# Decided not to get goats!



## Jackson62 (Jul 11, 2011)

I have been researching on this forum for about a month and wanted to have 2 wethers as pets. However after all the health concerns and problems associated with owning a goat I think I will fore go this adventure.  Thank you all for all the insightful information and making me realize this is a very complicated pet.


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## MissEllie (Jul 11, 2011)

I am so sorry to hear that.  I have had goats for 2 years and have had very few problems.  I think on here you hear the people looking for help, but not the day to day, every thing is Okay, kind of stories.  My goats make me laugh everyday!


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## Jackson62 (Jul 11, 2011)

MissEllie said:
			
		

> I am so sorry to hear that.  I have had goats for 2 years and have had very few problems.  I think on here you hear the people looking for help, but not the day to day, every thing is Okay, kind of stories.  My goats make me laugh everyday!


Is there a forum with success stories?  I think I have a very nice property for 2 pet goats with alot of browse and room to roam but not sure about the health issues. It seems like they could cost a fortune!


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## Hillsvale (Jul 11, 2011)

dogs and cats can cost a fortune.... as the other poster mentioned we all come here for help more so than success stories. I lost a twin buckling a couple of weeks ago, heart breaking as with any animal but I can tell you with all heart that once you have a goat (especially a wether) you will never look back...... you haven't lived until a 40 pound goat crawls into your lap to taste your ponytail, kleenex, shoes (or whatever) and just nuzzle you... this from a woman who has a full grown border collie who crawls into Simons lap for the evening and in a really disturing moment on occassion, tries to suck his thumb.... yes, a thumb sucking border collie!

Get the goats.......... you so won't be sorry!


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## Roll farms (Jul 11, 2011)

As long as you get your goats from a good breeder, feed them the right diet, vaccinate them annually, and keep up on hoof trims, etc.  you will probably never have an issue.
You see a lot of health scares here, but I keep around 35 goats and while we have problems on occasion, good maintenance nips most issues in the bud.

I've had nearly every type of livestock there is and goats are the best...


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## AlaskanShepherdess (Jul 11, 2011)

I definitely agree with the above posters. The vast majority of posts here are folks panicking because something has happened and want advice, or want to share their grief with others who will understand. I have owned goats for a year now and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it. I bought ill goats to begin with so I have lost 3 in that year, but I knew there was a chance of that since I knew I was buying goats that needed some TLC. But now because of my experience and what I have learned from the wonderful folks on this forum I was recently given more goats in much worse condition then my original goats and I feel confident that I can get them back to health without losing any. Just learn a few basics, like what to feed and not feed wethers, since there is a few diet concerns you should be aware of.  Have the breeder you buy the from show you how to trim their hooves and ask them any questions you have and your set. It sounds like a bit complicated deal here online, but when it comes down to the day to day nitty and gritty caring for goats is very little output for what you receive.


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## elevan (Jul 11, 2011)

IMO  Goats are easy...cows are hard!

I agree with everyone else.  A lot of what you see is about panicked owners looking for help.  But there have been some good and funny tales told on this forum too.


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## freemotion (Jul 11, 2011)

I worked professionally with horses for many years and I have to tell you.....goats are EASY!!!  Yep, many who post here are looking for help.  This forum has helped to save the lives of many hundreds, probably thousands, of goats.  My cats and dogs have had far more health problems than my goats, but it is to this forum that I run when I have a question or issue.

I have saved the lives of my goats with the help of members of this forum primarily with my own two hands or with a few household ingredients that I had on hand.

Learn how to care for them properly and understand that most of the "common knowledge" about goats is false....primarily that goats can survive by eating anything/everything.  That is what usually does them in....so just learn what is safe and what is not safe and your goats will be fine.

Goats are my favorite animal, livestock that are pets, too.  I loves my goats! 

BTW, I do NOT read the "Help!" threads when my pregnant goats are due to deliver or when the babies are young.  I read them later to learn so I will recognize problems while they are still easily solvable.


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## redtailgal (Jul 11, 2011)

.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Jul 12, 2011)

I agree, you should get the goats. If you have the space, the fencing, and the time goats can be the funnest most cost effective(cheap  ) animals you will ever own. They are a riot, and though there is a lot to learn in the beginning they are cinch to care for properly. Pasture that would make most horse or cow owners flinch is like heaven to a goat, the only big cost my goats have ever milked from me was the fencing. Once you have that out of the way its all up hill. I tell you, there is nothing more adorable than a little goat kid romping about in the pasture.  and when all goes well(which it usually does) you have critter that you will never regret getting IMHO


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## ohiofarmgirl (Jul 12, 2011)

Jackson62 said:
			
		

> MissEllie said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


gosh I feel bad that you were scared off from goats. 

i have 3 grown milkers and one doeling out there. for me they are cheap - they have totally paid for themselves a couple of times. our biggest expense was the fencing and we are glad we have it for all our critters - not just the goaties. 

and we havent had a lot of problems. the few minor things were easy to deal with - i had to learn about treating a vitamin deficiency (instant success) and a minor skin problem... nothing else has happened. we had 2 sets of triplets this spring without incident. 

i dont consider mine "pets" - they are livestock to me... but i sure like Nibbles my mini-mancha. if they weren't easy keepers we wouldn't have them. around here everybody has to work and everybody has to produce. the goats are the best producers out there and feed our barnyard - and us. 

the best thing about this forum is that you can get help in a crisis - many of us dont have a vet that is available/willing/able to treat goats. this might be why you see so many health problems.... and probably because posts like "there's my goats. standing there in the field" are probably boring. but hey - we probably should start doing more of that! actually its a great idea and a welcome reminder that we should celebrate our successes.  

for the record - there's my goats! happy. standing there. looking good and milking like they mean it. yay girls!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Jul 12, 2011)

The first time I read "Goat Medicine" I was convinced they'd all die any minute.  They didn't.

Keep in mind that people typically post when they have a question/issue but don't usually post just to say "everything's great, no issues here!"  Although like any animal they're going to get sick/injured from time to time (and you'll need to be prepared for the inevitable vet bill), overall our herd has been very healthy and we've had few issues.  Good nutrition, parasite management, and vaccination are the key.  And like Roll said, keep those feet trimmed.  You're not seeing the whole picture when you read web forums, because it's where people go for advice to solve a problem.


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## willowbreezefarm (Jul 12, 2011)

Goats are so amazing! I have owned goats since 2009 and I have not had any problems. Just read what you can as far as info goes and you put together a health plan that suits you and your goats. I wouldn't let all the sad stories ruin it for you. Goats are fun creatures and you can work around there issues. Really if you get a female there really isnt any issues with them. But honestly I sold off ALL my horses just to have goats. Because they are easier to manage and care for and less expensive to feed!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jul 12, 2011)

I'll second what everyone else has said.  People don't post when nothing happens.    Wethers are about the easiest to take care of.  Feed them hay, give them water, and trim their feet and they're good to go. Throw in a vaccine once a year and you're golden.  Most of the problems come from breeding, which you won't have to worry about with wethers.  

I will say if you just want animals to stick out in your yard and never mess with, don't get goats. They're usually very personable and like attention.  I like goats, but I personally prefer sheep.    It really is personal preference though.  Perhaps you could visit with someone who owns goats and see what you think of them?


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## M.R. Lops (Jul 12, 2011)

Jackson62 said:
			
		

> I have been researching on this forum for about a month and wanted to have 2 wethers as pets. However after all the health concerns and problems associated with owning a goat I think I will fore go this adventure.  Thank you all for all the insightful information and making me realize this is a very complicated pet.


I would reconsider.  Goats are awesome pets and companions.  We have a small goat herd kept along with our 3 horses and Great Pyrenees.  We don't have very many health problems with them.  There was one year where we had a bad year and coccidiosis got into our herd.  We lost a lot of goats that year mainly because we didn't know what they had until it was too late.  But, normally you won't have very many health issues.  You just mainly want to watch out for foot root, which they get when its really muddy, but that's pretty simple to fix if they do get it.  If you're only going to have a couple goats then you shouldn't have too many problems.  I think you should reconsider and get the goats.


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## ksalvagno (Jul 12, 2011)

Any animal is going to have health problems if not properly cared for. Just a matter of researching what the nutritional needs of an animal is. It also makes a big difference if you have a couple of wethers or if you are a breeder with a large herd.  Naturally, the more animals you have, the more problems you see. Also the longer you have owned animals, the more problems you see. Doesn't necessarily mean that you see lots of problems, just see things over the years. Like others have mentioned, you are going to ask about problems and not report that your animals are happy and fat.

If you want to keep an area cleared and it is mainly browse, then goats would be the better choice. If you have mainly grass, then you might want to consider sheep.


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## savingdogs (Jul 12, 2011)

Looks like everyone is trying to talk you into goats. I'll jump on that bandwagon, usually Freemotion leads this charge. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ..................

I'll just tell you what my experience has been....I did not really want goats, my husband did. I looked them up on here and thought it sounded too complicated. However, we found some goats we fell in love with at the fair, and the rest is history.

Now I'm the one who loves the goats the most. Even if they did not provide milk, I would want them in my life as pets, they are extremely amusing and personable individual creatures, not without their quirks and foibles, but overall a wonderful experience. While there is some expense involved, I can vouch for the fact that poor people CAN afford goats especially with the wise use of the advice from places like right here and the sister site, Sufficient Self. Milking, making cheese, yogurt and ice cream at home has been a fun new hobby and has reduced our food bill while boosting the quality of our meals. It is hard work sometimes but we also benefit in other ways, such as fertilizer for our garden, reduction of brush and showing our children where exactly there food comes from; how to turn mostly grass and browse into milk and cheese and soap.

It has not been too complicated, especially when you have the internet to turn to for researching the different issues that come up. Milking a goat and making cheese are not hard, they are as old as time practically.  I know I have avoided a lot of problems by knowing what works well because I got advice from goat people from all across the country and came up with a local option that I could afford. It has really been a great learning experience for us. We are starting our third year of owning goats and my old friends now think I'm some sort of goat expert....me?   Course I'm not but the goats teach you along the way and if you have a place to ask questions, you learn as you go. 

If you get goats, we'll help you....promise.......


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## Pearce Pastures (Jul 12, 2011)

I agree-I've had chickens, rats, lizards, dogs, cats, fish but goats are by far my favorite pet and they are not hard to care for.  The initial purchase price could end up being your biggest expense depending on what you buy but the other start up/ maintenance costs aren't much.  

I'd guess we initially had put out around $150 for water buckets (2 regular and 1 heated), a feed trough, hoof shears, collars, hay and feed, a few garbage cans for feed, and a round of coccida treatment but we also could have probably spent less than we did.  Now, I would guess they run us (food, meds, and occasional vet visit) around $15-25 per month to care for.

They do need you to spend time with them but once you have them, you will be out with them when ever you can-love my goaties!


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## 1ryan231 (Jul 14, 2011)

Dude, you should get the goats.

We have goats. We didn't to a penny's worth of research, and ours get along fine.

They are funny. You can get some good laughs from them, more than dogs or cats because of their strange customs.... like one of my goats rubs her face on my butt when I walk up. And our little kid goat, named Meh rears up at the dogs and trots around on 2 legs before falling.
Oh, and I made a Facebook page for Meh The Goat, too. It's fun, and if you get goats, you should too!

So, i definitely think you should get goats. Dogs and cats need to be house trained, but goats don't.

But when u get goats make sure they are bottle raised, then you will be able to pet them and junk.

check out my youtube channel which is The1ryan231 for some funny goat videos that could show you the happiness goats bring!


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