# How big is your herd?



## Bwana Ken (May 9, 2011)

Here is something I'll bet everyone on this forum can relate to. Goats are like Lay's potato chips: _You can't have just one!_ (or two...or three....).

We originally planned to just get two. But when we came back from our visit to the breeder there were _four _little goat kids in the back of our car....

A year and a half later we decided to add a mature goat to our herd so we could use him as a packer right away. We drove all the way to Montana to pick him up.

This past winter we picked up two more bottle-babies, so now our herd is up to six (unfortunately we lost one of our original four due to illness) and we are now talking about adding _one more_ adult to the mix...and shopping around for a bigger trailer to haul them all around in!

So, how about everyone else? How many goats do you have, and more importantly, how many would you LIKE to have?


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

We try to go into winter with as close to 50 head as possible but more often then not, we maintain around 75. But thats including babies. And they dont really equal a full goat... right?


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I have 3. Would have more if I did not have to hay all year long. This thread could be a POLL...


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## Saltlick (Jun 12, 2011)

Two, and looking for a third. If I had a bigger truck I'd have four. And if I had land and didn't have to pay to board them I'd have a whole damn herd, and horses too. And more dogs. Yep.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

_"Goats are like Lay's potato chips: You can't have just one! (or two...or three....)."_

Well, we had just one goat for ten years, so it _can_ be done. But I'm not going to say it's easy to resist collecting! We just added four more in one year, and I anticipate several more in the next. Eventually I will have to start selling some. That will be the hard part I think.

Oh, and that lovely little Olentangy goat I fell in love with last year at Nationals? She's up for sale this year, and I'm going to do everything I can to get her out here to Colorado. Here she is: 
View attachment 1471


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

I started with two Boers and realized they are not ideal for packing. (duh) So I got two Alpines (boy and girl)...to join the herd. My girl got picked on all the time so I traded her and got two kids...another Boer and an Alpine. Now I have five...all boys. I plan to train the Alpines packing and the Boers carting. If I could get more goats...I'd get my girl back because I miss her. I'd get a sundgau Alpine, a pied Alpine, a traditional brown headed Boer, a traditional Black headed Boer.  Hard to take pictures on my current herd...but here they are... Currently I am working on leasing these 5 for weed control...fire mitigation in our area. We live up in the mountains and many people are hitting on me about the goats.


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

Nanno said:


> _"Goats are like Lay's potato chips: You can't have just one! (or two...or three....)."_
> 
> Well, we had just one goat for ten years, so it _can_ be done. But I'm not going to say it's easy to resist collecting! We just added four more in one year, and I anticipate several more in the next. Eventually I will have to start selling some. That will be the hard part I think.
> 
> ...


She is very cute.


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## Saltlick (Jun 12, 2011)

She IS cute!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I had 12 goats when i asked a pretty woman what breeds of goats she had. A classic pick up line and it worked. we have been married just over a year now and we have 45+/- goats


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## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

23 total

3 seasoned pack goats (older (6+ years) who can carry weight but weren't bottle babies and aren't 100% in your lap friendly)

6 that are all 2 1/2 years old. These are our first bottle babies. 4 of them are as big as are old goats and are the 'future'. 2 will forever be pets. One hurt his back somewhere along the way and looks like a lanky hyena. The other just isn't very big. So unless he has a growth spurt, he will be a pet. 

14 babies from this year --> Two ober brothers that were from my daughter's 4-H dairy goat last year (Laurel and Hardy), our first Saaneen (Frosty) and Bull an Alpine. Those 4 are awesome and are the future in about 5 years. Two girls that were born on our farm and have partial horns - now we can't use them for 4-H so I'm not sure what their future is. AND then the other 8 who have some horn or scurs. We are castrating all of those 8 boys this Friday and the ones without horns will stay and the ones with horns will go.

My goal - down to 12 by this winter. Goats are like potato chips - you can't have one or two or three. I go to pick up 2 boys and come home with 4. They are just so darn cute when they are a few days old.

Interesting post - I've enjoyed reading about everyone's replies!

Tonia


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

A couple of pics of just the kids from last year


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

Well, I would hoard them if allowed. We have 8...for now


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

I wanted more goats but my husband said he is not building a bigger barn.


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## gretchbr (Jul 23, 2012)

I'm in the Portland (Oregon) metro area where having a farm is frowned on (no "livestock" allowed, only "pets"), so I keep 3 goats on in my large backyard - one Alpine packer and two pygmies for company. They are the mascots for the neighborhood as we live next to a park and a school, so everyone knows my boys!


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## vigilguy (Dec 12, 2008)

I have 9 goats. 6 wethers, 1 doe and two babies, a buckling and a doeling.

Shown above are Festus and Buford, my two trusty trail-wise six year olds that have a lot of trail miles in the mountains (and off-trail) under their belt ( or cinch).


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## Saltlick (Jun 12, 2011)

I want more goats!!!


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## Saltlick (Jun 12, 2011)

Who has land and wants to adopt me?


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

You know you might have too many goats when this happens:


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## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

When that happens and you love it, you know it is okay to have too many goats!

Great clip!

Tonia


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## SMaxwell (May 20, 2012)

Ten at the present time. Six wethers, one buckling, two does, one doeling. My wife wants me to get down to about four total, probably wont happen but I might get down to seven or eight. I have a nice, naturally polled alpine wether born in February; he is gonna be big, if anyone is interested (SW Colorado). His head gets beat up head butting with all my other horned goats. He is super people and goat friendly.


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

SMaxwell said:


> Ten at the present time. Six wethers, one buckling, two does, one doeling. My wife wants me to get down to about four total, probably wont happen but I might get down to seven or eight. I have a nice, naturally polled alpine wether born in February; he is gonna be big, if anyone is interested (SW Colorado). His head gets beat up head butting with all my other horned goats. He is super people and goat friendly.


Shoot. Sorry to hear. I would love the polled wether but I have reach my limit in goats. Just got an Alpine wether kid but he doesn't look like he would be a good size at all. Darn darn darn....


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

This was a poll topic a while back. http://www.packgoatforum.com/f14/poll-how-many-goats-do-you-have-494/


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## rifleman (May 28, 2013)

I once knew a man who cared for seven or eight goats... but he never cared for chevon or ate goats....


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## TOU (Aug 18, 2013)

SMaxwell said:


> I have a nice, naturally polled alpine wether born in February; he is gonna be big, if anyone is interested (SW Colorado). His head gets beat up head butting with all my other horned goats. He is super people and goat friendly.


 What ever happened to this goat?

TOU


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

23. 13 kids, 2 Nigerian does, 6 Alpine does, 1 recorded grade doe and 1 Boer doe. Plan to sell 6 kids, eat 2, sell my Boer doe, sell 3 milkers and buy one more. I will hopefully total out with 12.


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## Viola5 (Dec 10, 2013)

I have 10 goats. 2 NDs (buckling and doeling ), 3 boer bucks (one's a buckling), 2 boer does and 3 boer doelings


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I have a WHOPPING 2 goats! And expanding, mind you  .

Who knows, I might be up to THREE by this summer! It's a lot I know, but I think I can handle it...


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

We have four. One Boer/Nubian cross, and 3 registered purebred Nubians. All does. I'm hoping to add a Nubian buck and a wether this fall.


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