goats

[eeyore]

I thought i would show you folks these. These are our goats who are grazing on willen island to suppress the scrub regrowth once we have removed it in order to increase the habitat potential for ground nesting birds.

first up does anybody know if they are a particular type/breed of goat







and secondly why do they do this ? is he trying to smoke parasites out of his fur , or do they just like the heat (btw it was very hot where he is , shortly before i took this the lining of my left glove caught fire burning the side of my hand - goats must be heat proof )

[Paul mabbott]

I can empathise with that ... no it just likes warmth! Wish I'd had a few embers this afternoon ....

Originally Posted by eeyore

and secondly why do they do this ? is he trying to smoke parasites out of his fur , or do they just like the heat (btw it was very hot where he is , shortly before i took this the lining of my left glove caught fire burning the side of my hand - goats must be heat proof )

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

I can empathise with that ... no it just likes warmth! Wish I'd had a few embers this afternoon ....

its not unusual to return to the island the following day and find two or three of them actually lying on the ember bed.

mid you jigsaw - thats the one in the third picture down, has been known to singe his beard off trying to eat brash which has already been put on the fire

[Airehead]

I don't know anything about those particular goats but you might be interested to know that there is a flock of feral goats on a peninsula at Carradale, Kintyre which I often visit. They, unlike yours, are all white which must say something about their ancestry.

[eeyore]

they certainly earn their keep , two year ago this was all scrub



admittedly the 55 volunteer work parties had something to do with getting it all cut down , but the goats are doing a good job of stopping it growing back

[Dan Salter]

Eeyore they look identical in colour and markings to the goats we have at the Kent Wildlife trust...when i first saw ours i too asked what breed they were and was told they were feral?

They were hand picked to be tough and put up with attacks from the publics lovely friendly dogs...not .

[Paul mabbott]

Can't work out what they are from my Guardian wallchart of goats and pigs (!). But goats are intrinsically middle-eastern, north-African beasts so would obviously like a bit of warmth however bred for more northerly climates. They are tough and hairy .... but so am I and if I was left out in the open on an autumn night I'd happily take advantage of an ember bed! It's amazing how warm these can stay for a day or so ....

Originally Posted by eeyore

its not unusual to return to the island the following day and find two or three of them actually lying on the ember bed.
mid you jigsaw - thats the one in the third picture down, has been known to singe his beard off trying to eat brash which has already been put on the fire

[eeyore]

ours are soppy as , they came from a petting zoo at beale park and are very freindly. Jigsaw particularly as he was bottle fed when younger and is imprinted on people.

fortunately as they are on an island, dogs are not a problem

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by eeyore

ours are soppy as , they came from a petting zoo at beale park and are very freindly. Jigsaw particularly as he was bottle fed when younger and is imprinted on people.

fortunately as they are on an island, dogs are not a problem

Ok thats good...the island part i mean.

[Gill Catton]

the folks at ACL - ACountryLife.Com - Smallholding & Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century will know what kind of goats these are....

[honeybee]

Have seen them on top of muck/compost heaps taking in the warmth. He's nearly roast goat!

[nightshade]

The farm we used to holiday on they would snuggle into the midden possibly for food and warmth,rather than go into their shed

[Dogghound]

i would say there doing that for the heat!

i think they look like pygmy goats a common form of the domestic goat!

[honeybee]

They looks far too tall for pygmy's.

[Dogghound]

just thought the colour and look of em maybe hybids?

[honeybee]

See what you mean by the colouration.

[RogerTheCat]

I love goats and if I ever get a bit of land will keep them

[werdnal]

They are definately too large for Pygmys. There are breeds of native british goats like the ones who roam the Valley of the Rocks near Lynton on Exmoor, who are very similar. These are feral but I assume the ones you photographed are tame as you get so close. Their mixed colouring is all down to breeding, so not suggestive of a particular type.

We have a couple of goats, they make great pets. Ours are Pygmy crosses and therefore larger than your average pedigree pygmy. Contrary to popular belief you don't need much room for them. We have a 1½ acre field, but some people keep them in large back gardens. They don't need rich grazing which is wy they are so suitable for scrub clearing.