Introducing the new feature, Aniswers (like Animal Answers, get it?) by the new contributor of this website, Heidi!
Claim: Goats cannot be tethered.
Rating: MOSTLY FALSE
Explanation: Goats can be tethered. It's true. But there's a wrong way to do it, and that's doing it without really knowing what you are doing.
Both Anniesgoathill.com and rb.rspca.org agree that tethering your livestock is not the best option and that it should only be conducted during short period of time rather than as your fencing plan. It's also required that there aren't predators around (yes, coyotes count, even if you haven't seen one around) and that the animal has constant and sufficient clean water and food at all times. Personally, while goats are animals and animals are NOT made in the Image of God, they shouldn't be treated as things. They aren't lawn mowers [citation needed] and even though you don't have to pamper your goats, at least provide them with the essentials. Plus, don't keep just one goat. Please.
Everyone certainly agrees that goats, like all other animals, can easily get tangled. Plus, don't tether a goat to a tree, as they will eat the bark off the tree and kill it.
Goats-in-the-backyard.com says to supervise the goats at all times. Quote:
"Goats that are tethered and staked need to be supervised AT ALL TIMES. This does not mean you have to stand there and stare at them, but it does mean you need to be around and paying attention to them...Be nearby and awake so you can solve any problems that come up before they turn into disasters."
This is an obvious drawback. Tethering goats does not substitute for fencing.
But let's look over at rb.rspca.org, which is naturally a more reputable site because it is a scientific animal care website, not a private back-yard-goats website.
"Tethered animals must be inspected at least twice in each 24 hours to ensure that food and water are available, they haven’t become entangled and the tether is still fitted properly at the head or neck. This should be increased to three times in very hot weather."
The latter is more reasonable. While the article states that it should only be conducted during short periods of time (which should be concretely defined, by the way), this suggests that the goat will be keep tethered for at least 24 hours. Definitely more long term than what the first site, goats-in-the-backyard.com.
I won't get into the rope you need, the techniques, or any of that, but I'll direct you to some sources below. But first, I'd like to point something out about goats.
Goats are browsers, not grazers.
You probably knew that goats are not lawn mowers. People with half a brain would assume that. But if you haven't researched goats much, or haven't been around them, you won't know that truthfully,
Goats aren't into grass.
They like weeds. Your flowerbed weeds. Plantain, thistles, thorns. Yes, it's a common misconception that goats will eat ANYTHING, and that they are just machines that eat away at everything in sight, but goats truly like weeds. They won't attack weeds and instantly the weeds are gone, but they're good weed maintainers. For a lot of us, that's great news. Some of us don't need lawn mowers. We need weed-pickers.
Sources:
Sources are listed above.
Final Note:
Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. And PLEASE ask some question about any animals. I'd love to answer them.
Thanks for reading!
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