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As a horse, and goat owner, I can say that having both is a great way 
to keep your pastures looking like parkland.  But there are a few 
things to consider:

1. Fencing.  Goats can be escape artists. Especially pigmy goats.  I 
prefer the large dairy goats, as they are less likely to escape, and 
are more docile.  Boer goats are excellent too. (They are a large meat 
breed, extremely docile, but can be very expensive depending on your 
area)

If you have electric fences, you will need four strands of HOT wire to 
contain goats.  Woven wire with electric on extended insulators works 
very well, and you can usually get away with just one hot wire then.

2.  Goats will eat trees and such, if there is not enough brush/weeds 
to keep them busy.  It's not a problem for me.... but in the past, I 
have wrapped trees with chicken wire to 6 feet to keep them from 
stripping bark.

3.  Only bucks stink.  And only part of the year.  When they go into 
rut in about September, through about February they not only stink to 
high heaven, they can be really rambunctious. (They exception is pigmy 
bucks. They stink ALL the time. *grin*)

4. Whethers are cut males.  They don't smell, they are usually very 
friendly, and  cheaper than does.  Around here, you can buy them 
privately, or at an auction for $25 to $75. (SW Washington)

I used to run 20 head of goats on ten acres with 4-6 horses.  I rotated 
through three pastures which always looked like I had a hired 
greenskeeper.  No weeds, evenly grazed grass... it was wonderful.  I 
fed only the does I milked anything more than what they could get on 
the place, though in the cold, wet months, I fed everyone hay and a bit 
of grain when they were in the barn at night.

Other things to keep in mind:  Goats need de-worming, and regular hoof 
trimming. Hoof trimming is easy IF you keep up with it. Timing depends 
on what kind of ground you have.  I usually trim 2-3 times a year here.

Housing:  We built a wonderful portable house for our goats.  It's on 
skids, so we just drag it to a clean spot and re-bed it when it gets 
dirty.  We usually move it several times in winter because it gets wet, 
but in the spring, summer and fall, we rarely need to move it.  This is 
really nice if you rotate pastures.  Our house is 6x8 and is big enough 
for 4-5 goats. It has a manger in it for feeding hay in winter.

I really like the idea of letting the animals do the work when it comes 
to pastures.... After the intial time/money investment in getting set 
up,  it works, and leaves me more time to ride!  If anyone would like 
more info on this, feel free to email.

Julie


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