Raising Goat Questions for a newby

[MrsDieselEngineer]

As far as meat goes, you can typically use 65-75% off a hanging weight carcass. A 50lb goat should give you around 30-35lbs of meat. I only have full size dairy does for milk so can't help you there!

 

[flyboy718]

The t posts need to be no more than 8 feet apart, but I would put them closer than that. You will have to figure more t-posts for the corners. There is a real good article somewhere on here by greybeard about doing corners. If you follow his advice about doing the corners your fence will be awesome and stay strong. Stretch your fence TIGHT. It needs to be 5 feet high to keep them from climbing over, jumping over and crawling under. And it needs to be right smack dab on the ground to keep them from going under it.

Cost for feed. Someone else will have to answer that for you. I have big dairy goats and my feed costs for one goat were about $25 - $35 per month during the winter months because the cost of hay, grain and minerals was very high where I was living. IE, I was paying 20 a bale for orchard grass, 18 a bale for alfalfa, 18 a bag for grain and 14 a bag for alfalfa pellets

Ok, how many goats do I need and how much space for them?

 

[MrsDieselEngineer]

Well if you've decided on Kinder's you'll need 4 each year for meat and say each milker produces 2 quarts a day, you would need 4 milking does. So if you started with 4 pregnant does, you could have the milk you need and the kids would provide you with the meat you need each year. And for 8-10 kinders (depending on how many kids the 4 does produce) you really would only need 2 acres or so. But it also depends on if you are going to graze them on pasture or feed them hay year round. You need a little more if you're feeding just pasture but with hay you could get away with just an acre.

Oh, and don't forget a buck - that way you don't have to rent one each year

 

[flyboy718]

Well if you've decided on Kinder's you'll need 4 each year for meat and say each milker produces 2 quarts a day, you would need 4 milking does. So if you started with 4 pregnant does, you could have the milk you need and the kids would provide you with the meat you need each year. And for 8-10 kinders (depending on how many kids the 4 does produce) you really would only need 2 acres or so. But it also depends on if you are going to graze them on pasture or feed them hay year round. You need a little more if you're feeding just pasture but with hay you could get away with just an acre.

Oh, and don't forget a buck - that way you don't have to rent one each year

Hmmm...goats may be a little too much right now...might look into doing a pig or two a year first.

 

[crazyland]

The cost of feed for me is roughly $30 a month for 11 goats. The bag of minerals lasts a while so that I don't buy but every 3 months. A bag of grain lasts about a month. Square bales of coastal hay is $4.50 and Timothy/alfalfa is $11.80. I also feed boss and shredded plain beet pulp. They forage on 2 acres of mixed pasture and woods plus a little marshland.
Medications are not bought every month so I don't think about their costs. But cdt is $8 and ivermectin is $31.

 

[MrsDieselEngineer]

Of course you could always get large sized goats, you wouldn't need as many. You would only need two does to milk and 2 to raise for meat.

 

[Ariel72]

Something I've learned about starting out in a farming adventure is to start small. Starting small could be two does. It wouldn't give you all you need at first but it would allow you more room to learn, and mistakes won't be as overwhelming, expensive and devistatating. You also wouldn't need to fence as large an area, at first Maybe could figure out how to have a smaller yard connected to a 3 sided shed. They could be put the goats into a moveable pen in the daytime, or at times you can be available to check on them. I understand wanting to jump in with both feet but caring for livestock is relentless and its easier to get used to in smaller doses. Emotionally and money wise.

I didn't remember if you said you have any livestock experience yet or not. If not it would be a good idea to start with a few chickens or a couple of rabbits. IMO rabbits are better for meat than chickens. In the old days chickens were for eggs with only spent hens and extra roosters used for meat. Not a real reliable source of meat. The meat chickens eat huge amounts of expensive feed and poop huge amounts of poop, which they sit in. I have raised and butchered these and think they are very gross. Again just my opinion. I have started small with one pair of rabbits and a few laying hens and have learned so much. I've enjoyed it without being stressed about them. I find I can supplement much of their feed with feed I gather myself (I learn what a plant is before I feed it, and always feed a large variety, sometimes as much as 6 different kinds of greens at a time). I'm just now starting with goats and am enjoying my novice farming experience very much. This is my plan: goats for milk, chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat. Of course culls from any category could fall into the meat group, but they are an extra. Maybe more info than you wanted, but I'd hate to see you not get started cause it seems like too much. Just start small and read everything you can about each species before you get it (books, old posts).

 

[Queen Mum]

Something I've learned about starting out in a farming adventure is to start small. Starting small could be two does. It wouldn't give you all you need at first but it would allow you more room to learn, and mistakes won't be as overwhelming, expensive and devistatating. You also wouldn't need to fence as large an area, at first Maybe could figure out how to have a smaller yard connected to a 3 sided shed. They could be put the goats into a moveable pen in the daytime, or at times you can be available to check on them. I understand wanting to jump in with both feet but caring for livestock is relentless and its easier to get used to in smaller doses. Emotionally and money wise.

I didn't remember if you said you have any livestock experience yet or not. If not it would be a good idea to start with a few chickens or a couple of rabbits. IMO rabbits are better for meat than chickens. In the old days chickens were for eggs with only spent hens and extra roosters used for meat. Not a real reliable source of meat. The meat chickens eat huge amounts of expensive feed and poop huge amounts of poop, which they sit in. I have raised and butchered these and think they are very gross. Again just my opinion. I have started small with one pair of rabbits and a few laying hens and have learned so much. I've enjoyed it without being stressed about them. I find I can supplement much of their feed with feed I gather myself (I learn what a plant is before I feed it, and always feed a large variety, sometimes as much as 6 different kinds of greens at a time). I'm just now starting with goats and am enjoying my novice farming experience very much. This is my plan: goats for milk, chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat. Of course culls from any category could fall into the meat group, but they are an extra. Maybe more info than you wanted, but I'd hate to see you not get started cause it seems like too much. Just start small and read everything you can about each species before you get it (books, old posts).

Really smart advice, this. Start small. Also some diversification with chickens and rabbits would be good. You will get a good variety of meat and be able to turn over the meat much faster with the rabbits and the chickens, plus you will get eggs from the chickens. Then you can work your way into the higher numbers with goats.