How to care for Goats?

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Hello, I am thinking about raising some Nigerian Dwarf Goats. I would only get two and they will be kept as pets. I am a complete newbie to goats and know hardly anything about them. I'd like to research them before buying any and I know lots of people on here own goats. My questions include...

1. How much room do they require?
2. What do they eat?
3. How often do they have to see a vet?
4. What are their yearly or monthly cost's?
5. What care do they require yearly, monthly or weekly?
6. How often do you trim their hooves?
7. What are the best pets females or males?
8. What other breed of goat are as small as Nigerians?

And anything else you think a goat newbie might need to know. I am in Massachusetts so if any of you know any good goat breeders of Nigerians (or another type of cute miniature goats) please let me know. Also, any links to good goat websites would be great as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You'll find a lot of the answers here:

http://fiascofarm.com/

 

[the4heathernsmom]

yes go to the fiasco farms website posted above this post.....they have a huge wealth of indormation that will answer many of your questions and I would suggest joining a goat forum/chat thread (there are several on yahoo) and learn as much as you can before you actually get some goats. You will either fall in love or you will hate it lol lol they do grow on ya though!!! I love mine!!!

 

[4 the Birds]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

Hello, I am thinking about raising some Nigerian Dwarf Goats. I would only get two and they will be kept as pets. I am a complete newbie to goats and know hardly anything about them. I'd like to research them before buying any and I know lots of people on here own goats. My questions include...

1. How much room do they require?
2. What do they eat?
3. How often do they have to see a vet?
4. What are their yearly or monthly cost's?
5. What care do they require yearly, monthly or weekly?
6. How often do you trim their hooves?
7. What are the best pets females or males?
8. What other breed of goat are as small as Nigerians?

And anything else you think a goat newbie might need to know. I am in Massachusetts so if any of you know any good goat breeders of Nigerians (or another type of cute miniature goats) please let me know. Also, any links to good goat websites would be great as well.

Thanks in advance.

1. I would give them at least 1/2 acre of space for a couple of goats
2. Hay/Grain
3. Never. You can tend to their needs at home
4. Minimal.... Maybe $100/year
5/6. Trim their hooves monthly and deworm them every few months
7. Either will make great pets.
8. Any type of Pygmy goat. We have full size Alpine/Nubian goats and love them!

Be sure to have at least a 4' high field fence or no-climb fence. You can also opt of an electric fence but we prefer a sturdy non-electric fence. They will also need a draft-free shelter to keep dry during rains/snow. A 5' x 8' shed will work well. A separate playground or stucture to climb on will keep them happy. ​

 

[Heather118]

Speaking from experience, make sure there are no trees you value in the goat pen. They love to strip off the bark and eat it. Eventually they end up killing many of the trees. Also, in my opinion females make the best pets. The males we've had were nasty. They would do things like turn their heads so they could urinate into their own mouths. Gross! I have no experience with neutered males, so I don't know if they are the same way.

 

[glenolam]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

Hello, I am thinking about raising some Nigerian Dwarf Goats. I would only get two and they will be kept as pets. I am a complete newbie to goats and know hardly anything about them. I'd like to research them before buying any and I know lots of people on here own goats. My questions include...

1. How much room do they require?

For 2 small goats like nigerians you can get away with a simple 10x10 or 12x12 dog pen. That said, though, it's always better to give them a lot of room to play around. They'll get bored in a small enclosure and start acting like naughty children with nothing better to do.

2. What do they eat?

That depends on whether or not you get bucks (intact males), does, or wethers (neutered males). Wethers are the easiest to feed and really only require hay or forage 24/7, free choice minerals and water. Does and bucks may require grain if you are breeding them or keeping a doe in milk.

3. How often do they have to see a vet?

How much "upkeep" do you want to do yourself? I only have the vet see my goats if they are sick and I can't figure out what's wrong. I have all the medicines I need on hand and treat them as necessary myself. If you aren't comfortable with giving shots or stuff like that, they should be seen by the vet at least once a year for their vaccinations, more if you have the vet do any needed worming treatments, hoof trims, etc. That'll get pretty expensive though!

4. What are their yearly or monthly cost's?

Depends on how healthy they are. 2 goats won't cost much to feed, but you would still need to build them a shelter of some sort or find a large dog house or two for free. It's hard to put a price on the yearly costs because you never know what's going to happen and need to plan for any/all situations.

5. What care do they require yearly, monthly or weekly?

CD&T is given at least once a year. Some people do every 6 months, that's up to the owner.
Rabies is given once a year or every other year depending on what your vet says.
Worming with ivermectin, safeguard, dimethox, etc is as needed. Some people worm "on a schedule"; however, that's becoming a big problem as most worms/parasites are now becoming immune to the medicines. You should find a vet or another goat owner who does fecal exams to decide whether or not you need to worm your goats. Kids, on the other hand, do require a coccidia treatment plan. There's a few different methods - the fiasco farm website lists them as well as www.jackmauldin.com

6. How often do you trim their hooves?

As needed. Some goats need it every month, some once a year.

7. What are the best pets females or males?

Wethers (neutered males) by far. They live the longest, require the least amount of care and are just as sweet as does are. Bucks make horrible pets. You should never have a buck unless you have does to breed him to and a completely separate area for the bucks to live in.

8. What other breed of goat are as small as Nigerians?

Myotonic (fainting goats), some angora crosses, and pygmies. Nigerians are a dairy breed and Pygmies are a meat breed, but can also be used for diary. My pygmy doe didn't give much milk, but the milk she gave tasted great.

And anything else you think a goat newbie might need to know. I am in Massachusetts so if any of you know any good goat breeders of Nigerians (or another type of cute miniature goats) please let me know. Also, any links to good goat websites would be great as well.

I'm just down the road in CT but have mostly larger goats. Freemotion over on BYH and Sufficient Self is in Massachusetts too, but I think she has somewhat larger goats too. There is a breeder in Hampden, MA who breeds Nigerians - here is their website: http://www.freewebs.com/phoenixrisingfarm/

They produce show quality nigerians so their goats are more on the expensive side; however sometimes (sometimes) you get what you pay for. Free goats are all over craigslist, so don't just pass those up. I've gotten several of my best does for free and off craigslist - registered and healthy as a horse. I've also seen people give away goats or even charge a pretty penny for crap goats who are nothing but sick all the time.

If you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them! Just PM me or send me an email. Good luck!​