# Do your goats have collars on?



## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Ours have collars on. Well, actually they have plastic chains but they are still collars


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## Willow (Jun 12, 2011)

All have breakaway collars in different colors. Lily [5 months] has a pink color that has "princess" written on it...because she's a little spoiled princess. She also has a hot pink harness for when we are out and about.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I use those cheapie dollar store dog collars with the plastic clips as well as those with a buckle...Binkey is a houdini and can remove hers by rubbing her neck under their table, I don't keep collars on my boys because even in play I've had to help out someome that got hooked on a horn tip...and with rut. their necks swell to the point that the collars have gotten too tight. Does only here...if they keep them on!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Mine don't...I don't really like to keep them on. :shrug:


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## sulphurfire (Jul 5, 2011)

Mine only wear them when they get staked out. Sometimes requires a little effort to get them back on...lol


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## Red Mare (Aug 17, 2011)

All of mine do, color coded with who/what they are. 
Blue plastic chain are boys regardless of age. 
White is FF does
Red is Senior does
Kids get those little cat breakaway collars in what ever is on sale with a bell color.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Most of mine have the dollar store breakaway collars on.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Red Mare said:


> All of mine do, color coded with who/what they are.
> Blue plastic chain are boys regardless of age.
> White is FF does
> Red is Senior does
> Kids get those little cat breakaway collars in what ever is on sale with a bell color.


I like that idea


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

Mine all have collars. They're actually dog collars, 4 blue, and 1 black. (Walmart ran out of blue so I had to use a black one. lol)


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## Red Mare (Aug 17, 2011)

Lost Prairie said:


> [quote="Red Mare":3bwzdpiv]All of mine do, color coded with who/what they are.
> Blue plastic chain are boys regardless of age.
> White is FF does
> Red is Senior does
> Kids get those little cat breakaway collars in what ever is on sale with a bell color.


I like that idea [/quote:3bwzdpiv]

It makes it Much easier when I am trying to get everyone organized for someone coming into feed the goats. I have a few Diva's in the group, and like everyone to be well aware of who's who.

My so is in the middle of making me nice leather collars with a space for a break away connector clip so I can have all their names on them with brass plates along with bells. :stars: :stars: :stars: I can't wait!


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

Not yet, I'm working on it though....been meaning to get some from the dollar store. Probably get some this weekend.


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## Hickoryneck (Oct 10, 2011)

My buck and sr does have collars on (the cheap dog collars from Jeffers) but I haven't gotten around to buying more collars yet so I can put them on the doelings :sleeping: guess I've been lazy :laugh:


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## Farmgirl675 (Oct 21, 2010)

No collars on mine...have some with horns and had problems with them "hooking" each other.


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

> I use those cheapie dollar store dog collars with the plastic clips as well as those with a buckle..


That's what I use too. Some wear them and some don't, but I take the girls out in public often so I need some collars on. Usually the last 4 girls out have the collars on. If I'm taking a different set of girls I take the collar off one and put in on another.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

We have few goats and a small pen, so they all wear dog collars with (gasp!) buckles. If they were in a larger pasture, I'd get break-aways...


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

Most of my does/ wethers do. I look for clean ones @ flea market too. My bucks don't have them. Nor do a few of my girls that somehow get them off no matter what. Only once had a problem and that was fixed very quickly. DH had parked the hay rake in pasture-Y idk.


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## Jdyson (Jul 20, 2011)

Mine have cute little red, white and blue collars on but I really want some new ones, :thumb:


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I don't feel comfortable leaving collars on my goats. I do put collars on them when I need to handle them though.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Mine wear the $1store models. They usually get their first cat-sized ones when just a few days old. When they are difficult I like to be able to get a lead on them. They lose them often; but for a dollar I just keep a supply of them.
Many years ago I lost a doe who's collar was too loose. She got it tangled around her nose while sleeping and smothered. I am really parinoid now about keeping them snug.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

I'm so sorry about your loss Luvmyherd :-( We also had something like that happen. Our doe had a collar on (it was pretty loose) and it had an S hook hanging from it. Somehow she got the S hook hooked on her bottom tooth :scratch: Now sure how she did it, but she could not move her head. :doh: Lucky for her we were outside and saw that she was stuck. I learned my lessen about leaving S hooks with no tag on! :hair: Goats can get themselves in some really bad situations! :GAAH:


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## SkyesRanch (Nov 11, 2010)

*Re: Do your goats have collars on?*

Definitely not! They can kill themselves with collars. My doe Water Flower, the day I brought her home got caught in the fence because of her collar and by the time I got to her she was almost dead... No matter what your situation is, I don't care if they are in a stall, they can kill themselves with a collar. Same thing with horses and halters... They can also get caught on trees and brush too... I really don't recommend it...


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

SkyesRanch said:


> Definitely not! They can kill themselves with collars. My doe Water Flower, the day I brought her home got caught in the fence because of her collar and by the time I got to her she was almost dead... No matter what your situation is, I don't care if they are in a stall, they can kill themselves with a collar. Same thing with horses and halters... They can also get caught on trees and brush too... I really don't recommend it...


Sorry to hear that  My mom does not like that our goats have collars on either. But I must have them on. I work with my goats a lot and it is such a pain to put them on and take them back off. When she was little they had a Nubian wether that killed himself with a collar on  She does not leave halters on the horses though. But the goats are a must. And if you think about it, so many goats have collars on and never have anything happen. So I really don't worry about it.


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## SkyesRanch (Nov 11, 2010)

We have lots of bushes, lots of trees, field fence that they put their head through all the time, electric fence, etc. And 20 acres of this. So I leave them off because of all the things they could kill themselves on. I have spent way to much time building a good herd (almost 11 years) and my girls are way to valuable to run the risk. Our pasture would be a mine field to a goat with a collar on. :wink:


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Well I guess if you had 20 acres and could not always keep an eye on the goats than I get what you are saying. :thumb: Our goat pen is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, with no trees, bushes, ect. So you can always see what they are up to


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## Lucky_072508 (Jul 22, 2011)

My goat, Sully, has a blue and black collar with skulls on it. He also wears a bandana. He has a flames bandana, blue camo, and a Razorback one (University of Arkansas college football team lol). His leash is black and has bones put together that say "Bad to the bone" and it has the Harley Davidson logo. Since he is a Nigerian Dwarf, I want to make him look tough despite his size. Or maybe I just think it makes him look cuter than he already is, if that's even possible. :wink:


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

My milkers wear collars because I need them on to handle them twice a day. None of the other ones do, especially not the Boers with horns as they get caught on the other goats horns really easily.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Awww! I bet that is so cute! Ours would rip a bandana off in seconds, but I love the idea!


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

Yeah, our girls have dog collars, each with their own personalized color. When they kid, their babies get matching little collars (once they are a bit more steady on their feet)

We've done bandanas for parades and such, but they don't last long in the pen haha

I had a friend who's doe got her leg stuck in another does' collar, and the leg broke and the other doe died . . . . can't imagine discovering that. We keep a careful eye on the looseness of the girls' collars.


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## myfainters (Oct 30, 2009)

All of ours wear collars...bucks, does...wethers, kids.... must have collars so I can move them easily.  I like to rearrange who goes in what pen on a fairly regular basis. I'm out with the goats at least 10 times a day...and in 7 years with probably over 100 goats cycling through here (including kids) we've never had a collar related issue. :shrug:


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## ettasmama (Jun 27, 2010)

Yes collars with dog tags and our contact info since we live in town. Should they ever get loose we'd hope someone called us before the humane society.


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## GoatMommy (Sep 1, 2011)

I only have three ND, without collars but we use harnesses if we need to take them somewhere so not very often. I'm a worrier and am afraid that their collar will get hung up on something. My mom should of named me Nellie, Nervous Nellie. :laugh:


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

My goats wear collars, but, I gave up on the cheapie dollar store collars. They came off or broke, Hubby got a little irate about it, lol. So, when our TS got goat collars for about $3, I got those. They are pretty nice and like someone else said I'm going to color co-ordinate with their kids. That will also save me having to remind Hubby who belongs to whom! They are probably the Jeffers one, I could probably buy them cheaper there.

I have a couple of my sold goats here to be bred, they came with those harnesses on. But, there is no "leading" them, they lead with the harness?! I think it encourages them to pull...maybe good for training to pull a cart...but...I didn't like it. jmo.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Di said:


> My goats wear collars, but, I gave up on the cheapie dollar store collars. They came off or broke, Hubby got a little irate about it, lol. So, when our TS got goat collars for about $3, I got those. They are pretty nice and like someone else said I'm going to color co-ordinate with their kids. That will also save me having to remind Hubby who belongs to whom! They are probably the Jeffers one, I could probably buy them cheaper there.
> 
> I have a couple of my sold goats here to be bred, they came with those harnesses on. But, there is no "leading" them, they lead with the harness?! I think it encourages them to pull...maybe good for training to pull a cart...but...I didn't like it. jmo.


I use the dollar store ones and I do like that they are a bit easier to break. It gives me the confidence that they would break when/if needed and the goat would not get hung up on anything.


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

All my does wear collars but my bucks do not. I started out buying the dollar store collars but they break so quickly I started buying good collars.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If I ever put a collar on... I do it when I am going to walk them....and remove it when I am finished...I never just leave it on ...they can get hung up on something....collars can be dangerous and life threatening under certain conditions... Just my opinion.... :wink:


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## SkyesRanch (Nov 11, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> If I ever put a collar on... I do it when I am going to walk them....and remove it when I am finished...I never just leave it on ...they can get hung up on something....collars can be dangerous and life threatening under certain conditions... Just my opinion.... :wink:


Agreed... :wink:


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I agree too. I take them off if I ever have to use them. I worry.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I have collars or plastic chain on mine. I went to hook up a doe the other day to try to organize feeding time... and she was loose in about 2 seconds with the break-away chain!
Guess I have to figure out something else!


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

milk and honey said:


> I have collars or plastic chain on mine. I went to hook up a doe the other day to try to organize feeding time... and she was loose in about 2 seconds with the break-away chain!
> Guess I have to figure out something else!


Some of ours have a collar and plastic chain on. If I tie them up I use the collar, any other stuff I use the chain.


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

We have plastic chain for ours. Eclair came with it, Fiona wasn't really lead trained when we got her so we had to get some type of collar to help with that. It's the cheap stuff that will break easily, plus we have a smaller area of pasture and can watch out the windows. It's definitely easier to handle them with the collars. Eclair never needs encouragement to come *into* the barn to get milked (GRAIN!) but sometimes she needs some to go *out*, lol.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Absolutely not. 

I lost a PB SA Boer doe because I left a collar on her, she was living in a small pen, I had the collar on because I was milking her as she only had one kid on her and too much milk for just him. She had a small fruit tree in the pen and got the collar stuck on a branch and hung herself. I paid $1500 for that doe, I owned her for 4 months, I got one wether kid out of her that never grew right because she died when he was 6 weeks and he refused to take a bottle. 

My girls are too precious to me to risk their lives by wearing a collar, I have never left a collar on since that incident. 

My girls are friendly and I am able to catch them easily, I put the collar on them while I'm working them then take it off. 

If I have some that are less friendly, I have catch pens and buckets of grain.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

My does wear break away collars. My boys don't they are too playful! :greengrin: 

Plus, for some strange reason it is MUCH easier to catch the boys :shrug: I think they are more of a "shmuck" for a treat than the does :ROFL:


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Do your goats have collars on?*



SkyesRanch said:


> Definitely not! They can kill themselves with collars. My doe Water Flower, the day I brought her home got caught in the fence because of her collar and by the time I got to her she was almost dead... No matter what your situation is, I don't care if they are in a stall, they can kill themselves with a collar. Same thing with horses and halters... They can also get caught on trees and brush too... I really don't recommend it...


Thats why you put collars on them that break away. Cat collars are great, since outdoor cats will strangle really easily without a break away. Or, of course, the dollar store ones. They pop open if you pull too hard, although the down side is that if they pull back hard when you are leading them they'll pop off as well. I like the plastic chains as they'll break as well if they get caught up on something. I never use a quality collar or one with a regular buckle rather than a break away snap.


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## Bartree (Aug 10, 2011)

One of mine has a collar and one has a harness.


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

I have plastic break-away chain collars for my goaties and they have them on basically all the time, except when in the show ring of course. I feel like my goats are safer with them on because there are always times when for one reason or another that they get out and without collars on I would NEVER catch a few of them.


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## CluckyJay (Aug 3, 2011)

I stole my husband's hunting collar. It has his name and our # and address on it. I knew his hunting stuff would be useful to me some day.


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## newmama30+ (Oct 4, 2010)

I have one doe that has on a collar, Angel, and only because when she doesn't have one on, she goes wild. As long as she has on the collar you can catch her, and do pretty much whatever you want to her. If she doesn't have it on I can't even get close enough to pet her.


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## parkinsonfarms (May 11, 2011)

Mine have collars all but one girl and The older boys. The only reason the one girl doesn't have one is I ran out of them. LOL


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## Skyz84 (Jul 25, 2011)

My younger ones have collars on but my adult ND have goat halters. I LOVE them! My goats would always choke themselves and try to pull me in every direction with the collars on. Now with the halters I have more control over them. Plus since they are ND the halter fits perfect on the smallest setting. This leaves a little overhang on the side buckle part... PERFECT instant handle. No longer need to run looking for a leash if I need to catch a goat.

Nina (far right) modeling her light blue halter :


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

I wanted to add on that not only do my girls have collars, but my herd queen has a bell   I figured wherever she goes, the others do, so we can always hear her. Plus everyone likes nibbling on it


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

DavyHollow said:


> I wanted to add on that not only do my girls have collars, but my herd queen has a bell   I figured wherever she goes, the others do, so we can always hear her. Plus everyone likes nibbling on it


I'm hoping to get all of ours bells and some tags with their name on it. That will look cute  I know what you are saying when you said they like chewing on it. I had a tag on on of my does and they LOVED to nubble on it. :laugh: That is until it fell off and got lost


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

Lost Prairie said:


> I'm hoping to get all of ours bells and some tags with their name on it. That will look cute  I know what you are saying when you said they like chewing on it. I had a tag on on of my does and they LOVED to nubble on it. :laugh: That is until it fell off and got lost


If all of them had their own bells I think I'd go nuts. Sometimes even just the one gets noisy! Its a mini cow bell, so it makes plenty of sound haha :laugh: We are looking into personalizing their collars with their names, in a way that they wouldn't chew them off onder:


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

All my goats have collars, and a BIG numbered, purple cattle ear tag in it. I do the # ear tags since everyone says all my goats look the same, so If I have to have someone check on a goat for me all I have to say is # whatever. I dont put tags in the ears only because Im in LOVE with my boers big ears :wink:


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## JessaLynn (Aug 30, 2009)

Mine have plastic chains that break away easily.Although our buck managed to get tangled in the fence yesterday and got stuck.It didn't break apart for some reason so I'm unsure if we will keep them on them anymore.I like them so I can lead them out to do hoove trimmings,milking etc.


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

Some goaters are adamant about not leaving collars on due to possibly getting caught on something and strangling. But for me collars are important when goats are out grazing or somehow escape the pen and you need something to grab onto. I always monitor my gang anyway.


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