Meat Goat Blog

Survival Instincts in Goats

Like all animals, goats have different characteristics that help their ability to stay alive. Some are stronger, some are healthier, but something a lot of people don't think about is the ability of certain goats to avoid or cope with hazardous situations. There are many factors affecting a goat's survival instincts like their tendency for caution, attention to environment, and problem solving.

As anyone who has ever had goats can tell you, there are goats that are "friendly" and goats that are not. While this friendliness can often be fun if your goats are pets, it can also be harmful to them when they are confronted by predators. Because these animals have a natural curiosity, they do not run from danger as quickly. So, while they are investigating whether or not a wolf is going to do anything interesting or exciting, their wiser peers are getting as far away from the predator as they can get.

Goats can also get a boost in their ability to survive by simply paying attention to detail. A few months ago, a small hole in the fence was opened up by some rusted wire. Because the fence was still upright, we did not notice the hole for a long time. In fact the only reason we noticed it at all was because we happened to see one of our bucklings as he went dashing through it. Our neighbors had been alerting us of a loose goat for a while but every time we would go check, none of ours would be missing. This little buckling had been leaving the pen to eat the roughage on the other side and then coming back in to bed down at night. Most goats that saw this hole would have run out without paying attention to where it was located. Then because they were not attentive to their surroundings, they would not have been able to get back in. However, since the buckling was observant, he was able to go back and forth for many weeks without getting lost or killed.

For a goat to have good survival instincts, they must also be able to solve problems. As we have talked about in the past, big hole panels can get goats' heads stuck. But if the goats are crafty enough to get their heads in, why couldn't they get them out? It's because some animals are just not as good at problem solving as others. Even though they can usually be saved from the silly situations they get into, a truly intelligent goat will avoid or resolve these kinds of dangers after a one or two encounters.

So while the survival instincts an animal possess are not always the most important factor, goats, as with people, should have a high enough level of common sense and logic to survive the rigors of daily life. Without it, even the most perfect animals are nothing more than a pretty carcass.

Clean Up Bucks Are A Good Idea

We like to use a clean up buck as part of our typical breeding program. A clean up buck is a second swipe at breeding by allowing a different buck the opportunity to breed does that might not have taken the first round. Our clean up cycle started this past Saturday using two different bucks. We waited a little over 30 days before the clean up starts. In this way, we can safely know any kids born later in the Spring came from the second round without having to perform DNA tests.

It's important in a commercial operation to know the sire of your offspring in an economical manner. Waiting the 30 days (or sometimes a little longer) gives you enough of a break in the kidding cycle to feel comfortable. Using the second buck usually increases the kidding rate as some does don't take the first time.

Even before we ran the second set of bucks, we noticed a handful of does standing around all day near the buck pen. It was pretty obvious the attraction. You may be wondering why we used two clean up bucks rather than just one buck. This year we had a few younger does that were excluded from the initial breeding because they were not old enough to breed. Now a few months later they are ready and we hand-picked the buck we wanted to use with them.

Using Goats To Train Horses, Doesn't It Run Off The Weight

You may wonder why we would trail the goats around on horseback. You might even ask, doesn't that take off the weight. If so, it would seem counterproductive. It's really not. Goats are more like deer than cattle. A cow will stand and eat without moving if you bring the feed. Goats tend to browse and wander as they eat. Simply said, goats are going to roam as far as your fence ( and sometimes past! ).

In our opinion, using the goats for horse training actually benefits the goats as well. Although horses are larger than the typical goat predator, having something coming after them is a good reminder to stay alert. We also don't run the goats for the most part. The horses are learning to follow something and we aren't interested in speed.

Like most ranchers, we are always looking for ways to get the biggest bang for the buck. Mutually beneficial uses of your livestock is the icing on the cake.