INFO ON GOATS? I NEED HELP WITH THIS PROJECT...

[Chickenfan4life]

Ok, bear with me, I've got more questions:

1) Are they easy to break to halter and easy to train to pull a wagon?

2) Do female goats ever "dry up" where they have to be re-bred to have milk to supply?

3) How bad do Nubian Bucks smell? My parents are concerned about the buck having a "bad smell" It's not like he lives in the house...

4) If you have a buck, does that change the flavor of the Nubian doe's milk? My parents don't want "foul" milk...

5) What are methods of keeping your goats contained? I dont ever want them to get out of their pen

Thank you, everyone who has answered my questions, please keep giving me your handy, straight-forward answers.
Thanks a million!

Hannah.

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Ok, bear with me, I've got more questions:

1) Are they easy to break to halter and easy to train to pull a wagon? Every Goat is different they are like anything else. SOme take to something pretty fast and some never learn.

2) Do female goats ever "dry up" where they have to be re-bred to have milk to supply? Unfortunatly yes they do.

3) How bad do Nubian Bucks smell? My parents are concerned about the buck having a "bad smell" It's not like he lives in the house...

They can smell pretty ripe. But you will not really notice it unless you are really close to him or rub his neck or forehead. With that said dont rub those spots he does pee on his face and in his mouth on purpose.

4) If you have a buck, does that change the flavor of the Nubian doe's milk? My parents don't want "foul" milk...

Yes It will give the milk a bucky flavor so keep seperate.

5) What are methods of keeping your goats contained? I dont ever want them to get out of their pen . Your best bet is to get Goat fencing the spacing is smaller than cattle wire and a goat can not get his head stuck in it which is a pain. That and an electric fence that is designed for goats is all you really need. make sure you have the fence all the way on the ground. Another thing of note is goats are closly related to deer so they can jump really well you want a 4 foot fence at least.



I would recomend you get the Soreys book of Dairy goats also the hobby farms goat book is good as well.

Thank you, everyone who has answered my questions, please keep giving me your handy, straight-forward answers.
Thanks a million!

Hannah.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Thank you! This is really helping to convince my parents a bit! Yay!

 

[blueeyeddemon]

Hey I hope you get you goats

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Hey I hope you get you goats

Thanks, ChicaChihuahua!

 

[bock]

To start off, welcome to the goat world! This is our first year with dairy goats, and you learn so much so fast!

First of all, what is the purpose of these goats? Meat, milk, fiber, pets, show, etc? We have ours for both milk and as pets. We have one 7 month old alpine doe, one 7 month old nubian wether, and a dry yearling nubian doe. We plan to breed our yearling at the end of this month for January- February babies. Since we have dairy breeds, that's mostly what I will be referring to when it gets more specific. Other than that, general care is pretty much standard, aside from food. Also, are there any clubs such as 4-H or FFA that you could join? We have met so many wonderful goat people through these two clubs. Without them, we would be lost!

Also, make sure you invest in good stock! I cannot emphasize this enough. You can plan on paying upwards of $250 for a decent doe around here. In fact, Heidi's cousin recently sold at a national goat convention for over $3,000. Obviously, that is really extreme, but you see what I mean. Also, if the breeder does not have a CAE/CL disease free herd with papers in hand, walk away immediately. Trust me, you do not want to have to go through the horror of ending up with sick and diseased goats.

Are you looking to buy kids, adolescents, or adults? Whatever you do, do not go to any sale barn looking for your first goat. Most likely, you will end up with someone's sickly unwanted cull. If buying kids, always ask to see the mom. Try to evaluate her confirmation and ask how she does at shows. Even better, milk her yourself and see what it's like. Ask for pedigrees and milk records, look at the sire's dam, and check out the general health of all their animals and their management system. find out everything you can!

Furthermore, I would not reccomend a buck at all for a first timer. Your parents are right to think that they stink. If you have ever been near a buck, it will make your eyes water and cause a little gag reflex. They must be housed separately from your does at all times, aside from a visit once every year. They are very strong and driven 200 pound animals with only one thing on their minds. They want those does! They pee all over their fur, often causing sores on their skin. In parts of the country where they have very cold winters, they have bucks whose ears have become frostbitten and actually fallen off due to them peeing all over their heads.They also require extremely strong and expensive fencing. Also, if you have close neighbors, be prepared for some complaints. To be fair, bucks are only in rut for part of the year. We do not keep a buck, and had Shasta surgically castrated at 3 months. Aside from obviously not having an udder, he is just like a doe. Wethers make perfect pets and are readily available. Usually costing between $30 and $70 for one who is health tested and cared for. The only downside is they are prone to UC, which you just need to be aware of and feed them properly. Also, make sure he is castrated 2 months or older to help prevent stones, it isn't nearly as much of a problem for females. Personally, I think it is a MUCH better idea to pay for a stud service when starting out. This also allows you to have more genetic diversity and keeps you from having to replace your buck each year. That said, if you are really ready for all that, go for it!

Furthermore, we feed all of our goats pure alfalfa to keep them healthy. Some people use clover or timothy. Here, we pay around $40 per month in hay only for three goats. Goats will NOT eat anything. In fact, they are one of the pickiest animals I have ever owned. Also, you should be feeding free choice goat minerals (not sheep, goats require copper) and baking soda to prevent bloat. When my does are in milk, we will begin feeding grain ($15/50 lbs), black oil sunflower seeds, and alfalfa pellets just to keep her weight on. Food is by far the most expensive aspects of raising goats. Also, if you start with kids, you have to buy around 8 gallons of whole milk per kid for at least 3 months.

Do you plan on keeping them on a dry lot or pasture? This is another costly aspect of goat keeping. They are known escape artists, and need quality fencing. Plus, if kept on a dry lot, they rely completely on you for feed. Also, beware of predators! Coyotes and mountain lions can easily take down a smaller goat!

Finally, you will have to vaccinate and deworm your goats. Ours were vaccinated for CDT at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and now yearly. Plus, their mom's were given the CDT and Bose before giving birth. You will need to do a fecal to figure out how you want to go about worming. Some people use herbal wormers, some chemical, and other use both. It's all how it works out for you, and your goats, where you live. You will also need quality hoof trimmers too. This needs to be done about once a month, and be prepared to de-horn if you have kids. Milking, kidding, breeding, and kid care are also important, but better for another time. Also, if showing, you will need to invest in some good clippers.

One great website is Fias Co Farms: http://fiascofarm.com/ . They have awesome info on everything from birthing to feeding to bucks to milking. Also, check out byc's sister site, Backyardherds: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/

Good luck with your goat journey! It isn't easy or cheap, but with some connections and a lot of knowledge, it will be a very rewarding experience. I hope I covered all of the basics. Good luck!

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Wow. That's a lot of good info to have. Thanks, bock. I am really interested in goats. They sound awesome. Hopefully, if I save up enough money by not spending money earned by dog-walking, egg selling, and allowance, X-mas money, and B-day money, maybe that will be enough, and if I make enough money selling eggs and walking dogs added together with allowance, where I can pay for goat feed, maybe my parents will let me have some goats. I am taking care of the chickens ( how could I forget my biddies?!) and I am trying to prove myself responsible. Oh, I hope this works out!

 

[Chickenfan4life]

New questions:
1) Is a Wether goat's milk good, or does it taste bad? Like, really goaty-flavored?

2) Will two does get along together, or does it have to be three or four?

3) If I had two Wether does, in a grassy 30 ft by 30 ft pen, would they have the pen bare by the end of summer?

4) How much would it cost to feed 2 does in the summer if they had a large, grassy pen?

5) How much is it to feed 2 does in the winter, with no grass growing?

6) How much would stud service cost?

7) How much would 2 milking wether does cost if they were already bred?

Thanks for all your answers!
Hannah!

 

[SillyChicken]

New questions:
1) Is a Wether goat's milk good, or does it taste bad? Like, really goaty-flavored? Wethers are male goats that have been fixed and will not provide milk. Doe milk I hear gets rank if there is a buck near by or with the does, that's why they need to keep separate. Other than the fact that the buck will also try to mate and harrass your doe as well.

2) Will two does get along together, or does it have to be three or four? Yes 2 does can get along fine though one may establish dominance over the other.

3) If I had two Wether does, in a grassy 30 ft by 30 ft pen, would they have the pen bare by the end of summer? Again - Wethers are neutered males. Does are Does. You would probably need several pens this size to move the goats in and out of as they graze and trample the grasses. It also helps to move them in different pastures to minimze infestation of parasites. And it allows the grass to recover. It may be good to get started with.

4) How much would it cost to feed 2 does in the summer if they had a large, grassy pen? I have two wether, boy, pygmy goats and they hardly eat any hay because the have grasses and browse to eat. Though something you can consider to start out, you could get one wether and one doe and learn the tricks about raising them. (wethers though, should not get any grain because it causes urinary infections) but you will need to feed some grain to your doe esp during pregnancy/kidding.

5) How much is it to feed 2 does in the winter, with no grass growing? A lot of what your asking depends on current market value of hay, which this year is very high..I've seen between 8$ and 17$ a square bale, come winter it will be higher. Next year, hopefully it will cost less. It is a consumable variable that is hard to predict. I wish I could answer this for you. I haven't had my goats long enough to go through a winter and I'm lucky enough so far not to need to buy hay. My friend says she goes through 10 bales during winter with 4 small goats.

6) How much would stud service cost? IDK, sorry

7) How much would 2 milking wether does cost if they were already bred? It will depend on the doe quality, the farm that she comes from, and who she was bred too. 100-300 and possibly more.


Hannah, there is something that I have not seen anyone mention yet and that is the need for goats to have proper minerals available. I feed loose minerals for goats and baking soda (helps them burp their food to chew it again) I keep in separate bins. You can free feed or dish out small amounts daily. Goats need copper and other minerals to stay healthy, and they need fresh water at all times.

You're asking a lot of good questions! If i am wrong, someone, please feel free to correct me, I'm new to goats as well.

Thanks for all your answers!
Hannah!

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Silly Chick is right wethers are male goats that have been castrated. They can still be trained to do things such as pull carts and such and fun to watch them. I would rather watch my goats than tv anymore.