Taking care of goats?

Question

I recently got two pygmy goats from my uncle, and I need a little advice on how to properly care for them. On my farm we have cows and chickens, but I've never had goats before. Right now we're in the process of building a goat-proof pen because they're so small they just slip through the barbed wire on the cow pen, and they also have an amazing ability to climb.

How much feed does a goat need to eat every day? I know that if a donkey eats too much corn they'll die, are goats the same way? Also, around here we have a major problem with bobcats. I've never had to worry about bobcats messing with our cows because the cows are so big, but the little goats are tiny. We a have two donkies that keep coyoties from hurting the calves, but will a donkey run off a bobcat? Seriously, my neighbor's three cats were eaten by bobcats, so you can imagine why I'm so concerned.

And can anyone tell me why the billygoat pees in his beard? I've never seen an animal do that before it's really gross.

Answer 1

well i raised Boer percentage goats and what we did was feed a half of a big coffee can of feed in the morning to each goat and a half in the evening but made sure they had hay and grass to graze on all the time.It also helps if you have a big limb or  something in the middle of the pen for them to climb on...just make sure its not close enough to any fence for them to jump out (because they love to investigate)A donkey will fight off a bobcat...they are great protection for goats as well as great Pyrenees dogs.

billy goats pee in their beards as a marker...his scent a way of letting you know hes there...if he's just a pet and you're not going to use him for breeding i recommend neutering him.....saves a lot on the smell :-)

hope this helped

Answer 2

Congratulations on acquiring two pygmy goats!  They are certain to give you a lot of joy and also some grief as they continue to find new ways to escape from whereever you try to keep them!

I raise Nigerian Dwarf goats and thought I'd answer because of the poster who gave her Boer goats 1/2 coffee can of feed twice a day.  This much grain will likely cause your pygmy goats to get entertoxemia, a very painful and often fatal disease.  Boer goats are large, meat goats who can consume much more feed than the miniatures that you and I raise.  I was told by the lady who sold me my goats to give them no more than a handful of grain (let them eat it out of your hand, it tames them) once a day and plenty of good grass or hay.  We have fed them more than that on occasion (for example, they ate TONS when they were at the county fair last month) and their little tummies got so swollen and hard!  I actually had a goat die right after I got her because my kids were feeding them free choice grain as much as they wanted, we didn't know any better.  That's why they call enterotoxemia the "overeating disease."  Goats can literally eat themselves to death if they get too much grain.  Hope this answer helps, and enjoy your goaties!  Patty

Answer 3

This site will tell you all you need to know about keeping pygmy goats.  You'll have to watch out for the bobcats, but I can't see them being a big threat to the goats unless they get careless. Goats are usually pretty clean animals I can't even imagine how they would pee in their beard. Good Luck.

http://www.goodbyecitylife.com/barn/pygm...