Goat Thread

[StinkyAcres]

I thought this article was good: https://newrossvet.com/sheep-goats/a-new-approach-to-worming/
I found this part particularly interesting: "Horses and cattle don’t share worms with sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas. Horses and cattle will “vacuum” the sheep and goat worms off the pasture, leaving less for the goats to pick up."

 

[Everose]

I thought this article was good: https://newrossvet.com/sheep-goats/a-new-approach-to-worming/
I found this part particularly interesting: "Horses and cattle don’t share worms with sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas. Horses and cattle will “vacuum” the sheep and goat worms off the pasture, leaving less for the goats to pick up."

That's what I'm planning on doing with ducks, they'll eat all the parasites before the goats are put out to pasture
I also have cows who rotate pastures with the goats.

 

[cherrynberry]

That's what I'm planning on doing with ducks, they'll eat all the parasites before the goats are put out to pasture
I also have cows who rotate pastures with the goats.

What kind of cows?

 

[Everose]

What kind of cows?

A Charolais cross, and a 1/2 highlander, 1/4 Dexter, 1/4 Jersey heifer. There's also a Dexter bull calf but he's barely bigger than Randy Roy'Al.

 

[cherrynberry]

A Charolais cross, and a 1/2 highlander, 1/4 Dexter, 1/4 Jersey heifer. There's also a Dexter bull calf but he's barely bigger than Randy Roy'Al.

No pictures?

 

[Everose]

No pictures?

Oops! Here

Shirley
I would post a pic of the bull calf but the only pic I have looks a bit rough because he was deficient in minerals when he came home. Here's goat pics since they are the only ones making milk and having kids. These cows are slackers

 

[danielle2003]

We have 2 adult goats- Nigerian Dwarf/Nubian mix. They are 6 years old. One of them has been bred once, and the other has been bred three times now. We breed our goats once a year, at the most. First, we test our goats' blood for any diseases that can be passes through the milk. Both of our goats are negative on all the diseases (CL, BR, Johne's Disease, CAE, and Q-Fever). After they kid, the babies have access to the milk 24/7 for two weeks. After 2 weeks, they can start eating a little hay, so we separate them from the mother at night, and let her udder fill up, then in the morning we milk her out, but the babies still have milk, as her udder fills back up throughout the day. We use herbal wormer, and so far it works great! You can get it at: https://fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/categories/herbal-wormer
(I hope I copied the link right! )

Our goats are kind of picky, treatwise, but they love Ritz cracker, Saltines,maple nuts, cereal. Occasionally, they eat fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and apples.

In my opinion, polled goats would be a better choice than dehorning them. We disbudded ours, but unfortunately, their horns grew back deformed. The downfall is that polled goats are hard to come by and usually quite expensive.

Hope these answers help!

 

[cherrynberry]

We have 2 adult goats- Nigerian Dwarf/Nubian mix. They are 6 years old. One of them has been bred once, and the other has been bred three times now. We breed our goats once a year, at the most. First, we test our goats' blood for any diseases that can be passes through the milk. Both of our goats are negative on all the diseases (CL, BR, Johne's Disease, CAE, and Q-Fever). After they kid, the babies have access to the milk 24/7 for two weeks. After 2 weeks, they can start eating a little hay, so we separate them from the mother at night, and let her udder fill up, then in the morning we milk her out, but the babies still have milk, as her udder fills back up throughout the day. We use herbal wormer, and so far it works great! You can get it at: https://fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/categories/herbal-wormer
(I hope I copied the link right! )

Our goats are kind of picky, treatwise, but they love Ritz cracker, Saltines,maple nuts, cereal. Occasionally, they eat fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and apples.

In my opinion, polled goats would be a better choice than dehorning them. We disbudded ours, but unfortunately, their horns grew back deformed. The downfall is that polled goats are hard to come by and usually quite expensive.

Hope these answers help!

Thanks. This is very helpful. The dehorning issue is because the cells were not completely burned. Usually, it needs to be burned for quite a while to make sure every cell dies. It seems cruel, but they do get over it.

Thank you for the goat kid info! I am nervous and excited to breed goats at the same time!

 

[HipMystic]

I do have a quick question. How much space does each goat need, not counting the run?

And I have been looking into tattooing too, but for now, we want a small herd for personal use. Another question, if I buy from a registered flock, would the goats automatically be registered?

I agree with @lomine on this one, the more outside space they have access to, the less inside space they’ll need. If the weather’s decent they’ll spend most of their time outside if they can

If you get adults they should already be registered, you’ll just have to send in their certificate and a bill of sale (both signed).
If you get kids you’ll get an application to send in, as long as both parents are registered and the paperwork is in the breeder’s name

 

[HipMystic]

When I sell kids, I give the new owners the registration application. I fill out all the information for them expect the goat's name and owner info. I do it this way for 2 reasons. 1 - The new owner can pick a name they want. I have a couple I bought with names that would have never picked. 2 - If they don't want to register them, they don't have to. If they don't, I don't have a bunch of registered goats under my breeder info that aren't actually in my herd. The new owner is responsible for sending in the application.

I love this idea! I might try that this year, I still have a buckling from last year listed on my account because the new owner never sent in his paperwork