Okay Goat People...

[Matt73]

Sweets came in tonight. He sat down to a healthy -as always- dinner of sauteed perch, beets, and homefries. We chit-chatted, talked about our day etc. He said he talked to an acquaintance that knows where he can get a BUNCH of goats for $7.00. what? I said. The goat market in Canada is booming apparently -milk, cheese, etc.-. He entertained the idea of getting one. I asked him what breed they were and he didn't know -my sweets, not the owner-. Question: what are the common market goats? What should I stay away from? Two girls or two neutered boys? Is the care comparable to a mini ie. regular worming, feet, vaccinations etc.? Feed -hay and what?-.

OMG! Excited for a little hellion -or two-

Thanks Guys!

 

[Matt73]

Yoo Hoo...

 

[kaykay]

I have a friend that raises goats and Im sure would be happy to share with you. She used to milk them but now I think she mostly raises meat goats. Milking IS A TON OF WORK.

Keep in mind that goats can really smell bad. IMO they smell much worse then horses. And I have heard the bucks are just horrible smelling LOL. I guess they put off a scent.

Goats have really made a comeback lately but mostly as meat so you have to be prepared to slaughter them etc.

 

[Brandi*]

I bought my first goat about a month ago. She stunk at first because she had been around lots of other goats and a big buck (or whatever you call a male goat). After a week or so she stopped smelling. It is hard to keep her where I want her since she can escape through anything. But since she is attached to Melody and Buddy she pretty much sticks with them. I think they are a lot of fun and have cute little personalities. You do have to deworm them often. I feed her a goat mix grain and alfalfa hay. She also gets turned out with Melody and Buddy all day in the big pasture.

I am having a lot of fun with Peatrie but I know some people can't stand goats. Everyone always mentions them eating horses manes and tails but luckily Peatrie hasn't started that......yet OH!

 

[Matt73]

Hmmmm. Re-thinking the goat thing here

Mine would be just for pets -one would be going for meat to a friend of Kevin's, but that's it-. Also, he's planning on getting babies -like newborns-. So that means I'll be mom for a little while. With pups coming etc., maybe this isn't the best time.

 

[Jill]

Matt --

We have four whether (neutured male) goats and they have NO odor. It's intact males, and those around intact males, that smell (and VERY badly!!!).

Goats are very playful and intelligent. They LOVE people almost on a dog like devotion level. Ours have chewed manes/tails through a fence with a cooperative horse. We keep ours in a pen w/o any horses.

Ours are just pets. We got the first two to save them from slaughter... They are all Nigerian Dwarf Goats, no "big" ones and I was surprised that the little ones would even go to market like that and sickened seeing how much they just adore people (just a knot in my stomach thinking someone was ready to betray them when she got tired of them as pets...).

Jill

 

[Bunnylady]

I call my goats "my pointy-headed problem children." The worst is the wether, Spike. He's at least half Alpine (a dairy breed) and I had him "done" when he was only a couple of weeks old, so he is very tall and skinny looking. Remember Snoopy's brother that lived in Needles, Arizona? Imagine that with horns, and you've got my Spike. This idiot loves to beat his head against anything that stands still. Trees, barn doors, you name it . Goats don't like to get wet, so he only tried the water bucket once!

Goat will rub or climb on fences, and break them down. They can also run right through an electric fence if inspired enough. I have welded wire (to keep them in) and a hotwire (to protect the welded wire.)

Daisy's mother died a week after kidding, so I bottle raised her. It's much easier than a foal, they only need feeding every couple of hours, then 3-4 times a day after the first couple of weeks. After 5 years, she still considers me her Naa-a-a-na.

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

There are many types of common goats but the ones that are common in New England are Nubians, Nigerian Dwarfs, Pygmies, LaManchas, saanen, boat goats, toggenburg, alpine.

If you want to get into milking they have to be atleast 90lbs or a year to breed, then you can milk when the kids are weaned. You have to milk them twice a day, 12 hrs apart. so if youmilk at 6 am you have to milk at 6pm. you also have to get a dairy goat and there are 8 types to choose from that are registered with the ADGA: Nubian, LaMancha, Saanen, Toggenburg, Alpine, Nigerian Dwarf, Sable, Oberhasli.

Compared to minis they are less expensive. To clip hooves you just use clippers that are like flower clippers for the graden. They do need regular worming which can be a shot or paste. you can give vaccines yourself like horses but you do need a vet to do the vaccines that they are only allowed to do. they will probally go through one bale of hay per week maybe. there are different types of grain depending what kind of goat you get and what they are doing. If you breed they need to be on like a course 16 grain which is higher in protein and you would need a basic type of grain got males.

They girls are smaller but the wethers (neutered goats) will be big but they won't smell like the bucks.

im the president of my goat club and my mom is the leader so if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

 

[Sandy S.]

OK Since no one has told you yet, the male buck goats stink so bad because they pee all over their face and beards, it is suppose to attrack the females. How in the world it does this I don't know, very repulsive. And eweeeee does it stink. A fixed male (whether) doesn't do this. And the females don't either, but they do bleet quite a bit which is rather noisy when they are in season. Ours are escape artists and they our Nubian could open most gate latches,

OH! so we had to put locking snaps on them.

But they are fun to watch. I think they have springs in their legs, they twist and turn up in the air, climb on anything and keep weeds down. We only have one pygmy goat left, we had 15 at one time. We have now put a collar on her and tie her out during the day and she eats everything wherever we tie her. She kept escaping and going into the road. OH!

So good luck with what you decide.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Boer full-blood and crossbred goats are hot hot hot right now, a lot of people getting into them, but they are market/meat goats, not dairy goats.. Pygmies are big for companions.. For dairy, around here a lot of people have the nubians...

We had a couple pygmies at one time, were fun to play with and watch.. Like other have said, the intact males are the ones who reek and smell horrible.. I recommend having at least two, we lost one of ours unexpectedly and the remaining one was lost without her, was always getting out etc, ended up selling her to a local farm who raised pygmies

 

[Marnie]

Here's a site to study up on them, http://www.fiascofarm.com. It's a great site with alot of info. They are waaay different from horses.

Pet goats DON"T STINK, the bucks stink when the does are in heat and then the does will smell bad from being around the buck but if you're not breeding and just want pets, they sure don't smell at all. I have fainters and not for meat. So all goats are not bred for meat, it'd be pretty expensive meat eating my goats. Fainters are so popular as they don't climb fences, mine stay in 32" hog panel and they are great pets and are quite popular right now. People love them and some states have goat shows.

 

[Matt73]

There are many types of common goats but the ones that are common in New England are Nubians, Nigerian Dwarfs, Pygmies, LaManchas, saanen, boat goats, toggenburg, alpine.

If you want to get into milking they have to be atleast 90lbs or a year to breed, then you can milk when the kids are weaned. You have to milk them twice a day, 12 hrs apart. so if youmilk at 6 am you have to milk at 6pm. you also have to get a dairy goat and there are 8 types to choose from that are registered with the ADGA: Nubian, LaMancha, Saanen, Toggenburg, Alpine, Nigerian Dwarf, Sable, Oberhasli.

Compared to minis they are less expensive. To clip hooves you just use clippers that are like flower clippers for the graden. They do need regular worming which can be a shot or paste. you can give vaccines yourself like horses but you do need a vet to do the vaccines that they are only allowed to do. they will probally go through one bale of hay per week maybe. there are different types of grain depending what kind of goat you get and what they are doing. If you breed they need to be on like a course 16 grain which is higher in protein and you would need a basic type of grain got males.

They girls are smaller but the wethers (neutered goats) will be big but they won't smell like the bucks.

im the president of my goat club and my mom is the leader so if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

Thanks!

Here's a site to study up on them, http://www.fiascofarm.com. It's a great site with alot of info. They are waaay different from horses.

Pet goats DON"T STINK, the bucks stink when the does are in heat and then the does will smell bad from being around the buck but if you're not breeding and just want pets, they sure don't smell at all. I have fainters and not for meat. So all goats are not bred for meat, it'd be pretty expensive meat eating my goats. Fainters are so popular as they don't climb fences, mine stay in 32" hog panel and they are great pets and are quite popular right now. People love them and some states have goat shows.

Awesome site! Thanks!

 

[ForMyACDs]

Before you run off to get cheap goats bear in mind a few things.

If you're looking for milk or meat animals you are going to want to be sure they are healthy. For both milk and meat goats the big troublemaker is CL. CL generally causes abcess lumps on the lymph nodes that are highly infectious. CL can be passed on to other goats easily as well as humans and other livestock. If you bring a goat with CL on your property and they either have an open abcess or the closed abcess bursts the exude contaminates everything it comes in to contact with and it's VERY hard to get rid of it. Once a goat gets CL there is no treatment for it and the abcesses keep coming up.

For milk goats you'll want to be SURE the goats are healthy. Milk from ill goats or goats with even a low-grade staph mastitis can make you very ill. CAE is something that goats can get and although it can not be given to humans it can SEVERELY affect not only the well being of the animal (usually results in debilitating arthritis) but it can also cause hard udders and udders that don't produce much milk.

Cheap goats in the long-run are usually not a good buy. You usually wind up paying big time in the end.

If you're interested in getting in to goats your best bet is to talk to goat people in your area. Find one that tests regularly for diseases (don't have time to list all that stuff off) and raises healthy animals. If you're looking for meat animals you can usually purchase whethers from dairy farms to raise and sell for meat or sell off the male offspring of your dairy animals. If you're interested in milking animals you're going to want to do a bit more research........a good milker will milk 2-5 times the amount a poor milker will milk and in the long run will make FAR more money for you despite a higher purchase price.

Before just jumping in do a bit of research....you'll be VERY glad you did.

A great place for goat info is: www.dairygoatinfo.com (despite the "dairy" name there are both dairy AND meat goat people that frequent this site).

 

[Bess Kelly]

Not all goats are made equal. If you want to raise for more than a cute pet, look into what you are doing first. I raised Boer and Boer crossed. We tested, vaccinated, etc. These guys are big! My bucks were 300-350#, does would average 250-275. I used large milking nubians for breeding halfbloods (both have drop ears and 4 quadrant sacks) plus the nubians had the heavy milk required for these fast developing Boer kids.

Nubians run for the barns if you even SAY rain.....Boers are far more weather tolerant. A Boer buck, smells during rut but not nearly as much as a nubian buck or a pygmy buck!

They do require frequent and heavy worming practices. Yes, the CL and CAE should be tested for within you herd, all newcomers, etc. Vaccine a must. Keep baking soda out at all times.....they'll eat what they need to prevent bloat. I kept about 100 breeders. USA used to import more goat meat than we could raise, how's that for economy? I raised breeders -- buyers came for stock to improve their herds not for slaughter of the purchased animals. Sorry, just could never butcher one of mine

Hand raised, loved, vetted, birthed, neutered, etc. Lovely animals, IMO. If I had the time it takes now to do it the way I used to, I'd begin another herd.

Had some fine nubian, 4 & 5 star rated milkers......excellent milk! huge amounts! But I did not milk on any regular basis. Did milk a portion to have on hand for goat or horse needs, etc. Keep some colostrum & milk in freezer, shared some with a deer rehaber, etc. Occassional table use but, not regular.

Have a plan before you buy. They are lovely animals if you choose well. I actually miss having some and have considered buying 3 or 4 more often. Yes, they can be excape artists. Beautiful eyes.

 

[Brandi*]

Matt...you did say you were looking at them for pets right? Your getting a lot of responses about milking, meat, and breeding so I just wanted to clarify OH! Good luck in whatever you decide

 

[Jill]

Did you decide what to do? Are pictures in order?

 

[Ashley]

Nubians run for the barns if you even SAY rain.....Boers are far more weather tolerant.

My aunt had both. I never seen either bred unless it was a sunny breezy day.
For pets I would pick a fainter or Boer. The fainters are small and playful. However I did have a Boer once. He was my baby, he would lay in my lap, put his head on my shoulder and sleep. Eventually I had to sell him, a autistic(sp?) girl bought him. She took him on all the family vactions, everywhere she was the goat was. So he got the best home he could get.

 

[Matt73]

Before you run off to get cheap goats bear in mind a few things.

If you're looking for milk or meat animals you are going to want to be sure they are healthy. For both milk and meat goats the big troublemaker is CL. CL generally causes abcess lumps on the lymph nodes that are highly infectious. CL can be passed on to other goats easily as well as humans and other livestock. If you bring a goat with CL on your property and they either have an open abcess or the closed abcess bursts the exude contaminates everything it comes in to contact with and it's VERY hard to get rid of it. Once a goat gets CL there is no treatment for it and the abcesses keep coming up.

For milk goats you'll want to be SURE the goats are healthy. Milk from ill goats or goats with even a low-grade staph mastitis can make you very ill. CAE is something that goats can get and although it can not be given to humans it can SEVERELY affect not only the well being of the animal (usually results in debilitating arthritis) but it can also cause hard udders and udders that don't produce much milk.

Cheap goats in the long-run are usually not a good buy. You usually wind up paying big time in the end.

If you're interested in getting in to goats your best bet is to talk to goat people in your area. Find one that tests regularly for diseases (don't have time to list all that stuff off) and raises healthy animals. If you're looking for meat animals you can usually purchase whethers from dairy farms to raise and sell for meat or sell off the male offspring of your dairy animals. If you're interested in milking animals you're going to want to do a bit more research........a good milker will milk 2-5 times the amount a poor milker will milk and in the long run will make FAR more money for you despite a higher purchase price.

Before just jumping in do a bit of research....you'll be VERY glad you did.

A great place for goat info is: www.dairygoatinfo.com (despite the "dairy" name there are both dairy AND meat goat people that frequent this site).

Very helpful. Thank You.

Matt...you did say you were looking at them for pets right? Your getting a lot of responses about milking, meat, and breeding so I just wanted to clarify OH! Good luck in whatever you decide

Yeah, I'm only looking at two strictly as pets -no breeding, no meat, no milk, etc.-.

Did you decide what to do? Are pictures in order?

I think we are going to get two boys. We just have to wait for them to be born

. We'll be nursing them and all that. They will either be Saanens or Alpines. A few more questions please

: What is the best age to de-horn? What is the best age to castrate -what's the right word for a goat?-? Thanks guys. When I get them, I'll be posting pics!

 

[Ashley]

Before you run off to get cheap goats bear in mind a few things.

If you're looking for milk or meat animals you are going to want to be sure they are healthy. For both milk and meat goats the big troublemaker is CL. CL generally causes abcess lumps on the lymph nodes that are highly infectious. CL can be passed on to other goats easily as well as humans and other livestock. If you bring a goat with CL on your property and they either have an open abcess or the closed abcess bursts the exude contaminates everything it comes in to contact with and it's VERY hard to get rid of it. Once a goat gets CL there is no treatment for it and the abcesses keep coming up.

For milk goats you'll want to be SURE the goats are healthy. Milk from ill goats or goats with even a low-grade staph mastitis can make you very ill. CAE is something that goats can get and although it can not be given to humans it can SEVERELY affect not only the well being of the animal (usually results in debilitating arthritis) but it can also cause hard udders and udders that don't produce much milk.

Cheap goats in the long-run are usually not a good buy. You usually wind up paying big time in the end.

If you're interested in getting in to goats your best bet is to talk to goat people in your area. Find one that tests regularly for diseases (don't have time to list all that stuff off) and raises healthy animals. If you're looking for meat animals you can usually purchase whethers from dairy farms to raise and sell for meat or sell off the male offspring of your dairy animals. If you're interested in milking animals you're going to want to do a bit more research........a good milker will milk 2-5 times the amount a poor milker will milk and in the long run will make FAR more money for you despite a higher purchase price.

Before just jumping in do a bit of research....you'll be VERY glad you did.

A great place for goat info is: www.dairygoatinfo.com (despite the "dairy" name there are both dairy AND meat goat people that frequent this site).

Very helpful. Thank You.

Matt...you did say you were looking at them for pets right? Your getting a lot of responses about milking, meat, and breeding so I just wanted to clarify OH! Good luck in whatever you decide

Yeah, I'm only looking at two strictly as pets -no breeding, no meat, no milk, etc.-.

Did you decide what to do? Are pictures in order?

I think we are going to get two boys. We just have to wait for them to be born

. We'll be nursing them and all that. They will either be Saanens or Alpines. A few more questions please

: What is the best age to de-horn? What is the best age to castrate -what's the right word for a goat?-? Thanks guys. When I get them, I'll be posting pics!

We dehorn and fix at the same time. As soon as the horns start popping through and you can feel them they can be dehorned. YOu dont want to wait to long or they will have to be cut out. When we dehorn we band them and in a few weeks they are fully fixed.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Hi Matt, I just wanted to ad my 2 cents here and say Saanens are awsome! We just got a young billy and wethered him last fall. He's huge!! And still growing!! I saw my guys dad and mom so I have a good estamate of how big he'll get....... about the size of one of my small minis!!

But thats exactly what I wanted! LOL! Now I have no idea about Alpines but I'd love to add one to my band of misfits

LOL!! Dehorn and band just like Ashley said, the longer you wait the harder it is. Oh and my Saanen( King Louie) has the sweetest personality, super calm and laid back, and very friendly!

Good luck!

Leya