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

[blueeyeddemon]

Thanks

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Here you go some pics of my goats and a link to my new farm blog.


http://lcsfarm.blogspot.com/2012/09/so-to-start-off-lets-me-show-you-one.html

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Thanks, Nathan, those are some pretty goats! What breed are they?

 

[Nathan Sampson]

They are boer mixes. Nothing fancy but still worth good money and tasty also.

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Well I know some more people have seen this so what all do the rest of you think about the herd of 11.

 

[blueeyeddemon]

I think they're beautiful! I want some, now!!

 

[Nikki99]

Nathan,

I think your goats are really cute! Loved the pics!

We are bringing home our first goats this Sunday. We got 2 Nigerian Dwarf wethers. I can't wait to get them home. I need to go shopping tomorrow, not quite ready for them yet.

All this goat info has been very helpful. I'm going to jot some of this down so I have it with me when we go to finish our shopping.

Oh, for all you goat peeps, how often do you worm your goats. I've gotten a different answer every time I've asked this question.

Thanks!

 

[AuroraSprings]

As far as I can tell, no one has pointed out that you should bookmark, print and make a book of, obsess over, etc this website: http://fiascofarm.com/goats/index.htm

I started raising and showing registered African Pygmy goats when I was 12. This website STILL saves my goat's lives sometimes. I've had some of the craziest issues/diseases in my goats over the years. I keep a recent copy of the Merck Vet Manual because I always get presented with issues no vet has ever dealt with. This site is vastly more educational than the manual 90% of the time.

Also, before you dive into the breeding/showing world of any breed, go check out some nearby shows or expos. You will meet the folks you will be working with/competing with. I know with most species/breeds of livestock, the show world can be pretty cut throat. I've seen some dirty deals, shady practices, and lots of drama (it's JUST like high school - for better or worse, LOL). On the other hand, you will get to see some gorgeous animals and meet the really awesome people you can call the first time your doe kids and it seems to be going too slow (ie. you freaking out, your goatie friend calming you down and tell you whether or not to intervene). Having another breeder to "hold you hand" through the process is SOOO much better than going it alone.

Also, no one has mentioned
- vaccinations (for babies and adults) - Are you comfortable with that or do you need to line up a vet?
- disbudding (babies) - tramatic for everyone the first few times. But it gets better. Of course, you could choose a breed that's naturally polled.
- kidding - birth is crazy and a million things can go wrong. When choosing a doe, find out about her mother's (and grandmother's, aunt's, etc) kidding history. Did it go quickly? or slowly? Where the babies enormous or tiny? Was ANY human help needed? Even "shaving" the doe down to keep things cleaner is of interest to me when choosing a doe. (in nature no one is there to shave them. They naturally resist the bacterial infection and heal quickly).
- Emergencies - What happen when your doe skips her meal one day? Do you call a vet? Do you call a friend? Do you ignore it and wait to see if she will eat tomorrow? Do everything you can to prepare yourself for 911 events. Spend time watching/observing your goat's behaviors so you will know ASAP when she isn't feeling well. They can go downhill fast with certain diseases.
- advertising kids - start compiling a list NOW of the places you will list babies for sale. The longer you have them, the longer you feed them, and the more money you spend on them. Find someone with a good camera and get them to take photos of you holding the goats "stacked". (In show stance) Remember pictures are worth a thousand words! And, people believe what they can see over what you say.

I had planned on this being short, but either way if you need to PM me with specific questions, I'd be glad to help or at least send you in the right direction. Good luck with goats!!

P.S. Goats are like chips, you can't have just one !!

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Quote: Thanks! I am getting so much good info here, I made a VERY good decision making this thread! I would like to take a moment and thank all the people who have posted their comments of encouragement and info and both in the same posts! Thanks, everyone! It is good to have helpful friends! =)

Keep the good info comin' guys!

 

[Skipspin]

My daughter, who is several years younger than you, bought a registered dairy goat (Manchu, at 3 months old) and a weathers (Boer mix, just over 2 months) in March. She paid $250 for the LaMancha from a breeder that has a good reputation, and we were able to see the doeling's dam and grand-dam on premises. The grand-dam has her milk star and is a champion. She was her dam's first, so she was not able to earn any of those yet. She could have gotten a weathers for $25 from the same breeder, but our neighbor has goats and she had been wanting one of her goats and visiting this little boy since he was born, so she went with him. He's a cutie! She is able to breed her doeling for no extra charge with another (unrelated) buck where the doeling was purchased. Much better than owning a buck, etc. The Fiasco farms website has great info on why you don't want a buck until you have quite a few does to breed- then you still have to bring in new blood often. You might look into registered grade does too. They are pure dairy goats, but a cross between two breeds. Sometimes they are a little less money, and I've seen some super cute ones! In fact, I wanted to buy one I saw a few months ago, but I restrained myself. Of coarse it helped that I didn't have $200 sitting around.

She went with dairy goats because she didn't really want to raise a "meat" animal and show where that was the goal. If she ended up breeding people would buy them for meat and while she knows it's a fact of life and all that it just wasn't a pleasant thought to her. Plus, I'm excited about the milk.

As far as food: we have 2+ acres that the goats have access to with lots of grass and browse. Right now they both get grain, but the weathers won't once he's grown, and the doeling will get more when she's in milk. We don't go through much hay since they have browse and grass. If you don't have access to that you will need more hay. We just give a small amount of alfalfa once a day and a handful of coastal (grass hay) when we feel like it since we have it for the horses we board. We pay less than $15 a month for grain. We'd probably pay ~20-30 a month on hay if we had no grass and browse available. Hay prices vary widely, though, depending on area, weather, etc.

We use herbal wormer right now. I just had a fecal done to make sure it was working since people have very mixed results and so far so good. I plan on doing one every 6-12 months just to keep on top of it. The herbal costs us probably $60 a year for two goats. I don't think chemical would be more $$ in general.

It's good to have a "goat mentor." Either somewhere close where you bought your goat or knowledgeable people in 4H or FFA. If you have dairy babies you'll need to have them dis-budded or do it yourself, you'll need to trim hooves (my 9 yr old does it, not hard) give vaccines, etc. We will probably won't do our own dis-budding with our first babies, but I am planning on doing the vaccines.

Obviously, we are still learning. There is a yahoo dairy goat list, and it might be a good place to start to find some good animals and read questions/answers. Generally you are going to find babies available in the spring, March- May, but there are exceptions. Because of rising feed prices I've seen some mature does and yearlings for sale this fall as people with lots of goats are trying to keep their feed bills down.