Author Topic: What time do your goats go to bed? (Read 12517 times)

Thrift Bee · « **on:** September 25, 2013, 09:57:11 pm »

We bring our doe and doeling into the shed at night, partly to keep them safe, but also because we are separating them during the night to wean the youngster from nightime feeds.

This may be a silly question but, Do goats sleep much? Do they do most of their sleeping at night?

What time of night do you put yours away? (if you put them away).

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2013, 10:53:27 pm »

I don't shut mine in their shed so they can come and go as they please. When it's warm I've seen them lying outside at 3am. I did hear that goats only sleep for two hours in 24 but I've never timed them.

It wouldn't suit me to be a goat - I like my sleep.

ballingall · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2013, 11:26:50 pm »

Goats are a bit like horses, they don't actually sleep a lot. But obviously they do need to rest and lie down.

Because we milk ours, we bring the females in before milking in the evening, and keep them in overnight, milk the next morning and put them back out. So generally its in by 7pm at the latest, and out again by 8 at the earliest. But ours are pampered and don't go out all year round as we like to rest the field for 6-8 weeks, and we keep them in when the weather is bad. They go out from April - October pretty regularly, and less frequently from October back to April.

Beth

verdifish · « **Reply #3 on:** October 01, 2013, 03:54:29 pm »

It all depends what time I can get in to read them a story and tuck them in, as they won't sleep a wink unless I have... Weg

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 02, 2013, 09:54:08 am »

our milker gets milked at 8am and 6pm so when she's been milked and put to bed, we bring the rest in then in the morning everyone else is let out, she gets milked again and then she goes out . Over the summer they were out til silly o'clock because we get only a few hours of darkness but the milker was still milked at 8am/6pm and then just let out to graze again. I love watching them snooze

Bumblebear · « **Reply #5 on:** October 04, 2013, 08:03:05 pm »

Ours are out all the time, they obviously have access to their cosy shed but after feeding/milking they carry on their own sweet way.

jaykay · « **Reply #6 on:** October 05, 2013, 10:28:02 pm »

I bring my goats in when it gets dark - well, they come in themselves, as I feed them in the byre, once I've shut the chooks, ducks and geese into their various houses. The ducks control the timing as they won't go to bed til it's dark.

If I forget to switch the byre light out and go back a bit later, the goats have finished eating and are all dossed down for the night. If I'm up very early, they are still in the same positions. Leave it a bit later, and they're up and munching again.