Goat-Raising Expenses

[Zoomie]

I will chime in and agree with @res that you have to feed the crap out of a goat for good production, but it does pay off in production. I have high producing Nubian dairy goats: for example, my senior buck's mother is a 2-gallon-a-day producer and most of my does are similar. But if you don't feed them, they have nothing to make milk out of, if you see what I mean.

To me, the "magic" ingredient in animal care is very simple: FOOD. I am amazed at how many people have come to me wondering why their goat is not producing... and then I find out they are feeding very poor quality hay, basically weeds, and then expect the goat to magically create gallons of milk out of that. How could they possibly do that? Weeds don't have enough protein or calcium to make lots of milk. Including, I kid you not: a guy who had heard that goats can eat tin cans and other trash, got a goat and put it in his junk yard but did not feed it, and it starved to death. He was SHOCKED. So he had a vet do a necropsy on the poor thing. It was packed with baling twine, which at least smelled a little bit like hay... poor thing... The idea that goats eat trash and can survive on nothing is simply not true. Not that I think you think that; this is more for others reading this.

I have no idea what your goals are, @VolailleAmant, but I'll explain that the experiment of trying to get high production out of goats by not feeding them or taking care of them has already been tried millions of times and it does not work. If you want your goats to produce, be prepared to spend some money in feed, wormer, vaccinations and equipment. Now, can a well-fed and cared for goat produce? Yes they sure can! Boy howdy, you can have milk running out your ears!! Are you going to make a profit? Hard to say. Depends on your area, your market, the goats, weather etc. but I do wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!

 

[VolailleAmant]

I had goats for over 40 years, but I don't have any now. I do miss them but this point in my life the thought of going out in sub zero weather to care for livestock does not make my little heart go pittypat with glee. I bred Alpines, Nubians, LaManchas, and Toggenburgs. The woman in New England I mentioned could do what she did because of her location. In California, for instance, she couldn't because of the expense of meeting the legal requirements for selling milk and cheese.

When I didn't have a dairy, I made money to help defray expenses by raising calves and/or pigs on the milk. Some people make soap and you don't have to have an expensive milk handling facility to make and sell soap. I knew someone in Ohio who developed a market for milk fed Thanksgiving turkeys. I believe he sold the turkeys on the hoof, so to speak. If you have certain ethnic groups in your area, you can get a good price for fat milk fed kids, particularly at Easter. That is where my buck kids went.

Requirements for selling milk vary wildly from one state to another. Here in Missouri, I THINK you can sell milk to people if they come to your farm and bring their own containers but you cannot deliver it. Some places you can sell milk for pet or livestock feed but not for human consumption. It is my understanding that in California you cannot sell or give away raw milk from the farm for any purpose.

Wow. That is a lot of really good, rich information! Thank you so much! I am in Michigan, so California laws wouldn't applying me By milk fed turkeys, you mean that is all that they ate...Milk? That's cool! Thanks again!!!

 

[VolailleAmant]

I will chime in and agree with @res that you have to feed the crap out of a goat for good production, but it does pay off in production. I have high producing Nubian dairy goats: for example, my senior buck's mother is a 2-gallon-a-day producer and most of my does are similar. But if you don't feed them, they have nothing to make milk out of, if you see what I mean.

To me, the "magic" ingredient in animal care is very simple: FOOD. I am amazed at how many people have come to me wondering why their goat is not producing... and then I find out they are feeding very poor quality hay, basically weeds, and then expect the goat to magically create gallons of milk out of that. How could they possibly do that? Weeds don't have enough protein or calcium to make lots of milk. Including, I kid you not: a guy who had heard that goats can eat tin cans and other trash, got a goat and put it in his junk yard but did not feed it, and it starved to death. He was SHOCKED. So he had a vet do a necropsy on the poor thing. It was packed with baling twine, which at least smelled a little bit like hay... poor thing... The idea that goats eat trash and can survive on nothing is simply not true. Not that I think you think that; this is more for others reading this.

I have no idea what your goals are, @VolailleAmant, but I'll explain that the experiment of trying to get high production out of goats by not feeding them or taking care of them has already been tried millions of times and it does not work. If you want your goats to produce, be prepared to spend some money in feed, wormer, vaccinations and equipment. Now, can a well-fed and cared for goat produce? Yes they sure can! Boy howdy, you can have milk running out your ears!! Are you going to make a profit? Hard to say. Depends on your area, your market, the goats, weather etc. but I do wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!

Thanks you for that amazing information!!! That is very helpful! I know what you're saying....Food makes the difference My current pursuit is to find a farm and feed mill near me that produces GOOD hay and GOOD feed at a GOOD, REASONABLE price. Even TSC's prices right now are ridiculous!
My goals are .... Um..... Let me get those around I am trying to stock up on information, deals and helpfulness before I actually get the goats! If it's not too rude to ask, how do you house your goats? I have a 3 sided shelter that I used for cows, but I am not sure if that would be sufficient for goats? Thanks again!

 

[VolailleAmant]

Feeding goats to get maximum gain, either in milk or meat, is much more expensive than feeding "pet" goats.

My children have a herd of Boers that they show. All year round, we are either feeding pregnant or lactating does, or feeding kids for maximum weight gain. We have won Rate of Gain awards with our kids. Our show "circuit" is incredibly competitive and we actually feed "cheaper" than most of the other families.

We feed show feed year round, and add in supplements for the 9 mths of the year that we are kidding, lactating and showing.

My children have to turn in Record Books for their Breeding and Market projects, and our average herd is 15 animals (fluctuates due to kids that are sold at end of show season) and they cost us >$300 per month in bagged feed and supplements. We do have pasture, but the show kids can't be on pasture... The does are on pasture year round, I do not pull them off to get them in show condition. My buck(s) is on pasture, too, but he eats 3x what the does do, mainly due to his testosterone affecting his metabolism and the fact that he is ALWAYS on the move trying to impress the girls (who are in a separate field and completely ignore him!).

Hay costs are minimal. Kids get hay while they are with us, everybody gets hay during the winter. I have great suppliers for native grass round bales ($35 for 600lbs, more expensive than I would like, but MUCH cheaper than most other local suppliers) and small squares of premium timothy ($240 per ton). All hay is fed in feeders made with 2x4 or 4x4 panels, to minimize waste and keep hay off the ground.

Do we make a profit. ABSOLUTELY NOT. But the experience and responsibility that we are giving our children is PRICELESS. They are responsible for 100% of the herd's care, even kidding out the does (if they kid while the human kids are home from school!). View attachment 1235684

@res , that is amazing! Your kids are learning so much from probably you and showing! I am in 4H as well, and I would love to do something like that! The experience, friendships that are made, memories and responsibility that is learned is of no comparison!
Thank you so much for that information! It is very helpful! Thanks!

 

[cassie]

Wow. That is a lot of really good, rich information! Thank you so much! I am in Michigan, so California laws wouldn't applying me By milk fed turkeys, you mean that is all that they ate...Milk? That's cool! Thanks again!!!

No, they didn't eat just milk. Milk is not a complete ration for a turkey. I think he poured the milk on their feed. If you like, I can see if I can contact him and ask him for you. It may interest you to know that before the mid fifties people routinely fed skim milk to their poultry, including their laying hens. Chicken feed was a mash and the milk soaked right in. Most farmers had a few cows. They milked the cows, separated the milk and then sold the cream. The skim got fed to the pigs, the chickens, and us kids.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I hope you find the information you need! I also suggest posting this on backyardherds.com (same people) as I'm sure there will be more goat people there. Good luck!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I always kept my goats in an enclosed barn at night during kidding season. No predators to kill kids and i could have a heat lamp to dry off newborns. Depends where you live if a 3 sided shelter would work. Good luck.

 

[Zoomie]

Thanks you for that amazing information!!! That is very helpful! I know what you're saying....Food makes the difference My current pursuit is to find a farm and feed mill near me that produces GOOD hay and GOOD feed at a GOOD, REASONABLE price. Even TSC's prices right now are ridiculous!
My goals are .... Um..... Let me get those around I am trying to stock up on information, deals and helpfulness before I actually get the goats! If it's not too rude to ask, how do you house your goats? I have a 3 sided shelter that I used for cows, but I am not sure if that would be sufficient for goats? Thanks again!

Originally I used a 3-sided shelter, and depending where you live, these are just fine. However. I kept having dogs get in and kill goats. I just can't afford this. First it's an emotional cost of losing a goat, but let's face it, it's also an economic one. I have spent a LOT of money, trying to get the very best genetics that I can. I just can not afford to have this happen. (In case you are wondering, the dogs had to dig under at least three fences to get to the goat, and these are good sturdy fences, too.)(Oh, and I know everybody loves to blame coyotes, but if these were coyotes, they were mysteriously leaving behind dog foot prints. That's how I know it was dogs. There were only dog footprints around the carcasses.)

So what I do now is, I lock the goats in the barn every night. I have been doing that for 4 years now and have not had a single further loss. It is actually a horse barn but it has a cement foundation all the way around and is made of steel and 2X6 lumber. Even a bear would have one tough time getting in there. The stalls are all 12' X 12'. Now if you do that, you do need to keep your stalls clean. But you know, if you are keeping dairy goats, that is usually part of your daily management anyway, so I do not see this as a big hardship. I clean the stalls every morning, lock the goats out into the runs so the stalls can dry out, put in fresh bedding at night and let them all in for the evening feed. It's very simple to manage them this way and when I get up in the morning, they are all there!

 

[VolailleAmant]

No, they didn't eat just milk. Milk is not a complete ration for a turkey. I think he poured the milk on their feed. If you like, I can see if I can contact him and ask him for you. It may interest you to know that before the mid fifties people routinely fed skim milk to their poultry, including their laying hens. Chicken feed was a mash and the milk soaked right in. Most farmers had a few cows. They milked the cows, separated the milk and then sold the cream. The skim got fed to the pigs, the chickens, and us kids.

Thank you! That would be great if you could ask him! I didn't think that all they ate was milk---A milk-feed mixture I was thinking.
It really interests me how you can make a food chain with a few animals' products....Each product helps another farm animal.
There are a good amount of different ways to use milk, that is one thing I am going to be looking into. Thanks again!

 

[VolailleAmant]

Originally I used a 3-sided shelter, and depending where you live, these are just fine. However. I kept having dogs get in and kill goats. I just can't afford this. First it's an emotional cost of losing a goat, but let's face it, it's also an economic one. I have spent a LOT of money, trying to get the very best genetics that I can. I just can not afford to have this happen. (In case you are wondering, the dogs had to dig under at least three fences to get to the goat, and these are good sturdy fences, too.)(Oh, and I know everybody loves to blame coyotes, but if these were coyotes, they were mysteriously leaving behind dog foot prints. That's how I know it was dogs. There were only dog footprints around the carcasses.)

So what I do now is, I lock the goats in the barn every night. I have been doing that for 4 years now and have not had a single further loss. It is actually a horse barn but it has a cement foundation all the way around and is made of steel and 2X6 lumber. Even a bear would have one tough time getting in there. The stalls are all 12' X 12'. Now if you do that, you do need to keep your stalls clean. But you know, if you are keeping dairy goats, that is usually part of your daily management anyway, so I do not see this as a big hardship. I clean the stalls every morning, lock the goats out into the runs so the stalls can dry out, put in fresh bedding at night and let them all in for the evening feed. It's very simple to manage them this way and when I get up in the morning, they are all there!

Yeesh, I am sorry for your losses. I agree, when you put your time and money trying to get the best for your animals (your case, genetics), it is not affordable or economic to lose an animal. Any animal in that case! I have a livestock guardian dog that would most likely be "living" with my goats. She does very well with animals. Would a 3-sided shelter be sufficient in that case? I just have my chicken coop, along with my Dad's 2 business barns-I highly doubt that I would be able to use his barns I would love to have a big animal barn. My dream You sound like a very dedicated goat owner. You said you breed goats? Do you have a Facebook for that? Thank you for all of your very helpful information!!!