Help! Just found out DH is buying me two pygmy goats!

[cheeps]

Tell me what I need to know! I know the info is out there, but I find people with experience is ALWAYS the best reference.

My hubby was offered two baby (3 month old) male pygmy goats that are supposed to get banded today. I know nothing about goats besides that they are awfully cute! I have a 15x15x8h fenced in chicken coop right now, but we have a large area (about 1/4 acre) we can fence in for the goats. Would they be OK staying with the chickens (we only have 12, and one turkey) for a week or so until we can get their pasture ready? Do goats do OK with chickens and turkeys? I hope to be able to let them roam around a little as well, supervised of course.

Also any advice such as feeding, deworming, etc. I'd like to hear what you WISH you had known before getting goats!

 

[6littlechickies]

Unfortunately, no goats here---YET! I'm working on DH

I'm subscribing hoping I might be able to get some info too! Hopefully you get lots of good advice here, i know quite a few folks own them.

Oh and once they are home you have to post some pics! just can't get enough of those cute little babies!

 

[cheeps]

Well as always thanks for the bump, it helps!

Currently texting the DH to try to get him to bring them home today! *crosses fingers*

 

[awesomefowl]

No goats yet but have read up on them. Goats are fine with poultry, but make a good fence because goats get out of everything!!! Good luck! Baby goaties are so cute!!!!!!!!!

 

[Crazyland]

I wish my hubby would do that!
Congrats on the two little babies.

 

[cheeps]

OK, well, it was time for the trip to TSC, so I just bought what I could think of...goat chow, cracked corn, a goat salt/mineral block (that is berry flavored, btw!), dewormer, and some brushes and horse treats for fun! Didn't really know what they eat/drink from so I bought two of the heavy duty rubber horse feed pans, one deeper than the other for water. Hope I didn't miss anything.

Aaaannnnnndddd....we're getting them after work today! Yay!

PS: @Crazyland...my hubby's wonderful

Most girls get suprised with flowers, I get suprised with goats. Wouldn't have it any other way!

 

[chicmom]

Oh, I really would like a baby goat. I don't have a shelter for them though.....

 

[Skyesrocket]

Congrats! Hay and grazing should be their main food source. You might want to just put the mineral block out for them for short periods of time. To them it's candy and they might try to eat the whole thing.
Read the feeding instructions on the goat food. You really need to keep grain/feed down to a minimum with whethers. Or is it spelled wethers? Hmmm...anyway. They will beg and cry for goat feed and treats like they are starving, but ignore it.
You might want to pick up a jar of powdered probios incase they get the poops.
Visit this site for good information about goats. http://www.fiascofarm.com/ It will explain about the need to limit grains with wethers.
The chicken pen is not the ideal set up for them. Please make sure you pick up the chicken feed before putting them in there.
Good Luck! I hope you enjoy them! And expect them to cry and fuss tonight...just like a new puppy would. As long as you can see they are ok, don't try to coddle them. It will make the crying worse.

 

[lasergrl]

No cracked corn or goat chow for males. they get bladder stones easily from grain, this is deadly and common. look into "urinary calculi" for more info. The only thing they need is hay and minerals. They NEED hay if they dont have a pasture yet. They can also safely have alfalfa pellets, and black oil sunflower seeds. You can feed them goat chow in very little amounts, the noble goat variety is actually ok because it has ammonium chloride in it wich breaks up the grit in the bladder.
They cant get chicken feed either. Getting too much of some foods can cause bacterial overgrowth in the rumen and that is also deadly. This is what the CD & T vaccine is for, it wont always work if they get into chicken feed.
We need pics!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Where ever you put them for now make sure your fencing is tight and strong! Goats will climb, jump, push over or under or through if they can, and they will spy the smallest hole to escape though. When I brought my three home as babies I popped them into my pasture which I was sure was secure. Well they squeezed right out a ridiculously tiny opening between the gate post and gate. And yours are pygmies so, even smaller!

I also wouldn't put them in my chicken coop but if that's your only option for now it will have to do. Goats are rowdy and pushy and will likely make a quick mess of the place right away, knocking over feeder's, waterer's and climbing and jumping on anything they can. Pick up the chicken food first too or they'll eat it til it's gone and make themselves sick.

I'd probably also only feed these guys grass hay and whatever pasture you have available, no grain at all and goat chow only if they come to you in poor condition.

Oh and pick yourself up a good pair of goat hoof trimmer's. They'll need to be trimmed regularly. How often depends on the goat. I have two that do fine with being trimmed every three to four months and one Boer doe that needs trimming monthly.

Good luck with your new babies! They are a lot of fun.