Goats!?!?!

[SteelMagnolia]

Stupid phone! 4h dept that has a goat club and ask the person in charge there. People who don't do extensive research on any animals is just plain irrisponsible!! Like eating table scraps and branches and so on if someone came up to me and said this I wouldn't sell them a goat until they did more research and such! One lady asked me if her stautuary would be ok I said why wouldn't it be then it dawned on me she meant would the goats eat it~I mean really?! So she didn't ever get any from me just couldn't get it thru to her they Don't eat anything~as far as having a hard time birthing anything will have an occasional issue but it is not the norm~know your goats and generations b4 them on both doe/buck sides and for Petes sake breed them at the right age 12-18months as I said they are fertile at 3months but don't need to be bred then. I have some does that are for pets only because they will never be big enough to breed now not to say there aren't idiots out there who did anyway....

4H is a GREAT way to learn about goats!! I learned so much from the local 4H about my goats especially with the stubborn does that didn't want their kids. I am relieved to know that not all pygmy goats are bad mothers. Not that I didn't enjoy bottle feeding kids...I loved every minute of it but it is a lot of work. I'm planning on getting goats again in the future..not sure if I will get pygmy or not..

 

[Mini Madness]

Actually, the coccidia that infect chickens cannot infect goats, and vice versa. The protozoan is species specific. Both types are very commonly found in healthy, adult animals at sub infectious levels. Though stress or illness can cause it to proliferate in adults, and young animals also have few defenses against it, which is why they are often given prophylaxis until they are six months old.

 

[Mini Madness]

Some cocci like lice and such can cross species~it is ok if chickens are just passing thru but you don't want them housed together and such because it does cause health issues. I have chickens/turkey and they are in the pasture on occasion it is good bug control but they aren't in close proximity all the time. The meninga worm is passed thru bird poop.chicken/bird lice will transfer to other species. Strep throat for people can cross to dogs/cats if they eat or drink after infected person.

 

[Stacykins]

Some cocci like lice and such can cross species~it is ok if chickens are just passing thru but you don't want them housed together and such because it does cause health issues. I have chickens/turkey and they are in the pasture on occasion it is good bug control but they aren't in close proximity all the time. The meninga worm is passed thru bird poop.chicken/bird lice will transfer to other species. Strep throat for people can cross to dogs/cats if they eat or drink after infected person.

I think you are misunderstanding what coccidia are. Coccidiosis is caused by an infectious protozoan, and it causes internal damage. A protozoan is a unicellular organism. Lice are a wingless insect (multicellular organism), which is a common ectoparasite.

A pathogen is a broad term for any disease causing organism, such as bacteria, viri, or fungi.

And you are also wrong that the meningeal worm is passed through bird feces. The meningeal worm that affects goats and other ruminants has a complex life cycle, of which birds are not a part of. Deer are the main host, and the target of the worms. Deer pass the eggs of the parasitic nematode as part of their waste. Then, gastopods such as slugs or snails (an intermediate host) must come into contact with this waste, becoming infected through contact. In the gastropod, the nematode matures further. It then relies on the gastropod being accidentally eaten by a ruminant, such as a deer or goat.

In a deer, the meningeal worm completes its lifecycle. In any other ruminant, it gets 'lost' and causes disease.

Another fact that you are wrong about is that humans and dogs can share strep throat. Dogs and humans can pass to eachother the streptococcus that causes streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS). But the streptococcus that causes strep throat, a completely different disease, Usually S. aureus causes TSS. But strep throat is caused only by Streptococcal pharyngitis, a completely different bacterial organism, dogs and humans cannot pass strep throat to each other.

So yea, I really recommend you research before you post, because you are passing a lot of very incorrect information regarding diseases. One doesn't need to have a degree in microbiology to at least have a basic understanding of diseases.

 

[elevan]

Some important reading for goats:
Recommended Reading for Goats
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13778

So you bought a baby goat….Now what?
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=149874#p149874

Goat starter kit.
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5759&p=1

Let's Look at our Different Feeding Practices *GOATS*
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11677

The goat medicine cabinet.
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=32187#p32187

Basic Health
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-basic-health

Parasite Management
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-parasite-mgmt

Coccidia
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-coccidia-goat

Copper and Selenium in Goats
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-copperselenium

Lice / Mites
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-lice-and-goats

An interactive eBook
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25550

 

[Mini Madness]

   4H is a GREAT way to learn about goats!! I learned so much from the local 4H about my goats especially with the stubborn does that didn't want their kids. I am relieved to know that not all pygmy goats are bad mothers. Not that I didn't enjoy bottle feeding kids...I loved every minute of it but it is a lot of work. I'm planning on getting goats again in the future..not sure if I will get pygmy or not..

 

[Mini Madness]

Whatever goat you get have fun! The minimanchas are great as well I have a few as well as full size ones.

 

[cafarmgirl]

So recently my parents announced that we are getting goats. I was skeptical then, and I still am for these reasons. For one, they didn't even really think about it. From what they have told us, they talked to some friends who had them, saw some pictures, and decided to get them. This is a problem in my opinion because they aren't weighing the good with the bad. The reason they say they want them is to eat leaves, branches, ect. in the woods so they will look better, and also "just because" I know close to nothing about goats but I'm pretty sure they can't eat dead leaves and branches and the occasional table scraps and be healthy can they? Wouldn't they need supplementary feed like chickens do? I tried explaining this to my parents but they won't listen. Also, we live on 1.3 acres and they are planning on having them in a crecent moon shaped fence (on the outside of the chicken run) which they say will help keep predators away from the chickens... The area can't be more than 100 sq. feet. (they also want to move them around... on a leash... so that they can eat leaves and sticks in other places) They are planning on getting two "female pygmie goats" Sorry about this load of information but I really don't think it is a good idea even though I would like to have goats. can somebody explain what I should do?

Sorry but pygmy goats are not going to keep predators away from the chickens, and may even become dinner themselves if you have coyotes.

I also would not ever recommend tying goats out, especially in a wooded area where they are going to get tangeld up almost immediately.

I really hope your parents will read up on basic goat care before they make this decision. They do need a decent shelter, vaccinations, deworming and somebody is going to have to learn to trim their hooves. It's not an animal you just throw out in the yard and it takes care of itself. It's unlikely they will be able to live off forage alone year 'round. They will likely need some good hay at least in the winter months.

With proper housing and fencing and a little bit of knowledge re their care goats can be very enjoyable to have around. Without those things they really can be a royal pain in the backside. They are amazing escape artists and are amazingly good at being everywhere except where you want them!

 

[chickenpredatorkiller]

yeah that is exactly what I am trying to tell them but since I'm 15 and they are in their fifties they probably think I don't know what I'm talking about... Thanks every for the help this info is helping a lot.

 

[Randomhero]

Goats will attract predators, not scare them away from your flock. There are two great pyranesse protecting the herd at my ranch, and they are enclosed with a mobile electric netting/fence. Keep them away from trees you're wanting to keep, apparently they taste the best hehe