Goat stansion?

[joecool911]

Anyone have pics or link to a good homemade goat milking type stansion? I've been negligent with hoof trimming and my boys are not being good citizens about standing still and not fighting me.

[Nanno]

If you like I can take pictures of my stanchion, which was home-made by a friend of mine. But I can't give you measurements because mine is made for does. I'd need one almost twice this size if it were for Cuzco!

I've trimmed hooves on some really wild, big goats without the use of a stanchion. I tied them to a stout post with a halter (NOT a collar!) and snubbed them up really short so their faces were almost plastered to the fence post. Then I pinned them tightly against the fence with my body, grabbed a hoof, and hung on. They didn't like it, but I got the job done, and by the last hoof they were actually pretty good about it. I'm sure your goats are not as wild as those ones were. You might be able to achieve good behavior with a bucket of grain hung on the fence.

Stanchions are nice, but I sometimes find that the halter and fencepost is still a better option with a really strong, unruly goat because they can actually flip the stanchion over if they go crazy. The nicest thing about a stanchion is that it gets the goat up higher so you don't have to bend down as far.

[Taffy]

I agree with Nanno - a goat can tip over and drag a stanchion so never leave a goat unattended. My goats are all well behaved on the milk stand so I haven't had that issue. However, I know someone who did.

I got my stanchion off Craiglist for $75. It's metal and foldable. It looks like this one except the head holding part is different. http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?...38be334467

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Actually a sheep sheer stand it ideal for trimming. It locks their head into one place and allows you to do whats needed. Can do vaccines, shaving and just about anything else in terms of upkeep.

[joecool911]

Thanks guys. A stanchion of some kind would be good to have around. Still trying to make a lightweight goat ramp out of plywood. 2x12 is too narrow and wider = heavier. Need to have a good truck loading ramp. I saw a set of wheel chair ramps made out of plywood that had sides that kept wheels from going off the ramp and was arched in the middle to offer rigidity. Might make something like that which is around 24" wide. 8' to fit in the back of the pickup.

[Nanno]

I'm looking at this for a ramp for Cuzco: http://www.jefferspet.com/solvit-pet-ram...p/0028530/

It's too pricey for us right now, but it looks like it could really come in handy since it's lightweight and telescopes to a smaller size for storage. At only 6' long, the bottom of it might have to be set on a rock or a small slope so it isn't too steep. But then again, goats are pretty good at climbing some very steep angles as long as they've got good grip, which it looks like this has.

I never thought I'd see the day when Cuzco needs a wheelchair ramp to get in the truck! He's always jumped right up. For the last year or so we've been backing up to hillsides, stairways, rock piles, and anything else we can think of to give him a shorter jump. Sometimes there's nothing convenient, and that tailgate looks awfully high to an old goat whose muscle mass keeps shrinking while his fat deposits grow.

[Taffy]

Nanno - here it is on Amazon and is only $96.69 with free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Solvit-62337-Delux...B000RUJEUU

I'm looking at this for a ramp for Cuzco: http://www.jefferspet.com/solvit-pet-ram...p/0028530/

It's too pricey for us right now, but it looks like it could really come in handy since it's lightweight and telescopes to a smaller size for storage. At only 6' long, the bottom of it might have to be set on a rock or a small slope so it isn't too steep. But then again, goats are pretty good at climbing some very steep angles as long as they've got good grip, which it looks like this has.

I never thought I'd see the day when Cuzco needs a wheelchair ramp to get in the truck! He's always jumped right up. For the last year or so we've been backing up to hillsides, stairways, rock piles, and anything else we can think of to give him a shorter jump. Sometimes there's nothing convenient, and that tailgate looks awfully high to an old goat whose muscle mass keeps shrinking while his fat deposits grow.

[joecool911]

How old is Cuzco now? Was he the one that got hit by cougars? I know you've had more recent issues. But I seem to remember something with him. Sometimes things like that have lasting effects. My friends dog got attacked by a raccoon. Got coon dog disease that effects the central nervous system and she was never the same.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Guzco got chased off a cliff and when he awoke he was a beautiful unicorn hehe

[Nanno]

Cuzco will 12 years old in April. He got attacked by coyotes in June of 2012 and yes, it had lasting effects. He ran three miles at top speed, which is quite a feat for any goat, let alone one who was 10 years old at the time. He ended up with some lung damage, and it also triggered an arthritis flare-up which prompted me to put him on Cosequin. He didn't get any diseases, but it would be shocking if there were NO long-term effects from such an ordeal. On the other hand, I'm amazed that he survived at all. It was a miracle.

But Cuzco was having a harder time jumping into the truck even before the coyote attack. The arthritis had been starting between the toes of his left front foot for some time, and the attack was simply the incident that caused it to flare up to the point where he actually went lame and we had him checked by a vet. For about eight months after we put him on Cosequin he was jumping in the truck like a young goat again and was able to go farther and faster on walks. But even modern medicine can't stop the effects of old age, and he's been slowing down again this past year. It became obvious on our trip to Utah last October that he can't climb like he once did, and he's losing more and more teeth every year. The back molars have been going for quite a while, and this year he started losing the front teeth as well. Still, he keeps in pretty good weight for a toothless old goat! And as long as he still loves going for walks and puttering around the yard, we'll keep stringing him along with his mashes and arthritis meds. Looks like he's still got at least a couple good years left in him.