[r+lchick]

Does anyone out there keep 2 goats in their back garden.  I have a large back garden which have chickens and vegetable plots but I would dearly love to have two goats.  If anyone can tell me of their experiences and the pitfalls, I would appreciate it.  I have put off having goats at the moment as I work and also have a small part time job, so getting home for evening milking would be difficult.  I have been toying with taking on 2 sheep for the table to suffice my want of growing my own meat.  Suggestions would be appreciated. P.S. the boyfriend lives next door with an equally big garden and I have established where I need to go for a walking licence for the goats.  Lets hope that can be extended to lambs.
Roslyn 

[Roxy]

I do have goats,  but they are not in the back garden .....but I know quite a few people who successfully keep their goats this way!!

The things that spring to mind that I would consider when doing this:

Although the garden may be large, with plenty to eat now, what happens when the goats have eaten it all, the garden gets muddy during the wet weather - what would you do then  (I would assume you would keep them in, and feed them hay etc?)

Is the garden fenced adequately for goats - they are very good escape artists, and your neighbours may not be happy when their prize plants are eaten!!

How would your neighbours feel about goats in a garden, would you need to reassure them about noise/smells etc.  (some people complain about anything and everything!)

If you go out to work, you would need to leave adequate hay etc. to keep the goats busy for the day if they were kept indoors.  If they have access to the garden, are there any plants which could be poisonous etc?

I think if you keep any livestock in a garden, you have to accept that you probably have to sacrifice plants for the animals!!

I have just got three goats out of a normal sized garden.  The garden was pebbled, so no grass, there was a 6ft solid fence all round, which the goats had chewed through boredom, they had no hay or grass, just goat mix and maybe a few veg peelings.  That situation, in my view was not ideal at all.  Goats are browsers, and need to have something to chew on throughout the day.

Keeping goats in a garden can be done, but you need to utilise what space you have carefully.  You either give them the full run of the garden, or keep them fenced in and bring whatever food, grass etc. to them.  I think I would probably do the second option myself.

In winter my goats can get through a large amount of hay, because basically thats all they have, once the grass has gone, and the leaves have fallen from the trees, so you do need to think about storage of hay and bedding, well away from where the goats can get to it.

[r+lchick]

Thanks for the information.  I have thought of walking them to a local common and/or communal park, which the DEFRA gentleman said I would be able to do.  I have worked out a route but I may still put it off until I can free up some time.  If anyone can give me dimensions in which they keep their town goats, I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Roslyn

[Roxy]

Meant to ask about the walking licence .....never heard of one of those?  Assume you need it to take your goats out walking!!  I let my goats out onto the farm track, but its still on our premises, so hopefully do not need a licence.

One thing about walking goats, they can be strong, and although mine will walk on a lead, they do stop and eat this and that, and pull across the lane, etc.  You need strong arms, until they get used to being on a rope.

[little blue]

As a 'back garden' goat keeper....... I pretty much agree with everything Roxy says.
You need a VERY secure area, and lots of ways to keep them interested through the day. They also make lots of noise when they want something, eg run out of food or water. Higher pitched than sheep bleating so think how annoying that might get!!
You need a CPH number more than a walking licence, that only applies if the animal leaves the registered property. I dont know whether you can register both your and your boyfriends property for the same animals, you'd need a walking licence and possibly movement forms everytime you change where they are.

Goats are incredibly strong, and very singleminded and stubborn.

We have a pen made from wooden pallets battened together, and a double row of stock fencing so it comes up higher than the pallets. They ALWAYS climb up for a nosey! So it has to be very strong! One end has a 'roof' for protection, strength, drying grass, and dangling food off to give them something to do!  We've recently put paving slabs and gravel down as it was so muddy inside, and the shed is always open so they have shelter and food inside and out.  As they browse rather than graze, they seem quite happy.

What breed were you thinking of? As they come in all sizes and tempererments!
Where will you milk them, as it needs to be somewhere clean and sheltered.
Our nanny has settled into her own milking routine, she wont give any really before lunchtime, then we leave her till its nearly dusk to space it out. I think she was last in line on the 300 strong dairy farm!

I will try and get a photo of our set-up and put it on... photobucket doesnt always work for me!

Lastly, there is always somebody around due to personal circumstances, so the goats and other animals get lots of attention and aren't left alone for long!

[Roxy]

Having seen how little blue keeps her goats - I have to say they both looked very happy (as did the pigs!) with their back garden set up.

[little blue]

Aww, thanks Roxy!!             Always nice to hear.
It works for us, mainly because theres always someone here. I wouldn't ever put anyone off keeping animals but you absolutely have to think it through, plan, read up, ask questions etc etc.
Ours are really quite spoilt - for attention, affection, personal grooming, handfeeding....

Keep in touch Roslyn, we'll help out if we can (and get overly excited at the prospect of 'new' animals!)

[ballingall]

Roxy and little blue have made some great points. Although we don't keep our goats in a back garden, I have known plenty of people who do or have. Its also something that I think I will have to do in the future- I probably can't afford a place with enough land on my own- at the moment we share a house with my mum.

Something else to consider, is what you going to do with their manure? Unless you can use it all on your garden and veg plots, you will have to find something else to do with it. You can get underground tanks, which store it into a kind of slurry, and the company will come and empty it out for you, but I think it is quite expensive. Or you have to find other arrangements for it. A friend of mine has her goats in the back garden, and they put all the muckings out onto a small flatbed trailer, and take it to a local farmer's muckheap. Where he then obviously spreads the whole lot onto his fields. But this is a labour intensive way of doing things, as you have to lift the dung into the trailer, and then back out when you get to the muckheap. Also, they go to the muckheap virtually every weekend (although this is because they "clean" the pens twice a day by taking out the fresh droppings). But first you have to befriend a local farmer who will let you do this.

I would recommend having an area yarded off for the goats so that you can let them out for exercise, even if you have to pave this if it gets muddy. Ideally a small area of grass would be better, but it depends on how much room you have. My friend has a goat shed that is about 20ft by 20 ft, but this is bigger than you might actually need. They have 4 goat pens in one half of the shed, and the other half which is divided off by a wall and a gate, lets them store hay and straw, and their goat food and chicken food.

You can keep goats in lots of different buildings- when we first moved here we kept the goats in our garage (single and a half garage sized) and a wooden shed which was about the same size. But then we had hay in a different shed, and straw in yet another one. That's time consuming to go and get and cart to the goats, and then you also have to visit wherever you get hay/straw from more often as well.

The garage was good because it has a concrete floor, and when the time came for them to move out into our new shed, we could just clean it out and then power wash it clean. Plus if it got too warm, the big up and over door could be opened to let in more air.

If they can't browse naturally or graze, then I would say you need to provide extra browsing for them. It could be any number of things- raiding hedgerows on the way home every night for some branches. Or growing stuff in your veggie patch for them- ie kale, carrots, the leaves off of your cauliflowers.

For dimensions for how much room you need, this page from the british goat society has some info on it.

http://www.allgoats.com/housing.htm

[little blue]

Margo in her garden! The run extends out to the bit with the roof on, and the gate is taller and painted blue! It has a latch and a bolt with a padlock.... just to be sure!  She shares with a baby toggie and Murphy the kune kune boar pig (the 'girls' moved out a few months ago!)

[jameslindsay]

She's lovely, thinks she's Queen of the Castle I bet!

[little blue]

Oh yes!
We take her out for milking and often SHE decides she wants a nosey right round the garden, nibbling at all sorts, peering in at the chickens and frightening the cats (they will sit until she puts her nose right up to theirs, and when she sniffs then blows out, they run away... warm goat breath must make your whiskers waggle!)
We go down to the gate sometimes, once she nearly caused a heart attack in a Staffordshire bull terrier and its hard-man owner!!  Serves them right hanging around my gate, to be startled by a goat bleating behind them!

[jameslindsay]

My gang often cause a commotion with passers by. They take themselves off down the river bank and strangers walking over the bridge can't believe what they see. Ofcourse the goats couldn't care less as they make themselves at home down  there.

[r+lchick]

Question for Little Blue.
What are the dimensions of your area.  Would love to know.  I can't tell in the photos.  My boyfriend and I have been talking and what we plan to do is pay off our houses as quickly as possible and then give up work.  Work part time when we need to and grow as much as possible.  We will then have goats.  They won't be alone all day and we can get into a good milking routine.  Now, we both have full time jobs and do a part time job which we will be able to carry through with us when we retire.  PS We plan to retire very early in life and just have what we need and not want.  Sounds an ideal world but he works too hard now and needs a better quality of life (that's the boyfriend and not the goats).  So for now the goats are on the back burner, we will develop our vege patches even more and more things about in view of later projects.  At the moment we are still fasinitated with the antics of our chickens.  Ronny and Reggie (The Cray Twins) are getting ready for the pot.  I am having someone show me how to do it properly and be on hand if I balls it up.
Thanks for all your help on this matter.  Will keep anyone posted over the months.

Roslyn 

[Roxy]

I for one will be interested in your progress!!

Unfortunately, we took the plunge to buy a smallholding - nothing posh .....its in need of major renovation.  For the first time in our lives we have a big mortgage, so our dream of cutting back on work, a and enjoying our land and animals is at least 20 years down the line.  But I admire anyone who is able to give up work and do it!!

[little blue]

Question for Little Blue.
What are the dimensions of your area.  Would love to know.  I can't tell in the photos.

I'll have a look in the daylight, and get back to you! Its kind of L shaped and they have access to the shed all the time as well.  Its not huge, but they're not big goats, and are exercised outside of it every day it isnt raining, and for milking.
We were concerned about security - for them getting out as well as things (foxes, our german shepherd, next doors kids! other people) getting in, because we live in a suburban area and they are partially visible from the street.

Hope your long term plan works out, sounds idyllic