Got my Goats!! with Pics

[mangled]

And I am so excited. Lol.

One is a 4 year old white pygmy and the other is a 4 year old black & white dwarf with blue eyes.

So, I took the plunge and now I'm researching like crazy so I'm ready for them.

I've seen that some folks around here will give them a chain & collar and move them around their property. I wouldn't mind using them to keep the grass on my sand mound under control. It's terrible to mow.

We got a shed put up today, it's nothing grand but it'll be dry and warm.

Also, what is their hay usage through the winter? I'd like to get hay stocked now when it isn't $5.00 a bale.

Thanks-
Em

 

[emmalynn]

Congrats are your new additions. We love our goats. Hay depends on forage and how much grain you feed. Only 2 goats in PA is alot different then 6 in TN. We used 25 square bales last year with grain x2/day. Ours are bigger than yours though- we have Nubian and Boer.

 

[Glenmar]

I am getting some too. Remember if you keep them chained out, preditors can get them.

 

[mangled]

Wow. We were thinking 25 for two little goats. That'd be overkill, huh?

We were figuring on needing much more space for hay storage.

We have about 6 acres cleared and 7 of heavy woods. There's lots to forage through summer, especially for two little goats.

Thanks!

Blessings-
Em

 

[4 the Birds]

25 bales will be plenty through the Winter. You can give a "brick" a day or a bale/week. I would consider making a nice fenced in area instead of chaining. Our Alpine/Nubian goats have a nice secure house and about an acre of land to roam. They are very happy and I also built a covered playground area for them to climb and sit under. They enjoy running and playing

 

[glenolam]

Congratulations! They are a lot of fun!

Many people do chain their goats out but you need to treat them just as you would a dog - if you leave them chained out where you cannot supervise from time to time they can get hurt in one way, shape or form. I'd suggest a swivel clip to decrease the chance of strangulation.

While letting them "free range" is probably the best idea, if it's not something you can do chaining them out is fine - just as long as you only chain them out for small periods of time and you can keep your eye on them.

They might not eat down the grass on the sand mound as you want. Sheep are more grass eaters while goats are great browse/forage eaters. They'd much prefer to eat all the leaves and bark off the trees before eating the grass.

Some of the other basics to keep in mind are hoof trimming, their annual/bi-annual (whichever you prefer) CD&T shots and to have the name/number of a goat vet or someone knowledgable about goats on hand.

There's TONS of information out there - the only really good advice I can give you is don't take anyone's word or experience as gold. There are many different ways to treat goats and everyone thinks their method is the right one. Just read and ask all you can and forumlate your method on your own.

Good luck!

 

[Kaitie09]

We have 3 (a pygmy, and 2 Boers) and they eat a bale a week along with some grain. If you can, I would suggest finding a farm that sells hay that is close to you and only buying small amounts. We buy 4 bales a month from a guy down the road from us and he always keeps it stored in his barn so there is no mold. Buy however many bales you can store, and then just buy the same amount after you run out.

 

[debilorrah]

I have never chained my goats. They roam free all day, and then are coaxed into a large pen at night. We are proudly the only weed free yard in the neighborhood

 

[aubreynoramarie]

I read this title and thought " did I already post??"

I'm getting goats too! Just heard the news. Actually I've been heartbroken because my boyfriend is having us move into one of the houses owned by his mother so it won't be foreclosed on. I was so bummed until this morning when he said, " you can get two goats and a handful more chickens when we move

" okay I'm sold.


So good luck and let me know what you get and when you get em!

 

[mangled]

I'm a little nervous about free ranging them. Won't they wander off? Especially since they're 4 years old and unfamiliar with our area? I'm all for free ranging after they get acclimated to us, but I'd be seriously bummed to lose a goat.

We've got a ton of land, aside our 13 acres is 93 undeveloped acres we do nothing with. It's heavy, heavy woods. The closest neighbor is on the other side of that 93 acres, about a mile down the road. I'm not worried about the neighbors, I'm worried about the predators. I'm finding, from reading, that pastures are tricky with goats. They're escape artists? lol

Either way, I'm so excited. We meet the lady tomorrow at 5 for the transfer.

We've got the goat pen all cozy and spread with hay. C'mon 5 PM Saturday!!

Blessings-
Em