How to keep and care for a goat?

Question

In a about a year my family and I are going to move out to the country and we were thinking about getting 2-3 goats as pets (not for meat).

I'm wondering how to care for goats.

Any tips and advice on goats health, food, grooming, fencing...anything would be really helpful. Thanks!

Answer 1

Cost, depends on where you live. I live in Florida, and at the moment fencing is not cheap. So I cant help you with cost. However I know alot about goats.

Shelter: They need something with at least 3 walls and a roof, something that gives them shade, protection from the elements, and warmth. It might also be a good Idea to have one in which you can lock them in at night. I have two female boers, and keep them in a 12 ft by 6 ft barn w/ a concrete floor at night, or when Im gone somewhere.

Feed: You can give them horse/sweet feed, or goat feed, and they need hay, (not alfalfa) grain, and to graze and browse - which means to eat weeds, and branches, and things like that. And they should have fresh, clean water daily. I use a 5 gal. bucket per goat.

Care: They need their hooves trimmed about every 3 or so weeks, depending on how fast their hooves grow. (Research on hoof trimming before you buy one) They should be brushed, and fed daily. And bathing is opptional, although if you do bathe them, make sure you dry them cuz goats are sensitive to cold, wet enviornments. Also, if you plan on showing them they need to be nuetered and their fur clipped.

Fencing: I find that a 4ft - 6ft fence will confine most goats, although you shouldn't use boards that run up the side of the fence to hold it and the post together, cuz we made that mistake, and my goats jumped it, by using the boards. So we had to re-do the corners.

Anything else??? hope this covers it all. Bye!!!  : )

Answer 2

Goats need shelter that is clean and open.  They need a good hay and like tree branches and need access to water all the time.  You will need extremely good fences as they are escape artists and things to climb on but make sure the climbing stuff is away from the fences.  

They need brushing and hooves trimmed.  The less rocky soil they play on the more often they will need their hooves trimmed.  They will also need to be dehorned for safety or get naturally hornless goats.  You may find some one who can do it for you if you buy kids.

Answer 3

The cost is something I cannot tell you having ben ten  years since I sold out my goat dairy but prices are high now. Be sure to inoculate them for innertoxemia ( May have misspelled it) it being a frequent goat killing disease intestinal parasites are another health concern too.  Try to find either polled (hornless) goats or the ones that have ben dis budded when very young. you will need a course brush for grooming, Hay and sweet grain available from a farm supply store for feed, a clean source of watter,quarters that are comfortable with a layer of hay on the floor and another very important thing is never but never try to grab a goats horns and push their heads down. This makes goats very aggressive.E mail me if you have further  questions.