# Winter Goat Gear



## dastardlydeed (Oct 2, 2008)

Where is the best place to buy winter blankets and coats for goats? Halters?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

goats dont need winter blankets. They build a thick undercoat that works just wonderfully. If you put a banket on them they cant regulate their body temp correctly and can get sick.

as to leads and collars -- I use dog stuff


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

I agree with Stacey we don't use blankets on our goats in the winter unless we have kids born in the winter time so we use kid coats on the babies and we use dog collars ( the break away ones ) and leashes.


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

i only use goat coats on new born babies 
i found them on ebay
i only used collars and leashes when milking or showing
dog collars and leashes i made myself


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

I only use coats on Angoras after shearing and new born kids if its cold.
I also use old sweatshirts from my children and cut the sleeves length, and sew velco on to take up the slack so the shirt doesn't hang.

I do buy cheap, but heavy duty, nylon dog collars at the farm store and horse leads.
I use horse leads because 150 pound goats and bigger can break most everything else.


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

Now I agree that almost always goats don't need blankets. . . but. . . .

Last year for the first time very Cheyenne started to shiver. Why? I don't know, I had to scramble to find something to put on her. The problem is that there are not too many places that locally sell goat blankets. Large dog blankets can do in a in a pinch, but rolly polly pygmy bellies are hard to fit. I found one at a pet expo that was just pure luck. A returned large dog blanket. 

Same thing happened to me with a mini horse I had. This horse got himself soaked right down to the skin standing in the rain. Why?? How?? No idea, but I was in a real bind without a blanket for him. I was lucky enough to find a foal blanket that kinda sorta worked. 

Anyway, Now I believe in being prepared. I don't think that you need one for every goat, but just have them handy in case something happens. 

Just do a search for goat blankets. There are some on e bay too.


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## Julie (Oct 6, 2007)

I have sewn my own "kid sweaters" before, they're really easy to do ! 
Or you can purchase dog sweaters ... they work great for goats !

I don't keep a sweater/coat on any of my goats, God created them with fur sufficient for cold weather - just think about it.
But if you have a sick goat who can't stay warm, that's different, or if you have a young kid, that's different to. I had to keep a warm coat on my bottle baby that I had last year. So it does come in handy to have coats !! A heat box comes in handy to !!

But the main thing is ... make sure your goats have a nice shelter where they can get in out of the weather and stay dry. And lots of bedding (straw, hay) to help them stay warm. If the shelter opening is facing the wind, put a blanket or something up so the wind doesn't come directly inside the shelter. If you keep the shelter dry and draft free, and your goats are in good health and fed properly, they should do fine. Eating hay helps to keep them warm also. So make sure their hay racks are full !  

Anyway, if you'd like to know how to make your own goat coats, I can send you a pattern for it. Or maybe I could make some for you, although I'm not sure what I'd have to charge for material time, and shippiny. Probably like $20 per coat plus S&H ... I dunno. And I'm no professional ... not at all ! I can simply throw one together that looks descent  And works.


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

I have a horror story to relate. 
Never, ever, picket your goats okay?

I was sitting at home on the couch, and we had our goats tied up outside so I could go peek on them every 10 minutes or so. 
Well there was a deathly scream. 
I screamed, "I'm coming!" and took off out the door. 

Spirit had wrapped herself up so tightly in a juneberry bush (I had thought was 'out of reach') that her collor itself was all twisted so she was chocking . . .
I screamed bloody murder, "Get me a knife! get me a knife!" 
And mom and dad come running down the hill and ZDad had a utility knife on him and he cut her free . . . She actually collapsed and was slowly drawing in breath I had never felt so bad in my life . . .
moral of the story: always have a knife on you. moral 2 and most important: DON'T EVER TIE UP GOATS. they are choking fools . . .


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## Julie (Oct 6, 2007)

Also be careful with wearing collars on goats when you have other goats that have horns. 
I had a very scarey incident ... I was in the barn (luckily!) and heard my little buckling hollering a weird hollar ... so I ran to his aid and there he was, basically hanging from my larger buck's horn ! My larger buck got HIS horn stuck (and wrapped around) my smaller buckling's collar. it was twisted SOOO tight - I couldn't even get it unwrapped ... with all my strength ! I broke it loose luckily ! I have a utility knife hanging in my barn, but I just broke it ... knowing that there wasn't a second to spare to run and grab the knife ! He was literally choking to death ! Ever since then I removed the collars from any of my goats that were in contact with other goats with horns. Now though, my entire herd is horn free - so I can wear collars on them without worrying about that. 

But yeah, just wanted to let you know my experience .. so you don't go out and find one goat haning dead from another goat's horn/s !!


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

I tether goats with no prob.
I dont want them to strip the land. I also want to know what they ate and how much.

I also make sure there is nothing to choke themselves on by actually walking a diameter with the tether. I also use auger stakes that go into the ground so they dont tangle on that either.
I use very wide collars that are on loose. The narrower the collar the more choking effect it will have.


I tether at least 13 goats per day of all ages. Last year its was 22 per day minimum.
I dont remember the years before that as to numbers.
Never have I had an accident.
If done correctly, its basically safe. 

Even a fenced pasture can be dangerous.
You just take as much precautions as possible whether you tether or fence.

And definitely take off collars when penned.


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## heathersboers (Sep 5, 2008)

we use the plastic chains with the breakaway loops-if the goat gets hung-that one link comes loose-pick it up and put it back on!! works great- I also use my handmade halters to tie out my goats-no choking at all-


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## dastardlydeed (Oct 2, 2008)

i need to learn from all of you


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

I hate people that tie out their goats or any animal for that matter though, we never tie our goats or dogs though and we don't sell to people that say they are going to tie the goats out though, we had a bad experience with a full sized Nubian wether that has been tied up all his life too!


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## dastardlydeed (Oct 2, 2008)

what about a harness? anyone use a harness on their goat?


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

Nope. about plastic chain collars . . .my goats chew through them. Any alternatives?


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

Hate is a very strong word. 

I have tied out my goat. I have even. . . oh my gosh. . . tied my dog when I don't want her to wander off. There is a big difference between tying out for a short amount of time and tying out for weeks or months. As Ivy pointed out you have to be smart about it and check for hazards.

I learn about the breakaway link the hard way. My buck came with one. Tied him up to wash me and he, of course being sure that he was going to just melt away with the water, tried to get away. Next thing I knew I had a loose buck. LOL. I was able to grab him and get the chain back on. 


dastardlydeed: The only time you would want to put a harness on a goat is if you getting read to teach them to drive. Harnesses allow goats, and dogs for that matter, to really pull. They would be really hard to control.


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