Just a couple goat questions . . . . .

[MeredithW]

I'm going to get a goat
sometime this year or
(most likely) next year.
I want to bottle feed him, but not from day one. What should I look for in goat breeders and the babies, moms, and dads? Also, is it
pretty normal for people to dehorn the babies, or do you have to ask them to do that? And, do you have to ask them to fix the

babies, or do you have to do it? I know it probably depends on the breeder, I'm just totally knew to this whole goat thing, and want to

have things figured out. Also, (sorry, I know it's a lot of questions) what's the best age to get my goat if I want to bottle feed him for

a little while? One more question, how much stuff do baby goats need to play with, like rocks, logs, etc . . . ?



If you have time, I'd

to hear from you!

- Meredith

 

[N F C]

Hi,

We have goats but since DH is the resident goat expert, I can only tell you what I know we've done with ours.

We own both the buck and the doe and they have had kids twice since we got them. The doe is an excellent mother and she takes care of nursing them until they are weaned around 3 months (mama takes care of that, we don't force it). Once they are weaned, they don't take nourishment from her so I would guess they wouldn't be too interested in a bottle.

Some people disbud their goats, some don't. We don't do it with ours. Our goats are very tame and the disbudding process seems pretty harsh to us.

As far as 'fixing' them goes, with our first batch of kids, we sold them whole...the buyer wanted them for breeding to increase his herd size. With the latest kids, we wethered the little male. We're keeping him as a companion to the buck so he'll have more company and they won't be competing for the same females. Plus, we didn't want the little male mating with his mom or sister (kind of an 'ick' factor there).

If you're thinking of getting a goat, you really need more than one. Goats are herd animals and they are much happier with other goats around. As far as play things, the little kids have a wonderful time chasing each other but all of our goats like to climb. One of their favorite things is climbing up a big tree that has fallen in our pasture, it has thick branches that go way out and up; the little ones go up as high as they can. The doe and the kids also like being brushed, they like the extra attention, it gets rid of loose hair, and gives them a good scratch all over.

That's about all I can think of now, hope it helps. And again, this is just from our experience with goats...others that have had them a long time or a lot more goats will tell you other things I suppose.

 

[N F C]

I almost forgot, here's a recent photo of our 2 little kids:


You can see a bit of the bridge DH made for them with tree stumps that are about a foot & 1/2 tall and some secured wood. Running on the bridge and bumping each other off is another favorite way of playing.

 

[MeredithW]

I almost forgot, here's a recent photo of our 2 little kids:


You can see a bit of the bridge DH made for them with tree stumps that are about a foot & 1/2 tall and some secured wood. Running on the bridge and bumping each other off is another favorite way of playing.

Thanks for your help! Oh, yes, I was going to say that we are going to get at least 3 pygmy goats and a few milking goats. The pygmys are going to be just for pets! Your goats are so cute!!! I love baby goats!

 

[enola]

Fence. It takes a very secure fence to keep goats home. And you need the fence BEFORE you bring the goats home.

 

[N F C]

Fence. It takes a very secure fence to keep goats home. And you need the fence BEFORE you bring the goats home.

x2 definitely! And some sort of shelter to get out of the rain and cold.

 

[Stacykins]

I'm going to get a goat
sometime this year or
(most likely) next year.
I want to bottle feed him, but not from day one. What should I look for in goat breeders and the babies, moms, and dads? Also, is it
pretty normal for people to dehorn the babies, or do you have to ask them to do that? And, do you have to ask them to fix the

babies, or do you have to do it? I know it probably depends on the breeder, I'm just totally knew to this whole goat thing, and want to

have things figured out. Also, (sorry, I know it's a lot of questions) what's the best age to get my goat if I want to bottle feed him for

a little while? One more question, how much stuff do baby goats need to play with, like rocks, logs, etc . . . ?



If you have time, I'd

to hear from you!

- Meredith

You will need more than one goat. Get two does, or, a wether and a doe.

A buck and a doe together as companions is setting the doe up for an early death by constant breeding and pregnancy. They have their first heat young, three months and can be successfully impregnanted at that age. That would be like a small human child getting pregnant (world record is age 5, by the way). Then, he will breed her when she comes into heat right after birth, even though she has newborn kids to tend and feed. Let the cycle continue, and the doe will be run into the ground.

Most breeders will always wether boys before leaving the farm. That should not be a task you need to do, especially as a new goat owner. I wether boys at least two weeks before they leave, so the boys have time to recover from the stress of it. Also, so I know it was successful. If you want a goat that has no horns, do look for a breeder who disbuds.

I disbud all kids unless I have a nonrefundable deposit for the FULL cost of the animal within a day or two of birth. That is because horned goats are harder to sell, so if someone backs out of the goat purchase, I have my money in case I can't sell that goat. Dairy goats also are required to be hornless if they are ever to be shown.

Best age to get goats for bottle feeding is to get a goat that has been bottled fed from birth at any age, but is at least a few days old. Trust me, you do NOT want a kid that was just ripped from the dam who hasn't learn how to use a bottle yet. Make the breeder bottle feed the kid for a few days before pickup, so the kid knows the bottle and how to drink from one. If you get a kid who doesn't know the bottle yet, you are going to be dealing with days of stress, frustration, and heartache. Know how much to feed based on the kids weight and do not underfeed or overfeed (both will kill the kids). Do not feed milk replacer powder, only feed whole goats milk OR whole cows milk from the store. Powdered milk replacers kill kids, they get diarrhea and become dehydrated from it, fast.

FYI there is nothing wrong with dam raised goats. They are much healthier in my opinion. They get the best thing to eat there is, fresh milk on tap 24/7, from their dam. Dam raised kids done right are still as social and people loving as a bottle raised goat. My dam raised kids are all over me when I go outside, because I still socialize them from birth, they aren't wild and fearful of people. And they know how to be goats. They learn from their mothers how to eat hay, eat grain, and drink water from a bucket. Bottle raised kids are stupid when it comes to learning how to do those simple things for survival (NEVER GIVE A KID WATER FROM A BOTTLE thinking it will teach them about water! It will lead to hemoglobinuria).

 

[MeredithW]

You will need more than one goat. Get two does, or, a wether and a doe.

A buck and a doe together as companions is setting the doe up for an early death by constant breeding and pregnancy. They have their first heat young, three months and can be successfully impregnanted at that age. That would be like a small human child getting pregnant (world record is age 5, by the way). Then, he will breed her when she comes into heat right after birth, even though she has newborn kids to tend and feed. Let the cycle continue, and the doe will be run into the ground.

Most breeders will always wether boys before leaving the farm. That should not be a task you need to do, especially as a new goat owner. I wether boys at least two weeks before they leave, so the boys have time to recover from the stress of it. Also, so I know it was successful. If you want a goat that has no horns, do look for a breeder who disbuds.

I disbud all kids unless I have a nonrefundable deposit for the FULL cost of the animal within a day or two of birth. That is because horned goats are harder to sell, so if someone backs out of the goat purchase, I have my money in case I can't sell that goat. Dairy goats also are required to be hornless if they are ever to be shown.

Best age to get goats for bottle feeding is to get a goat that has been bottled fed from birth at any age, but is at least a few days old. Trust me, you do NOT want a kid that was just ripped from the dam who hasn't learn how to use a bottle yet. Make the breeder bottle feed the kid for a few days before pickup, so the kid knows the bottle and how to drink from one. If you get a kid who doesn't know the bottle yet, you are going to be dealing with days of stress, frustration, and heartache. Know how much to feed based on the kids weight and do not underfeed or overfeed (both will kill the kids). Do not feed milk replacer powder, only feed whole goats milk OR whole cows milk from the store. Powdered milk replacers kill kids, they get diarrhea and become dehydrated from it, fast.

FYI there is nothing wrong with dam raised goats. They are much healthier in my opinion. They get the best thing to eat there is, fresh milk on tap 24/7, from their dam. Dam raised kids done right are still as social and people loving as a bottle raised goat. My dam raised kids are all over me when I go outside, because I still socialize them from birth, they aren't wild and fearful of people. And they know how to be goats. They learn from their mothers how to eat hay, eat grain, and drink water from a bucket. Bottle raised kids are stupid when it comes to learning how to do those simple things for survival (NEVER GIVE A KID WATER FROM A BOTTLE thinking it will teach them about water! It will lead to hemoglobinuria).

Thanks for all the info! It helped a lot!

My family is going to get a lot of goats, so nobody needs to worry about us only getting one goat. I know that you can't have a goat alone. We are going to get at least two or three pygmys and then some other goats for milk. The pygmys will be for pets. I am getting a wether, and my siblings might get nannys or wethers. . . I don't know for sure. . . . :/

 

[enola]

If you are getting milk goats, what are your plans for their babies? After all they will have to have babies every year.

 

[Stacykins]

Thanks for all the info! It helped a lot!

My family is going to get a lot of goats, so nobody needs to worry about us only getting one goat. I know that you can't have a goat alone. We are going to get at least two or three pygmys and then some other goats for milk. The pygmys will be for pets. I am getting a wether, and my siblings might get nannys or wethers. . . I don't know for sure. . . . :/

Your first post says you are going to get "a goat" that implies one, single. I am glad to hear you are getting multiples.