Lets talk about goats!

[sannabelle]

I stick mine on the milking stand and let them munch away while I do their feet- as long as they have food they're usually pretty compliant!

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Im always so worried I'll hurt them. With her I'm worried every time she walks too.

 

[Werforpsu]

Hello! New goat owner from Pennsylvania here!
My husband and I went and bought 2, 3 month old Pygmy Goats at a livestock auction Wednesday. We were actually hoping for something larger, we are trying to give my son experience before he begins showing Boers in the county fair next summer, the larger goats were just so expensive and we got our two for $10 each.
They seem sweet enough, one is a wether and one a billy, so now we need to decide if we are going to get a doe soon or just keep the bachelor pad going. They have their horns. We will eventually sell the billy at the very least so I hope the horns aren't going to be a problem to buyers. I got the impression from my online research that 3 months is older then when you disbud (is that they right word??? lol). If that is something we "should" do and still can, I would love some direction!
Right now they are in a large crate at night (maybe 3ft by 5 ft) and being moved to a fenced in vegetable garden that we are done with for the season while we make sure their shelter and pasture are completely secure (we would have been done yesterday but it rained, so tonight is the night). They have been a bit scared and are huddling together a lot, but they are eating well.
We have been feeding them hay, letting them roam the 20x20 ft veggie garden filled with weeds, cabbage leaves, etc and after reading a lot online, I bought a bag of goat feed at Tractor Supply Company to give them a little a day. The bag says to base it on weight. They are 20-25 lbs so I gave enough for each to have 1/3 lb each. They seemed to like it but I know that it isn't supposed to be the bulk of their diet.

I would love some input on the do's and don'ts from people more experienced then myself.

Oh, I should note. We live in a rural area on 20 acres of mostly woods. Possible predators would include coyotes and bears. Our only other animals are chickens. We plan to keep them either inside a fence or on a lead near lots of underbrush all the time. The plan is not to ever let them roam the yard freely.

 

[cassie]

Kids are disbudded at a young age. I disbudded my Alpines when they were about three days of age. You can wait a little longer with Nubians. My experience with the horn development of pygmies is limited. If the horns are small enough, you might still be able to disbud your kids. You need an electric dehorning iron. The horns need to be clipped off close to the skull and then burned with an iron. See if you can find a goat breeder in your area that is willing to help you. That, or take them to a vet. Unless you want babies for some reason, don't get a doe. You might try contacting the American Dairy Goat Association and ask them for a list of breeders in your area. I know you don't have dairy goats, but any goat owner should be able to help you. The email address of ADGA is adga.net. I suggest you find their phone number or address and write or call them. If I were you, I would find someone who will band the buck for you, too.

 

[moomoodiddy]

I didn't mean for you to be rough. You can lay her down gently. I never did this to a pregnant goat. That said, if you have a good stanchion, you ought to be able to grab and work on her feet without her being able to get away from you.

I finally just grabbed a leg and followed her around til she calmed down lol and then did my best to even out her hooves, it will probably take a few times.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Little rant here, but don't ya'll hate it when people just jump into something without thinking about it especially when it comes to owning animals? I have experience with livestock and still researched for months before I got each of my goats and thought thoroughly about why i Wanted them. A family friend of mine saw my baby goats, decided they wanted one and is now going to pick up two goats that they know nothing about. Not even the genders

 

[cassie]

I finally just grabbed a leg and followed her around til she calmed down lol and then did my best to even out her hooves, it will probably take a few times.

Just grabbing a foot while she is loose in the corral is asking for trouble. You need to have the animal under control to minimize the possibility of injury to her or to you. Tie the goat up short or put her in a stanchion. As it is she can struggle and jerk and hurt herself, or cause you to slip and cut her or yourself or both.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

So I think we're getting rid of Yoda. He's so mean I have to keep him locked up separately. He loves me but he almost took out my son yesterday. We're getting two more females so we can have babies next summer I guess. I'm feeling awful about it. I don't know how I'm going to go thru with it. Crappy day on this yoopers farm.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Just grabbing a foot while she is loose in the corral is asking for trouble. You need to have the animal under control to minimize the possibility of injury to her or to you. Tie the goat up short or put her in a stanchion. As it is she can struggle and jerk and hurt herself, or cause you to slip and cut her or yourself or both.

It was in a smaller space, but I will probably have someone else help my next time.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Ok I finally got around to expanding my kid pen and need ideas for enrichment. I have a table or some pallets I could put in, but am seeing what else is out there.