https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:39:42 +0000 MyBB https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=6536 Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:01:27 -0700 Dandelion]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=6536 I thought I’d post a funny goat story (originally posted on my substack @julialupine where I post stories on goats, homesteading, and many other things). It may eventually be part of a book of short stories about goats; Tito is proving to be a comical character who’s always doing something that’s worth a story). 


Out here on the edge of nowhere, ii've been researching new and exciting uses for the rubber chicken. It’s not an ordinary rubber chicken. This one is a particularly hideous specimen, devil-red and covered with nobs on its skin, and wearing a Santa Claus hat. Also, its neck appears to be much longer than that of your average rubber chicken (but, I’m no expert on the subject; I haven’t come across many rubber chickens in recent years). Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention the noise it makes when you squeeze it. It’s a cross between an old man’s dying gasp, a hyperventilating cow, and a New Year’s horn.

It was a gag gift from my mom this Christmas. But I’ve found a purpose for it, and it’s become an essential item around the farm.


Tito my pack goat lives in his own big pen and the three girls have a pen next door. I’m constantly moving the girls around, because the milk shed is in between the two pens, and when I’m done milking each one (Olive-Coconut-Sunflower is our usual order, because that is the order of how pushy they are) I shove her in the pen with Tito. Then, I go in the pen myself, open another gate that leads to the outside, and shoo two of the goats outside (usually Tito-Olive, and Coconut-Sunflower, are the buddy groups). Two at a time only, that way they won’t run away, and whoever’s left in the pen will have a friend so they won’t scream for hours. 

I mention all this because Tito likes to foil my careful system, by either standing in the doorway to the outside so the girls can’t get out, or ramming them as I open the gate to let them in. He gets bored sometimes, and he also feels left out because he knows they’re eating alfalfa pellets and he doesn’t get any (too much alfalfa isn’t good for boy goats. The girls need the extra protein for their milk production). Also, although Tito’s neutered he still likes girls, and he thinks they’re his girlfriends so he doesn’t want me to take them away (but he also likes to pick on them, and gets especially jealous of Coconut, the littlest one).

I’ve had some screaming fits I’d rather forget, prompted by Tito’s ramming the gate so I have to let go for my own safety and then all the goats get into the yard and start destroying everything and eating my trees. I am a patient person but a goat will take you to the edge sometimes. Like a computer, or a dentist, you can’t reason with it. But, you can outwit it. And that is where the chicken comes in.

Now, when I go to Tito’s pen to move girl goats in or out, I come armed. If Tito gets that crazed look in his eyes that means trouble, or worse, starts bucking up and and down like a bronco in excitement, all I have to do is squeeze the chicken and he stops immediately. If he doesn’t back off enough for my liking, I squeeze the chicken again, closer to his ear. He used to run into the barn; now he’s getting used to it but still backs off, and forgets all about whatever bad thing he was previously doing. 

The girls aren’t particularly phased by the chicken, so I’m still able to move them through the gates as needed. Olive does her own pushy thing when I put the littler girls into the girls’ pen; it is less dangerous because she doesn’t have horns, but still annoying. I’ve found that, while she isn’t scared of the chicken noises, it does sometimes work to bonk her on the nose with it to make her back off.

Just life around the farm as usual. There’s always a solution to every problem.]]> I thought I’d post a funny goat story (originally posted on my substack @julialupine where I post stories on goats, homesteading, and many other things). It may eventually be part of a book of short stories about goats; Tito is proving to be a comical character who’s always doing something that’s worth a story). 


Out here on the edge of nowhere, ii've been researching new and exciting uses for the rubber chicken. It’s not an ordinary rubber chicken. This one is a particularly hideous specimen, devil-red and covered with nobs on its skin, and wearing a Santa Claus hat. Also, its neck appears to be much longer than that of your average rubber chicken (but, I’m no expert on the subject; I haven’t come across many rubber chickens in recent years). Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention the noise it makes when you squeeze it. It’s a cross between an old man’s dying gasp, a hyperventilating cow, and a New Year’s horn.

It was a gag gift from my mom this Christmas. But I’ve found a purpose for it, and it’s become an essential item around the farm.


Tito my pack goat lives in his own big pen and the three girls have a pen next door. I’m constantly moving the girls around, because the milk shed is in between the two pens, and when I’m done milking each one (Olive-Coconut-Sunflower is our usual order, because that is the order of how pushy they are) I shove her in the pen with Tito. Then, I go in the pen myself, open another gate that leads to the outside, and shoo two of the goats outside (usually Tito-Olive, and Coconut-Sunflower, are the buddy groups). Two at a time only, that way they won’t run away, and whoever’s left in the pen will have a friend so they won’t scream for hours. 

I mention all this because Tito likes to foil my careful system, by either standing in the doorway to the outside so the girls can’t get out, or ramming them as I open the gate to let them in. He gets bored sometimes, and he also feels left out because he knows they’re eating alfalfa pellets and he doesn’t get any (too much alfalfa isn’t good for boy goats. The girls need the extra protein for their milk production). Also, although Tito’s neutered he still likes girls, and he thinks they’re his girlfriends so he doesn’t want me to take them away (but he also likes to pick on them, and gets especially jealous of Coconut, the littlest one).

I’ve had some screaming fits I’d rather forget, prompted by Tito’s ramming the gate so I have to let go for my own safety and then all the goats get into the yard and start destroying everything and eating my trees. I am a patient person but a goat will take you to the edge sometimes. Like a computer, or a dentist, you can’t reason with it. But, you can outwit it. And that is where the chicken comes in.

Now, when I go to Tito’s pen to move girl goats in or out, I come armed. If Tito gets that crazed look in his eyes that means trouble, or worse, starts bucking up and and down like a bronco in excitement, all I have to do is squeeze the chicken and he stops immediately. If he doesn’t back off enough for my liking, I squeeze the chicken again, closer to his ear. He used to run into the barn; now he’s getting used to it but still backs off, and forgets all about whatever bad thing he was previously doing. 

The girls aren’t particularly phased by the chicken, so I’m still able to move them through the gates as needed. Olive does her own pushy thing when I put the littler girls into the girls’ pen; it is less dangerous because she doesn’t have horns, but still annoying. I’ve found that, while she isn’t scared of the chicken noises, it does sometimes work to bonk her on the nose with it to make her back off.

Just life around the farm as usual. There’s always a solution to every problem.]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=6034 Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:05:36 -0700 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=6034
https://dexscreener.com/solana/apruw7whc...ijfta5qpjt]]>
https://dexscreener.com/solana/apruw7whc...ijfta5qpjt]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5764 Sat, 11 May 2024 16:57:12 -0600 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5764





This one has windows that close so the goats don’t have to get wet in a rainstorm. The bars pull down as well so we can reach in and pet them or feed them without opening the back doors.




Now we have two smaller doors instead of one huge one, so it will be much easier to load goats. These doors also fasten back so we don’t have to wrestle with them on a windy day.




The floor is rubberized, permeable, and permanent. Moisture wicks down through, goes through slits in the rhino-lined floorboards, and out onto the road instead of sitting underneath mats and rotting out the floor. I LOVE this feature! The center divider lifts off, and the walls are lined so the goats don’t end up with black aluminum stains on their coats like they did in my old trailer.




Here’s the gooseneck compartment. This will be very nice for the times when it’s raining or hailing or we pull into a camping area late at night. We can sleep up here instead of setting things up outside. There’s also a lot of storage in this area for sleeping bags, tents, and other camping equipment. It will be nice not to have to haul those things around in the back seat of the pickup!




And this is the best feature of all… the tack room! It is a HUGE, wide tack area with two rows of saddle racks, a center blanket bar, all the hooks I could want, a water tank in the left corner, and room to spare all over the place! I’ve already got twice as much stuff in here now as I had in my old trailer, and it’s still not full. The doors (not shown in the photo) have hooks and storage in them as well. It’s a fantastic tack room! And everything is only one layer deep so I don’t have to crawl past a bunch of stuff to go find something at the back. I can’t wait to try this out on a goat vacation!

]]>





This one has windows that close so the goats don’t have to get wet in a rainstorm. The bars pull down as well so we can reach in and pet them or feed them without opening the back doors.




Now we have two smaller doors instead of one huge one, so it will be much easier to load goats. These doors also fasten back so we don’t have to wrestle with them on a windy day.




The floor is rubberized, permeable, and permanent. Moisture wicks down through, goes through slits in the rhino-lined floorboards, and out onto the road instead of sitting underneath mats and rotting out the floor. I LOVE this feature! The center divider lifts off, and the walls are lined so the goats don’t end up with black aluminum stains on their coats like they did in my old trailer.




Here’s the gooseneck compartment. This will be very nice for the times when it’s raining or hailing or we pull into a camping area late at night. We can sleep up here instead of setting things up outside. There’s also a lot of storage in this area for sleeping bags, tents, and other camping equipment. It will be nice not to have to haul those things around in the back seat of the pickup!




And this is the best feature of all… the tack room! It is a HUGE, wide tack area with two rows of saddle racks, a center blanket bar, all the hooks I could want, a water tank in the left corner, and room to spare all over the place! I’ve already got twice as much stuff in here now as I had in my old trailer, and it’s still not full. The doors (not shown in the photo) have hooks and storage in them as well. It’s a fantastic tack room! And everything is only one layer deep so I don’t have to crawl past a bunch of stuff to go find something at the back. I can’t wait to try this out on a goat vacation!

]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5763 Sat, 11 May 2024 16:55:41 -0600 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5763


Pongo is as sweet and gentle in life as he looks in this photo.






Look at that face! I can’t wait until this little guy is all grown up and packing with the big boys. I think he’s going to be the best buddy ever. That little tilt to his head! Talk about cuteness overload!

]]>


Pongo is as sweet and gentle in life as he looks in this photo.






Look at that face! I can’t wait until this little guy is all grown up and packing with the big boys. I think he’s going to be the best buddy ever. That little tilt to his head! Talk about cuteness overload!

]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5760 Thu, 09 May 2024 20:31:26 -0600 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5760 And Molly was STUCK! 

All I could think of was the line from the Wheel of Fish scene in Weird Al's movie, UHF:




"Let's see what's in the box?" 
"NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! STUPID! YOU'RE SO STUPID!!"





]]> And Molly was STUCK! 

All I could think of was the line from the Wheel of Fish scene in Weird Al's movie, UHF:




"Let's see what's in the box?" 
"NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! STUPID! YOU'RE SO STUPID!!"





]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5540 Sun, 24 Dec 2023 18:18:19 -0700 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5540
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  1.png (Size: 1.1 MB / Downloads: 0) ]]>
  3.png (Size: 1.98 MB / Downloads: 0)

  1.png (Size: 1.1 MB / Downloads: 0) ]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5492 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 18:01:12 -0700 Nanno]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5492 "The Goat and I"

By Robert W. Service

Each sunny day upon my way
A goat I pass;
He has a beard of silver gray, 
A bell of brass.
And all the while I am in sight
He seems to muse, 
And stares at me with all his might
And chews and chews. 

Upon the hill so thymy sweet
With joy of Spring, 
He hails me with a tiny bleet
Of welcoming. 
Though half the globe is drenched with blood
And cities flare, 
Contentedly he chews the cud
And does not care.

Oh gentle friend, I know not what
Your age may be, 
But of my years I'd give the lot
Yet left to me, 
To chew a thistle and not choke, 
But bright of eye
Gaze at the old world-weary bloke
Who hobbles by.

Alas! Though bards make verse sublime, 
And lines to quote, 
It takes a fool like me to rhyme
About a goat.]]> "The Goat and I"

By Robert W. Service

Each sunny day upon my way
A goat I pass;
He has a beard of silver gray, 
A bell of brass.
And all the while I am in sight
He seems to muse, 
And stares at me with all his might
And chews and chews. 

Upon the hill so thymy sweet
With joy of Spring, 
He hails me with a tiny bleet
Of welcoming. 
Though half the globe is drenched with blood
And cities flare, 
Contentedly he chews the cud
And does not care.

Oh gentle friend, I know not what
Your age may be, 
But of my years I'd give the lot
Yet left to me, 
To chew a thistle and not choke, 
But bright of eye
Gaze at the old world-weary bloke
Who hobbles by.

Alas! Though bards make verse sublime, 
And lines to quote, 
It takes a fool like me to rhyme
About a goat.]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5463 Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:25:38 -0600 Dandelion]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5463 https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5376 Wed, 16 Aug 2023 08:29:37 -0600 Missy]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5376
 ]]>
 ]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5215 Mon, 15 May 2023 08:58:23 -0600 Dandelion]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5215
1/2 Togg/1/2 Alpine makes goats that have the Toggenburg sturdiness but the Alpine long legs, athleticism and energy. They are quiet, and good for someone who really wants to work them, and will hike for miles. But be sure to have high fences, and not let them out in your yard where there are nice cars around. Also make sure to have a spray bottle during the head butting baby stage so you can train them out of that.

3/4 Togg, 1/8 Alpine, 1/8 Nubian makes a mellower goat who still has the same Alpine energy as the previous cross. But the Nubian voice is a dominant trait, and you will have to be okay with that. It does come in handy to have one or two of them in your herd, because if you ever lose the goats you can call and they will give a yell and lead the rest of the herd to you. Too many, and it might get noisy around the farm, but you can mitigate this by not babying them too much when they are little.

3/4 Togg or more: sturdy, mellowest of all, and I personally like these the best, but they seem to be a little less athletic than the ones with more Alpine traits and it's important to keep them in shape. They also may have a little less work ethic, so it seems important to bottle feed them or at least not let them bond to their moms too much. Quiet, don't head butt much, don't jump on things or jump fences. The yearling I have is the nicest goat I've ever met, friendly but not at all obnoxious, I can even keep him with the milk goat herd and he behaves. He does seem to be getting pretty big, he's my biggest one at this point but is the least dominant of the three big boys. Best for less strenuous backpackers who like to stop and smell the flowers and not have to deal with a bunch of goat drama.

So in conclusion, I'd say that it's worth it to consider Toggenburgs or crosses when buying a pack goat. Also, the moms are the best milk goats - Cricket is tiny but makes about 1 1/2 gallons a day of the best tasting milk, larger Toggs can make up to 3 gallons a day- and the girls are also mellow and don't jump on things. I like to have a breed that is good for both milkers and packers, so all my babies get good homes and don't get eaten. And the babies that seem like they may be too mellow for packing, those are the ones that will be most valuable to sell as breeders.]]>
1/2 Togg/1/2 Alpine makes goats that have the Toggenburg sturdiness but the Alpine long legs, athleticism and energy. They are quiet, and good for someone who really wants to work them, and will hike for miles. But be sure to have high fences, and not let them out in your yard where there are nice cars around. Also make sure to have a spray bottle during the head butting baby stage so you can train them out of that.

3/4 Togg, 1/8 Alpine, 1/8 Nubian makes a mellower goat who still has the same Alpine energy as the previous cross. But the Nubian voice is a dominant trait, and you will have to be okay with that. It does come in handy to have one or two of them in your herd, because if you ever lose the goats you can call and they will give a yell and lead the rest of the herd to you. Too many, and it might get noisy around the farm, but you can mitigate this by not babying them too much when they are little.

3/4 Togg or more: sturdy, mellowest of all, and I personally like these the best, but they seem to be a little less athletic than the ones with more Alpine traits and it's important to keep them in shape. They also may have a little less work ethic, so it seems important to bottle feed them or at least not let them bond to their moms too much. Quiet, don't head butt much, don't jump on things or jump fences. The yearling I have is the nicest goat I've ever met, friendly but not at all obnoxious, I can even keep him with the milk goat herd and he behaves. He does seem to be getting pretty big, he's my biggest one at this point but is the least dominant of the three big boys. Best for less strenuous backpackers who like to stop and smell the flowers and not have to deal with a bunch of goat drama.

So in conclusion, I'd say that it's worth it to consider Toggenburgs or crosses when buying a pack goat. Also, the moms are the best milk goats - Cricket is tiny but makes about 1 1/2 gallons a day of the best tasting milk, larger Toggs can make up to 3 gallons a day- and the girls are also mellow and don't jump on things. I like to have a breed that is good for both milkers and packers, so all my babies get good homes and don't get eaten. And the babies that seem like they may be too mellow for packing, those are the ones that will be most valuable to sell as breeders.]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5170 Wed, 05 Apr 2023 20:34:47 -0600 GoatPackr]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5170
We are getting ready to order micro chips for several of our goats and after talking to the place found out they offer a discount for members of goat organizations.  My wife told the person we are members of the pack goat association and he said that was great and just needed our membership number.  We could get a pretty good discount on the chips and scanner.

How do I find my membership number? 
Has anyone ordered micro chips from microchip ID and gotten a discount? They wouldn't give a discount for 4H. 

Kris]]>
We are getting ready to order micro chips for several of our goats and after talking to the place found out they offer a discount for members of goat organizations.  My wife told the person we are members of the pack goat association and he said that was great and just needed our membership number.  We could get a pretty good discount on the chips and scanner.

How do I find my membership number? 
Has anyone ordered micro chips from microchip ID and gotten a discount? They wouldn't give a discount for 4H. 

Kris]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5140 Sun, 12 Mar 2023 08:48:20 -0600 Missy]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5140 ]]> ]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5136 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 19:59:44 -0700 GoatPackr]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5136
Would anyone have a copy of this? I'm trying to put together a better kit now that my boys are bigger and going to be doing overnight trips this year. 

I did a search and really didn't find anything. 

Kris]]>
Would anyone have a copy of this? I'm trying to put together a better kit now that my boys are bigger and going to be doing overnight trips this year. 

I did a search and really didn't find anything. 

Kris]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5100 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 10:02:30 -0700 GoatPackr]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5100
As many of us are aware WDFW has become very unfriendly to those of us who recreate in WA.  The WDWF has been illegally stacked with people who don't even know their job or basic wildlife info. They have been making decisions that only serve their special interests.  I won't keep going on all this as we all know.

I spoke to a WWC person at a recent sportsman show and learned they are getting ready to file a suit against the governor over the illegal commission. They are currently gathering other groups and organizations to join them.
I've asked for contact info to who ever we need to contact at WWC. This is something I think NAPGA should seriously look into supporting due to the recent decisions the WDFW commission has made concerning packgoats. 

Who at NAPGA could I send contact info to in order to get a connection going to get behind this?

Also please share this info to everyone!!! A membership is not expensive and can go a long ways in supporting our rights to outdoor recreation of all types.

https://w4wc.org/index.html

Kris]]>
As many of us are aware WDFW has become very unfriendly to those of us who recreate in WA.  The WDWF has been illegally stacked with people who don't even know their job or basic wildlife info. They have been making decisions that only serve their special interests.  I won't keep going on all this as we all know.

I spoke to a WWC person at a recent sportsman show and learned they are getting ready to file a suit against the governor over the illegal commission. They are currently gathering other groups and organizations to join them.
I've asked for contact info to who ever we need to contact at WWC. This is something I think NAPGA should seriously look into supporting due to the recent decisions the WDFW commission has made concerning packgoats. 

Who at NAPGA could I send contact info to in order to get a connection going to get behind this?

Also please share this info to everyone!!! A membership is not expensive and can go a long ways in supporting our rights to outdoor recreation of all types.

https://w4wc.org/index.html

Kris]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5091 Fri, 10 Feb 2023 19:44:04 -0700 Missy]]> https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=5091 I am getting started in goat packing and am looking for a good source for pack equipment, I am thinking about ordering from RustPack Goat Gear.
Any one here have an opinion? Has any ordered from them? Pleased with the product/service?
Any input is greatly appreciated. 
Thanks,]]> I am getting started in goat packing and am looking for a good source for pack equipment, I am thinking about ordering from RustPack Goat Gear.
Any one here have an opinion? Has any ordered from them? Pleased with the product/service?
Any input is greatly appreciated. 
Thanks,]]>