More goat questions!

[CrazyChickGirl]

Hi, we have been trying to find out as much as we can about goats in the last few months to get an idea if they will be right for us. One thing I am concerned about is costs. Our dogs have ended up costing a lot more then we had planned. If we decide to go through with getting two goats, what can we expect as far as expenses? I was told by a few people that around $30 a month for hay/ grain. But our there other things I should know about? Do your goats need to see a vet often? How much should we set aside for emergency vet care? What about vaccines and testing? I don't think I could do these myself... Maybe I could convince my RN mom to help? Lol

 

[H Diamond]

Hi, what are you planning to do with your goats? Regardless, you will need a decent hay for them. Goats eat around 5% Of their body weight per day in roughage. If you are planning on milk goats you will also need to plan on a grain ration. For full size goats plan on 1lb per day for the doe and 1lb. per every 3lbs of milk she produces, You need to put out a LOOSE mineral free choice for them. Also free choice clean water. You may or may not have to worm them very often. Getting a fecal done at the vet and worming accordingly is your best bet. Vaccines depend on what you want to give. Most folks at least give adult goats a CD/T shot yearly. You may or may not need to supplement things like copper or selenium depending upon if your area or the area you get your hay from is deficient. Emergency costs vary SO much, Depending on how cheap your vet is and how big of a problem you have. $50- $1,000 who knows . A large amount of your goats care you can do yourself. Just don't skimp on the best hay you on afford and a good mineral (NOT a Sheep mineral) and you will have a lot less problems.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Hi, what are you planning to do with your goats? Regardless, you will need a decent hay for them. Goats eat around 5% Of their body weight per day in roughage. If you are planning on milk goats you will also need to plan on a grain ration. For full size goats plan on 1lb per day for the doe and 1lb. per every 3lbs of milk she produces, You need to put out a LOOSE mineral free choice for them. Also free choice clean water. You may or may not have to worm them very often. Getting a fecal done at the vet and worming accordingly is your best bet. Vaccines depend on what you want to give. Most folks at least give adult goats a CD/T shot yearly. You may or may not need to supplement things like copper or selenium depending upon if your area or the area you get your hay from is deficient. Emergency costs vary SO much, Depending on how cheap your vet is and how big of a problem you have. $50- $1,000 who knows . A large amount of your goats care you can do yourself. Just don't skimp on the best hay you on afford and a good mineral (NOT a Sheep mineral) and you will have a lot less problems.

x2 A good quality hay is extremely important. You might (well, I'd say you have a 90% chance) find yourself having to learn how to give injections and such in case you don't have a goat vet nearby (or a good goat vet, that is) or he happens to be out of town or too far for an emergency. Get together a list of what I call Goat First Aid supplies on hand; things such as 18 & 20/ 22 gauge needles, 3 & 6 cc syringes, drenching gun, c&d antitoxin, bloat treatments (such as baking soda and oil), and more. If you're breeding, I'd suggest putting a kidding kit together: ob gloves, lube, kid puller, wipes, towels, bulb syringe, and so on. There is so much information online. One of my favorite goat sites is Fias Co. They have lots of information on just about everything you can imagine considering goats. A friend of mine told me if you ask 10 people what they feed their goats, you will get 12 different answers. You need to find what will work for you and your goats. Do your research about feed requirements, taking into consideration what you're using your goats for, what feed you have available, and go from there.

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Thank you! Good tips! We want the goats for milk and as pets. How do you know what good hay is? I buy hay for my rabbit, and I try to look for soft green hay.... Other then that I have no idea?!

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Thank you! Good tips! We want the goats for milk and as pets. How do you know what good hay is? I buy hay for my rabbit, and I try to look for soft green hay.... Other then that I have no idea?!

You want to have dry, green hay. Make sure that it does not smell or look bad or moldy. Green hay contains those vitamins, A and D, which are essential for a goat's well-being, whereas yellow or brown hay is depleted of those nutrients. There are different types of hays out there. Alfalfa is a legume hay. It used to be the only hay I gave my milkers, but I stopped giving it when (1) found it was giving an off-taste in some of my does' milk and (2) the prices were no longer affordable for us to continue giving it with how quickly they'd go through it. I do give my does alfalfa pellets, but that is not their main diet and it's worked out fine so far. I like giving some alfalfa still because it has a high protein and calcium content. My goats are currently on a grass hay -coastal, to be exact- , but there are many other hays out there that folks feed their goats some of which are sudan, orchard, and prairie grass (all grass hays, I believe). Or, there is mixed hay, which contain both legumes and grass hay. I've read that when switching from legume to grass hays, you want to do it slowly, so that the bacteria in the rumen have a chance to get used to processing the new hay. This brings up another point; when you bring your goats home, ask what their previous owner has been feeding them. You want to make the transition as easy as possible on them and their rumens, so that you aren't wondering what happened to your goat when you suddenly switch their diet; try to get the food/ hay they're used to and gradually switch over to what you've decided you want to give them. Here is a good article (and a great website, too): http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/hayandforage.html


ETA: I'll pm you a list of suppliers I order from, just so you can have a look-see and prepared beforehand in any times of trouble. : )

 

[sophiesmith1010]

How high can goats jump?

 

[H Diamond]

Way higher than you think, lol.
Generally as a rule goats don't jump their fences. However, I had a friend who had a Boer buck that jumped a six foot fence.. honest to goodness.
That is highly unusual though. Most won't even tackle a 4 ft fence.. 3ft, yes all day long. Anything over 4ft is a good option. What's more important is the size of the holes in the fence. Goats are kinda like mice, lol, they can squeeze through some little holes.