Granny's gone and done it again

[CapricornFarm]

Any tips for raising goats? Do you breed them? One of our neighbors do…but he breeds meat goats…

Yes, I have raised many goats. Generally I buy or rent a buck. I don't really like the smell of bucks, lol. And you need really good fence to keep them in.

 

[cherrynberry]

They were scared to death and had several problems when I got them. One ran away for 5 days, right through the fence. She nearly died. But I started her on bottle feeding and now she's the friendliest one. They were supposed to be weaned when I got them.

What problems? My dad and sister brought home a goat one day. (I recommended not to, because I thought we should learn about them more before dipping our toes in) He did die shortly after…it was pretty sad. I also tried to explain that goats can’t eat chicken feed, so they can’t live together unless their feeders are seperate. Is there any thing you would recommend for chickens and goats living together? We have about…1/3 to 1/2 of an acre fenced in. But that’s the chicken pen right now.

 

[CapricornFarm]

The best book I have read on Goats is the Storey book on Milk or Meat Goats. I also took the course in TN , Master Goat Keeping. And did a lot of reading.

 

[cherrynberry]

The best book I have read on Goats is the Storey book on Milk or Meat Goats. I also took the course in TN , Master Goat Keeping. And did a lot of reading.

That’s pretty cool! Do you feed them alfalfa with some pellets? Or just alfalfa?

 

[CapricornFarm]

What problems? My dad and sister brought home a goat one day. (I recommended not to, because I thought we should learn about them more before dipping our toes in) He did die shortly after…it was pretty sad. I also tried to explain that goats can’t eat chicken feed, so they can’t live together unless their feeders are seperate. Is there any thing you would recommend for chickens and goats living together? We have about…1/3 to 1/2 of an acre fenced in. But that’s the chicken pen right now.

If your coop has a really small pop door the goats can't get in, so feed and water in the coop. But really, separate areas are best. You could subdivide the areas, and be sure the goats have shelter. They can catch pneumonia if soaking wet. They hate being wet.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I buy goat feed and hay for them. We have 13 acres here, so I hope to keep fencing more areas for them.

 

[berryncherry]

If your coop has a really small pop door the goats can't get in, so feed and water in the coop. But really, separate areas are best. You could subdivide the areas, and be sure the goats have shelter. They can catch pneumonia if soaking wet. They hate being wet.

Also, do you dehorn your goats?

 

[cherrynberry]

If your coop has a really small pop door the goats can't get in, so feed and water in the coop. But really, separate areas are best. You could subdivide the areas, and be sure the goats have shelter. They can catch pneumonia if soaking wet. They hate being wet.

We are trying to build a new coop right now, (It’s going to take forever) so our plan is to have the goats in the old chicken coop (the coops not bad, it’s just that the layout is not large enough for our chickens. How many goats can fit in a 10x6 feet coop?

 

[cherrynberry]

I buy goat feed and hay for them. We have 13 acres here, so I hope to keep fencing more areas for them.

Oh and do you know if they need a locked door at night? We have bobcats and coyotes here, but coyotes and bobcats are quite rare

 

[CapricornFarm]

Also, do you dehorn your goats?

I used to, but I really hate it. Three of my girls are polled naturally, so they didn't have to be dehorned. But you can't breed 2 polled goats together because you can get goats that are both sexes.