Planning: Take 2

Earlier this summer y'all gave me tons of helpful feedback on my theoretical goat-raising plans. I've been quiet for a while, working on getting other stuff taken care of (fences...) and reworking the plan. Thought I'd come back and run Take 2 by y'all.

Initially I was trying to figure out a way to have dairy goats while also raising goats for meat, but I've concluded that keeping it simple is probably best. I'll consider a dairy goat later when I know what I'm doing. For meat goats I was initially thinking Boers since they're what I see most often around here, but after more research I'm now leaning toward Kiko crosses for a number of reasons. One is that Boers as a breed seem a lot more complex than I'm really ready to jump into. I like the hardiness of Kikos. I plan to provide careful care and oversight to the best of my ability, but if the goats don't need it as much that leaves more room for them to survive my inevitable oversights. It sounds like they're mostly a production breed, and that fits our goals. Plus, I think I've found a local breeder I'd like to work with, and that right there is valuable.

So the latest plan is to start with a couple of exposed does in mid-September, by which point all of our fences should be in place. I'm looking into taking a couple of LGDs whose owners are getting out of the business... I figure that's a better way to start than with puppies. We'll use portable electric fences to create movable paddocks, and hopefully that will also help with predator control. And maybe pen the goats in a secure permanent paddock near the house at night. The does would be due to kid around December/January, and we'd probably keep any doelings to add to the herd and either rent or buy a buck in the fall.

I'm currently educating myself on pasture management and I'm hoping to learn enough that we can monitor conditions and gradually figure out our carrying capacity.

Sounds like a viable starting position. Hope you'll share your progress with us. Best of luck and success!

Movable electric fences for interior fences should work just fine. But you need permanent woven wire fence for the exterior. As I understand it, Kikos are dual purpose, you could milk them if you wanted to. I have a night pen and shelter for my sheep. It is on the interior, I figure it is another layer (fence) to help keep predators out. I can open gates and let the dogs run the place at night.

I'll definitely stay current with things here -- I'm sure I'll need plenty of advice along the way.

The exterior fences will be permanent fences for goats/sheep. We got a few bids and chose someone for the job, and now we're working out a few things due to sharing the fence with the county and then getting started ASAP. But the cost for just the perimeter is killer, so internal fencing is going to have to be the movable electric stuff.

Could you tell me what you do for your night pen? I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that and I'd love ideas.

I think the dogs are going to come through -- they sound very promising. They're not cheap and we'll have to feed them, but my argument is that if they save a goat they've paid for their initial cost and each additional prevented loss negates the cost of food and other care.

The goats we plan to start with are a couple of well-bred Kiko crosses, bred to very nice Kiko bucks (as best I can tell, anyhow). The person selling the dogs also has three older Kiko does (3-year-old twins and their dam). She's not asking much for them and I'm tempted to go ahead and take them as well, but wondering if it would be a mistake. We'd have to find a way to get them bred (they haven't been for more than a year), and I assume we'd need to keep the two groups separate for a quarantine period, then I don't know how well they'd all get along.

Might as well get the does, take a good deal when you find it. You'll have to get a buck anyway.

After a round of discussion, we decided to hold off on the registered does and take the three inexpensive ones (actually Kiko-Boer crosses) who are with the dogs. After we've got a handle on things and a better idea of what we want, we'll start improving our herd. Inexpensive starter goats seem like a good idea, and we'd have a hard time right now stretching our infrastructure for two groups of does while we quarantined everyone and so on. So, assuming these does are in good condition, we'll want to find a buck to buy or rent this fall.

Rent the buck, WAY less work. Do make sure the buck has been tested for disease. And to use him your does also need to be tested...but that is a good thing to do anyway.

As to electric fence...ha! I wasn't able to get mine to hold in goats. It was great for horses, but lasted only seconds with the goats, even when on super high mule kick power level. My electric is fat electric rope, 5 wire. ...still did nada.

So...at present we do.not contain the beasts Except at night.... our pallet night time pen inside the barn, DOES keep in our 2 full sized does, but NOT the half sized (Saanan x ND).

We have tried putting up a small paddock pallet fence....we can get it to work for an hour or two, at times a full day or 2..... but not more than that.

-sigh-

Luckily the trouble makers are smart, and we have trained them to stay around the house.

That's why I have sheep. Lamb is delicious.

Are you saying that sheep will STAY on their side of a 5 wire electric rope fence??

Baymule said:

That's why I have sheep. Lamb is delicious.

Click to expand...

We put up 2"x4" non climb horse wire, 4' tall. They never challenge the fence, they don't climb, they don't even "test" the fence or gates. We have a hot wire in the back yard for our female GP when she is in heat. We wean lambs in the back yard, it only takes once for the lambs not to want to get close to the fence again. And their mommas are on the other side of the fence. @Alaskan maybe you should get a few sheep. I have hair sheep. I lead them with a red coffee can of feed. I love my sheep!