# Bells on goats?



## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

What are your opinions?

I'm picking up my first three goats this evening (yea & watch for pics later). I plan to bell the oldest goat, a yearling Spanish/Boer) who I presume will be herd queen and voted "most likely to jump the fence and wander into the woods". LoL. What about the other two? They are 12 week old Boer girls. Do I bell all of them or just keep the bell on the leader?

Thanks,

Erik - twitter @Erik_L1965


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Whichever ones you bell, I'd advise breakaway chain collars. I'm very leery of collars on goats. 
http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/xcart/Plastic-Chain-Collar.html


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

ooohhh!!! congrats on your new goats! can't wait to see the pictures! you've been talking about your pending babies for a while...I don't know how you've been able to hold out for so long!

as for bells, it all depends on if you want to hear where they are all the time. maybe start with bells and see how you like them?


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

I don't put collars of any kind on my goats - in the pen or outside of it. Too much risk of them getting it caught and hanging themselves, or of another goat getting a foot or horn in it.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

GoatCrazy said:


> I don't put collars of any kind on my goats - in the pen or outside of it. Too much risk of them getting it caught and hanging themselves, or of another goat getting a foot or horn in it.


+1 on no unattended collars.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

+2. I suggested the breakaways as a last resort. Some people just have to collar their goats for some reason.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

IMO there are pros and cons on collars, as there are every other decision we need to make for our animals. we collar our goats, and we tether them...that's the only option we have at the moment until we find the money to put up a fence. I've never had problems. the lady who we bought our goats from collars her goats (with dog collars and/or chains), and she has close to 200 of them....no issues.

just find what works best for you and your goaties!!


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## rkendrick (May 30, 2013)

I put bells on my goats because I can hear when the little escape artists...er, escape. The jungling gives them away every time!


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

Personal experience of a young boer doe's horn caught in the collar of another doe and being dragged around. Several others on here have had their goats legs and horns caught. Several have had theirs hang themselves. A lot of stories on this forum and others about collar accidents. 

Oh and the breakaway collars/chains are no better. Laura (trickyroo) had a incident with breakaway collars.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

How to you grab your goats if they dont have horns or collars? Just curious. I have breakaway cat collars on my ND's, as I need a way to grab them when they try to blaze past me into an area they aren't welcome. I used a body harness for awhile on the larger one, as she pulled so hard on the collar I was afraid it would break, and she was gagging herself. But she's much better now (took the harness off before the kids were born as I worried about them getting caught in it). 

I would love to NOT collar them at all (though I think the cat collars would break away if needed - they weight a lot more than a cat)... but I need to be able to grab them.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

FarmerJen said:


> How to you grab your goats if they dont have horns or collars? Just curious. I have breakaway cat collars on my ND's, as I need a way to grab them when they try to blaze past me into an area they aren't welcome. I used a body harness for awhile on the larger one, as she pulled so hard on the collar I was afraid it would break, and she was gagging herself. But she's much better now (took the harness off before the kids were born as I worried about them getting caught in it).
> 
> I would love to NOT collar them at all (though I think the cat collars would break away if needed - they weight a lot more than a cat)... but I need to be able to grab them.


You grab a leg and then put a chain/collar on. Or you use treats or food. It works with my boer goats. Even a shy doe can be caught with food.


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

rkendrick said:


> I put bells on my goats because I can hear when the little escape artists...er, escape. The jungling gives them away every time!


That's what I was thinking, too. Do you find escapees stick together, or do they scatter? I would think they'd stay with their herd habits.

Erik - twitter @Erik_L1965


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

If mine do blow past a gate... they usually have food in _mind_... so not sure a treat would stop them. They're not timid at all, they're quite tame. But once they're past a gate, they're either in my large garden, or loose in the neighborhood... both with ample food choices - some of which are not-so-good for goats. If I were to start grabbing legs, THAT would scare them. I'll have to look for some nice noose-type leads. If I can find an affordable source, I could just have them hanging in key areas. One or two would never be enough, as I'd never be able to remember where I put them when I need them! I swear I spend half my day walking around looking for things I JUST had in my hands! I take my girls out on leash frequently in the winter/spring... but a noose style could work for that too, as long as it doesn't slip off too easily. onder:


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Erik_L said:


> That's what I was thinking, too. Do you find escapees stick together, or do they scatter? I would think they'd stay with their herd habits.
> 
> Erik - twitter @Erik_L1965


Unless I forget to fasten the gate,  the only escapees I have are kids. They stay together. If I'm working around my house, I'll often turn out the does and let them wander around and eat weeds/grass/trees, etc., they stay together, as well.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

FarmerJen said:


> If mine do blow past a gate... they usually have food in _mind_... so not sure a treat would stop them.


You might be surprised how fast a goat will stop when she/he hears that grain bucket rattle. :laugh: Even when I turn mine out to nibble, all I have to do is shake the grain bucket and get out of their way!


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Yeah, but by the time I got a grain bucket, my landscaping would be seriously compromised! LOL Unfortunately, the whole "urban farming" thing isn't exactly conducive to having all your supplies in one place - or easily accessible - or make sense in any way whatsoever.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't use a bell because my mom is sensitive to noise and would be very angry at me if I did but I'd like to comment on the collars. I use slick plastic coated dog collars(also called biothane or polyurethane coated) with (gasp) metal buckles. I have never had problems with them getting caught because they don't twist because they are stiff, they slide off things not grab like nylon and they last a long time. They are mainly used for hunting dogs running through the brush so its made not to catch any anything. Every time I have used those plastic buckle "break away" collars my goats ended up getting caught on something and injuring themselves. The top few results are the collars I'm talking about. *http://tinyurl.com/l7gw3nq*


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Ok, I'll give you that one. I sometimes forget that there are people out there who actually have landscaping! :shocked: :lol:


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm leery of saying anything because I don't want to jinx myself but I have a couple does that have collars on. One is a Nubian and the other two are Boers that have been disbudded and all are adults. I leave mine loose enough that if they were to get caught on something it would just slip off. I have to have a collar on one otherwise I would NEVER be able to catch her. She is like a deer. When I grab her I have to grab her head really quick so she doesn't slip out of her collar. The collar just slows her down. I wouldn't put a collar on a kid and I wouldn't use one if the goats were in a pasture with trees, but since it is pasture I don't worry too much. I also have a small herd of 9


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## rkendrick (May 30, 2013)

Someone advised me to buy collars from the dollar store. Cheap and flimsy.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Several members on here have had goats hung by their collars -- what I do is always keep a collar in my pocket, so I can sling it around their necks and lead them when I need to. The breakaway collars are not as breakaway as they used to be -- Laura on here had some trouble with them just a little bit ago.

This is going to sound bonkers, but I wonder if you can do a little bell earring? :laugh: That way if it gets caught, it's only the ear, not the neck? :shrug:


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## animalfamily (Nov 23, 2012)

I don't know if this is a factor, but one thing I have not seen mentioned yet, is that a bell will also draw attention to your goat. We live in the country and our goats have never worn collars. They do have their horns so catching them is not a problem.
I wouldn't want a bell on my goats, as when they are let out of their pen to graze in the open part of the property, I don't want to draw attention to them by any variety of malicious critters in the area. 
Granted they are always supervised when they are out, by either our dog or ourselves, but you do have the occasional unsupervised 'escape'.
I think it was GTAllen who mentioned the grain bucket. My goats can be salivating over honeysuckle, wild roses, raspberries, any number of delicacies, and if I get that bucket out they come running. Be prepared to be mulled!!
To answer the other question; yes, they do tend to stay together. At least ours do. They are let out at certain times of the year to free range and when one moves to a new location, they all move to that location.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

ThreeHavens said:


> This is going to sound bonkers, but I wonder if you can do a little bell earring? :laugh: That way if it gets caught, it's only the ear, not the neck? :shrug:


I was thinking the same thing, since many folks ear-tag their goats anyway. Although... I wonder if it'd drive a goat mad - always hearing that jingling right in their ear. :angry:


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## SugarBush Farms (Apr 19, 2012)

We collar most of ours. The babies(aka most likely to attempt to go under a fence, get stuck in a gate or get a hoof caught) are not collared. But the adults are, we use dog collars, however I do want to get the plastic chains
Ours need to be collared so that we can catch them and lead them, or even to hold them back from bolting out the stall door when we let the milkers out.

We also keep bells on the ones who like to be directly under your feet and 'help' when your doing something. It gives a pretty good warning as to where your fencing pliers/zip ties/hat/gloves/insert whatever Kami ran off with here went


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