Tell me about... goats.

[Clucknut]

Hi, I've been an infrequent poster for several years.
I've kept small flocks of chickens for eggs, for about 35 years. I'm currently starting a new flock with six 3-week old Easter Eggers.
They'll live secured in my ark with daly, supervised free range time.
I love the Great horned Owls that nest in our neighborhood every year... and I think they "loved" my Leghorns that refused to go to bed at night.
I've had Eggers before and really liked them. They were more, "cooperative."

I also have 7 "pet" rabbits that are two years or older, from an abandoned meat raising project.
I decided I wasn't impressed enough with the meat for the work involved.

Anyway, is there something wrong with a sixty year old guy wanting a petting zoo?

I built this sturdy pen thinking of goats.
I had my Leghorns in there with the ark. Now the ark is out and I planted pumpkins. When they are done, I'm thinking about goats again, strictly as pets. Maybe 3 small ones... Pigmys?

Any thoughts or advice for subtropical, Southwest Florida?
I've got a lot of learning to do first.

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

Hi, I've been an infrequent poster for several years.
I've kept small flocks of chickens for eggs, for about 35 years. I'm currently starting a new flock with six 3-week old Easter Eggers.
They'll live secured in my ark with daly, supervised free range time.
I love the Great horned Owls that nest in our neighborhood every year... and I think they "loved" my Leghorns that refused to go to bed at night.
I've had Eggers before and really liked them. They were more, "cooperative."

I also have 7 "pet" rabbits that are two years or older, from an abandoned meat raising project.
I decided I wasn't impressed enough with the meat for the work involved.

Anyway, is there something wrong with a sixty year old guy wanting a petting zoo?

I built this sturdy pen thinking of goats.
I had my Leghorns in there with the ark. Now the ark is out and I planted pumpkins. When they are done, I'm thinking about goats again, strictly as pets. Maybe 3 small ones... Pigmys?

Any thoughts or advice for subtropical, Southwest Florida?
I've got a lot of learning to do first.

First off, they’ll need a shed
Modest; an 8' x 6' (2.4 x 1.8m) shed, furnished with benches and hay rack, being suitable for two pets. The shed should have ventilation but must not be draughty. If there is a glass window it should be replaced with perspex OR protected with mesh to prevent accidental breakage. A stable (two piece) door is useful. A concrete or slab path or area of hard standing adjacent to the house will be useful and appreciated by the goats. Electric lights should be provided - well out of reach of the goats. Access from the shed to a well-fenced area will provide space for exercise and fresh air, both essential for the fun loving Pygmy Goat. Tethering is not a suitable means of restraint. Fencing should be a minimum of 4' high. Hedges will not be a sufficient boundary.
If planning to breed, it is as well to be aware of the captivating qualities of these very special animals and to provide housing in excess of that initially required. Pygmy goats should not be kept as house pets and do not need to wear coats.


DIET
A basic diet of hay and clean drinking water should be supplemented with 2-8 oz of goat mix and/or a roughage based feed such as alfalfa or chaff each day. Quantity of feed depends on age, sex and condition. Pygmy goats are “browsers” not grazers - they should not be considered as lawnmowers. Vegetables and fruit should be added to their diet. Twigs, leaves, bark and some 'weeds' are the natural food of the goat and will be welcomed as a great treat. Care must be taken not to allow access to poisonous plants such as alder, yew, rhododendron, laurel, privet, laburnum, honeysuckle, walnut, evergreen shrubs, green-stuff from flowers including delphiniums, hellebores or any bulbous plants such as daffodils or tulips. New foods should always be introduced gradually. All food must be clean and untainted.



HEALTH
To keep your Pygmy goats healthy they should be provided with a yellow mineral lick in the goat shed. Their hooves will need trimming every 4-6 weeks. They will also need to be tested for worms (via a Faecal Egg Count) twice a year, and should be routinely treated against lice during the autumn and spring. Vaccinations will be required against enterotoxaemia. Your vet will advise you on these matters.




BREEDING
It is now thought best to wait until a minimum of 18 months of age before having your female pygmy goats served. Matings earlier than this age are possible but undesirable. Entire male kids should be separated from females at 10/11 weeks of age.
The gestation period is approximately 5 months. Kiddings are usually uncomplicated, but it is advisable for owners to be present. Kids may be weaned at 12-14 weeks if they are taking a good ration of hay and concentrates, but left with their mothers they may continue to suckle for seven months or more.


LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
All goat-keepers are required by law to register a holding number and a herd number. This applies even if only 2 goats are kept in the back garden. (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) All goats must now be identified by two forms of identification. One must be an ear tag but the second may be either a tag OR a tattoo. The numbers on both must be identical. Any goat movement between properties must be accompanied by an official movement licence. The breeder will advise you and comply with these regulations.

 

[Clucknut]

Thanks for the response.
From, Ireland? My granny was a first US generation born, Kelly.
I hope our goat regulations here in Florida aren't as involved.

Just like anything else, it takes a commitment.
I won't jump in without being prepared and knowing what I'm getting myself into.

 

[cassie]

Most of the legal requirements listed are not relevant for the United States. I think if you show you need some sort of ID for scrapie. You can apply for it and the goat's unique tattoo suffices for the goat's ID. Most dairy goat breeders here do not use ear tags. Ear tags are not a problem for pygmies but they don't work out so well with gopher eared LaManchas.

 

[Athena2344]

I didn't know that unregistered pygmies had to be tattooed... As far as I knew, only registered or show animals needed to be tattooed, tagged, or branded. With goats, provide fresh water, keep hooves trimmed, worm 2-3 times a year, (my two show angoras get wormed twice a year) depending on the breed of goat you will be getting, the amount of feed and hay required will vary. For my 2 year old angora nanny, she gets 3 3/4 lbs of nauman, and my yearling billy gets 7 1/2 lbs of feed right now(this is temporary as I'm trying to put some weight on him before breeding the two next month). They are both about 110 lbs, please keep this in mind as you determine a feeding schedule for your goats. They get to graze on grass for at least 5 min once a day. I trim their hooves about once a month. They are housed in separate pens which are about 8x8 to 10x10 ft, entirely covered with a tin roof, the back wall is also tin with about a foot of open space across for ventilation. The other 3 sides of each pen is "open". With pygmies, I recommend a nanny and a wether, two nannies or two wethers. Provide a big enough shelter for both of them to fit in and have their own space. For feed, i'd recommend all stock sweet feed, about a lb per goat, and a flake of hay between the two of them once a day, unless they finish all the hay, then I'd just give them one in the morning with grain, and one in the evening. You might want to have a raised area in their shelter, like a wood pallet with plywood on top to prevent their feet from getting caught. A large rock or logs can be put in their pen for them to play on.

 

[cassie]

I didn't know that unregistered pygmies had to be tattooed...

They don't. Not in the US. Regulations governing livestock in Ireland and the UK are very different than they are here.

 

[Athena2344]

Ok. I was doing a small freak out lol

 

[mominoz]

...mind you I am mad about my sons goats right now ; they will eat anything you have, like all your ornamental or screening plants like cypress or evergreens... they will push down fences or try to go thru field fences... If males are not neutered you can smell the rancid smell Hundreds of feet away...they will climb on top of anything...we fight over the damage they have done all the time! ;0( (I can't make them get rid of them because the grandkids like them)... if you are responsible and have the $$ for proper fencing and want them they do look cute and are friendly, but they are mini-destructors if not contained.

 

[cassie]

...mind you I am mad about my sons goats right now ; they will eat anything you have, like all your ornamental or screening plants like cypress or evergreens... they will push down fences or try to go thru field fences... If males are not neutered you can smell the rancid smell Hundreds of feet away...they will climb on top of anything...we fight over the damage they have done all the time! ;0( (I can't make them get rid of them because the grandkids like them)... if you are responsible and have the $$ for proper fencing and want them they do look cute and are friendly, but they are mini-destructors if not contained.

You shouldn't be mad at the goats, but you should be mad at your son. He is your kid, but you need to find a way to make him take responsibility both for the goats and for the destruction they wreak. Intact bucks are a bad idea all around. You are a lot nicer than I am. If it were me, I would give sonny boy an ultimatum and if it isn't met the goats would be gone, grandkids or no. You might have sonny look into some electrified poultry fencing. It is not all that expensive, it is easy to put up, and it should keep the goats contained.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I think I have been lucky in that my goats are not escape artists nor destructive...BUT they have their own 3 acres to keep them occupied and I have not let them wander the front 2 acres around the house to see what they are missing out on. Mine are not pets, though - I got them to help control the brush in the back acreage in between boughts of running the tractor through it. Since the goats like to work from the top down I recently added some sheep and they all hang out together like one big family. It's worked out quite nice.