Goats -
Packing And Driving
Success Guide For Raising Healthy Goats
A benefit of having well-behaved goats is that you can use them for driving and packing. Goats make wonderful draft and pack animals because they are active, friendly, and enjoy being with people. They eat less than larger animals used for these purposes, their smaller hooves do less damage to the environment on pack trips in the wilderness, and their droppings are indistinguishable from a deer's.
A draft goat pulls a cart, small wagon, sled, or other load. A draft goat may be hitched up for fun or to help with light chores, such as hauling hay, bedding, or firewood. Goat-sized cultivators are available that let you use your goat to turn garden soil.
A pack goat wears a saddle that may be loaded with supplies. The most common use for pack goats is to haul camping gear on wilderness hikes, but they have also been used to carry sensitive research equipment and other fragile goods into mountainous areas.
The same goat may be trained to do both driving and packing.
Wethers of a European breed are most often trained for draft or pack use because they are calmer than bucks, although stronger than does. A doe, on the other hand, tends to move more lightly (which may be important if she's carrying fragile items) and will supply fresh milk on camping trips.
A goat is trained to pack or drive with lots of patience and gentle handling.
Use the same methods as for training a donkey, mule, or horse (for which plenty of good reference material is available). Like any animal trained for packing or driving, a goat learns through repetition, so work with it for at least a few minutes every day.
Success Guide For Raising Healthy Goats
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Updated 5 March 2022 ©
External
links:
American Dairy Goat Association
American Goat Society
Dairy Goat Society of Australia
DEFRA
UK
National Pygmy Goat Association
Pygmy Goat Club
Welfare of Goats During Transport