General Questions

[Mamaboid]

Thanks to everybody! So the answer is- Chicken wire will more or less work, but not for very long? Now, from and inexperienced goat-wanter- would staking them out work? We did that with a shetland pony we had, just wondering if it work for a goat.

Oh, and, will a doe have to be bred and have a baby before she starts giving milk?

Staking should only be done if you are going to be right there to untangle, and protect them. It is amazing how fast a goat can get tangled up in a single blade of high grass, and they are sitting ducks for any predator that decides they have a hankering for goat chops.

Yes, a doe will have to be bred and kid before she can give milk. You can usually start separating mom and kids overnight at 2 weeks and milk mom once a day and let the kids have the rest until they are weaned at which time you can milk 2 or 3 times a day.

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

Thanks to everybody! So the answer is- Chicken wire will more or less work, but not for very long? Now, from and inexperienced goat-wanter- would staking them out work? We did that with a shetland pony we had, just wondering if it work for a goat.

Oh, and, will a doe have to be bred and have a baby before she starts giving milk?

Staking should only be done if you are going to be right there to untangle, and protect them. It is amazing how fast a goat can get tangled up in a single blade of high grass, and they are sitting ducks for any predator that decides they have a hankering for goat chops.

Yes, a doe will have to be bred and kid before she can give milk. You can usually start separating mom and kids overnight at 2 weeks and milk mom once a day and let the kids have the rest until they are weaned at which time you can milk 2 or 3 times a day.

M'kay, thanks! I think I've run out of questions for the moment now.

 

[sprocket]

Thanks to everybody! So the answer is- Chicken wire will more or less work, but not for very long? Now, from and inexperienced goat-wanter- would staking them out work? We did that with a shetland pony we had, just wondering if it work for a goat.

Oh, and, will a doe have to be bred and have a baby before she starts giving milk?

Chicken wire will be more trouble in the long run. The goats will stand on it and destroy it very quickly. It'd be more hassle and expense to putting it in, then constantly replacing it and fixing it, versus doing it properly the first time.

I don't recommend tying them to a stake, if that was the question. It dangerous to the goat should any predators (the biggest one being dogs) be around.

She'll need to be bred and kid out before you'll get any milk.

 

[cjhubbs]

General Questions


Hi! I am new here. smile I've been wanted a goat for awhile, and am starting to research so I might be able to get one. I've got a few questions to start of my research-

I am looking for a pet/milk goat. Would and Alpine be good? I know saanens milk good, but I know they need a tight milking schedule and small hands for milking.
How much, on average, does it cost to upkeep a goat(s)
Do I need more then one?
How much time does it require?
What are the basic tools for care? Shed, feeder, waterer, pen etc.
and last but not least,
how much room does it need?

Thanks for answering! smile
ArtisticFarmer

I can't comment on the Alpines because we haven't owned any but we do have Saanens. I don't have small hands and it is very easy to milk our milker because her teats actually are larger without being pendulous and sausage like. We also don't milk our goats on the strictest of schedules. We typically milk our goat between 7:30 to 9:00 in the morning and anywhere from 6:00- 9:00 at night and it hasn't caused any problems during the three years we have had her. They definitely are good milkers, we got 1 gallon of milk for months and she actually milked for two years before we dried her off because we were breeding her. When we dried her off she was still giving us around 1/2 a gallon a day. Ditto what everyone else said about having at least two goats and the basic tools you will need. Normally its takes me around 10- 15 minutes to just feed and take care of our two goats but when I was milking and feeding it took more like 20-30 minutes. I am working on our fencing at the moment because my goats were escaping, However, I have friends whom have used the chicken wire to fence in their goats but they ran two strands of electric fence on the top , so that their goats wouldn't lean on the fencing, and have never had any issue with their goats getting out or other animals getting in.

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

thanks! I will see what I have for fencing around here. I think a gallon a day would be a bit much for me and my family, so I think I'll get an Alpine or something that milks less. As for buying goats, what would you suggest looking for to make sure it is a healthy goat, and what is a good price for a good goat?

 

[elevan]

thanks! I will see what I have for fencing around here. I think a gallon a day would be a bit much for me and my family, so I think I'll get an Alpine or something that milks less. As for buying goats, what would you suggest looking for to make sure it is a healthy goat, and what is a good price for a good goat?

Goat price is pretty dependent on your area. A good family milker can usually be bought for around $150 unregistered in our area.

When you buy animals ask about:
*Parasite Control Program
--dewormer use history
--strategy used
--dewormer resistance profile
*Scrapie
*Foot rot, contagious abscesses, Johnes disease, ovine progressive pneumonia OPP in sheep and CAE in goats

Quarantine procedure preferred is 60 days isolation (30 days minimum)
*testing during quarantine
--OPP & CAE
dont test if under 6 months of age may get inaccurate results
*Foot rot may be wise to assume you purchased it and foot trim and foot soak
foot rot is a bacteria it is not caused by damp conditions or lack of hoof care
it is solely transmitted animal to animal
most common disease in sheep
there are 20 sub types of foot rot some much worse than others
foot rot does NOT live in the soil for years that is a serious myth at most it is there a
couple of days
--foot soak: 10% Zinc Sulfate
*Quarantine Drench to help avoid introducing drug resistant worms
--isolate animals to barn, dry lot or a sacrifice pasture not used for other sheep
--use more than one dewormer class, one of which should be cydectin and the other
probably levamisole (Prohibit)
--manure sample worm egg counts should be negative prior to turnout with other animals
do sample 2-3 weeks after deworming
--release from quarantine onto YOUR INFECTED pastures
you want the animal to pick up your non selected worms

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

thanks! I will see what I have for fencing around here. I think a gallon a day would be a bit much for me and my family, so I think I'll get an Alpine or something that milks less. As for buying goats, what would you suggest looking for to make sure it is a healthy goat, and what is a good price for a good goat?

Goat price is pretty dependent on your area. A good family milker can usually be bought for around $150 unregistered in our area.

When you buy animals ask about:
*Parasite Control Program
--dewormer use history
--strategy used
--dewormer resistance profile
*Scrapie
*Foot rot, contagious abscesses, Johnes disease, ovine progressive pneumonia OPP in sheep and CAE in goats

Quarantine procedure preferred is 60 days isolation (30 days minimum)
*testing during quarantine
--OPP & CAE
dont test if under 6 months of age may get inaccurate results
*Foot rot may be wise to assume you purchased it and foot trim and foot soak
foot rot is a bacteria it is not caused by damp conditions or lack of hoof care
it is solely transmitted animal to animal
most common disease in sheep
there are 20 sub types of foot rot some much worse than others
foot rot does NOT live in the soil for years that is a serious myth at most it is there a
couple of days
--foot soak: 10% Zinc Sulfate
*Quarantine Drench to help avoid introducing drug resistant worms
--isolate animals to barn, dry lot or a sacrifice pasture not used for other sheep
--use more than one dewormer class, one of which should be cydectin and the other
probably levamisole (Prohibit)
--manure sample worm egg counts should be negative prior to turnout with other animals
do sample 2-3 weeks after deworming
--release from quarantine onto YOUR INFECTED pastures
you want the animal to pick up your non selected worms

Would the Quarantine be necessary if I don't have other goats? Where would I get a dewormer? And how do I trim a goats hooves?

 

[elevan]

I would still deworm.

Tractor Supply, various online retailers sell them (dewormers). I like www.jefferslivestock.com


Hoof trimming: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=17915

 

[Jewls819]

I would also check thier eyes to make sure they are not anemic. Just pull down thier bottom lid and make sure it is a healthy dark pink color. My vet told me to do this.

 

[elevan]

I would also check thier eyes to make sure they are not anemic. Just pull down thier bottom lid and make sure it is a healthy dark pink color. My vet told me to do this.

That's a sign of barberpole worms and is part of a FAMACHA check. Definitely a part of what you want to do when looking at new animals.

More info on FAMACHA including slides of how to do it can be found in my Parasite Management article (link in signature below).