Looking into getting goats

[RayCo]

For a long time, I've wanted to get a couple of goats. And now I'm ready to start researching what is involved in goat ownership, and whether or not it is something that would fit into my life. It seems that most of the goat talk I find online is geared toward the utility uses and/or breeding.

For me, I'd want to think of them primarily as pets. Am I fooling myself from day one here, to even have that as a goal? I don't have any specific desire to have goats for milk, and certainly not for meat, not that I wouldn't eat someone else's goat. These are the questions I have, which I'm mostly looking for good resources where to find the answers, not necessarily to get the answers from a tractor forum.

• How much land do I need? And, would my goats enjoy a partially wooded area, since most of my property is woods?
• What do I do to winterize my goats in southeastern PA?
• I think I'd lean toward tiny goats, like the one that slept on my lap at a farm I worked on when I was a kid.
• Are goats good with kids? Mine are 6 and 1.
• If I do not have desire for milk, can I get virgin goats and keep them from producing milk?
• Will my wife kick my rear when I come home and surprise her with my new goats?
• Do goats have the right personality to be yard companions, or are they victims of generations of being told that they are nothing but livestock?
• Will they get along with my cats?
• I wish the list tag were working.

Any advice shared is appreciated!

Thanks

 

[rockinmywaypa]

In my opinion a person could have 100 head and some would be a yes to every question you have and some would be a complete and opposite no. You can't assume that you'll get what you want and with goats you get what will drive you nuts but since you want pets what do you have to lose. Get some and enjoy the insanity.

 

[Combustix]

Started with 3 goats a doe and two wethers, castrated bucks in other words. We then got a couple dairy goats as we do like the milk and with two growing boys they drink a lot of milk. Then goat some meat goats as we want to eat them as well. Yes we know have 12 goats, and they are like pets. The new meat babies are destined for the freezer.

You will need goats plural as they are very social animals and ours enjoy being around us. During the summer I let them wander around the yard eating various browse, though I have found them on my work bench as well as SIL car roof. They will also follow you around as well. We started out as a 4H project. one of the big benefits to milking is making cheese and yogurt.:licking:

I have two shelters for them one is enclosed on all four side and the other is open on one side. Seems we find them huddled in the open shelter together or if it is nice all lumped together between the big cedar stumps. They are fun animal. We keep them in about an acre area but I am expanding that only because I can, just to rotate them around paddocks. They get allong with the dogs the cat the chickens and ducks so no problems there. I would suggest that you get young kids 1-2 weeks old and bottle feed them as this will help them bond, and not be shy. The babies we bottle fed all want to come up and be petted. The momma raised kids run a little shyer. good luck and have fun.

 

[flusher]

My neighbor has a herd, about 100 animals, on 10 acres. The brown and white ones. He spent a bundle replacing about 1/2 mile of old farm fence with new high quality goat fencing. And he has a guard llama to protect the herd from coyotes, which are making a comeback here in Northern CA.

Good luck

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi

If you dont' want to drink the milk or eat the goats you can make the milk into goats milk soap. It's wonderfully soft and luxuriant. There are different recipes for it on the internet and it would be a bit of hobby chemistry to design your own recipe. It can sell quite well too at the right markets.

Mike

 

[k0ua]

Goats are but a fond memory from my childhood, but yes they are like pets, at least the nanny goats. Billy goats not so much. We always had the hornless breeds, as they are much safer for you and for each other (no extra holes in anyone). They would be fine with the partial woods, and fields. They are friendly and playful animals. Coyotes or wild dog packs sure can make a mess of them though, leaving goat pieces strewn over the field, at least as I remember it. They need shelter for winter and shade and good water for summer, We also got in the habit of locking them in the barn overnight after the above mentioned incident. We had Toggenberg, Alpines and Nubians, and mixes. Good luck

James K0UA

 

[terry.dinerman]

Goats are clever 8 years olds on a permanent sugar-high. Get used to it.

As far as more scholarly advice on goats, when all is said and done, it don't get no better than the "Fias Co Farm" website...

Molly Nolte sets out from square one to help you "...to raise friendly, healthy goats as family milk producers, pets and companions..."

Fias Co Farm: Goat Information: goats, goat management, health care, natural & holistic health care, kidding, breeding, milking and much more,

One warning....You better have a good soft chair and a cup of coffee before you go to "Fias Co Farm"...

Here is a great short primer on meat goats from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service:

http://northampton.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/66/Meat%20Goat%20Guide.pdf

Suzzane Gasparotto at Onion Creek Ranch has put together an extensive collection of articles on goat management...

Tho aimed at the meat goat producer, they are quite detailed regarding health and herd management issues common to the dairy herd as well...

Health and Management Articles

...and if you find yourself with more goats than you can handle, or one you just don't particularly like, I can teach you how to roast one the way my Argentine friends taught me...

Be Safe!

Terry

 

[sam5570]

we had goats on our farm for about 20 years boar meat goats never eat any just raised them and sold had electric fence never had any problem they do like alot of atention now there is so many diferent breeds of goats it's un real juat do your research some or higher matience and some not most breeds the bucks (male) or agresive and sometimes plan mean and unpredictable. the horns make them easier to catch and hold but they are dangerous.

 

[Mousefield]

We have had goats for over 10 years. They get bred and have kids and then we milk them.
My wife really always wanted goats, more for pets really, the babies and milk are a by product?
Presently we have 3 female adults (all milking) and 7 babies, one of which is an orphan, her mom, the first goat we got, died a day and a half after giving birth.
So like any pet they may require the odd vet visit and do have to be cared for, it is a commitment. Ours happen to sleep very nicely every night in the goat palace. We do supplement hay and a bit of grain or other treats for them.
1.Goats are more browsers than grazers so having more woods than pasture is a good thing. They will eat the bark off trees and that kills the tree.
2.You do need to provide some type of shelter from rain and wind, even a 3 sided building will do.
3.Water source, in the winter you need to make sure it does not freeze
4.Hoof trimming, we do our every 2-3 months
5.They usually get along well with kids, we have had up to 12 children visiting the goats and their babies.
6.Goats are a herd animal so should get 2 or more, we have sold a single goat to be a companion to a horse, worked out very well.
7. They do make great pets but do need to be looked after.
8.A fence to keep them in and keep predators out.
9.If you get young female goats before they are bred or a male wether(s) you don't have babies and milk.
10. Depending on the land an acre or so should be lots.

 

[RichZ]

Until the high price of feed drove us out of business, my wife and I had a dairy goat farm. We had 120 goats, every one with a name, and we considered every one a pet. We produced milk that we sold to two different cheese makers, but feed prices almost tripled in 2010, and we could no longer make a profit, or even break even. Reducing my herd to the dozen I now have is one of the hardest things I've had to do. There's a lot of good info in this thread, especially Mousefield's post.

Having had most every breed you can think of in my herd, I think Nigerian Dwarf is the breed for you. They're small, effectionate and hardy. In fact, they're the only breed that we still breed, even though we still have many full sized pet goats. But the Nigerians are the most pet like, cutest and easiest to handle. And yes, goats make excellent pets.

 

[RayCo]

Some great info here, as always. Thank y'all!

 

[MikeInEburg]

If they are yard pets, keep in mind that your wife's prize roses taste really good to a goat. And goats don't understand "no". That said, they make pretty good pets. I don't think they like truck rides like a dog.

 

[RichZ]

Well Mike, yes and no. Sometimes our goats have gotten into our gardens and the results weren't pretty. But some of my goats LOVE a ride in the truck. They go in the back of my cargo van, and love looking out the window. They are great pets, and can learn lots of commands. They also learn lots of stuff that you don't want them to. I had to move the light switches in my barn to where they couldn't reach them, as they love to learn the lights on. And when you work the gate latches, you have to make sure they aren't watching you, as they'll learn to open the most complicated latches. Goats are very intelligent, and full of mischief.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

You do NOT want a buck. They stink. They pee on everything. They are aggressive. If you just want pets, get wethers.

Many years ago I cleared several acres of trees and brush with goats and hogs. The hogs plowed the ground and the goats ate everything as high as they could reach on their hind legs, about 5'. Land that was too thick to walk through turned into a park.

 

[cfabe]

How much land do I need?
Not a lot - we have 5-8 goats in a 1/2 acre area and it works well.

And, would my goats enjoy a partially wooded area, since most of my property is woods? Yes they love to browse, but expect the wooded area to get cleared out pretty quickly.

What do I do to winterize my goats in southeastern PA?
Just basic shelter to get out of the wind, they are hearty animals. A 4'x4' 3-sided lean-to is fine for a couple goats.

Are goats good with kids? Mine are 6 and 1. Generally, yes they are. Does or whethers are not usually aggressive and usually very friendly and like attention. It's best if you buy bottle-fed kids, they will be much more human-friendly. Kids raised with little human intervention can be skittish. For interaction with small kids, the smaller goats would be better, the large breeds can be over 100lbs and could injure a small child accidentally.

If I do not have desire for milk, can I get virgin goats and keep them from producing milk? Like any mammal a goat only has milk after giving birth and only for a short time - less than a year. You can get a doe who has had kids and she won't have milk agian unless you breed her.

Will my wife kick my rear when I come home and surprise her with my new goats? No Comment!

Do goats have the right personality to be yard companions, or are they victims of generations of being told that they are nothing but livestock? See previous comment about bottle raised kids.

Will they get along with my cats? Never had cats with ours but don't see why it would be a problem.

Other considerations:
Fencing - you need good fencing. Goats have a reputation as escape artists. We have never had an escape, but we did spend money on good fencing. You'll want 48" woven wire or 5-wire high-tensile electric. I suggest putting an electric strand over the woven wire to prevent them rubbing on it and stretching the fabric.

Health - the primary concerns will be hoof care and parasite management. Trim hoofs every couple months, monitor parasite load by having a fecal run and worm as appropriate. There are a couple of diseases to watch out for, the most important is CAE which causes crippling arthritis, make *SURE* your kids pet goats come from a CAE-free herd (see testing paperwork) or you'll be in for heartbreak in a couple years when the have to be put down.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Goats are clever 8 years olds on a permanent sugar-high. Get used to it.

Best definition I ever heard! :thumbsup:

We had a goat named Jill, real character and after a year of struggle, I was happy to give her to a neighbor.

 

[dkizerian]

Thanks for all the great info! My wife and I are also looking at getting 2-3 goats for pets in the next year or so. Nigerian dwarves seem to be the goats we'll likely end up with.

They'll have 1/2 acre all to themselves, but I'm torn between making this just one big pen, or sectioning off about 40x60 area as their regular pen, and then using electric fence to rotate them through the rest of the area in an attempt to let the plants that are there stay alive, and supplement their feed.

 

[jobguy]

Unless you place your electric fence wire 4 inches apart up to 4 feet high it will not work. Woven wire horse fence worked well for me as does chain link. I had two Nubians for the great tasting milk. Made a milking stand using Mother Earth News plans. 10 bales of hay lasted all winter. Wish I still had them for the milk as I cannot drink cows milk.
On the farm they climbed the corn picker spout onto the rafters and instead of pigeon droppings we had goat beans everywhere. Any car in the driveway was fair game including eating the soft tops when available. Mom always threatened to shoot them cuz they eat everything in the yard and garden. Told dad either the goats or he (dad) had to go. Dad dropped them off in the furthest field from the house. They came back in the middle of the night. Mom gave them away when dad was at an auction spending her money. Fair trade???
Anyhow,,, have fun you will learn and enjoy from the experience.

 

[Learning to Farm]

It seems like everytime I have a question someone on TBN has asked it or started a thread.

So, the farm has 3 dwarf sheep and 2 mini sheep (all gelded) and I want to use to do some clearing in a 1/4 acre wooded section of a pasture. (I can't stand seeing lazy "jobless" animals, I personally would have had them with curry years ago). I was wondering can I run just one line of electric around the parameter? It is lush and I just want them to get started. The pen that their owner is keeping them in has been grazed to nothing, so it is win-win. Will they stay in and eat, the electric would just be to keep them grouped while they are watched, it is not meant for 24/7 containment. They have never been electric trained. On the other hand can I shepherd them? They are all collarable, I took the one I like out this morning just on a lead and other than being a bit nervous he did his job like a champ. But, I don't want to try to walk them all at once... haha.

Just call me Hedi, haha!