New Goat Owner Needs Help!!!

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Quote:
Exactly!

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
O...M...G

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Cracked corn has a Ca ratio of about 1:4. If you're mixing cracked corn with pelleted feed, you're throwing the entire Ca ratio off on your feed. If you're feeding ANY cracked corn to bucks or wethers, you're pretty much begging for a case of urinary calculi.

There was a lot of post after the above, but I'm just gonna stop there and say to the OP....get a vet lined up. It's never a bad idea to have a vet handy, even if it's just to call and ask a question.

Yes, they cost money.. My personal view is that if you can't afford the occasional vet bill, you can't afford the animal. It's like buying a car without thinking about the cost of maintenance......I mean, if you can't afford to replace a $1000+ set of 33x12.50 buckshot mudders every 30K miles, maybe you don't need a monster truck.

Just sayin'.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Quote:
O...M...G

Maybe she needs to check the undercarriage?

 

[KinderKorner]

O...M...G

I agree with this post.

No ones is meaning to blast you. But for the health of the animal it was not smart at all to get a new species of something without knowing proper care.

A pygmy goat needs free choice hay. No grain. Unless the goat looses weight. Little pygmy get fat easily and quickly.

You need to give it a CDT shot. Then a booster later on. Following that with one every year.

You need to get you some hoof clippers made for small goats from a supply store website. Trim them as needed, when the hoof isn't flat with the ground. Pygmys don't usually need trimed every month like other breeds.

You really need to get a goat as a companion.

I had one pet goat for years. She was adorable, lived in the house. Does tricks, blah blah blah she acts like a dog. But later on I wanted more goats. And when I got more she rejected them, and didn't understand they were the same animal. She still to this day years later hates goats, and runs free, and sleeps on the porch. And I breed goats. lol

She wasn't lonely, but she lived in the house. A goat outside, needs company.

Goats are actually very easy to care for.

But you have made two HUGE mistakes already.

1. You got a goat with horns.

Horns are bad. They can cut you on accident. Hurt other goats, get stuck and die. Butt playfully at animals and things and wound something or someone badly.

Take your goat to the vet, or a another reputable goat breeder right now. I mean like in the next few days. And get the horns burnt off. If you wait any longer you won't be able to ever really get rid of them. It might be too late already.

2. You got a buck!

Bad bad idea. Especially for your first goat. I've had my share of bucks. They are sooo cute and friendly until about a year old.

Then one day they head butt you, and crack your knee or knock down your little 4 year old cousian and really hurt them.

They turn agressive. Some are sweeter than others. But you have to have an understanding with them. They aren't pets. They can have manners and be petted. But they are unpredictible.

They stink. They really do.

They pee all over themselves, and get caked with yellow sticky mess. As well as do other yucky things I won't list her.

Take your goat to the vet or a reputabled breeder. And get it castrated right now. When you get the horns done.

I am telling you this for the betterment of both you and the goat. It is very important you get the horns and castration taken care of right away,

It might work out for a few months. But sooner of later. You will be getting rid of the goat because of these problems. And it most likely won't find a good home.

NOTE: Just because it has horns doesn't mean it's a buck. All genders get them. If it's a doe, your lucky. You only have to worry about getting rid of the horn.

If you have any other questions or need help feel free you ask.

But you really should of done your research before purchasing this animal. To late now. So your just going to have to work through it.​

 

[SportTees]

Quote:
I'm not completely clueless- I definitely choose the wrong wording when I said that.

 

[KinderKorner]

Check and make sure it's a buck. If it is. Get him fixed right away.

And lay off too much grain or treats. Really pygmies don't need it unless you have really bad hay or perhaps if your milking.

Mine get like a handful of grain on rare occasions. And they are incredibly fat.

Also you should look into getting him a buddy. Besides don't you want another one.

It's a good chance to come up with an excuse to buy more.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hey, it just occurred to me that perhaps these folks have taken advantage of you. If you were expecting a doe, you should have gotten a doe. And they should have disbudded it for you. My little Tinkerbell came disbudded at only a few days old. i would think it would be easier on them to have it done at a young age. And the castration, too, probably should have been done when your goat was young, if it is indeed a buck. They may have pawned this goat off on you as no one else wanted it. If it's head-butting your dog, it doesn't seem to have the best personality right off.

So now if this turns out to be a buck, you have the expense of castration and disbudding right off the bat. Add that to what you paid for it, and then see if it would not have been better to pay a bit more for a doe.

Just a thought. You really should get exactly what you want.

 

[cmjust0]

I have a feeling it's actually a doe, else the OP would have noticed the a scrotum...I would think anyway. Maybe not, but a scrotum should be pretty obvious.

Also, not everybody disbuds.. Some people like for their goats to have "handles." I could go either way, frankly.. Regardless, if that wasn't part of the deal and the OP didn't know they wanted a goat without horns, that's pretty much the OPs problem.

I'm actually thinking I'd leave the horns on this one.. Note how the OP said they couldn't get within arms length of the goat right now...a good set of handles could be a necessity on this one.

 

[SportTees]

I'm not positive on the sex yet because I haven't been able to grab it to check for sure.

I can see a few advantages in a way to having the horns- easier to catch. Not having horns means its going to hurt less if you get butted.

I have a small child so I think the horns will have to go- I don't anticipate her being around it to much but if it escapes its pen .


ETS- People finally got baack to me and Turned out the goat was born 8/19/09 (so allittle over 2 mo old) . I was told they have been feeding it corn, grass, hand full med goat feed, scratch feed a little.

I went to TSC and got what they had purina goat food and a goat mineral block