Topic 3 Goats

Basic Introduction
Now that we have our chickens out eating bugs n such and growing so that we have fresh eggs and meat in a few months The next step (lol) is to fence in the yard , build a shed and get us a couple of goats.
The goat is undoubtedly the probably the most versatile livestock a homesteader can own. All homestead animals have there uses for meat or product but none will provide all of the following — milk, cheese, meat, brush control — within a handy one to two-hundred pound package that will also pack your gear on a hiking trip. A homestead goat that's raised right is as loyal, charming, and companionable as the family dog, and in most cases a lot more useful.
Goats adapt well in all climates. They do not need elaborate housing, but do require clean, dry, well ventilated, draft free shelter. They need at least 15 square feet of bedded area for each goat. The pasture area should be a minimum of 25 square feet of space per animal , well-drained and properly fenced as they are great escape artists. . Dairy goats have a strong herd instinct and prefer the companionship of at least one other goat. Bucks should be kept in separate quarters away from milking does.
More people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal in the world. Does are milked by hand or machine. Goat milk has a more easily digestible fat and protein content than cow milk. It is recommended for baby humans and animals. The glycerol ethers are much higher in goat than in cow milk which appears to be important for the nutrition of a nursing newborn. Goat milk can successfully replace cow milk in diets of those who are allergic to cow milk.

 

Here is a pretty complete list of terms that would be good to familiarize yourself with before we get further into the world of goats . Take note all of the diseases yet again, please don't allow this to instill fear , I have included them mostly for informative purposes rather than because they are common and what one can expect when keeping goats.

Abomasum The fourth or true digestive part of a ruminant's stomach that contains gastric juices and enzymes that begin the breakdown of complex materials
Abortifacients A drug or other agent used to cause abortion. Other agents could be considered as toxins or poisons from plants, trees, etc.
Abortion Expulsion of the fetus (or fetuses) by a pregnant female before the normal end of a pregnancy.
Acidosis A condition when the rumen becomes too acid. Usually due to over-consumption of grain.
Afterbirth The fetal membranes that attach the fetus to the membranes of the pregnant female and which are normally expelled from the female within 3 to 6 h. after parturition.
AI (Artificial Insemination) The technique that involves breeding of females without the males being physically present.
Artificial Rearing Raising a kid on milk or milk replacer.
Banding This involves the use of castration rings (bands) to remove the testacles.
Billy Male goat; frequently used to describe an older, adult male goat - non wether. not the proper name for a male boat
Breeding Season The period of time when the doe is showing estrus.
Browse Broad-leafed woody plant, shrub or brush.
Buck Male goat. proper term Buckling Baby male goat.
Butting Method of fighting among goats (especially bucks) by the striking of the head and horns.
CAE Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis, a goat virus alot like AIDS in humans.
Chevon Goat meat.
CL Caseous Lymphadenitis, an abscess disease of goats that is highly contagious. Coccidiosis An oxycyt that destroys the lining of the small intestine causing diarrhea and death; (also known as cocci)
Colostrum The first milk full of antibodies for the kids, essential to their life.
Creep An enclosure into which young (small) animals may enter but larger animals cannot. Any feeders in this area or in farrowing crates or parturition pen that are only accessible to the young are called creep feeders.
Critical Temperature Maximum or minimum environmental temperature tolerated by the animal before additional dietary energy is required to maintain normal body temperature.
Crossbred The offspring resulting from mating a buck and doe of different breeds. Crossbreeding Mating plan involving two or more breeds.
Culling The process of removing animals that are below average in production, unsound or undesirable.
Culls Goats which are below a required standard..
Cut To castrate.
Disbudding The practice of removing the horns on a goat
Doe Female goat. Doeling Baby female goat.
Drenching The oral administration of medication.
Elastrator Instrument used to apply heavy rubber bands (elastrator rings/bands) to tail and scrotum for docking and castration. Some breeders also used this method for disbudding. ct.
Esophageal Feeder Tube placed down the esophagus of a goat to administer milk or other liquid.
Estrous Cycle The time period from beginning of one heat to the beginning of the next heat. Usually about 16-17 days.
Estrus The period of time when the female is sexually receptive to the male, Usually 24-36 hours, also known as "heat".
Freshen To come into milk.
Gestation Period of pregnancy beginning at conception and ending with birth (142-152 days).
Grafting Fostering a kid onto a doe that is not its natural mother.
Guard Dog A dog that stays with the goats without harming them and aggressively repels predators.
Herd "Herd" is a term that describes a small (or large) group of goats. Goats are "herd" animals meaning that they will thrive better with one or more of their same kind in numbers.
Iodine Disinfectant used on navels of newborn goats that helps dry up the navel, thus closing the passageway into the body of the goat. Also applied to hooves of newborns by some breeders. Veterinary iodine contains 7% iodine while common iodine for humans contains 2% iodine.
Johnes A wasting disease of ruminants, contagious in their fecal matter (poop). Known Carrier An animal that has produced offspring with a genetic defect.
Kid(s) Baby goats, either sex. Kidding Having babies.
Lactation The period of time when the doe is producing milk. Normally from birth of kid to weaning..
Manure Poop, nanny berries, fecal matter, excrement.
Mastitis Inflammation of the mammary gland caused by bacterial infection, resulting in reduced milk production.
Metritis An inflammation of the uterus generally after kidding
Milk Fever Substantial reduction in plasma calcium which interferes with nerve transmission, causing partial or almost total paralysis occurring at or just giving birth and initiation of lactation.
Milk Replacer Artificial milk substitute fed to young goats.
Monogastric An animal with a single compartment stomach. Goats are not monogastric.
Nanny A mother goat; infrequently used depending upon your location.not proper term Omasum The third part of the ruminant stomach located between the reticulum and the abomasum.
Orifice The hole in the end of a teat.
Ovary Primary female reproductive organ.
Parous Females that have produced young.
Parturition The act of bringing forth young; childbirth.
Pinkeye A highly contagious disease that affects the eyes of goats (also contagious to humans).
Placenta The big membrane that the doe expells after kidding.
Postpartum After birth.
Prepartum Before birth.
Pregnancy Toxemia A metabolic disease of pregnant does generally caused by diet deficient in energy during late pregnancy.
Progeny Offspring.
Prolificacy (fecundity) The number of offspring actually produced by a female. Ration A mixture of feedstuffs fed to animals over a 24 hour period.
Reticulo-Rumen Section of the ruminant gastrointestinal tract consisting of the reticulum and the rumen that is the primary site for microbial fermentation of feedstuffs. Reticulum The second compartment of the ruminant stomach, also known as the second stomach. The lining has a honeycombed appearance to increase the surface are for absorption.
Roughage Coarse, bulky feed high in fiber such as hay, straw and silage.
Rumen The large first compartment of a ruminant's stomach containing microbial population that is capable of breaking down forages and roughages.
Rumen-Reticulum Pregastric fermentation chamber that host a large microbial population.
Ruminant A group of animals that chew their cud and characteristically have a four compartment stomach.
Rumination The process of regurgitating food to be rechewed.
Scours Diarrhea usually only associated with incorrect milk feeding.
Shipping Fever Respiratory disease usually accompanying transport.
Sire The father.
SubQ Subcutaneous, under the skin shot (sometimes written as SQ or sq).
Uterus Portion of the female reproductive tract where conceptuses devolop prior to birth (womb).
Vaginal Prolapse Protrusion of the vagina in does in late pregnancy.
Wether Castrated male.
White Muscle Disease A disease caused by a deficiency of selenium, Vitamin E or both that causes degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscles of goats.
Withdrawal Period (or time) The time when a drug must not be administered prior to marketing to insure that no drug residues remain in the meat or milk.
Yearling A one year old goat

 

• • • • [font=&quot]The proper name for a group of goats is a trip. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats are great swimmers. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]If bottled raised, goats will become bonded to their caregivers. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats were domesticated around 7000 B.C. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Domestic goats are found worldwide.[/font]

• • • • [font=&quot]There are six recognized dairy goat breeds in the United States: Alpine, La Mancha, Oberhasli, Nubian, Saanen, Toggenburg. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Each breed of dairy goat gives a different tasting milk. Oberhasli goats give milk that tastes closest to cow's milk. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Anything you make with cow's milk, you can make with goat's milk. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goat's discovered coffee beans. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goat milk has a higher butterfat content than cow's milk. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Hearty seafarers, goats were kept by sailors for milk. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Ancient Greeks used goat skins to make vellum and parchment. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats are depicted in Paleolithic art. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]True wild goats are found throughout southern Asia. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]The Ibex (another wild goat species) populates Europe, Asia and Africa.[/font][font=&quot][/font]
      • [font=&quot]Matriarchal herds of goats consist of 5 to 20 individuals. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats are browsers, not grazers. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats are extremely picky about what they eat. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats DO NOT eat tin cans. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats have only bottom front and side teeth, the top jaw does have a large back molar for crushing things. (they do a good job of this , never stick your fingers back there)[/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats have rectangular eyes - this allows them to see very well in the dark. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats contribute to desertification in Africa. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]The Rocky Mountain "goat" is not a true goat; it is closer to a sheep. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Wild goats don't sleep. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats use straw to scratch their backs. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Cashmere comes from the undercoat of the Asian Kashmiri goat, with the average annual yield per animal being less than one pound.[/font]
      • [font=&quot] Over 80% of worlds population eats goat meat,[/font]
      • [font=&quot]It will take the USA to the year 2052 to produce enough goat meat for our people[/font]
      • [font=&quot]Mohair comes from the Turkish Angora goat. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Most mohair now comes from Angora fleece raised in the U.S., with the average annual yield per animal being four pounds. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats catch colds and can succumb to pneumonia. [/font]
      • [font=&quot]The fat molecules in goat milk are five times smaller than the fat molecules in cow milk. Goat milk is broken down in the stomach in twenty minutes; it takes an hour for the stomach to break down cow's milk.[/font]

• • • • [font=&quot]Goats are great as stock animals. Goats are easier on the trail than other pack/stock animals. Properly conditioned, a goat can carry up to 25%-30% of its body weight.[/font]
      • [font=&quot]There are over 210 breeds of goats and over 450 million goats in the world[/font]
      • [font=&quot]pygmy goats are a species not a breed.[/font]
      • [font=&quot]Goats are great as stock / pack animals. Properly conditioned a goat can carry up to 30 % of its body weight.
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I didn't know hardly any of that about the goats. We don't have any immediate plans for goats here. We did discuss maybe having two to keep a cow company if we get a cow again next year. Three years ago we had a cow and the happiest he ever was was when he had about five goats to herd around the field. Whenever my husband would bushhog the field the steer would herd all the goats into the barn. We don't want multiple cows so we may just get the goats for companions.

 

Our first stteer here was raised with goats, unfortunately at 1300 pounds he still thought he was the size of his pasture mates...
All stock animals and most domesticated too , do better with a companion of some sort, the phrase get your goat was from horse racers having horses and keeping a goat with them,,, to get an edge over his racing competition, rather than injure the horse or take it, they would steal the companion goat ...thus ,making the horse a basket case...
two is a nice amount of goats if you have no real plans for them other than as a companion for each other or other animals along with weedeatting. Rerquires almost no additional feed or upkeep costs and we have found the goats are great lil watch animals... Other than the dogs barking, the goats begin yellling at me to notify me of incoming vehicles or humans etc.... ... when we first got them, even though i have spent alot of time around goats,, this took me by surprise , a bit so i really started watching them when people came in the driveway and they are4 very aware of what is going on around them ...

as a side note, sheep are also pretty good companions to a cow ,,, they tend to eat what the cow doesnt thereby eliminating the need to mow or bush hog often times. A goat prefers thorny yukky stuff over grasses when available and make great woods and underbrush cleaners . Just thought i would throw that out to ponder just in case,,,, ya know

 

Dairy breeds
There are six types of dairy goats that are recognized by the American Dairy Goat Association. They are Nubians, LaManchas, Alpines, Oberhasli, Toggenburgs, and Saanens.

Nubians have very long, floppy ears and they can be any color. They have a convex nose and are one of the larger breeds of goats. Their milk tends to be higher in protein and butter fat than other breeds. They tend to be a little bit more stubborn than other dairy goats and make a distinctive sound, they sound like they are always complaining .



LaManchas have ears that are so small that it looks like they don't have ears and they can also be any color. They have a straight nose and are a small breed. Lamanchas tend to be more calm and gentle than other breeds.


Alpines can be almost any color except solid white and light brown with white markings (toggenburg color); their face should be dished or straight. They have erect ears and are a medium-large breed. They are popular with dairies due the amount of milk they produce.

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Oberhaslis have very specific color standards. They are a bay color, known as Chamoise, with a black dorsal strip, udder, belly, and black below the knees. They should also have a nearly black head. Another acceptable color would be all black but this is only acceptable for does. They have erect ears and are a medium-small breed.


Toggenburgs also have very specific color requirements. They are light brown and have white ears and lower legs. The side of the tail and two stripes down the face must also be white. They have erect ears and have the smallest height requirments of all the breeds, but most of the toggenburgs I've seen are pretty big. They grow a shaggier coat than other dairy goat breeds. They also are popular with dairies. In our experience, they tend to be a little wilder and more high strung than other breeds.



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Pygmy goats

The Pygmy goat originated in Africa and was imported to the US in the 1950s. As its name implies, it's smaller than diary goats, but it produces a respectable amount of milk for its weight and food consumption. A full grown doe or whether ranges from 16 to 23 inches at the withers and they usually weigh from 40 to 70 pounds. Pygmy goats are year-round breeders so kids may be available at any time of the year. A litter usually consists of 1-3 goats and the kids weigh from 2-4 pounds.
With pygmy's only certain colorations are allowed for show quality animals. Agouti- Dark goats ranging from silver-grey to black with solid stockings that are darker than the main body color.· Caramel- Light colored goats ranging from white to light brown. Caramels have light vertical stripes on the front of dark stockings. Solid Black- No stocking or white anywhere. Black No stockings with solid black except around eyes, ears, and nose.



Nigerian dwarf
The Nigerian Dwarf goat is a miniature dairy goat of West African origin.
Nigerian Dwarves have three different color lines -- black and white, brown, which can be broken with white, and the third is gold, which can also be broken with white. Bucks are to be no more than 23 inches at the withers, and does no more than 21 inches. Dwarf goats are gentle and lovable. Even breeding bucks are handled easily. They make wonderful pets and great animal projects for young children in 4-H. Breeders of other types of goats find that their Dwarves blend in with the rest of their herd well and do not need special quarters; just adequate fencing to contain them because of their small size. Dwarf goats breed year round.
Many breeders breed their does three times in two years, giving the doe a 6 month plus break. This is of course a personal choice for each breeder.Dwarf kids generally average 2 pounds or less and triplets is common . A healthy Nigerian Dwarf doe can produce a surprising amount of sweet milk for her small size - up to two quarts per day. In addition, Nigerian Dwarf milk is higher in butterfat (6-10% and higher in protein than milk from most dairy goat breeds. However, many Nigerian Dwarf owners do not raise their goats for milk but for the pleasure and companionship these little caprines bring to their lives.


meat goats
The breed comes from South Africa, but exports usually occur through New Zealand. They have a light colored body and a dinstictive red head. A Boer is a large, double muscled animal. Boers are specifically meat goats. They can consistently produce more muscling in less time, and will pass this capability to their kids. Boers are to the meat goat industry what imported cattle were to the beef industry.

 

Cashmere
cashmere the fiber of kings, produced from the lowly Cashmere goat. This fiber is so luxurious that the Arc of the Covenant of the old testament was lined and curtained with it. Sixty percent of the world's supply of Cashmere is produced in China and the remainder from Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kashmere, Australia and New Zealand.


It is a completely new industry for the United States and the first Cashmere goats were imported from Australia and New Zealand about 1990. Cashmere goats are easy to raise. They are healthy animals and take only minimal care. They are not jumpers like many other breeds and standard woven wire sheep fencing will contain them nicely. Minimal shelter is all that is required to house them as they have their own Cashmere coat for cold weather, and shed it for the summer so they can stay cool in high heat.

They are sheared once a year and a full grown adult buck will yield as much as 2&1/2 pounds of fleece. The fleece consists of two kinds of fiber, Cashmere which accounts for up to 60% and guard hair the rest. Average Cashmere percentages are in the 40% range. The fleece can then be sold to wholesale buyers or you can have it dehaired. (www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/cashmere)




Angora goats
It is generally believed that the first importation of Angora goats into the United States occurred in 1849. They are more docile than other goat breeds.. Angora goat does usually weigh 70 to 110 lbs and bucks weigh 180 to 225 lbs. Both sexes have horns and they should NOT be polled. They are wonderful animals for small livestock operations especially if you spin, weave or use their fiber in arts and crafts projects. Angora are either white or colored. Colored goats were common in those ancient herds, however, modern herds have taken great pains to breed out color, as only the white mohair is desired in the commercial marketAngora goats have been around for centuries. Originally from central Asia, the name Angora is derived from the Ankara region in Turkey and their fiber is called mohair, not to be confused with angora, the fiber from Angora rabbits. The Angora Goat is a small variety of the goat family. Its fleece (called Mohair) grows rapidly and is highly valued for making fine clothes. The average goat in the U.S. shears approximately 5.3 pounds of mohair per shearing and are usually sheared twice a year. They produce a fiber with a staple length of between 12 and 15cm.




Myotonic or fainting goat

The Myotonic Goat, one of the few breeds native to the United States (although some sources trace them back to Turkey or India), is known by several other names. Tennessee Peg Leg, Texas Wooden Leg, and Tennessee Fainting Goat, to name a few. They are somewhat of a novelty as a pet, as they "faint" at the slightest apparent stimulus. The phenomenon, known as "myotopia" is a product of recessive genes which causes the muscles to undergo a prolonged state of contraction which causes the goat to become stiff, temporarily.

There are two acknowledged theories concerning the origin of the Myotonic Goat. One theory states simply that a spontaneous genetic mutation occurred in 1885 resulting in the emergence of this "fainting" gene. The other theory is that the origin of the Myotonic goat can be traced back to four goats brought to Tennessee by a man named John Tinsley from Nova Scotia, or possibly Canada, in 1880. Their unique trait was first exploited by sheep ranchers. They would put some of these Fainting Goats in a herd of sheep. When a predator made its presence known the goats would, of course, faint and the herd would be able to escape while the predator focused on this easy prey. This is, in fact, the origin of the term "scapegoat".
The original fainting goats were white and black heads, necks and shoulders. Today they are seen in black & white, brown & white, grey & white, red & white, solid black, solid white, solid grey, solid red, tri color, chocolate brown, tan & white. Some also have blue eyes. Distinguishing characteristics are pop eyes, long & wide muzzle, long ears that stand out to the side, not erect. Fainting goats can be horned or polled (naturally hornless) or disbudded. Hair coats can be long or short. Temperament is very laid back & gentle.

[font=&quot]and easy to catch



These are the most popular breeds of goats you will find here in the us. I am sure there are others that have been imported for exotic places and such but for most homesteads , these are your options .

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the fainting ones are funny as hell to watch.

check this video out..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuqtnpY4zuY

 

Whats goat meat taste like? I'm not sure if my friend and I are going to raise goats or not next year, def. chickens. I'd probably rather have meat goats if i had my choice.

How much final product does the average meat goat produce? Is it worthwhile say over a single cow in terms of care, feed, etc?

 

We have been rasing goats here for about 18 yrs. Our first goat was given to us and was a pet, she was a Nubien, with kid and that was out start. We have kept several breeds of goats, but now we mostly have meat goats, the white ones with the brown markings.. Their meat taste like venisen, but dryer and a bit more tough. I have found them to be a lot eaiser to raise then cows.. less space, less feed in the winter, less vet bills, less care needed, plus you can process a goat at home, rather then having to take it to be processed at a locker plant. They are a lot more intertaining then cows too, as cows tend to just graze most of the time. The goats on the other hand jump and play and butt heads and always makes you laugh at their antics, playing King of The Hill. We harvest about 40 to 50 lbs of processed meat from an 100/120 lb goat. It varies bewteen the size of the goat as to how much meat. We feed them, Allstock feed, a type of pellet. We don't milk them, don't know about milk.

I have had to bottle raise several babies in the house, till they could be strong enough to go back out.. sometimes the mamas wont take to the kid or her milk is bad or a varmit gets her. We have a lot of trouble with neighbors dogs killing our goats, more then any sickness could. We have secure fencing but dogs dig and climb and sometimes get in.

We just had 7 kids this week and more due. That will bring our little trip up to 25. We take the Bucklings to the sale barn or sell them out the door and keep the Doelings.

Great Job on the Barnyard Dilli!! Hope you don't mind my addition, but I had to get in on the goat talk

Bright Blessings
sh

 

Glad you joined SH,,, it is good to get other pples perspectives on raising critters, and not too many of us here do it for meat purposes,,, so we all ,, including myself get to learn ...
we just have had butcherd our first goats,,, i have had the meat in the past but never one we raised, we sent ours to the butcher since it was just easier, weather here makes it hard to get a good day to do such things and have it the best possible conditions, at some point we would like to make or build or buy some sort of cooler for hanging meats so until them we are limited to chickens n rabbits n small things... We have two does left to kid at this point and one of the poor gurls i swear is carrying a dozen ,, poor mama...
we just reduced numbers here in an effort to reduce spending since we cant grow our own hay and with the lack of rain not much is growing, hay priced have risen 50 percent at best and on up to 100 % ,,, water was and is a real issue, we have a pond here on site that we get stock water but the pond is not long lived if we dont have biblical proportion rains...
when we first got the goats i was looking to go into raising more meat than anything since it is good market and huge future market, unfortunately ..or not it hasnt gone well pushing for that goal..... and in last several months have gone more with reducing trip size and perhaps going completely to nigerian dwarf and leaning more to product use for other things rather than meat... shrinking animal size means less space they need meaning more varied critters... I am hoping to add rabbits n a few other fowl in order to add to our variety here in the efforts to become more self providing for us,,,The smaller critters also means i can grow more feed on site reducing expenditures.... so am learning a whole lot right now as well....

ninfan,, rather than typing it all out again,,, what sh said is pretty much what i would tell you as well... Having done the goat milk thing as well in the past and hopefully again here in near future... it requires alot of time,, milking is a chore added on to other daily chores,,, it is a commitment .It also requires extreme measures of sanitation, (it takes on flavor very easily ) . It can be a profit making thing if wanted or needed and it is most definitely easier than milking a cow ,,,,,

 

t
Thanks Dilli,

We have a large converted dairy barn., with a huge woodburnin' stove in it. We hang the deer/goat/wild hog on a pully and pull it up and gut and skin it. Then we/my hubby cuts the meat and we wrap it and put it in the freezer.. we soak the meat in brine(salt water) and ice, two days before we cut and wrap the meat. We also lable and date the meat so we know what it is and when it was processed. I like to add a twig of rosemary in the packages to keep bacteria away, esp with swine. Like you, we dont process small critters, we use them fresh.

Fresh goat meat is delicious on a spit, bathed in BBQ sauce, cooked slow, over an open fire. Another method in cooking Goat is to incase it in red clay and digging a hole and filling the hole with hickory wood and burn it down and get a 1 foot bed of coals going. take a shoulder or haunch add spice/herb rub and cover it in red clay (two inches thick) place it in the pit of hot glowing coals and cover with another foot of hot coals, cover with dirt. Bake in ground for 3 to 4 hours, delicious...

Bright Blessigs
sh

 

We are having our first goat feast here this evening. I am the only one of us who has eatten it before . I threw it in the crockpot and slow cooked him and will be slapping some mexican spices on it after shredding and make some tacos this evening.

We were sposed to be doing chickens here shortly however, the freezer is stuffed full and we have absolutely no room until we eat some of the others. We got about 90 pounds or so of meat between the two .

 

the pros
Manure that is easily managed !!!

Fresh milk, cheeses, yogurt, meat, skins, and fiber produced at home without the antibiotics, hormones, and dyes sometimes present in the commercial stuff are a few other benefits.

Goats are easy to care for and there size makes them easy to handle.

These very hardy animals give birth with ease(most of the time), usually have multiple births and have very few health problems.

They can be kept on a small acreage and they are economical.

You can keep six to eight goats for the same amount of feed it takes to keep one cow, and you’ll get twice the milk.

[font=&quot] Goats are delightful, funny, smart, affectionate and clean. .

[/font] [font=&quot] Dairy goats are much smaller than dairy cows and give family-sized amounts of milk daily.

[/font] They bond well with the person who milks and feeds them, live about as long as a dog and make great companions.

Goats are great brush and underbrush cleaners. Rental businesses are becoming a good business enterprise for some folks.

The cons

Goats will eat your garden and, given half a chance, will bark your fruit trees and eat your neighbor’s roses, so good fences are a must.

You will have to be dedicated, especially if you are milking it’s required every 12 hours although it’s possible to milk only once a day.

Goats are escapologists. They seem to love a roofes of any sort and if they can venture onto one they will.

Fences are for bouncing on. Goats regard it as their bounden duty to do their best to destroy any fence.

 

Please keep this in mind if you are considering goats at all .
[font=&quot]Tethering (Tying) is not a good idea for goats as they often strangle themselves.[/font]
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Goats, in their natural state, live in herds. They need the company of others of their own kind. This does not necessarily mean that you must have two goats of the same breed. If space is at a premium you might consider a dairy goat to provide milk, etc, for the house and perhaps a pygmy goat as a companion. Whatever you do, please get more than one. A lone goat, although happy to attach itself to human company, is not a truly happy goat. A flock or herd animal alone may not look stressed, but usually is.

Shelter

[font=&quot]Goats are very adaptive animals and do not require fancy or expensive housing. They need protection from the basic elements. When it rains or snows, they will seek shelter. Goats can tolerate cold weather, but should not remain cold and wet for long periods of time. During the summer months, it is important to provide a shady area with adequate air circulation and to control flies. [/font]

[font=&quot]Natural shade and windbreaks will protect meat goats during much of the year. The primary need for housing is during kidding, especially if kidding occurs during cold weather. A dry, draft free area is needed. Does can kid in large community pens. Some producers use kidding (mothering) pens or jugs to separate does and their kids. Three-sided or open-sided shelters are suitable in most situations. The open side should face away from prevailing winds, the roof should be sloped to repel rain, and there should be adequate drainage around the building. Goats require 10 to 15 square feet of space in open housing. [/font]

[font=&quot] Bucks should be housed separately. Buck housing can be simple, but must be strong. Taller, sturdier fences are needed to keep bucks away from does in heat.[/font]

[font=&quot]Dirt or stone floors are preferred to concrete. Pens should be bedded with 3 to 4 inches of straw or other absorbent material (poor quality hay, wood shavings, sawdust, shredded newspaper, peanut hulls, or sand), 5 to 6 inches if the floor is concrete. In the winter, the manure pack should be allowed to build up, as the decomposing layers provide a source of heat. [/font]

[font=&quot]http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/meatgoat/shed.jpg[/font]

[font=&quot]http://www.theikga.org/public_html/Portable%20Shed.jpg[/font]

[font=&quot] [/font]

[font=&quot]Other things to consider with your goat housing[/font][font=&quot][/font]

[font=&quot]Manure handling[/font][font=&quot]. Goat housing should be designed with manure handling in mind.. Unprotected piles of manure should not be stored in places where runoff may occur. It may be advisable to cover manure piles with tarps. Composting animal waste reduces odors and fly problems. Composted manure is an excellent soil amendment.. Keeping animals outside in their natural environment will greatly reduce manure handling requirements.[/font]

[font=&quot]Ventilation[/font][font=&quot]. Ventilation is an important aspect of animal housing, particularly closed housing. Poor ventilation can be detrimental to animal health and performance. Harmful gases and dust can cause respiratory problems, while temperature extremes can reduce animal and human productivity. [/font]

[font=&quot]The purpose of ventilation is to provide the desired amount of fresh air, without drafts, to all parts of the shelter; to maintain temperatures within desired limits; to maintain relative humidity within desired limits; and to maintain ammonia levels below specified levels.[/font]

[font=&quot]Fencing [/font][font=&quot] [/font]

[font=&quot]The importance of good fences cannot be overstated. A properly built fence stands for as long as it is needed, keeps goats where they belong, and provides protection from dogs and other predators. Fencing can also protect trees, shrubs and other sensitive areas from destruction. Fencing is often the biggest capital expense, especially if all new fence must be erected. [/font]

[font=&quot] Perimeter fences are usually permanent and intended to last for many years with minimal repairs. They should be constructed of high quality materials. Predator control should be a primary consideration. There are differing opinions as to what is the "best" type of fencing for goats. Some producers may choose to use different fence types in different situations. [/font]

[font=&quot]Woven wire[/font][font=&quot]. Woven wire or "field fence" is the conventional goat fence. It consists of horizontal lines of smooth wire held apart by vertical wires called "stays". The spacing of the wires generally gets wider as the fence gets taller. Some manufacturers offer special "goat net" containing vertical stays 10 to 12 inches apart, rather than the more common 6 or 8 inches. The larger openings help horned goats get their heads out. [/font]

[font=&quot]Woven wire has the disadvantages of being expensive and difficult to install over hilly terrain. A four foot high woven wire fence, with one to two strands of barbed or electric wire along the top of the fence makes an excellent perimeter fence for goats. A strand of barbed wire along the bottom of the fence will serve as a "rust" wire and extend the life of the fence. An electric scare wire at shoulder height of the goat will reduce animal pressure and further extend the life of the fence. Another offset wire, approximately 7 inches up from the ground, will help deter coyote predation. [/font]

[font=&quot]High-tensile, woven wire fences are more expensive, but do not sag or stretch as readily as standard woven wire. They are more resistant to rust and are considerably lighter in weight. [/font]

[font=&quot]Barbed wire[/font][font=&quot]. Barbed wire fences can be effective for meat goats if the wires are evenly spaced and tightly stretched. Eight strands of 15 ½ gauge wire are recommended, with several twisted wire stays between posts. Barbed wire fences are easier and less expensive to construct than woven wire, but the barbs can cause serious injury to animals and the fence will not effectively deter predators. However, barbed wire can be used to rejuvenate old fences and reinforce woven wire fences. Barbed wire should not be electrified. [/font]

[font=&quot]Board[/font][font=&quot]. Board fences, commonplace on many horse farms, are generally not suitable as either interior or exterior fences for meat goats unless the boards are close together or strands of wire are placed between boards. Otherwise, kids and dogs can get through the gaps. Moreover, while board fences can be very aesthetic, they are much more expensive to construct and usually require costly upkeep. [/font]

[font=&quot]High-tensile, smooth wire, electric[/font][font=&quot]. Probably, the most effective and economical goat fence is a smooth wire, high-tensile electric fence, so called "smooth wire" because the wires aren't barbed and "high-tensile" because it is constructed of high tensile wire that can be strung extremely taut without breaking. Due to the greater tensile strength of the strands, high-tensile wire can be pulled tighter than standard electrified wire, which tends to sag over time.[/font]

[font=&quot]Other[/font][font=&quot]. Mesh wire and galvanized livestock panels are desirable for barn lots and other high stress areas, but are generally too expensive for enclosing large sections of land. Board fences and woven wire with small openings are also suitable for barn lots. Chain link fences are effective, but very expensive. Barbed wire and electric fences should not be used in high traffic areas. Fences in barn lots or pens need to be higher than those in pastures, as the goats will challenge them more. [/font]

[font=&quot]Gates[/font][font=&quot]. A fence is only as good as its gates. All gates should be fitted with goat-proof latches. A simple hook and eye will not fool a goat for very long. The gate should be as high as the fence itself, and there should be no gaps beneath the gate.[/font]

[font=&quot]Working Facilities[/font][font=&quot][/font]

[font=&quot]Working facilities are helpful when performing routine management tasks such as catching, sorting, drenching, vaccinating, hoof trimming, weighing, and loading. Without adequate facilities, these jobs often get delayed or overlooked. A small pen is usually adequate for most small operations, whereas a working facility, complete with pens, gates and chute, is suggested for larger herds. [/font][font=&quot][/font]

[font=&quot]Feeders[/font]

[font=&quot]Feeders are a necessity for goats. Feeding on the ground results in considerable feed wastage and contributes to the spread of disease, especially internal parasites. If goats are able to stand in their feed or feeders, they will defecate and urinate in the feed. Feeders need to be raised off the ground and constructed in such a way to keep goats . Mine do not do well with feeders at all, everything we have done to this point, they still climb in or on and make huge messes[/font]

[font=&quot]Wow til I found this one lol..I may try this, have never run across it before[/font]

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/graphics/nwgrainfeeder.jpg

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/feeders/nwgrainfeeder.shtml (plans)


[font=&quot]Hay can be fed in bunks or racks or along a fence line. V-shaped racks with vertical or diagonal slats work best. A toe board will help keep the goats' feet out of the feeder. Round hay bales should be fed in feeders with movable sides or an overhead rack. [/font]

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/graphics/feeder.jpg

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/feeders/feeder.shtml (plans)




[font=&quot]There should be enough feeder space for all goats to eat at once – approximately 16 linear inches per doe (8 to 12, if hay is self fed). Young stock require 12 inches of feeder space, 2 to 4 inches if grain or hay is self fed. Ideally, you should be able to access feeders from outside the pen or pasture to prevent being trampled by the goats during feeding. [/font]

[font=&quot]Water[/font]

[font=&quot]Clean, fresh water is a daily necessity for goats. As a general rule of thumb, goats will consume anywhere from ½ to 4 gallons of water per day, depending on their physiological state. Requirements increase greatly during late gestation and lactation. Feed intake is positively correlated with water intake. [/font]

[font=&quot]Feed Storage[/font]

[font=&quot]All feedstuffs – hay, grain, trace mineral salt – need to be kept dry and protected from rodents. Feed must be accessible in all weather conditions, but inaccessible to goats. Moreover, ample feed storage can result in considerable cost savings if feed ingredients can be purchased and stored in bulk on the farm. [/font]

[font=&quot]Unprotected hay deteriorates in quality. Hay should not be left uncovered. Hay bales should be stored in hay lofts, storage sheds or covered with tarps. Hay and straw bales should not be placed in a barn unless they are thoroughly dry; otherwise there is risk of overheating and fire. [/font]

[font=&quot]Dead Animal Disposal[/font]

This is a cold hard truth about raising animals.

[font=&quot]Approximately 10% of the kids die before weaning. A mortality rate of 5% is common among adult animals. Goat mortality can be buried, incinerated or composted. [/font]

[font=&quot]The most common method of disposal is burial. Carcasses should be deep buried (4 to 8 ft. depth) and never in areas where leaching is known to occur.[/font]

[font=&quot]An increasingly popular method of dead animal disposal is composting. Under this system, goat carcasses are placed in a bin containing sawdust or another source of carbon, thus creating an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria. [/font]

[font=&quot]Bacterial action rapidly heats compost piles to temperatures as high as 160 F and within several weeks carcasses are reduced, leaving only brittle bones, which are easily crumbled. Turning the compost pile by moving it to a new bin (secondary bin) after two weeks helps maintain high temperatures and speeds up the composting process.
[/font]

 

When it is time to purchase a goat the first thing you need to think of is what your primary purpose for getting goats is. Do you want them for pets, weed control, milk, and meat? What breeds appeal to you? Research the different breeds and see what makes the best sense for your homestead. The most important thing to remember is that you must purchase at least 2 goats. Goats are herd animals and must have companionship to survive. If you want a pet or a weed eater for your property I would suggest a wether (a castrated male), and especially one that has been bottle fed. A bottle fed goat will make the friendliest and tamest pet. If you want a dairy goat you may want to consider buying one that has already been bred.

After you figure out your purpose for a goat and your breed of goat it is time to go shopping. If you have not had a lot of experience with buying goats here are a few things to look fro when purchasing an animal. One of the first things to look at is general overall health of the goat. You don’t want to buy a sickly looking. Eyes should be clear and bright. Avoid goats with teary or cloudy eyes. This could be from an infection. A coat that is smooth and shiny. If the coat is dull this could be caused from parasites. If the coat is ruffled up at all this could be a sign of a goat that is not feeling well. An appetite that is healthy. They should be eating well. A perky attitude, not one where the head is drooped or the back is hunched up. This could indicate the goat is not feeling well. Avoid goats with things like runny noses, coughs, any kind of wheezing or breathing difficulties. Avoid goats with diarrhea. Their stools should be small round pellets (a.k.a. Nanny Berries). Look for a goat that is fairly tame. Wild adult goats generally stay wild.

[font=&quot] Consider how much time you plan on spending caring for the goats. This will be a major factor in what kind of goat(s) you get. If you want fresh milk, a dairy goat near the end of her lactation will provide you with an idea of what is involved in milking at least once a day before time to dry her up, without an excessive amount of milk. For entertainment and companionship for children (both young and old), a Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf goat makes an excellent pet and Dwarf’s provide a small quantity of milk for the family. If brush control is your main concern, any breed of goat will do an adequate job, whether it gives milk or not.[/font]

It's usually best, as a new owner, to start with a few instead of starting out with a sizeable herd, until you and the goats get used to each other. Remember, goats multiply fast every year, and three does will be about ten in a matter of about a year if you keep all of them. Some people sell or even give away the buck kids almost as soon as they are born, and keep the doelings . Bucks can be wethered easily and cheaply at home

Although you may be tempted by the price and convenience, as a new buyer, it's best not to start off with purchasing them from a Sale Barn. Goats at a sale barn can run from a few dollars on up depending on breed etc. Remember though, you have no clue what you are buying. The animal could be perfectly fine and healthy or could have a myriad of issues. Late winter and early spring are a good time to visit your local sale barn if you are looking for a bargain animal. This time of year is prime season for ppl to bring there culls from the trip and the reasons may just very well be too many critters , too many bucks or to prevent inbreeding. If you do choose sale barn method be sure and quarantine the animal before bringing it into areas where your other animals may be as you won't know anything about the animal's background or why the owner is selling it. Even a goat that has registered papers is no guarantee that the animal is free of diseases; it just means it came from registered parentage.[font=&quot][/font]

Look in your local paper (including the small newsletter types) for several issues in a row and make phone calls to find out what breeds are available in your area. You will also save time driving around until you have a better idea of what you want. If there are no listings, try placing an ad to find them, requesting goat-owners to contact you.

Contact your local extension office. Ask about 4 H programs in your area that raise goats for projects, often times they have more than just the show animals. Ask about goat clubs in your area, go to a meeting or few and get to know them and get numbers from them. (Yes there is a secret society of “goat people”) Look online for goat breeders. www.ADGA.org has a listing of members of the American dairy goat association. Look for someone in your area and give them a call. The circle of goat breeders is no different than the circles of horse or dog breeders. A general search of an area will also provide you with several different farms and breeders. Often time’s small farms or homesteads will specialize in one area of the livestock world but also raise other animals just for fun and are not out to make a huge profit.

Head to your local feed and seed stores, often times there is a peg board that has buyers and sellers of all sorts of animals or animal products. These folks are generally local and most are not out to rob you blind, they are just normal folks who have a few spare animals or are looking for someone’s extras. If you do not see such a board, ask the cashier or someone working there, many times they just have numbers tossed on a desk somewhere and when someone mentions it, it triggers the memory.

The following tips are more for if you are purchasing pedigreed stock. If you are planning on breeding meat goats or a specific breed for showing or sale for profit then I would recommend going with something registered and pedigreed. If you are solely rising for your own homestead use, I personally would not spend the extra money that would need to be spent on a registered animal.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. If the seller won't give any background information, look elsewhere for your goat. It may be that he just bought them from a Sale at a cheap price and is trying to turn a quick profit. Check the animal thoroughly from how many teats it has to if its feet are trimmed, and handle the animal. A reputable seller will welcome your interest and be more than happy to give you a good "look over" of the goat and answer any questions you may have. I also will not purchase animals from anyone that calls there does a nanny or the bucks a billy. In my eyes they are looking at there animals as something less than what they are and see them as scrub animals not worthy of a decent name.

If you are looking for a bred doe, in hopes of milking her when she freshened, ask for a written guarantee that the doe is truly bred especially if you are spending a good bit of money on her. . Size is not an indication of being bred or how many kids a doe has inside of her. Ask how many kids the doe has had in her previous years, if the kids were free from abnormalities, and how old the doe is now. If any lab tests (CAE, TB, Brucellosis, etc.) have been done, ask for copies for your records. This is very important if you are breeding for sales and profits and show animals

If you are buying for milking purposes, ask to watch the goat being milked to confirm that there is no mastitis, damaged teats, or unusual tasting milk. If you have never milked a goat before, ask for a lesson to get you familiar with handling the goat. Temperament on the milking stand can be a deciding factor to get rid of many good milkers if the owner is unwilling or unable physically to deal with training it. No goat is perfect, no matter how good the genetics or pedigree records are. Ask what faults the goat may have, and why the seller is selling it.

Goat prices vary greatly. One can expect to pay on average somewhere in between 50 and 200 dollars for a non registered run of the mill goat. This means they may be cross bred or could mean the original owners just did not paper them for whatever reason. . If you want animals with papers and pedigrees look to pay from 100 dollars on up into the 10s of thousands of dollars, depending on what you are looking for. As with any other animal it varies depending on lineage etc.

 

Goats of both sexes can begin to reproduce at the tender age of 7 weeks. For this reason bucks over two months of age should not be housed with other females. They will breed there twin sister and there mother if given half a chance to do so. Having bucks on a farm means having to have two separate living quarters for your goats. Male goats are like any other animal and can be dangerous, especially during rut.

A full size doe can be bred beginning at 8 months provided they are of proper weight and stature. I try and wait until they are all over a year of age before any breeding occurs in any breed. A doe will continue to go into heat until she dies, unlike humans they do not go thru menopause. However most deaths in older does are kid or kidding related , so most are retired from breeding at around 10.

Most goats are seasonal breeders, meaning they have certain times of the year when breeding is most likely to occur. "Equatorial type" goats come from climates that are hot all year long. These goats will breed all year long. Examples of these breeds are most meat breeds like Boers, Spanish & Fainting, and also Pygmies and (sometimes) Nubians. Alpine type" goats. These are most of the Dairy breeds. These goats are seasonal breeders, like deer, and have a definite breeding season. This usually is from about Aug. to Dec/Jan. The does will come into heat about every 21 days and the bucks will stay in rut during the entire breeding season. Once the bucks go out of rut, they loose most of their interest in sex until the next rut.
A does heat cycle is about every 21 days . When a doe is in heat they will show signs of heat or estrous . Some examples of this are flagging or waving her tail, mounting other does or letting other does mount , she may also have her side tail hair wet or clumped together . Fighting or letting herself get beat up by other does without defending herself. She may develop a crush on another doe and may yell for no apparent reason. There may be a mucous discharge from her vagina and it may be swollen or pink in color . she may go off feed for a day or two and she may just have a different attitude about her in general. These signs are fairly easy to pick up on after a little bit of time around an animal in heat. A doe may be in heat from as little as 6 hours up to 3 days.

So, if the does are housed separately from the bucks how do you breed?? Simple, they have datesJ. You either move the doe to where you house your male or bring the male to her on a date sort of thing. Leash training is not all that hard to do if started young. Here we house the males in a separate area of the farm . When the girls begin showing signs of heat, we move the lucky buck to the pasture with the girls where I allow him to remain for a month or so so that all the does should have made it through atleast one heat cycle. Once I stop seeing signs of heat, we remove the buck and take him to his own pen. For those that choose not to keep a buck on site, there are a couple options available. One is to use artificial insemination. Meaning the semen comes in a little straw and when you see signs of heat in the doe, you call your inseminator and he comes to you where you have the doe in confined quarters and he will breed her for you. There are courses available to be able to breed your own stock but unless you have a huge operation it isn’t real feasible and is fairly costly . The other option you have is to know someone with a buck that and you pay for servicing or stud fees. They will either bring the buck to you or you can take your doe to them.

How do you know a doe has been bred you ask? You watch them. When a doe is in heat the buck goes wild and rather obnoxious, they make funny faces and noises and tend to dig there front feet and do the bull charge dance. Once the buck and doe are together the mating game begins (always a fun time for visitors here). Keep an eye on them and you will see him mount her, usually three pokes will do the trick. A good way to note that they have bred well is when the doe arches her back after the process. Write down the date and keep a close eye on the doe to see if in 21 or so days she comes back into heat. If she does, repeat the above mentioned process. If not then she is most likely bred and you can figure her approximate due date.

A goats gestation period is about 150 days on average, so she will kid somewhere between 145 and 155 days. You can figure the date by flipping through calendar days or there are calculators available on the net. (http://fiascofarm.com/goats/duedate.htm)

If you do not know the breeding date of your does, (accidents happen) keep an eye on her and watch for pregnancy signs. If you know your goats well you will notice the small signs like udder growing etc. Nearear delivery the tail wagging begins again, they start talking to there butts and begin a nesting habit. You can also look at her belly but there are times when they do not show much if at all . There is also a wonderfully easy way to see when a doe is nearing her kidding date. For lack of anything better , I will call it the ligament test . To do this, place your hand on the does spine, where it starts to angle down near the rump. Place your fingers on one side of the spine and thumb on the other . Run your hand slowly down her spine toward the tail feeling the areas along side the spine (about one inch on either side) You should feel the ligaments They will be about pencil width and and sort of go toward the pin bones. If you cant feel them keep trying and you will. As the goat nears delivery these ligaments will loosen and the last 12 hours before birth they are nearly nonexistent.When this occurs your fingers and thumb will nearly touch together where the ligaments stopped you before hand. You will also feel changes in the tail head as she nears with the rising and flagging tail as well as again swollen vagina and mucous type discharge.







Once this occurs, your doe is probably less than twelve hours from kidding. Get ready for kids!

 

Here is a pretty sweet little video on a live birth

This is a pretty routine delivery but will give an idea of what to expect in a delivery
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/517765/live_birth_goat_in_labor/