[benners66]

Hi,

We've just got out new young pygmys (2 wethers, Hank & Ronnie) last night  , and I wanted to ask if anyone can recommend the best approach to settling them in.
We are completely new to keeping them, and want to give them the best start we can.

Should we keep them in their house for a few days to get used to the surroundings, or let them have free run of their garden straight away?

Seems simple, but I don't want to freak them out sitting in with them for a few hours each evening, rather than giving them time and space...

Thank you in advance for any advise people can give on this.
Ben

[mojocafa]

hi benners

how old are they?
I would spent as much time as poss to get them as tame as poss,
Hand feed them a few treats, my pygmys love dried banana,
if they are young, however, dont encourage them to jump up so their two front legs are on you, this is quite cute when they are small however in 18months time it is not so pleasureable.
Is your garden free of poisonous plants?
Good luck and enjoy, you will get so much pleasure from them
Mojo

[jaykay]

I'd keep them in the house for a few days.

And I'd go in there and sit with them. Not fussing them or approaching them. Sit in a corner and don't necessarily even watch them. Let them come to you and have some treats (raisins or sultanas work for me  ) when they do. Let them come and go round you as they please.

Start your stroking on a non-threatening bit of them, like their hip and scritch the root of their tails, before you move anywhere near their heads.

I bet they'll be climbing all over you in no time 

[benners66]

Hi, cheers for the advice. They are 12 weeks, so still small and shy (but cute as anything!!!)
I will spend all the time I can out there with them & take it nice and slow and try a few treats..

We have had a good look round the garden, and the only thing they can get to apart from grass is Leylandii & Ivy growing on these. I'm hoping no one comes back and says Leylandii is poisonous, otherwise I'll be lopping the bottom 5ft off the trees.

I'll try and upload some pics asap

Ben

[jaykay]

Umm - most evergreens are bad news - some sources say including Leyandii.

Consumption
Consumption of any part of the plant is dangerous. Cases of human ingestion of parts of the tree are rare. This poses a greater threat to animals, specifically horses and dogs, who have a tendency to try to eat the leaves. If an animals eats any part of the Leyland cypress, it should be immediately taken to the veterinarian. Symptoms include diarrhea, loss of appetite and weakness.

The Leyland cypress is a beautiful, hardy evergreen well suited for use in hedging. It should not, however, be placed in abundance around grazing animals. Beyond its toxicity to animals, the Leyland cypress.....

Either clear the branches at the bottom, as you suggest, or fence them off?

[Anke]

You want to make sure they come to you (and your treat) before you let them outside. It will make it so much easier to get them where you want them in future. So I would leave them inside and do as JayKay says.... unless they have not had much contact with humans at all they will be all over you within a couple of days...
I would also train them to walk on the lead. My (dairy goat) kids don't wear a collar when in their pens and outside only when I am there and when they are on their lead. Once they are about a year old and too big to get their head through the fence they keep their collars on all the time.
I would fence off the Lleylandii, not sure if they would start eating the bark once you have taken off the branches. Although Lleylandii is not as bad as Rhododendron...

[benners66]

Thank you so much for that information. Glad that mojocafa asked about the plants.

Does anyone else have any thoughts about the bark of the trees being poisonous?  I can clear the greenery to out of reach height no problems but fencing it off will be a big area lost to them, and it's a ideal big sheltered playground for them!!

I know what my evenings will be for the next few days. Sitting patiently in the straw with a hand full of treats.... Love it.....!!!

[jaykay]

They will strip the bark which will kill the trees - I have an ex-Mountain Ash as a result of the goats' attentions!

And yes, I think it could also be poisonous.

Can you make tree guards round the actual trees, if you don't want to fence off the area? Four wooden posts, with cross bars that they can't get their heads between or 2" weldmesh - have to be strong cos the goats will climb their front feet on them. But if far enough from the trunks it should stop them eating the bark, better for the trees and the goats.

[Anke]

Most tree branches (and leaves) will be great for them, and the bark is full of vitamins/minerals etc - they are very good at stripping it off. (Hazel, willow, ash, for example)
I would try to get something round the trunks of the trees as JK says.

[Lesley Silvester]

When my goats had access to a garden with a leylandii hedge down one side, they ignored it, preferring to eat the weeds and plants but there was plenty for them to eat.  I don't know how they would be with less available. 

I had a magnolia tree in my garden right in the middle of the goat yard when we moved here.  I remember thinking it would give a lovely amount of shade on hot days and carefully fenced the trunk.  Not carefully enough though.  The tree is still there but  minus its bark and very, very dead.

[benners66]

Do you think chopping all the branches back flush with the trunk, and a 4ft high chicken wire 'wrap' round each one (zip tied the whole height) would be strong enough? as they're only tiddly at the moment, so should learn they can't eat it.

So glad I found you all on here. Such a world of experience & knowledge!!  Thank you!

[jaykay]

Try it, I'd say. Hopefully as you say, they may not suss that there is food behind it 

[mojocafa]

How are they settling in? Where are you based?
Hope its all going well

[benners66]

Morning,
We're in Southampton. We've had a fab weekend with them. Spent loads of time just sat with them, and letting them come to us. Seems to be working.
Had them on a couple of lead walks around the garden & then last night we let them out for a bit whilst cleaning them out, and sorting dinner, and they followed us everywhere, and as soon as dinner was in the bucket they were straight in!
Thank you all for the help.

Oh, and going with the advice above, I spent hours cutting off all the lower branches from the tree, and it's up to between 5 & 6 ft for the full length. All thats left is to wrap them with chicken wire and clear up the shrapnel!!
 

[plumseverywhere]

Enjoy    Goats are just so much fun and wonderfully intelligent animals to be around. Cheeky and naughty too - they keep you on your toes...but I can't imagine life without mine now