Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Goats or llamas?

I know of goats packing that are 14 years old. They have a high risk life as a pack animal. There are several health related issues and arthritis which can be geneticly passed from generation to generation. I have been lucky an have only had to put down one goat in my life. I have 6 now but I have had as many as 13 at one time sorting out the best ones and selling off the others. I have only had one goat out of all of them that was worthless as a packer. He was never raised as a pack goat and I got him when he was 3 years old. He was friendly and sweet but would not pack and would wander off. A true trained pack goat will always bond with and follow his Human owner. <P>The biggest pack goat seminar in the USA will be in Idaho this August for a week. You can get the details from the web site. The best goat packing equipment Mfg is in Boise (George Bogdan of Owyhee pack goats)their are about a dozen great experienced pack goat breeders and equipment makers in Idaho. I would not even bother with any other tack, do it right the first time. My goats can jump with loaded packs on their saddles and they do not have anything come loose.<P>Hang out at the goat packing site a while they do have all the answers. There are a number of hunters with goats on that site as well but most are very "PC". Eidleweiss acres folks are also tops in experience with goats. Trust anything they say. Donna Samasko has about 30-40 goats and is a well known breeder. On Fridays they have goats for sale on that site as well. <P>If you expect to pack them this summer you will need goats at least 2 years old. I have about 3 acres fenced for my goats and suppliment their feed slightly with grass hay. They mostly browse on the property. I only need to suppliment them in winter for about 3 months. The rest of the year there is enough green for them to eat with out feeding them. My barn is 16X8 with a small 3foot wide door. If you get horned goats you will need more room in the barn. JJ