# Best breed of pack goat



## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

What breed of goat makes the best pack goat?

How many goats would it take to pull a cart with 2 people in it? 

I have a alpine/fainter mix wether named "Moose" he is about 9 months old right now. I'm not sure if he's going to get big enough to pull a cart. I think he will grow bigger his mom was big but his Dad was more medium size. 
Is it too late to start training him to pull a cart or be a pack goat? 

I also have a small Nigerian dwarf buck and 2 Mini Lamancha does but they are small.


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## goat girls (Dec 13, 2017)

It really depends on the size of the goat, how much does he weigh. Definitely not to late to start training, for pulling a cart he is going to have to be 3 years before he can pull a good load, same for being a pack goat. Right now he is a great age to teach him to walk calmly on a leash,teach the commands "walk on" and "whoa" other useful one are "stay" for when you put the pack saddle on or the harness for pulling.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

How many years does it take for a alpine to get to full size? I would say he weighs 80-100 pounds now


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## goat girls (Dec 13, 2017)

The minimum age he will have to be is 3. My ideal size for my pack goats and cart goats is 200 pounds.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Alpines are considered the "best breed" by many packgoat enthusiasts, but others swear by the other Swiss breeds. The down side to Alpines is that they tend to be overly mean toward other goats, which can make them difficult to manage at home, particularly if you have pregnant does and kids. However, they usually have an excellent work ethic and possess a good combination of strength and athleticism. 

Saanens and Oberhaslis tend to be mellower and easier to work with. Saanens are tall and graceful, but they tend to have weak pasterns and splayed hooves. This is not true of all individuals of course but is something to watch out for. Obers are typically a smaller breed but I hear they have a lot of heart and they are usually bold about crossing water. Toggenburgs are shorter and stockier than other dairy breeds and can be real powerhouses on the trail. They tend to have very strong feet and legs. LaManchas also tend to be a strong breed with good attitudes. Some people have a hard time getting over their lack of ears though. Kikos are starting to get attention in the packgoat world and I've heard very good things about them. 

Breeds that are typically not good for packgoats are Nubians, Boers, Myotonic, and of course the miniature breeds. Nubians are usually louder than other breeds and have a tendency to be lazy. Their pinched nostrils can also affect their endurance. However, they are also typically very long-legged with good feet. Boers are short, stocky, and heavy and do not usually have good endurance. Like the Nubians, their pinched nostrils also work against their wind. Myotonic goats have a tendency to lock up at unusual situations so they are not considered good working goats. They are very stocky and muscular but their short-leggedness works against them. Miniature breeds may be game, but they are difficult to keep in condition and their short legs put them at a disadvantage. 

That said, the unfavorable breeds can cross very well with the Swiss breeds to produce some outstanding working goats. One of the nicest pulling goats I've seen was an Alpine/Nigerian Dwarf wether. He was short but was a major powerhouse and had excellent conformation for a draft goat.

As has been stated, nine months is an excellent time to start training your goat. You won't be able to hitch him to a cart until he's at least two years old and well grown out. He won't be able to pull a full load until he's three. You can halter break him now and start getting used to leading, standing tied, and encountering unusual situations. His suitability for driving may depend on how prevalent the myotonic gene is. If he locks up at every new "spookum" then he may never be a great pulling goat. But he could be great if he only locks up occasionally or not at all.

You'll probably need two full-sized goats (or two strong medium-sized ones) to comfortably pull two adults in a wagon.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

Damfino said:


> Alpines are considered the "best breed" by many packgoat enthusiasts, but others swear by the other Swiss breeds. The down side to Alpines is that they tend to be overly mean toward other goats, which can make them difficult to manage at home, particularly if you have pregnant does and kids. However, they usually have an excellent work ethic and possess a good combination of strength and athleticism.
> 
> Saanens and Oberhaslis tend to be mellower and easier to work with. Saanens are tall and graceful, but they tend to have weak pasterns and splayed hooves. This is not true of all individuals of course but is something to watch out for. Obers are typically a smaller breed but I hear they have a lot of heart and they are usually bold about crossing water. Toggenburgs are shorter and stockier than other dairy breeds and can be real powerhouses on the trail. They tend to have very strong feet and legs. LaManchas also tend to be a strong breed with good attitudes. Some people have a hard time getting over their lack of ears though. Kikos are starting to get attention in the packgoat world and I've heard very good things about them.
> 
> ...


Moose didn't inherit the mytonic gene from his fainter father so no fainting from him. He looks more like his mom she was a Apline. So from what I have heard he could continue growing until year 3 and get up 150-200 pounds? Well maybe I just need another Apline wether and I could pull a cart after a couple years of training/growing?


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

Im just imagining someone talking a fainter on a trail, that could be very funny. Like Damfino said crosses make the best pack goats, most goat dairy's tend to breed crosses so if you were looking for another one that would be a good place to look. They are never too young to start learning how to lead and commands. Get him following you.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

Is moose a Alpine? He's the brown goat.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

bigz48877 said:


> Moose didn't inherit the mytonic gene from his fainter father so no fainting from him. He looks more like his mom she was a Apline. So from what I have heard he could continue growing until year 3 and get up 150-200 pounds? Well maybe I just need another Apline wether and I could pull a cart after a couple years of training/growing?


If he doesn't have the fainting gene then he should make a very nice working goat. He looks like a strong fellow in the photo. I don't know how big he'll get. Fainters are a smaller breed of goat but they are very muscular (being a meat breed). You'll just have to see how he turns out. Hopefully you can find a suitable teammate that he likes well and who moves similarly.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

the best pack goat is the one you have. don't forget to train your girls to pack too. dry does make really good packers.


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## ReNat (Jan 20, 2019)

Year and a half goat pulling a cart weighing 5 hundredweight at a distance of 8 miles on a flat road.


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## Deborah Haney (Jul 11, 2017)

My favorite saying about pack goats is something along the lines of "the best breed of pack goat is the goat with a good attitude". My Nigerian dwarves come hiking with me often and I plan to put a small pack on him in a few months so he can carry a picnic lunch or something. He should be 60-75 lbs when full grown so he can carry the light but bulky things I want to take camping like a pillow, the garbage bag, our tarps, etc.


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