I just got 2 goats....any help??

Question

i have a nice large pen and checked for any goat safety hazard (i.e. poisonous plants,escape routes and whatnot). I really need to know how to groom them,what to do about food/what kind to buy,and i would like to know if i can walk them on a leash.

Any help is great!

They are both fixed males as well.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I had a goat growing up and he was one of the best pets I ever had! I took him for walks a lot and eventually he got to the point where he would just follow me around. Goats love to eat simple things like grass, hay, or mild grain. You absolutely should not feed goats the same grains as other animals, like horses. My goat would get out of his pen and get into my horse's molasses mix grain and eventually the iron in it became toxic to him and he developed tumors on his spine. It really was quite sad. Grooming is pretty simple, because they have pretty low maintenance fur. Any type of tack store or Tractor Supply would have anything and everything you might need. Enjoy your goats, they are great pets!

Answer 2

You can use a horse or dog type brush to brush your goats... a short bristle brush. Yes, they can be taught to walk on a leash using a goat halter or a wide collar. Don't use a thin one.

Goats can eat a variety of brush and weeds if you live in an area where you have that sort of thing. If you will be feeding hay, bermuda hay is great with a little bit of alfalfa. Alfalfa should only make up about 30% with bermuda the other 70%.A mixture of hay and brush is great! Don't feed horse grains. There is a goat feed that you can use as a treat, but goats will over eat and get bloat.

You will need to get a pair of hoof trimmers. Ask you vet to show you how to trim their hooves. It's easy.  

Answer 3

yes, if you have not owned goats before you should consult with a vet familiar with them and go over nutrition, and other health care.  Goats can get serious health problems if not fed properly.

http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/goats

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF...

http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/goatlink...

those are some vet school goat links

Answer 4

Call your vet and see if they can refer you to a good small ruminant vet.  Goats are ruminants and they need mostly roughage (grass hay, not too much alfalfa.)  Do NOT overfeed grain. they can bloat with too much rich food.

They make halters for sheep and goats.  they can learn to lead on a lead rope.  They can be shown on county fairs and 4-H type shows.  Grooming depends on the kind of goat.

Go to a county fair and talk to the goat folks.