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Goat Care (aDork)

Last post 04-19-2009 9:04 PM by sl2crmeg. 14 replies.
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  • 04-17-2009 2:30 PM

    Goat Care (aDork)

    So I'm a bit obsessed with goats. And have always wanted one, but may soon actually be getting one. It would stay in a pasture with other goats, but I have suddenly realized... I have no clue what they require as far as shots, food, health care, etc. I'm doing some digging, but anyone on here have goats that can... give me some clues?

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  • 04-17-2009 2:36 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • .stacer.
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    LOL so I'm not strange to have an obsession with goats! I love them too! I usually get really strange looks when people ask me about my favourite animals - dogs (duh), goats and capybaras.

    I really have nothing to offer information wise, because I've also never owned one, or read up on them. I just like to pet them.

    Stacey.
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  • 04-17-2009 2:48 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • sl2crmeg
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    I think Akrymoto has goats - at least, she had a bag of goat feed! She made it into an awesome messenger bag for me.
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  • 04-17-2009 3:15 PM In reply to sl2crmeg

    • 4HAND
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    I paid for my first horse by working on a dairy goat farm.I milked 12 head by handBig SmileThese were alpine goats.I love the Nubians too but the dwarf ones I have no experience with.Will you be getting a female? Males are musky even if neutered and the smell is hard to get off.Our goats were only grained if they were growing,bred,or lactating.Otherwise they were pastured on grass in summer and fed alfalfa mix hay in winter.I can't answer to vet care as this was not my responsability.They do need thier feet trimed occasionally but this can be done easily with a utility knife.Goats are sweet animals I have fond memories of resting my face against thier warm side while they stood in a small stantion for milking.

    Tena

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  • 04-17-2009 3:26 PM In reply to 4HAND

    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    I really want a male, a whether, because I like the way they look over bucks and does. I'd likely get it debudded too. It's a bit of a relief to know they can be pastured, I assumed they could, that's how I think these are kept now. So... basically as far as food (because I won't be breeding) they don't need anything more than the horses would? I do know they need their feet trimmed, but I wasn't sure how ... extensive it was. They'd be in a seperated part of the pasture, and the horses' feet are kept pretty well naturally.

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  • 04-17-2009 4:37 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • 4HAND
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    A whether should do fine on pasture, water and a mineralized salt lick.You may need a lower wire if you have electric fence.

    Tena

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  • 04-17-2009 5:19 PM In reply to 4HAND

    • brookcove
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

     Maryland Small Ruminant page - for anyone wanting to know about goats or sheep. This is the place to start for a multtude of questions - I still use this page for questions.

    Becca Shouse: Irena Farm, Semora, NC
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  • 04-18-2009 10:16 PM In reply to aDorkable

    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    aDorkable:
    I'd likely get it debudded too.

    What is debudding? It doesn't sound too pleasant.

    but good luck with the "goat hunting", : )

    ~ISGrl
    and the Irish setters, Cadie (9 yrs) and Riley (2 yrs)
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  • 04-18-2009 10:55 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • Kyda
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    I understand being obsessed with goats, they are awesome. My pygmy doe can jump a normal sized fence from a standstill if there is food on the other side. She is a brilliant little girl, she knows "Come" "Stay(alittle lol)" "up"(such as jump ontop of something), and "No". Crazy little animals but I love em.
    Pygmy Goat
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  • 04-18-2009 11:10 PM In reply to IrishSetterGrl

    • Bullymom
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

     I have 2 goats and they are so easy to care for!  What kind of goat will you be getting?  My two are Boras.  I think I might have spelled that right OR wrong!!  But they are awesome creatures.  I have does and I will be getting a billy in a couple of months.  My neighbor breeds them and he knows quite a lot about them.  I feed my two Producer's Pride 10% Sweet Grain and whole corn mixed in.  They love it!  Now, my neighbor said that feeding a billy corn can give it colic so beware!!  During the summer, I feed them about 2 cups of the corn/grain mix each once a day.  They rest of the day, they have all sorts of foliage to munch on.  Another warning, Wild Cherry trees can kill goats...  During the winter, in addition to the grain, I also feed them Fescue Hay. You can feed them Alfalfa Hay but too much of it will give them the nasty rus!  Goats are very wasteful creatures!!  If I were you, I would put the hay in a hay rack.  My 2 drop a lot of their hay and once it hits the ground, you can't pay them to eat it!!  Salt licks are a must too!  You will need to worm them twice a year spring and fall.  Keep an eye on their hooves.  Sometimes the hooves will need to be trimmed.  I have had mine for over a year and I haven't had to trim their feet yet.  Did I mention that goats love to play?!  I have a huge wood pile in my goat's pasture and they run up and down that pile!!  If I am in the pasture with them, they will follow me around like a dog!



    ~*Kimberly*~
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  • 04-18-2009 11:49 PM In reply to Bullymom

    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    IrishSetterGirl -- Debudding is the process of removing or burning the horns so that they no longer grow. And I have to really, really consider that. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll have a polled goat I can get...

     

    Kyda -- What is 'normal' sized for you? I think it would probably stay in the 5' (it might be 6', I'm not certain) stall area until we could get part of the pasture fenced off. I'm also kind of hoping to allow Misha to be with the goats (though only if he wants to, and only supervised) and he'd require a 5' fence for me to even feel comfortable with him being able to roam.

     

    Bullymom -- The person I may be getting it from has a few different breeds. I know he has Pygmies, the others range in size from small to medium, I believe.

     

    Brookcove -- Thanks for the website!

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  • 04-19-2009 1:22 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • Kyda
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    5' should be enough to keep a Pygmy in, my Bell so far has only jumped 4 feet and has not tried to jump any higher. You also might want to buy a LSG dog or llama or something to protect them from predators.
    Pygmy Goat
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  • 04-19-2009 2:09 PM In reply to Kyda

    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    I asked about that, the place where it'd stay until we pastured off some land is very secure, and also very close to the house. Misha is a Pyrenees mix, and so depending on how he behaves/reacts/desires to be out there, he may be out there part time. I don't know what we'll do in the meantime, but Papa's dogs are around, and they won't bother them, and the horses will be around. And Legacy will kill a dog that takes to chasing them. It will also depend on what type/how many goats Papa ends up getting.
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  • 04-19-2009 4:21 PM In reply to aDorkable

    • brookcove
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    Misha should be well able to handle scaring off all but the most persistent predators. For more than that, stronger fences are most likely where you need to go. An LGD for just a few pet goats is kind of overkill. Though I'd do it just because I love my LGDs - lol!

    Actually, since you already have equines, a better idea would be a guard donkey. They are easy to find, don't require training, eat what the horses and goats eat (they'll eat stuff on the ground, which goats are very reluctant to do), and there's no learning curve to keeping them.

    One thing about goats - they far prefer brush to grass, so be sure to fence in some brushy areas for them to browse or they will be breaking loose to go find it. We really ought to get some goats in here to bring down the brush in our newly cleared areas - but I'm pushing my numbers with just the sheep I've got. Plus, *whispering* I hate goats. Blech. Wink

    Goats also need good minerals with lots of copper. Southern States carries an excellent protein block with the right minerals, plus the loose minerals you will need. You'll want to put those out anytime the goats are separate from the horses. The horse mineral is okay for them, but it doesn't have enough copper. Goat mineral is okay for horses but it's better to have horse mineral for horses - plus it's typically kept up higher (not that goats have trouble climbing stuff!!!). And you never want to put a goat protein block out for horses because they are usually from 17 to 25% protein - that will make a horse colic!

    Goat colic is different from what you see with horses. It's caused by different things, but alfalfa will cause something called "frothy bloat." In it, high amounts of protein make it difficult for the gas in the rumen to diffuse out of the liquid contents. Instead, it stays mixed in like a washing machine with too much or the wrong kind of soap in it. The gas can only go up, not out the back way like with non-ruminants like us. So the poor goat or sheep starts to literally blow up. Eventually the expanded belly gets in the way of breathing, presses on the heart, and the animal dies of suffocation. 

    You can solve this problem, if you catch it early enough, by feeding the goat a soap solution! The soap breaks down the tension in the bubbles and the gas comes to the top like it's supposed to. Any type of bloat, in extreme cases, can be corrected by using a tube that punches a hole in the animal's side and lets the gas "out the window" so to speak.

    The other kind of bloat is caused by too much carbs, among other things. Corn is almost pure carbs and very little protein - about the exact opposite of the goat's ideal diet. 

    Goats do best on high protein diets - ideally supplied by leaves and green branches - but the equivalent is an overall diet in the range of 17% protein.

    Oy. Get me talking about ruminants and you'll never shut me up! 

    Becca Shouse: Irena Farm, Semora, NC
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  • 04-19-2009 9:04 PM In reply to brookcove

    • sl2crmeg
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    Re: Goat Care (aDork)

    brookcove:
    Oy. Get me talking about ruminants and you'll never shut me up! 

    Sheesh, you make me want a ruminant! A non-sheep ruminant. Sheep are way scary.

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