Goat Questions

[DavidKerk]

I am thinking about getting a goat and had some questions about whether a goat would work out. Here they are my questions: Are goats social meaning I'd have to get two? Are goats compatible with chickens (they don't just constantly spread diseases to each other)? Can pygmy goats provide a family of four with enough milk? I am gone every weekend in the summer so how often is it entirely necessary to milk goats? Can I use a picket line? Do I need more than just a 4 by 4 foot shed for winter housing in Michigan? Does a goat need to be bred every year to produce milk? How much food is necessary every day? All comments would be greatly appreciated! Most of these questions i am really asking about pygmy goats as that is what I'd rather have. Thanks!!!

 

[WildBilly]

i have two goats and i think they need each other to be social. plus you can have fun comparing the funny and different personalities of the two. I AM NO EXPERT, but i got 2 goats for my birthday in 5 th- 6th grade and now i am a freshman in college. ive had them ever since i believe mine are 8 years old. Anglo nubians have floppy ears , ilike them as PETS, i don't milk them.
THESE ARE NOT MY GOATS JUST SIMILAR LOOKING To My Goats
mine looks kind of like this billy goat. i had mine nutered, it makes them nicer and i got their horns taken off when they were young. i have a nanny like this-----feed them dumor goat sweet feed. my male goat likes grain more than my nanny but my nanny loves oranges

 

[TOP KNOT]

hello,ok a dairy goat will have to be milked twice a day everyday. Goats like clean good food, and and dry clean place to live. They do not like old bad hay and mine were so picky they diden't like slobbered on food! I would give a flake of good hay twice a day for 2 or 3, I would judge how they clean it up if they need more. Plus some grain 1 or 2 times a day.(local feed store has a goat chow or multipurpose pellet feed) Dont over feed grain. Having a clean dry barn is really important!! I would probably have a larger than 4x4 more like a 8x10 or12 shed with 2 entrances/exits .1 their size and a walk in door for you. Just in case a mean dog gets in there they can get out!! keep their shed interior protected from the winters cold wind! They are escape artists,and if they have horns they will get their heads stuck in the fence if they are kneeling down to eat grass on the other side!! Pygmy goats are not really for milking,but fun pets! Nubians Alpines saanens lamancha are a few milk breeds. If you continue to milk your goat she will produce milk. If you stop she will dry up. They are social I would not have just one.I kept chickens with my goats and had no problems(they did not live in the same barn but shared barnyard) I hope this helps you as goats are so much fun and have so much personality!! Good luck!!

 

[WildBilly]

there is a forum called backyard herds i never went there but thought about it.
best of wishes to you and your goats. you can either buy hay from a near farmer or you can use the hay from your field if u have one it can be bailed up, i'm sure you will figure it out and learn from http://www.backyardherds.com scroll down under the goat forum.

 

[Skipspin]

If you want a lot of milk and a small goat you might want to look at Nigerian Dwarfs instead of Pygmys. NDs are dairy goats, but small. Do you have to milk twice a day? Yes and no. If you keep the babies with the mom you can milk less, but then of coarse you will get less milk. Some does will milk longer than others on one freshening- but I've never heard of that being common with NDs. I've heard of some LaManchas and other full sized milk breeds that will be in milk for 2+years with one freshening, but it's highly dependent on genetics and the individual goat. If you skip several days milking your goat- especially if you don't have babies nursing- your goat can get mastitis, and infection, so you don't want to do that.

Yes, you want two. However, you could get one wether (castrated male) since they make great companions and pets, they eat less than a doe in milk too.

Food depends a lot on how much grass/browse they have, how thrifty the animal is, and if they are growing or in milk. We feed our full size wether 1/4 c feed a day and he's plenty chubby and it's our lean time for grass and weeds here. NDs are usually pretty easy keepers, but any animal giving lots of milk will eat a lot more feed.

You'll want separate feeding areas for the chickens (we feed our chickens 2xs a day while the goats are tied and eating) but the chicken coop is in the goat yard and they free range together. The goats love to sleep and play on top of our chicken coop. The get a long the same with our ducks too.

Your shed may be fine for two small goats- if your weather is good. If you live where it's very cold/rainy a lot it might not be if they don't have other cover. We have a 8x10 building with one open side for 4 goats- 3 large goats (one is still little) and one Nigerian Dwarf. They have plenty of room, but we are in Florida so we don't have super cold weather, snow, etc. Goats HATE the rain.