started aGoat sanc- need you guy's help and suggestion :)

[Crest Acres Girl]

This is pretty long guys and I need some suggestion, any help would be great. I'm going to post this on BYC too smile

Few weeks ago we started taking in goats like crazy, we have 4 acres and suddenly we became a goat sanctuary/ goat rescue however you want to call it lol.

We've been getting goats from everywhere... all ages, its really sad how people think they can care for a goat... then abandon them when its too much to handle. The worst we heard was..."oh I got this sheep and i just feed "it" corn, it just gets so fat and eat too much this is why we need to get ride of her" My jaws dropped..I told her it was a goat...I didn't even want to explain how she should have taken care of her..Lucy(the goat) was 3 months old and shes smaller than my 2 month olds and extremely overweight...-sigh-

Today I drove 120 miles to pick up 4 goats...bone skinny full of lice and mites. Now they are in the isolation pen to get vitamin injections, and getting their fecal test done for worms. It's making my heart sink...

I have a question for you guys, this is basically turning into a goat rescue sanc thing, I'm going to keep rescuing goats because I do have the space but the food and medical bills are coming to a problem. Can anyone give me some suggestions on how I should approach this? I was thinking of starting this adoption agency thing, and let people adopt goats for a fee etc...My dear friend told me not to put a donation button on my website because she said it will make people think its all about the money. Is this true? Any ideas and suggestions would be most appreciated

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Well I dont know, but I think what you are doing is great!!
We need more people like you..

 

[19hhbelgian]

Well, What you are doing is wonderful!! I do the same for horses. I am not registered as a "not for profit" agency, which I think you might need to be if you want to try for grants or things of that nature. Otherwise, I do what I can when I can. I am only one person, not asking for donations or anything of that nature, so it's all my time and money going into the animals. Once they are ready to be re-homed, I list them as I would any other horse. They are my horse, I am selling him/her because I can't keep everybody

I tell the prospective buyer what I know, what I've done, where the horse came from... I am always honest about the horses, and that's what finds them the wonderful homes. I will not sell to someone I don't think is appropriate (I have told more than a few people no), and I have them sign a first rights to buy back contract. I also allow trial periods in order to insure the horse is appropriate for that family/person. Maybe you could do that for the goats too. Obviously you need to set guidelines & rules - it can't be a free for all - must stay safe & healthy for the animals... I list my horses at a fair price, which covers my costs into that particular horse. Doing this makes me SO happy. I keep in touch with pretty much everyone I've sold to, and it helps horses who might not have been so lucky (we have auctions that the meat buyers go to - very sad to see where they are going, but it's the harsh reality of our world). What helps us is that we make all our own hay (with 4 acres I can understand how that probably isn't an option), buy feed in bulk, GIVE YOUR OWN SHOTS & DO AS MUCH MEDICAL ATTENTION ON YOUR OWN AS POSSIBLE! I have paid very close attention to the vets over the years, and thankfully learned a lot. ASK questions if you still use a vet. Honestly a lot of what they do, you can also do. I only call the vet if it's an emergency.

Always remember - Don't get in over your head

It's very easy to bring too many home. You can't help them all, but at least you're helping, and you are making a difference for the ones you do bring home

 

[CaGoatLady]

You should find somebody else who does the same thing and ask how they find donations. I design and sell t-shirts and stuff on the CafePress website and I started by just using pictures of my goats and turning them into mugs, mouse pads, shirts, stickers, and clocks and I make a little bit of money every month; more on holidays. You could take a picture of your goats and think up a cute slogan or something and say that it's for a worthy cause to keep your rescue going, then get the word out to all the goat people on all the message boards and goat groups you belong to. Don't forget to put in small writing your website address too.
Hey, I grew up just miles from Walnut and went to Mt. Sac at one time. I still miss that county fair in Pomona; it's the best and I live up in Sacramento, the capital, and our fair is nothing compared to that one.
Also, you could put a link to your CafePress store on your website, so, if people don't like to just donate money straight to you, they might like getting a t-shirt or something in return.
Here's an example:

 

[mekasmom]

If you did most of your own vetting, you would save a lot of money. It is easy to worm goats yourself and vaccinate them.

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Yeah I was watching my vet stitching up one of the goats that had a huge gash on her stomach area, it didnt seem too hard. Just getting the things like epinephrine and anesthetics is hard. My vet is charging me between $80-$500

Thank you all for these advices its helping me alot!

CaGoatLady I'm goin to mt sac right now hehe, and Cafe Press sounds like an awesome idea!! Time to bust out the camera hehe

 

[griffin45]

I really wanted to reply here, but how we do it is not really going to be quite as easy for someone else to. I am retired military (22 years in the Navy). We have a monthly income and my knowledge is sometimes required in other parts of the world (the gov. pays civs much better BTW). My wife and I are under 50 and we both stay home 95% of the year. AND WE LOVE GOATS! We have a monthly feed bill of almost $300. We do all injections, worming (have microscope) and most wound care here. We supplement still with goat milk soap. Very easy to make and very popular in the urban enviroment. Don't forget free range eggs! Get about 12 good egg layers and you can pay for Chicken food and goat food with eggs. I can go on and on... but I have to go spend the rest of the day with the goats!!

Chris