Goat info appreciated :)

[ChickenGuy]

Hi all! I have been thinking about getting myself some goats recently and have been trying to do some research on the subject. But research can only take someone so far, and sometimes its best just to talk to an expert or two (all you guys reading this

).

Anyhow, If I wanted to get goats, and lets say I have nothing yet built. No pasture, no fencing, no shelter, and no goats. How much woud you think it would take to get some goats and get them set up? Say 2 milking goats and 3 meat goats, or some small mixture like that.

Also, I have had pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, even a baby squirrell for a while, But is there anything about goats I should konw about that I wouldn't already know from raising other animals? Are they really prone to diseases, or injury, or just general stuff that one getting into goats should know?

Thanks for your help guys! I love this site and all the helpful people here.

Tyler

 

[Gracefulspice]

I don't own a goat. I'd like one tho. I had asked the same question a few weeks back. Here's a link to the thread. I got some great information from people that have goats.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10892

 

[aran]

oh my god we have two and they are destroying my farm! They were ON TOP of the chicken coop yesterday, having ripped all the deer netting off the top of the chicken run. We have had our lil boy goat wethered ( last week ) in a hope it would quieten him down but no such luck!

If these two dont settle down I might have to rehome them!

 

[ChickenGuy]

You could rehome them to me! Shipping two goats to Michigan can't be that much can it? haha, maybe they could just ride greyhound...

 

[Arklady]

I have a Boer pair and hopefully I am expecting babies this winter. I have them out on tethers for now which means I move them every 4 days to fresh forage. I have 5 gallon buckets I put water in that I can move with them. I can change the water easily.

I have a 30x36 foot pen I will put them in this winter with hay for the winter so as to give the land a chance to recouperate from the summer foraging.

I also have two pygmys goats which are brother and sister the billy is curently up for sale or trade right now. They also are tethered, and stay tethered all winter with an area set aside for them to have their hay and because they are lower impact on the property I move them every 10 days during the winter.

The boers will be penneded up in the pen for the winter on hay and grain with the nanny being put into isolation while she is nursing so she can receive the higher grain rations for lactating goats.

Caution should be taken for preventive measures for worms in advance by purchasing Ivermectin and Cydectin for alternating worming programs. Also you should have on hand a product called ProBios it helps in cases of Rumen failure which happens from time to time and would aid in saving the life of the Goat from death by adding to the friendly bacterium using the probios. I practice a preventative measure by giving my goats a bit of probios every 3 months to ensure they have a good solid rumen program.

I have seen many ways to have pasture for goats and I am working now to install these measures. One is a place I went to she had barbed wire enclosure with electric fencing all around the enclosure at least 12" from the barbed wire which was strung from at two hights 12" and 24". The stud billy was kept apart from the field nannys in a solid cattle panel enclosure with a door into a shed for shelter. I saw no shelter in the field for the fielded nannys.

The people have been raising these animals for quite some time and the fence was in good repair. Although they had some escapees it was generally decided that they were just lucky Lol.

I love my boers they are large and interesting animals and if handled from birth they can be interesting and friendly breeders. I don't handle my butcher animals. My goats were named Sarge(billy) and Rose(the nanny)

Be sure to make sure they get their yearly shots for cd which is a eating disorder. Check with the seller to be sure they have recieved their shots. The medicine isn't that expensive and can be purchased at most feed stores and co-ops. As far as dairy goats go I haven't been able to aquire any of those so be sure to read the research on keeping dairy goats. They have higher maintence and if you are used to takeing a vacation on a regular basis then you should take that into account.

I hope I have helped you in this area please feel free to email me and inquire further. I have my email posted on my profile but also have [email protected] I have only had goats for 4 years but I did learn a lot and more I am sure is coming. Good luck I love my goats and am looking forward to having more.

Arklady

 

[LynnGrigg]

I don't know what it would cost to fence. You'd have to measure your area and price the fencing supplies. They do need a shelter built or bought. We had 6 Pygmies and one Nubian. Some folks just turn collared goats out on a chain attached to cinder block. I was afraid that roaming dogs in our area might hurt the goats so we put up a fence to conatin them safely. In other more rural areas there are worse dangers than dogs!...
Pygmy goats around here go for 50+ for females and 25 for males. Nubians are 75+ for females and 50+ for males - (all unregistered). Boer goats(meat goats) are very expensive. We enjoyed the goats but know this... they will, as mentioned above, destroy stuff and the males not only stink to high heaven (they pee on their beards to attract the does and they've peed on a human or two in our experiences/they also lick their own u-kno-what and please no jokes about never leaving the house!)Neutered males have a tendancy to get kidney stones. The kids are just "to die for" cute. It's a lot to take care of I can tell you and a decision you shouldn't make in haste.

 

[wren]

I had a pygmy goat when I was young and it was more fun than the dogs. It drank motor oil once. So I guess they will eat anything. One thing you need to do is put out a pan of baking soda for the goats b/c sometimes they need it to counteract bloating. They will eat it when they need it. Also sometimes they will need a foot trim, just use by-pass shears made for gardening.

 

[marie_martin]

Please please get plenty of info and be ready BEFORE gettting goats. As Aran has found out, you can't rush into this. Aran if you remember, I am the one who gave you the info and sent you to the goat forums for more info and I think I should have stressed more how important it is to do your homework before you get the goats. I have never had full size goats but I can tell you that a pygmy goat can climb pretty good. Goats will eat things they are not suppose to on occassion and therefor it is important to make sure there is nothing harmful where they can get to it. That even pertains to certain plants. You have to have proper fencing, tying them out is just cruel in my opinion. I don't mean to offend anyone, they are your goats and it is your choice. But there are too many elements out there that can be dangerous, especially if you don't have proper fencing. They need proper shelter even in summer, not just winter. They can get tangled up easily and choke or something could attack them. And I hope you have a long tether if you are only moving them every 10 days? Unlike sheep and cows, goats are not grazing machines. They are foragers. They will eat grass if they don't have what they usually eat, but they prefer to forage and eat weeds and wild hedge of the fece line and so forth. They need hay 24/7 and fresh water constantly. They need a goat mineral available to them free choice and also baking soda. I vaccinate mine, some don't, but I do think worming is very important. I know that they are animals and I probably baby mine too much but I want them to be healthy and happy. That's just me. If you want info, please go to a goat forum, I can give you some links if you will just let me know you want them. I am not trying to act like I know all there is to know, I am still learning, but I have learned some things the hard way because I did not get enough info up front. And I hope you will take your time and do your homework so that you will have a good experience and not want to rehome them a month later. And please remember that only Bucks smell bad so have the boys wethered and you don't have that problem!!

Marie

 

[Arklady]

There really is no compairison in having goats penned up in an enclosure with hay available but no fresh forage for the winter months. My goats always have shelter during the winter months. But I move them from place to place because I don't like them being in a stagnant smelly place. Plus in the south where I live the weed grow all winter. That means during the winter when I move them they get fresh fodder along with the hay I give them, which is FRESH every day. I also grain them several times a week. They are fat and happy.

I don't know what it is about goat people. But in Moses's day lots of people had goats and didn't have problems with worming and yadda yadda yadda... So... If the people who love goats would be more FORTHCOMING even MORE people could have a pleasant and wonderful experience with goats than they do. And yes I did learn the hard way because NO ONE would tell me anything about them at all. Tethering isn't bad its only bad when you take a grown goat that never was tethered before on a tether without teaching them before hand.

My boers are larger than some of the boers out there for sale being about 200 or so lbs each. I will pen them this winter but the primary reason I got goats was to help keep the weeds down in the areas that my pygmys cannot do. WHEN I put a pygmy in a fresh area for eating it takes at least 10 days for them to eat it down, its that thick. But thanks for the concern.

I am in the process of getting a pyrenees/anatolin cross guardian dog. Its young but I plan on it being my helper when I get my pasture fenced.

Arklady

 

[SJM]

I've been raising goats for three years now and have never had so much fun in my life. Goats can be so friendly. I have many that follow me around like puppies.

I started out with three breed. I had two large Dairy does, 8 miniature dairy goats, and 10 Pygmy goats. I decided that was too much and focused in on just having the mini dairy breed ( nigerians ) They are so colorful and friendly!

One of my favorite Bucks Mufasa

My Very Friendly Doe Matilda