Farm helper...goat care

[Jstpssng]

I wouldn't want somebody else keeping livestock on my land especially if I'm not there on a daily basis... and even more especially if the livestock is goats.

 

[weldingisfun]

Boer goats can be self-sufficient. There are three things needed to allow them to be that way and stay healthy. Good browse to eat, clean water, and shelter from the elements. If males are with the females, unless you want lots more goats, separate them, now you have two pastures needing those same three things. They do not need to be checked daily but once a week would be a good idea. Oh, one more thing, Boer goats are meat goats and do not need to be milked.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have 9 female dwarf Nigerian goats and I like them. Mine are smaller then yours, but still pretty strong. One of them got something around her leg and I finally ended up tackling her to get it off of her. I wont do that again because it was too easy for something to have gone wrong and I could have been hurt. Now I'm planning a new barn for them with a handling system to catch them, and then force them through a chute where I can hold them, separate them and medicate them. As of right now, I do not have a male. I used to have a barn for them, but we increased our chicken numbers and their barn became chicken coop number 3. Now they sleep with the horses when it rains, or with my pig in his house. I will not get another male until I'm ready to deal with babies. That's a nightmare, but it's how you make money with goats.

You need to decide what you are going to do with babies.

Goats never stop testing your fences.

Goats do a great job of clearing the land. As I fence in more of my place, I want to have more goats. A lot more!!!

Goats are too smart for their own good and will get into trouble just to have something to do. They never stop thinking of ways to get out of your fence, or to destroy something just for the fun of it.

We feed ours every night, which is why they always come back into the fence when they escape. This is also how we get close enough to them to look them over. Some are friendly, others aren't.

I think that you need to reduce your numbers of goats significantly. Ten will keep the land in shape and require a lot less attention. Get rid of the males first!!!!

 

[Jlblake]

Thanks guys. I am going to try to find a caretaker. I want someone keeping an eye on my property and I want to keep the ag exemption. I can switch to wildlife but I prefer the ag exemption. I'll keep y'all posted. Thanks very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

[Stimw]

My neighbor runs some of her goats in my pasture, pic is a few of them.
She bread 27 females last may and had 39 kids born in october!
She is always having to worm them and treat for other ailments.

 

[Jlblake]

Boer goats can be self-sufficient. There are three things needed to allow them to be that way and stay healthy. Good browse to eat, clean water, and shelter from the elements. If males are with the females, unless you want lots more goats, separate them, now you have two pastures needing those same three things. They do not need to be checked daily but once a week would be a good idea. Oh, one more thing, Boer goats are meat goats and do not need to be milked.

Thanks. I think I need to find someone in the area that just wants to use my land to raise the goats. That way they'll keep an eye on my place and I'll still have the ag exemption and additional animals. I appreciate the input!