Many of our Spokes members have goats. Some have dairy goats, some have packgoats and some have both. We also have one family that has a fleece goat. So far we do not have anyone with pygmies but any and all goats (and their owners!) are welcome in our club.
Jennifer is the leader in charge of the goat group. She has had goats since 2003 and would love to answer any questions you may have. If she doesn’t know the answer to your question she can probably find out!
Packgoats are the newest thing in pack animals. You can use almost any breed of goat for a packgoat with the exception of pygmies. Wethers are the most popular; however a doe in milk would give the advantage of fresh milk on the trip, dry does are also used. Unlike horses and llamas who can be expensive to purchase and to keep and need larger amounts of space, goats are smaller, less expensive and do not require as much space to stay healthy. Goats are also easier to transport, they can even be hauled in the back of a van in a pinch! As an added advantage goats leave less of an impact on the environment. Packgoats can be used to carry your lunch and a change of clothes on a simple day hike or they can be trained to carry most of your gear on overnight hikes. A fully grown packgoat who is in good condition can carry up to 30% of it’s body weight. Young goats, under a year can start out their training with 10% of their weight. Goats are very intelligent and friendly and with the proper training make wonderful hiking companions.
LINKS: www.hoeggergoatsupply.com www.caprinesupply.com www.goatwisdom.com www.imagecyte.com/goats.html