Cost to keep dairy goats?

[mizauntcathy'shenhouse]

Ours cost very little. We have over 22, partially wooded acres that they forage. We supplement that in the winter with feed and hay is always available, usually not alfalfa (that's a special treat and hard to find good alfalfa around here), with minerals available at there choosing. We worm only when needed, clip thier hooves and band our own goats. Our goats are happy and healthy.

Fencing is probably your most expensive cost, but once in, with the exception of minor repairs, it's pretty much a one time cost.

Our does being milked are supplemented with feed throuhout the milking process, no matter what time of year, as well as our does that are fixing to kid and those that have.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
I haven't had mine long, but I think your hay calculation is way too high. My two eat a small bale of alfalfa every 12 days, and the heavily bred one has a small coffee can of cracked corn and oats twice a day. A 50lb bag if each is around $15, and the two mixed (100lbs) lasts her a month and a half.

Well, I found this on Fiasco's site:

To maintain this level of milk production a dairy goat needs to eat between 5 to 7 per cent of her body weight daily

so at 135# average, and 7% of body weight, that's about 10# of hay per day per goat. For me, 10# of highest quality hay is $1, and at $1 per day, that's still about $360 per year? I think? My math could be screwy...

Actually, that's almost as much hay as our Icelandic horse eats.

If only you could milk him.

2 - 3 pounds of grain per day depending on milk production

And one dairy goat, at the 3# consumption mark, would eat two bags of grain a month to a tune of about $30, or another $350 a year.

So I'm coming up with ~$700 a year, in the worst, worst case (no pasture, feeding the highest amounts, etc.).

I always prefer to know the worst case, then I'm pleasantly suprised if I can come out under budget.

I'm really not sure about the whole math/hay thing

I give mine as much as they can eat, which is usually 2 sections of a bale a day with some left over. Between the two of them they eat half as much hay as a horse per day. I'd have to weigh the coffee can with grain, it's about as tall as a large beer can and around 3" across. She doesn't always finish everything that I give her. They don't forage, and don't seem hungry.

I got the Manna Pro goat mineral and they love it. It's about $7 for a small bag at TSC.​

 

[Laskaland]

I found this link tonight:
http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/animals/livestock/what-does-it-cost-to-raise-dairy-goats/

There are other articles on dairy and meat goats too
Hugs
Christina