# Halters Full time?



## HaulingOats (Jun 26, 2018)

I recently bought a couple goat halters to lead my goats around because they seizure when i pull on their collars, thought it was an awesome idea and they work fantastic! But someone told me I should never leave them on full time just to lead in and out of their pasture (I put them inside every night) I was told it’s very unsafe and harmful, I thought that was kinda foolish talk but if it’s really unsafe I won’t do it, any other opinions?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

No you don’t want to. A tree branch, horn, hoof, anything can get stuck in it and hurt them. Depending on exactly how they get stuck on something it could cause their head to swell, skin get ripped off or even their air cut off.


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## HaulingOats (Jun 26, 2018)

Jessica84 said:


> No you don't want to. A tree branch, horn, hoof, anything can get stuck in it and hurt them. Depending on exactly how they get stuck on something it could cause their head to swell, skin get ripped off or even their air cut off.


So should I not have had collars on them either?


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## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

Best to take them off for the above reasons. We lost a goat due to a breakaway collar that didn't break away. We only use collars when we lead them -never leaving them on even for a minute after. Things can happen quickly.


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## Deborah Haney (Jul 11, 2017)

Goats can get their hooves (or branches) stuck in their halters and end up hurt or stuck in the elements. My goats are still too small for their halters (at 14 months!) but I plan to use them only for leading, not when they aren't supervised. My goats do wear nylon collars full time but they're backyard goats; someone is always home, we can see most of their enclosure from the house, and we can hear them all the time. With collars I think it depends on the setting but I would worry about hooves in halters.


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## Nigerian dwarf goat (Sep 25, 2017)

yes i keep collars on mine all the time but if your far from the goat pen and cant see/hear the goats all day then i wouldnt keep them on.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I keep collars on mine but I would never keep a halter on full time.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Same as the others I do keep collars on most of mine. I keep them fairly snug so nothing can easily get stuck in them and if by some chance something does I’m home 99.9% of the time and if I’m not someone else is and you can see them right out the window. (Knock on wood) I have yet to get one stuck by them collars which is actually a piece of leather with a ear tag keeping it together for most of them. You just can not get a halter to get snug enough like you can a collar or they won’t be able to chew. But yes! There is a degree of risk having anything on the goats


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, never leave them on unattended.


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## HaulingOats (Jun 26, 2018)

Thanks I really appreciate the help!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You bet.


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## KyKyMarie77 (Mar 28, 2020)

[QUOTE="But someone told me I should never leave them on full time just to lead in and out of their pasture (I put them inside every night) I was told it's very unsafe and harmful, I thought that was kinda foolish talk but if it's really unsafe I won't do it, any other opinions?[/QUOTE]

I personally have collars on my goats all the time, but if you have goats that go after eachother or are older and havent had collars its not a good idea. With the halters never ever ever leave them on! The can not only get their hooves caught in it when they go to scratch, but they also get sores and blisters that can burst and cause an infection to occur.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

This is a very old thread.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

KyKyMarie77 said:


> I personally have collars on my goats all the time, but if you have goats that go after eachother or are older and havent had collars its not a good idea. With the halters never ever ever leave them on! The can not only get their hooves caught in it when they go to scratch, but they also get sores and blisters that can burst and cause an infection to occur.


I would recommend to never leave a collar on a goat full time either. Heard of one too many babies getting straggled for it to be practiced in my heard. All it takes is for them to scratch on a post or a tree and get caught. Scratch their neck with their back leg and get their hoof tangled in the collar.

Sorry for reviving a dead thread but this is important for all new owners


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