# Stakes for goat foraging questions



## DaGoatandPugLady (Nov 19, 2018)

Hey y'all!

for those of you who use stakes in the ground and put your goats on there with a (leash??) how does one go about safely doing this? @Dwarf Dad I think you said you do this with your neighbors, right?


----------



## KST Goat Farm (Jul 29, 2019)

Most of the time, I pound in a tee post, put a bucket of water up against it, tie about 15 feet of twine on it, and tie it to my goat's collar. I use nylon dog collars when I tether. 
When I have to use a stake, I pound it in level with the ground and put the bucket of water at the end of the twine so that they can't tip it over.

Be sure to check them as often as possible.


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

I use dog stakes and the wire tie out cable I make sure they can reach shade and there's nothing to get tangled up on. They get tangled on grass ugh(pray)


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

When I do it with mine I use a old truck tire (like pickup truck not semi) and put the chain on that. But I put the chain threw a old garden hose so it can’t get wrapped around a leg and cut circulation off.


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

A goat on a tie out is fair game for any dog or other predator. If you are within eye sight, it is fine, but if you are not around, it only takes a second and the results can be disastrous.


----------



## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Jessica84 said:


> When I do it with mine I use a old truck tire (like pickup truck not semi) and put the chain on that. But I put the chain threw a old garden hose so it can't get wrapped around a leg and cut circulation off.


This is an awesome idea! I have been tryin think of ways that i could put a few out at the edge of my garden and the woods so they could forage for a bit. I have skid steer tracks in my garden for raised beds... that might work.


----------



## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

I just use the flat top dog stakes and cable lead. The hardest part is making sure water is with in reach and nothing to tangle on. But I had to stake one of my girls in the field for almost a month while she adapted to the herd because she would rather jump the fence and come to te house then join the rest of the girls. Other then that I have 2 that i use on the hill so they can clean the area once in a while. The are no trees or anything just weeds. I clip the 2 end leads together first while I place the stakes to make sure they don't over lap and then I put the water bucket right where the 2 leads meet. 

If your looking to use it for a really shrubby area make sure you place the stake far enough back so they can reach the shrubs but not really walk into them. As more area gets cleared you can move the stake closer so long as the are no trees to tangle on.


----------



## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I tether my goats with about ten feet of chain. I have very hard headed goats that will break small ropes and dog leashes. The wethers will pull dog stakes out of the ground, so I started driving t-posts around edges of my yard and neighbors' yards to tie goats to. T-posts got painted with some flourescent orange spray paint to keep the tractors and lawn mowers off of them.
For portable goat anchors I have two small (about 60 lb.) pieces of train rail and a nrake drum from a semi truck. They work well.
I keep my tethers short so that the goat will not build up to full speed before getting to the end. Those stupid wethers will back to the end of the chain and run wide open to the other end to try to move to a spot they want to go to.
Always, always stay with goats that are tied out. Goats seem to have a death wish and can make something as simple as a tether into a terrible ordeal for you and him.


----------



## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I recently discovered these: 
https://www.amazon.com/Orange-Screw-Ultimate-Ground-Anchor/dp/B01D3UIA5A/ref=asc_df_B01D3UIA5A/

They hold really well, are lightweight, and very easy to move. I tether my big wethers on them and only have trouble when the ground is loose sand or very, very soggy. I tether with _smooth link_ dog chain but I'd also feel safe using quality 1/4" - 3/8" thick kernmantle climbing rope if it's not too long (the rope can get very heavy if it gets wet and the tether is long, so I prefer chain for anything over 15 feet). Coated cable, wire, and twine are dangerous in my opinion, and twine is of course very easy for them to chew through.

I had a goat that lived on a 30-60 foot tether 24/7 for four years and he did very well once I figured out the appropriate material to tie him with. Once I started using chain (which doesn't easily tangle and can't cinch down) he even figured out how to untangle himself from the many shrubs in his area. He was never tethered outside his fenced yard when we were away from home.

One thing I've also recently discovered is to use a bell when they are tethered. That way if a dog scares them you can hear the bells ring wildly even if you are not in eyesight. I also like to use a leather collar to avoid chafing the neck. If you tether often you'll find that nylon breaks the hair on the neck and leaves a bald spot but leather does not do this. Good luck!


----------



## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

Hi to All, I have never staked out a goat but from experience of staking out horses I will tell you that ropes, cord and such will wrap around feet and burn the hide/hair off the animal if they get any wrap at all. Horses will kick at a rope and zip there goes the hair and skin and a big raw burn hock and you can't ride a sore footed horse. Now relate that to a goat. You/we certainly don't want our goats to have any of those sore feet or worse wrap up and choke to death. So the best stake for a horse is a nylon dog collar around the front foot with a strong ring in the collar with a 10 foot piece of link chain (not dog chain) attached and lengthened with rope and then staked down with a ring so as to allow it to swivel around and around. Or drive a piece of steel pipe into the ground and use a rod bent into a L shape with a ring on one end and attach the rope/chain to the rod and drop the other end of the rod into the pipe so it will swivel around and around as the goat moves. Make sure the end that goes into the pipe is long enough so it doesn't pull out easily. So I would think a chain attached to a goat with a collar around the neck with a strong enough ring to hold a goat would keep the tangle/wrapping issues down to a minimum. It seems that Damfino has this pretty well worked out. The bell is a great idea !!


----------



## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

TexasGoatMan said:


> Hi to All, I have never staked out a goat but from experience of staking out horses I will tell you that ropes, cord and such will wrap around feet and burn the hide/hair off the animal if they get any wrap at all. Horses will kick at a rope and zip there goes the hair and skin and a big raw burn hock and you can't ride a sore footed horse. Now relate that to a goat. You/we certainly don't want our goats to have any of those sore feet or worse wrap up and choke to death. So the best stake for a horse is a nylon dog collar around the front foot with a strong ring in the collar with a 10 foot piece of link chain (not dog chain) attached and lengthened with rope and then staked down with a ring so as to allow it to swivel around and around. Or drive a piece of steel pipe into the ground and use a rod bent into a L shape with a ring on one end and attach the rope/chain to the rod and drop the other end of the rod into the pipe so it will swivel around and around as the goat moves. Make sure the end that goes into the pipe is long enough so it doesn't pull out easily. So I would think a chain attached to a goat with a collar around the neck with a strong enough ring to hold a goat would keep the tangle/wrapping issues down to a minimum. It seems that Damfino has this pretty well worked out. The bell is a great idea !!


Sounds good. Would hate to see what one of my stubborn wethers would do trying to go to a different spot at wide open run with one foot holding him back. When they do this against a collar, they seem to get it into the right position for pulling,i.e. down between their legs.


----------

