So I want Goats.......

[BarredBuff]

Thanks for posting the stuff on the feed. I can get really good grass hay for them for free. Then I was thinking some rolled oats every few days with some cracked corn. Then I can expand my sprouting stuffs too. Plus I do have a yard clipping and acorn abundance............

 

[Wannabefree]

Thanks for posting the stuff on the feed. I can get really good grass hay for them for free. Then I was thinking some rolled oats every few days with some cracked corn. Then I can expand my sprouting stuffs too. Plus I do have a yard clipping and acorn abundance............

WHICH brings me to something I forgot...bucks if you ever get one....gets NO CORN. It'll hurt their kidneys and give them stones which is excruciating! So no corn for the boys and not a lot for the girls

 

[freemotion]

When I was a kid we tied them to an old tire (one per goat, two goats at the time) and made sure it was heavy enough that they couldn't really move it. I think we put stones in it, too. But you MUST keep them in your sight at ALL times. Goats eat like buzz saws very quickly, then go in and lie down and chew cuds. Then repeat. So you really don't want to tie them out all day. And the youngsters need exercise off the tie, so you need at least a small, secure pen for them and for the kids.

My brother milked two goats and never had a milking stand...don't know how he did it, though. Those young legs are quite flexible! Us old ladies can't do that so we need milking stands.

I'd recommend that you buy at least one bred or lactating doe, spend a little more, and you will know just what you are getting. You will have to raise, breed, and wait on a weanling and that will probably cost more than buying one already lactating or at least ready to pop. You will still become very attached to her and her to you. As long as you don't get one that is practically feral....make sure she was handled kindly. You will get immediate return on your dollars for the milk. My first pregnant doe paid for herself within a few months.

If you are handy with a saw and drill and hammer and nails, you can make everything you need and will only need to purchase hardware and a few smaller items as far as equipment goes.

Feed costs vary depending on where you are. Growing, pregnant, and lactating does all need supplemental grain, usually, but not much. Depends on the quality of your feed and availability of browse. You WILL need a good mineral blend for goats, fed free choice, and a purchased mineral feeder is a must, IMO, as goats are fussy about cleanliness.

For milking, well, I made my own stand with salvaged materials and it cost me about a buck or two for screws. I milk into glass jars. I filter with a fine wire mesh coffee filter that costs about $7 and is replaced once a year, placed inside a funnel (you can make a funnel from a plastic bottle!)

 

[BarredBuff]

Thanks Guys!!

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I was looking for one of those filter baskets just before I dried my poor girls off.

I tied mine out often, and can vouch for the tangling thing. You don't want them to drag anything if they might be able to get to poisonous plants that way. And ... The dogs on this road stay away from my house, but anytime I have goats tethered outside the pasture I am pretty much checking them through the window every few minutes.

You can always make stops on the wall of their stall, if large enough, to divide it for kidding time. A gate on a hinge would be easier to deal with.

Look into your trees. My goats ate a LOT of leaf forage through the summer and fall. I was really blessed to have lots of good forage trees. You mentioned acorns? I've read snippets, but I don't have any oaks so I didn't look into it as far as goats are concerned, but oak leaves can be toxic to some animals at some times at least. But I don't know the details.

Crossbred doelings can come cheap. One of mine was a bottle baby whose mother was going to auction. The breeder was retaining her sister but didn't want both so I got her for $25. It was a gamble, but so far looks like it's going to pay off. $50 to $75 is more usual though. I paid that for a nice weanling Nubian doeling, unregistered.

What kinds of predators do you have? Is there ANY chance of them trying to get the goats during the day?

 

[Wannabefree]

Yep I forgot straining the milk!! Some sort of straining is a must. I am just going to build a small milking stand, just because I want one Nothing elaborate, but functional. I got a milk can at a yard sale for a buck or I would just milk into something I already have on hand too. I don't think those folks even knew what it was sold it to me for a buck, looked brand new...everywhere I have seen them they run between $20-30!! i would NOT pay THAT for a milk catcher!!!

 

[BarredBuff]

Yep I forgot straining the milk!! Some sort of straining is a must. I am just going to build a small milking stand, just because I want one Nothing elaborate, but functional. I got a milk can at a yard sale for a buck or I would just milk into something I already have on hand too. I don't think those folks even knew what it was sold it to me for a buck, looked brand new...everywhere I have seen them they run between $20-30!! i would NOT pay THAT for a milk catcher!!!

I already have most of that stuff from when Granny had Bones (A Milk Cow) way back when.

 

[Wannabefree]

Yep I forgot straining the milk!! Some sort of straining is a must. I am just going to build a small milking stand, just because I want one Nothing elaborate, but functional. I got a milk can at a yard sale for a buck or I would just milk into something I already have on hand too. I don't think those folks even knew what it was sold it to me for a buck, looked brand new...everywhere I have seen them they run between $20-30!! i would NOT pay THAT for a milk catcher!!!

I already have most of that stuff from when Granny had Bones (A Milk Cow) way back when.

Well then dang boy what are ya waiting for?!?!?! Get mom on the goat wagon!!!

 

[BarredBuff]

Yep I forgot straining the milk!! Some sort of straining is a must. I am just going to build a small milking stand, just because I want one Nothing elaborate, but functional. I got a milk can at a yard sale for a buck or I would just milk into something I already have on hand too. I don't think those folks even knew what it was sold it to me for a buck, looked brand new...everywhere I have seen them they run between $20-30!! i would NOT pay THAT for a milk catcher!!!

I already have most of that stuff from when Granny had Bones (A Milk Cow) way back when.

Well then dang boy what are ya waiting for?!?!?! Get mom on the goat wagon!!!

I know!! Its just a matter of convincing her..........

 

[Henrietta23]

My three are in half of my pentagon shaped barn so I can't give you exact dimensions. They just have the one stall but someday I'd like to move the birds out of their half and have more goat space. Anyway. They don't have a ton of space but they're not cramped at all either. I have a drop down milk stand. The plans are in Storey's Guide to Raising Milk Goats. Works perfectly.