:58:12 pm
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At the moment we are just at the considering stage and if we do go ahead we need to alter housing to house 2 Billys
We have had 2 Boer Billys here at the same time and it did get a bit hair raising at times but it wasn't by any means a majour problem.
Are we mad for considering it or do others with 2 Billys cope ?
If we decide to go ahead with it Does anyone know of or have a CAE tested GG Billy for sale
Must be well handled and be disbudded
We are in Northumberland but willing to travel for right boy
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Try John Hankinson Northern Stock officer for GGS - details on their website
I know of a 1 yr old CAE accredited billy but is horned so no good for you.
Don't know about others but we currently have 4 horned billies running together up our garden with no problems. They run free range with our pony and 2 kids (1 and 6).
I don't really understand peoples concerns about billies - but saying that ours are not near the girls at the moment.
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Been trying to get hold of John but not managed yet.
Cant do horns here. Hobnob had them and he nearly broke my wrist with them totally my fault.
William and Hobnob hated each other or should I say Hobnob hated William and after an accidental meeting between then William decided he was going to have no more nonsense from hobnob :o
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None for sale this year, but could leave you a kid entire next spring. Haven't heard from anyone recently (am stock person for Scotland) either. You could also try Anne Dickinson (Muircock) in Cumbria or Pauline Tilbury (Zingiber) in Dumfriesshire. I have contact details if you need them.
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Yes please Anke . Both myself and Trish are for it , the others are not too keen on the Idea of a second Billy but we usually get our own way anyway ::)
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We've kept two (or even three boys together) several times. That said, generally we introduce a male kid in the spring to the adult we currently have. Generally they are fine- obviously breeding season is the worse time. ::)
I actually really liked it this year, because we had an adult, two Bucklings, a male kid and a castrated male kid, and it felt like a little herd of boys! They really enjoyed going off grazing in the evenings with so many of them. They are penned individually, but all go out in the field together from May.
Beth
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Last year William made a very close bond with Alfie one of the billy kids that chose to live with him by keep jumping in to Williams pen. In the end they shared for 6 weeks until Alfie went to his new home in September
We are hoping that if we do go ahead and get a GG male ,William and the new male can share a 12 ft x 12 ft stable split into 2 strong secure pens away from the girls
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we have 2 billies, a 2yr old and a 3 yr old.
there are no problem and live together for most of the year, either in a large stable or in a field. they do lock horns but it always seems in jest than real aggression. they are just about to be separated and put with their own nannies for the winter. they have smelt the nannies over the fence and this hasnt brought on any aggression except high spirits. they have been all together with the nannies before and that wasnt any problem either. never any injuries.
they share with a little wether and are fine with him too.
mine are bagots so quite shy with humans so they wouldnt consider being rough with me, and arent really rough with each other.
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Look on UK Goats for Sale UK website
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Thanks, we have located a few possible kids/goatling billys quite close to us so we will go and have a look at them
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Well after visiting a Herd of GGs today we have decided to buy an early 2014 Billy kid. We did have the choice of 3 Billys, the oldest was too close to our girls, the Goatling although friendly he wasn't quite what we where looking for looks wise , the Kid is lovely and we also felt William would be happier with a kid moving in next to him rather than another adult :-\
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:thumbsup:
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Definitely easier to introduce a kid at this stage rather than fully grown.
I used my kid last year when he was only 5 months - everyone covered first time and sired 6 girls and only one boy! But he did need a bit of guidance, and a strategically placed step to allow for a bit of height difference... ;D
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William was the same his first year. He covered everyone first time round and he had to use a step