Lets talk about goats!

[michellemire]

I have 6 Pygmy goats I have 2 about to have babies any day now

 

[chickengirl1193]

Try mixing it.

Okay good idea! They are so picky tho... I just hope im not hurting them by giving them.hay they dont want to eat. I supplement with hay cubes tho and they love the hay cubes

 

[SA Farm]

I have 6 Pygmy goats I have 2 about to have babies any day now

They're beautiful!

Hope all goes well with the kidding soon!

 

[chicken pickin]

Okay good idea! They are so picky tho... I just hope im not hurting them by giving them.hay they dont want to eat. I supplement with hay cubes tho and they love the hay cubes

By hay cubes do you mean alph alpha hay cubes?

This is my first winter with goats so I haven't been to sure about supplements. We get our hay from my DHs friend, he grows hay and he sells it to us pretty cheep. I believe it is first cut but when DH ask what type of hay it is all he was told was organic lol.I think I need to add alph alpha hay to their diet, one of the goats seems to have lost a little weight.

Do you all feed this hay separate or mix it in to the hay feeder with the other hay.

 

[chickengirl1193]

By hay cubes do you mean alph alpha hay cubes?

This is my first winter with goats so I haven't been to sure about supplements. We get our hay from my DHs friend, he grows hay and he sells it to us pretty cheep. I believe it is first cut but when DH ask what type of hay it is all he was told was organic lol.I think I need to add alph alpha hay to their diet, one of the goats seems to have lost a little weight.

Do you all feed this hay separate or mix it in to the hay feeder with the other hay.

I feed alfalfa/Timothy mini hay cubes meant for horses. I just give them about 2 cups am and pm in a separate dish on the ground. And I have to break up the cubes with a hammer so they are small enough lol. And then they get their hay free choice so usually while one is eating cubes the other eats hay then they will switch.
Other people I have talked to feed alfalfa cubes or pellets and not a mix but I just didnt feel like my goats needed really rich alfalfa if they arent lactating. Also you can choose between pellets or cubes and the pellets are easier but I like cubes cuz the hay pieces are bigger so its more for them to digest.
I may be doing more than necessary for my goats but they are in good shape and happy so it must be working

 

[itsjustjen]

HI!

Just popping in to say hello and that we are expecting 2 kids! How funny does that sound? Any who, we are buying 2 kids ( not related ) and an older pair ( related but not the to kids ) of Myotonic goats here in TN! The older pair will be coming in a few weeks while the kids will be here when they're weaned ( aren't even born yet )

We are very excited! All the goats are coming from the same farm.

Any tips for a first time goaters? Things you wished you'd known before bringing your first kid home ( again so strange to say that )

 

[chickengirl1193]

HI!

Just popping in to say hello and that we are expecting 2 kids! How funny does that sound? Any who, we are buying 2 kids ( not related ) and an older pair ( related but not the to kids ) of Myotonic goats here in TN! The older pair will be coming in a few weeks while the kids will be here when they're weaned ( aren't even born yet )

We are very excited! All the goats are coming from the same farm.

Any tips for a first time goaters? Things you wished you'd known before bringing your first kid home ( again so strange to say that )

Congrats on your first goats! When I got mine they were being weaned and leaving home.at the.same time so it was stressful for me because they were super stressed out and upset. So I spent a lot of time with them, always fed them.from my hand to teach them to trust me, and gave them plenty of hay and within the week they came around and now.they love it here and are super friendly!
My biggest piece of advice would be to do all your research and be ready for when they arrive. Have lots of hay ready, feed, water buckets, everything you will need. If your prepared it will be much less stressful.

 

[itsjustjen]

Thanks for the tip. I've been looking for some books to keep on hand about goats, chickens, farm animals in general plus homesteading for the hobby farm we have but there are just so many out there!

We've had horses before so I understand that all animals need adjustment time. We have planned on putting the goats in a small 64x32 pen that will be my garden ( made out of hog wire feedlot panels ) so we can be close but not crowd them at the same time. I've met the adults goats and just feel in love with them! They already are used to hotwire ( which we have ) so I am confident that they will teach the kids where the wire is once we bring them home. THe kids will be spending a week in the garden pen so they can adjust to my farm and being away from their does for the first time. My kids are both in school so I can spend lots of time just sitting with the goats and letting them get to know me.

Biggest thing we can't figure out is housing. We don't want to build a goat barn because we are building a barn later in the year that will house the goats, cow and horses and possibly sheep and on 6 acres, space configuration is a key factor. The cows will be raised for meat only, so will the sheep so the only year round animals will be the goats and chickens.

The adult goats we're getting are highly socaizled and loved my kids scratching behind their horns We are all really excited for them to be here!

 

[SA Farm]

Large dog houses make a great temporary house for small goats. Just put a door on the front to lock them in at night and they're great.

 

[michellemire]

Wat do y'all think about these 2 momma do y'all think they will have there babies soon I bought then pregnant so I don't know when they where breed and that's there third kid they have thanks let me knw wat y'all think