Lets talk about goats!

[Lillyk24]

Thanks GitaBooks for the reply! I took them the vet the day after I bought them and had them evaluated and shots given to. The baby who is about 10 days or so is doing better day by day He is walking more and eating ore at time and moving around quicker, still really sore on his end, not sure what that is about. I plan to take him back to the vet for another evaluation. I am so angry at the lady I bought them from, but I know if I didnt save them they would have died there! Sad, but I love these guys and I will do whatever it takes to keep them here. Thank you so much for replying and for the link, I will be reading that over shortly. Any info will help

Have a great day!

Jen

 

[AK Chick]

I'm in the same boat. I think we'll add a goat or two next spring, so I am trying to learn in the meantime. All of your questions are mine also, so I'm glad you posted this!

 

[gonechickens]

Question about 2 month old kid weight?

My husband recently bought 2 goats. 1 wether 1 buck. Both are eating great but hips are showing.

 

[GitaBooks]

There could be a couple reasons for that.
Number one would be worms, so make sure they were dewormed and that the dewormer actually worked so that they can get all the nutrition from their food.
Number two is that it could just be the breed. Some breeds are naturally slimmer then others, though they should never be skinny. If you are use to the more muscular goat breeds then a dairy breed may appear to thin.
Number three is that the quality of food is too low for their growth. Kids need more nutrients in their food because they are not only supporting body maintenance but growth. Hay should always be available, but a youngster of one of the faster growing breeds will likely need a supplement of grain to make sure they are getting the protein and minerals to support their growth.

I hope this helps.

 

[gonechickens]

We did worm them yesterday. They are milk breeds. I haven't ever owned any milk breeds before only Boers. Milk breeds are new territory for me. Goats are new territory for my husband. They always have grass hay. Feeder never goes empty. They also get alfalfa pellets, and they get let out to search the property for whatever they'd like. Only being penned up mainly at night to keep them safe. They LOVE the olive tree. They also have free choice minerals. I've searched this site relentlessly and have read another site. That was recommended on here about goats. They also have lice, we treated for that yesterday as well.

 

[prizepete]

We did worm them yesterday. They are milk breeds. I haven't ever owned any milk breeds before only Boers. Milk breeds are new territory for me. Goats are new territory for my husband. They always have grass hay. Feeder never goes empty. They also get alfalfa pellets, and they get let out to search the property for whatever they'd like. Only being penned up mainly at night to keep them safe. They LOVE the olive tree. They also have free choice minerals. I've searched this site relentlessly and have read another site. That was recommended on here about goats. They also have lice, we treated for that yesterday as well.

milk breeds are usually on the slim side

 

[GAMarans]

Can you post a picture or two so that we can see? Might be nothing but breed and age. Easier to tell with pictures.

 

[chixcoop]

Hi, I just found this thread and am so glad that it is on byc. I'm thinking of getting two milk goats during the summer when I have more time to take care of them. Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much time it takes a day to take care of them? I know that it varies substantially, (I could get away with 5 min per day w/chickens, but I spend 20 or so) I have 11 chickens, and I just wanted to expand more. Thanks!

 

[GitaBooks]

That's sounds like an awesome idea! Goats are so much fun, and really not that much work, but you'll probably find yourself wanting to spend more time with them anyways.

We use to keep goats with our chickens (until the economy got really bad), and it took about the same amount of time to care for them. You let the chickens out of their secure night pen and the goats too (we had mini goats and didn't want coyotes getting them). We would give them buckets of water (they shared), the chickens were offered food in their room and the goats got some hay and grain. The door to the pasture was opened and that was that.
However, if you really want to get milk from a goat you'll have to spend more time making sure they are tame, have the proper nutrition to produce milk, and that they are milked twice a day at the same time, which can take extra effort.
Just like chickens, goats will need their pens cleaned as needed, which means an extra half hour or so once every week or two. They'll need their water buckets scrubbed, hooves trimmed (as needed), dewormed, and given health inspections to look for any signs of problems (the earlier they are caught the better). Not to mention I've found goats to adore any time they can spend with people, getting scratched, walked, and treats have got to be on the top of their list. They'll steal whatever they can from the chickens (and cats for that matter) and try to break into the feed room at any chance they get as well. However, the only real danger they had towards the chickens was with trampling them, which to my knowledge only happened once, and it was with a chick.

I hope this helps some. Best of luck!

 

[chixcoop]

Quote: Thank you! What breed of milk goat would you recommend I start out with, and how many?