Goats

[Picco]

I am moving to the country in June and Will have 23 wonderful acres. I have been a suburban farmer for a decade on 1/8th of an acre so I'm really excited. If anyone out their has any info on Nigerian dwarf goats or has them in upsate NY, southern VT or western Mass. let me know. I'd like to get two does so I'd like to get some space requirments. I am building a new coop and since Nigerians are so small I figured I could just extend the chicken coop a little bit and make half of it theres. I grew up with a togenburg doe as a kid but I'm a bit rusty on goat care.

How much space is needed inside and outside for 2 does?

What type of fencing will I need?

How do they get along with chickens?

What is the best thing to feed?

 

[Llysse]

I have Nubian goats, so I can't really give you any answers on space, etc. All I can say is that goats--bless their little hearts--are escape artists and LOVE to push through the smallest little gap in your fencing. Whatever you fence with, make it strong and unclimbable. Electric poultry netting would probably be good for your needs.

The good thing is that if you have a good relatyionship with your goats, it's not usually hard to get them back where they're supposed to be. Mine come running for scratches behind the ears. If all else fails, you can rattle the food dish. However, they may well have eaten your landscaping--or your neighbor's--while they were out of their enclosure!

 

[marie_martin]

Nice to meet you. I have nigerian dwarf goats I would be happy help you in any way I can. You can email me at [email protected]. Here are a few websites you can get info from. They have helped me a lot.

http://www.fiascofarm.com/
http://www.goattalk.com/forum/index.php
http://www.goatweb.com/coffeeshop/index.php

I hope it is not against any policy to post that here. If so I am sorry. But you can email me and I will be happy to help you.

Responses to your questions:

**How much space is needed inside and outside for 2 does?

They don't need much inside space, just shelter from rain and cold and heat. Many people have just a converted storage building. You can find ideas on the above web pages.

What type of fencing will I need?

You need at least 4 foot high fencing and what we use is 4'4' square wire fencing with t-posts. Electric fencing wont work for most goats, especially the smaller ones.

How do they get along with chickens?

I have just gotten into chickens so I don't know the answer to this but I was told by all my goat friends that they do great.

What is the best thing to feed?

Every person you ask will tell you something a bit different on this question. What I feed is this:

Adult Dry does get (per day):
1 1/2 cup alfalfa
1/4 cup oats
sprinkle of Boss

Bucks not being used to breed get:
1 cup alfalfa
1/4 cup oats
sprinkle of Boss

(It is increased while breeding)

Pregnant does get increased amounts varying by how far along they are and then alfalfa is increased again once they have kidded.

Babies and kids get 14% protien Showmaster feed until 1 year old. I add a little oats and boss for variety.

All goats get a good goat mineral free choice.

Amounts of feed per goat vary some depending on the amount of hay available and the time of year, whether they are getting much forage and so forth. Some folks feed almost no grain to adults, but I don't have the same forage available and not as much pasture for them. Like I said, lots of different opinions on this subject.

Email me for more info and/or check out the websites. There are some nice folks there.

Marie
Down South Minis

 

[Picco]

Thank you so much for the help. I will look into things some more and I will either post again or email with more questions.

 

[Llysse]

I don't use electric fencing with my goats--I use field fencing (the kind that has smaller holes on the bottom and larger on the top). But I'd always heard electric fencing worked like a charm. I'm curious--why does electric fencing not work for goats in your opinion? It was something I was planning to switch to in the future!

 

[marie_martin]

Goats are very stubborn for one reason and they will go through it even though it hurts. Then they wont come back in because it hurt the first time. Not only that, I have heard too many stories about babies getting caught up in it and not being able to get out and well, it was pretty scary to think about. I use the 4'X2" wilre, it does not get bigger as you go up. But I know a lot of folks who use the 4'X4' and it works fine. I just prefer the smaller holes so that I don't have to worry about babies getting their heads stuck. I am sure there are some who use electric fencing and I can't tell you from experience, but from what I have read in my research, it is not the best thing for goats. You can go to Fiasco Farms website or the other sites and learn a lot and there are lots of nice folks at the forums that will be glad to help you. They sure have me.

Marie

 

[Blondie]

I just got two Pygmy crosses this weekend. Here's a pic of them checking out the chickens. This picture was taken in the first hour that they came home and the chickens are in the back corner- you can't see them. Since then, they don't mind the goats looking at them. Billy and Ginger, the goats, are very curious about my 4 week old chickens, and the chickens are equally curious. I think everyone is going to get along fine.

 

[marie_martin]

Very cute critters you have there. You can see some of mine on my web page. It is not at all up to date,very basic. But you can see some of them.

http://www.freewebs.com/downsouthminis/

Marie