California-Southern

[sol2go]

I have a work around for the roof if I cant find someone to build it for me....

Those panels are wonderful... At one point I was buying two or three per month. the local feed store carried the twelve by sixes as well. Made coop construction and fencing sooo much easier...

but if you want to contain goats.... You need more roebust material than the dog kennel panels.... In combination with hot wire..... they learned how to lift gates off their hinges and make doors along the bottoms....

deb

And you do want to contain goats, right?
I don't have any experience with goats and have avoided them because I imagine they will eat more than I want them too.
I'd be happy to hear from goat owners if it is more manageable than I imagine.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I had four for about eight years.... Three nigerian dwarfs and one pygmy. I Fed them a whole bale of hay and when that ran out I fed them another whole bale of hay. It took about a week for four goats to eat a bale of hay.... works out to be about five dollars per week. per goat.

There are other things they need. But that was pretty much it besides a big block of salt and lots of fresh water.

Goats are pretty healthy they need certain minerals and good quality Alfalfa... Some feed ChaffHaye... But I just fed good alfalfa. I wasnt breeding or raising for milk so they didnt get any grain of any kind.

Fencing and houseing..... Pretty easy to do if you do it right the first time. IN this climate a three sided shed with a roof is good for housing.... And this leaves fencing...

To do it right the next time for me will be Cattle panels backed up by pipe corral.... or a good sturdy wood fence posts with a top rail and a bottom rail. Goats love to rub by getting low to the ground and pushing on the wire of the fence and walking along.... Having a bottom rail for them to rub on would protect the fence and give them some satisfaction... If you dont have it they stretch the fence out and eventually break the fasteners holding it down... Then they can just roll under the fence.

Hot wire on the outside to keep predators at bay... Loose dogs or coyotes.... Actually My ideal situation would be to have a perimeter fence around the whole property with air lock style gates.... Then the goat paddock would be inside that. The perimeter fence would have hot wire at the top for horse and people and hot wire at the bottom for dogs. Then the goat paddock would have hot wire around the bottom to keep the goats from messing with the fence. Then I could use plain old field fence.

But for me fencing the whole eighteen acres is problematic.... Not a DIY project for me and I cant afford a fencing company.

So when I get goats again I will be modifying my horses 100 x 100 pipe corral for Goat access. then have the Goat housing in the yard through an access chute. or tunnel connected directly to the poultry house.

Again I dont have goats for milking I have them for companionship for the horse and for brush control.

deb

 

[hosspak]

For those who are coming to the Norco 2014 Fall meet-up;
I still have 4 chickens That I need homes for:
This is a 9 month old BLRW Slash rooster. TAKEN!!!

This is Prince Julius, he is about 9 months old. TAKEN!!!

These 2 sisters are a year old, Orp/ Jersey Giant mix. Both are laying. I would like $20 each.


I also have a supply for some truck tires and motorcycle tires for the garden or the run. I'm asking $10 each for the truck tires and $5 each for the M/C tires. I would need to know if you are wanting any so I can pick some up next weekend.

 

[sol2go]

I had four for about eight years.... Three nigerian dwarfs and one pygmy. I Fed them a whole bale of hay and when that ran out I fed them another whole bale of hay. It took about a week for four goats to eat a bale of hay.... works out to be about five dollars per week. per goat.

There are other things they need. But that was pretty much it besides a big block of salt and lots of fresh water.

Goats are pretty healthy they need certain minerals and good quality Alfalfa... Some feed ChaffHaye... But I just fed good alfalfa. I wasnt breeding or raising for milk so they didnt get any grain of any kind.

Fencing and houseing..... Pretty easy to do if you do it right the first time. IN this climate a three sided shed with a roof is good for housing.... And this leaves fencing...

To do it right the next time for me will be Cattle panels backed up by pipe corral.... or a good sturdy wood fence posts with a top rail and a bottom rail. Goats love to rub by getting low to the ground and pushing on the wire of the fence and walking along.... Having a bottom rail for them to rub on would protect the fence and give them some satisfaction... If you dont have it they stretch the fence out and eventually break the fasteners holding it down... Then they can just roll under the fence.

Hot wire on the outside to keep predators at bay... Loose dogs or coyotes.... Actually My ideal situation would be to have a perimeter fence around the whole property with air lock style gates.... Then the goat paddock would be inside that. The perimeter fence would have hot wire at the top for horse and people and hot wire at the bottom for dogs. Then the goat paddock would have hot wire around the bottom to keep the goats from messing with the fence. Then I could use plain old field fence.

But for me fencing the whole eighteen acres is problematic.... Not a DIY project for me and I cant afford a fencing company.

So when I get goats again I will be modifying my horses 100 x 100 pipe corral for Goat access. then have the Goat housing in the yard through an access chute. or tunnel connected directly to the poultry house.

Again I dont have goats for milking I have them for companionship for the horse and for brush control.

deb

thanks for the info Deb.
Goats keep coming up for brush control around here too. And my niece seems to think I should have some so she can visit with them =)
I would imagine goats need coyote protection too?

 

[perchie.girl]

@sol2go

really do your home work with goats and children.... My goats were never rough housed with and butting people was strictly discourage.... Mine loved people and getting skritchies but when they took the skritchie around the head and face I never pushed back.

I also prefer to have them disbudded. No horns.... There are various opinions on the subject. I wont get into the whys or why nots.

Definately need protection from dogs of any kind... I had more problems with feral dogs than coyotes.

I lost mine to mountain lions...

deb

 

[sol2go]

@sol2go

really do your home work with goats and children.... My goats were never rough housed with and butting people was strictly discourage.... Mine loved people and getting skritchies but when they took the skritchie around the head and face I never pushed back.

I also prefer to have them disbudded. No horns.... There are various opinions on the subject. I wont get into the whys or why nots.

Definately need protection from dogs of any kind... I had more problems with feral dogs than coyotes.

I lost mine to mountain lions...

deb

sorry for your loss...

 

[Anna6]

@sol2go

really do your home work with goats and children.... My goats were never rough housed with and butting people was strictly discourage.... Mine loved people and getting skritchies but when they took the skritchie around the head and face I never pushed back.

I also prefer to have them disbudded. No horns.... There are various opinions on the subject. I wont get into the whys or why nots.

Definately need protection from dogs of any kind... I had more problems with feral dogs than coyotes.

I lost mine to mountain lions...

deb

We have had milk goats, Nubians, for nearly 24 years. I second the need for protection of dogs. we have lost multiple goats to dogs but not to coyotes. We do take extra protection for the new born goats. We dehorn all our goats. My children have lots of fun with the goats and are used to handling them.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
thank you it was some time ago.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I toyed with the thought of having a single Nigerian in milk... I dont have the dedication... I admire you

. Yep when you raise the children up with respect toward animals they respect you. But I have seen just the little ones knock someone over just by getting rambunctious... they are just the right height to Bonk you in the back of the knees... LOL.

deb

 

[Anna6]

I toyed with the thought of having a single Nigerian in milk... I dont have the dedication... I admire you

. Yep when you raise the children up with respect toward animals they respect you. But I have seen just the little ones knock someone over just by getting rambunctious... they are just the right height to Bonk you in the back of the knees... LOL.

deb

Hmm we have never had that but I have nearly fallen over a goat because I am busy, not looking and they want to be close to people. We handle all our goats a lot and right off do not let them but or other negative behavior. Milking a goat is a big commitment indeed. It is also hard to leave and you have to be home in time and get up early to milk.