# Rotational grazing Nigerian Dwarf goats



## chanceosunshine (Nov 3, 2021)

After wanting goats for nearly 20 years, I have finally reserved a doe in milk, a doeling, a wether and a buckling that will come home next summer. I am very fortunate to have found an awesome breeder and I can barely wait!
My plan is to build two goat tractors, one for the girls and one for the boys. Each one will have a 16'x16' grazing/browsing area and will have an attached 6'x16' pen that can be closed up at night, and it will be on wheels.
My question is, will 16'x16' be enough area for two goats each day?
Thanks for reading...

ETA: The pasture area is usually very lush with many grasses and weeds. It's located in Western Pa.


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## Wild Bug Ranch (Nov 3, 2021)

chanceosunshine said:


> After wanting goats for nearly 20 years, I have finally reserved a doe in milk, a doeling, a wether and a buckling that will come home next summer. I am very fortunate to have found an awesome breeder and I can barely wait!
> My plan is to build two goat tractors, one for the girls and one for the boys. Each one will have a 16'x16' grazing/browsing area and will have an attached 6'x16' pen that can be closed up at night, and it will be on wheels.
> My question is, will 16'x16' be enough area for two goats each day?
> Thanks for reading...
> ...


Are you wanting to use electric fencing for them? I believe 16x16 is big enough for each goat. My barn for my goats is 12x8 and is big enough. Please do not house your buckling with your does until breeding season. Just an FYI! 

Each pen should have a hay feeder to put hay in, grain feeder or bowls for the doe in milk, loose minerals and mineral feeder, baking soda, and a water bucket which should be cleaned out once a day!


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## Alaskan (Nov 3, 2021)

I have never tried to tractor goats....



It is true that as of 6 weeks that buckling might be able to impregnate that doeling.

I second the hay feeder, loose minerals, backing soda, and water.

But I have no idea why you would have a grain feeder.  Our milk goats would eat their special feed while being milked.  We handmade a milkstand that had a feed bowl on it.

For a handful or do of pellets every evening we would hand feed it, or let them eat out of the bucket, or off a bit of clean ground.   If everything is muddy, then yes a feedpan when feeding pellets would be needed, but you could bring feed pans out each time you bring out the pellets. 

Anyway, sizes sound good to me.


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## Wild Bug Ranch (Nov 3, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> I have never tried to tractor goats....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


grain feeder wise I was talking about a milk stand but didn't put that in lol


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## chanceosunshine (Nov 3, 2021)

Thank you. 

The two goat tractors would be to keep the sexes separate. I’m mostly just wondering about whether or not a 16x16 area is big enough for grazing two goats. 

I planned on food, water and minerals on one side  and it would allow them to get out of the weather and the other side would have a small milking stand. The side with the milking stand would be closed off when they weren’t being milked. 

This would be for three seasons out of the year. They’d have barn stalls in the winter. 

I want to avoid electric netting and I figure a tractor would be most convenient. 

I was also wondering just how far away a buck should be to keep it from tainting the milk.


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## Wild Bug Ranch (Nov 3, 2021)

chanceosunshine said:


> Thank you.
> 
> The two goat tractors would be to keep the sexes separate. I’m mostly just wondering about whether or not a 16x16 area is big enough for grazing two goats.
> 
> ...


He would have to be far away. Really far away. Maybe a half an acre away? You don't want him to be close to her or the doeling so when they go in heat he doesn't try and get to them.
@Alaskan  you agree?


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## Alaskan (Nov 3, 2021)

I have never had a buck....  

And all male kids we castrated at a month.

So....   as to milk taint.  I DO know that some bucks/breeds have WAY less smell than others.  A less smelly buck should be less of a problem. 

I would think milking the doe might be easier to milk someplace else.... just tossing that out there.

One lady I know took her goats,  one at a time, from the back yard pen, walked her around her house and into the garage.  Then there in her heated garage she had a perfectly clean milking station set up.

Just a thought.... you might want a comfy spot.

Then again I think @Latestarter would clip the does to the fence and milk them there.  

Me, I prefer comfy.  

We had a milking stand in the barn, that yes they could climb all over all day long.  At milking everyone was caught up and tied to the barn stall fence.  Then one at a time the milker was taken to the milk stand.  Yes, the stand wasn't clean.... but then I wasn't drinking milk from the stand....   the goat would get a brief brush of back, sides, and udder to clean off anything that might fall.  First 2 squirts on the ground, the rest in the perfectly clean pot.

And I think the space of the tractor will work.... but just guessing,  I haven't ever tried such a thing with goats.

And.... just in general goats need strong fences, and bucks need very strong fences.


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## Wild Bug Ranch (Nov 3, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> I have never had a buck....
> 
> And all male kids we castrated at a month.
> 
> ...


I second that bucks and goats need strong fences! 

I would keep your buck as far away from your does as you can. Half an acre away from them and have the does go one way and have the buck and the wether go the other way. 

I do agree with having your milking stand somewhere else, as Alaskan said above, somewhere comfy for you and the goat. 

The area 16x16 is possibly a good size, but if you see that it is too small for them, go to 20x20. But, I would start off with 16x16!


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## chanceosunshine (Nov 4, 2021)

Thank you both for the input. I guess because I plan for the shed portion to be 6' at the tallest point and I'm only 5'4", I figured I'd be able to stand in most of the enclosure and then I'd be sitting to milk. I'll try it out before I make it a permanent area. Thank you.

I will either use livestock panels or goat fencing on a 2x6 frame, so it should be nice and strong.


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## chanceosunshine (Nov 4, 2021)

If you can imagine the fenced portion to be much like the first picture and the pen portion being similar to the second picture, but taller with a floor and doors, this is what I have in mind.


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## BellaM (Sep 10, 2022)

Wild Bug Ranch said:


> He would have to be far away. Really far away. Maybe a half an acre away? You don't want him to be close to her or the doeling so when they go in heat he doesn't try and get to them.
> @Alaskan  you agree?


Rams get crazy when does are in heat. We have Nigerian dwarf goats - so, not big goats. The fence around our ram's enclosure is six feet high and angles in so that he can't jump over. And we learnt that the hard way! And make sure there's absolutely nothing he can climb on to jump over the fence. 
Distance doesn't seem to make a difference - he can tell when a doe is in heat no matter where she is on our 3ha property. So just make sure your fences are sturdy enough to hold him ...


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## Wild Bug Ranch (Sep 21, 2022)

BellaM said:


> Rams get crazy when does are in heat. We have Nigerian dwarf goats - so, not big goats. The fence around our ram's enclosure is six feet high and angles in so that he can't jump over. And we learnt that the hard way! And make sure there's absolutely nothing he can climb on to jump over the fence.
> Distance doesn't seem to make a difference - he can tell when a doe is in heat no matter where she is on our 3ha property. So just make sure your fences are sturdy enough to hold him ...


i’ve never had a problem with the bucks i’ve had with keeping them 1/2 acre to 3 acres away from my does. they didn’t seem to care much as they were farther away and couldn’t get to the does. it’s also easier to keep them farther away since they will gain their weight. if you put them close to the does they won’t eat since they will pace and then they will lose all their weight


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