# Cost of owning goats



## moonstone5879 (Mar 20, 2013)

Hello, my name is Kory. I'm a newbie here 
I have become quite interested in owning a couple Nigerian Dwarfs (hoping to find a first freshener and doeling). My main reasons are I have always found goats amazing, and seem to have this connection with them that I don't with dogs and wanted them as pets, and more recently have wanted to get involved with making goat milk bath and body products. I have been doing a bit of research and I guess I just really want to know how much it will cost me to care for a pair. Thanks!


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## OneFineAcre (Mar 20, 2013)

I remember when I just had a pair 

I can't remember how much two cost to feed though.  I'm reminded every month how much it costs to feed 20 goats.


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## SkyWarrior (Mar 21, 2013)

I had two goats--once.    

Feeding?  Hmmm, probably a bale of hay every week to two weeks.  Depending on what you get, that'll cost $5 to $10.  Goat feed?  Maybe a bag a month?  $15 to $30?  I feed sweet feed with 14% protein, so that's about $13.99 for a 50 lb bag.  Goat minerals and salt -- maybe $10-$20 bag?  That'll last fairly long.

Regular care items like hoof trimmers -- about $20.  You'll need a stanchion to care for and milk your does -- build one and you'll spend maybe $50.  Vaccinations, dewormers and other health items?  Maybe $50 or so total.  Other things like disbudders, castrators, and OB products will cost more.  Milk pails, strainers, etc, can be pricey.    Check out Caprine Supply, Hoeggers or Valley Vet under Goat stuff.


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## Egg_Newton (Mar 21, 2013)

I think what they are trying to say is perhaps you should think about a budget for more than 2 goats.  I had also originally stated out only wanting 2 does. And now I'm up to six and it's been less than a year since I started.


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## ragdollcatlady (Mar 21, 2013)

I had 2 goats once....

I went through 2 to 2 1/2 bales of alfalfa hay (right now $15 a bale) a month and one bag of goat feed ($21 right now) lasted me several months since I was only giving them about 1/2 to 1 cup a day (for both). I had 2 Nigerians, on dry doe and one wether. Sweetlix minerals (average $23), one bag lasted 6 months or more. 

I believe I averaged $35 to 60 a month depending on the month, whether the bales of hay were cheaper or lasted longer, whether I had to purchase the minerals or goat grain that month, occasionally you need antibiotics or dewormers, needles and syringes, vaccines.....


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## moonstone5879 (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks guys I appreciate it! Trying to find a simple cost list by google is harder than I had thought lol!


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## Goatherd (Mar 21, 2013)

> Trying to find a simple cost list


Twenty people can have two goats and twenty people will pay different amounts of money to keep those goats.  Sure there are basic needs, but as has already been mentioned, what you choose to provide for them or even need to provide will vary greatly.
Some people live in areas where pasture is abundant more months out of the year and others where there is only a few months of green.  Others don't even have pasture and need to hay and feed 365.  
If you need to use hay, those prices vary incredibly depending upon location and weather factors (drought, floods, etc).

Processed goat feed costs are not comparable as they differ depending where you live.

If they require veterinary care, those costs can be mild to extreme, if you're luck enough to even find a vet that deals in large animals and livestock.

You mention wanting to make soaps and lotions so you will have to breed your goats in order to have kids and MILK which is going to be the foundation of your products.  These kids will cost you additional money and if you decide not to sell them, you will have that added cost.  Once your does dry up, you will have to re-breed them in order to get milk again.

Now that you have your milk you will need the supplies to make the products. You'll also need to find a market for your products and that can be difficult.  Also, there's only a certain amount of profit you'll be making when you factor in your costs.

Long story short...two goats will probably cost you more than you think.  Good luck!


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## GriffinRidgeFarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Only two?!? I started a year ago this month with 2 does...  now I have 12


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## Mamaboid (Mar 21, 2013)

I started this time with 2 goats in July of 2011.  That is what, a year and 3/4 ago?  We now have 19.  Of course three sets of twins in the last month and half has helped to raise that in a heck of a hurry.  As for cost, it can vary so much based on hay prices, weather, breeds, and feeding practices that the only thing you can be sure of is that it will cost more than you plan, hope, or budget for.  It is like the doe code, it just will happen.


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## babsbag (Mar 21, 2013)

4 years ago I had 3 goats, I now have 21, not counting the kids on the ground. 7 kids right now with 5 more does to kid before May  

I don't feed any grain unless they are on the milkstand. I feed alfalfa hay and it cost me about 180.00 a year to feed one standard size goat. We pay 14.00 for a 100-110 lb bale of hay and 10 bales lasts me 2 weeks, but that will go up as I start feeding all these kids. I used to spend a bunch on bagged grain but decided that good alfalfa and occaisionally some wheat hay was all they needed. They look better than they did when feeding a bunch of concentrates. They do get free choice mineral and browse when they can find it.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Mar 21, 2013)

*When I first started I was keeping a spreadsheet of everything I spent. Gave that up though. I started with six full size Nubians, now I have 11. I also keep a spread sheet of payments from my co-op. I've had goats a year now and we are reaching about $10,000. That's including the cost of the goats.*


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## Catahoula (Mar 21, 2013)

I started with two boers and I added two Alpines. Their feed cost is equivalent to feeding four large dogs so far. The Boers are 13 months old and Aplines almost 12 months old. They are not full grown yet and the feeding cost will go up. I just don't know how much yet.
Not everyone is as crazy as some of us here...and you know who you are...  Some people don't have the space for more goats. Depending on where you live, the price of hay, grains, mineral vary. My hay cost $17/bale, 50# grains cost $20 and 50# minerals cost $37. It is expensive in my area to keep goats. That's why I can't get more. Your NDs would not eat as much and your hay/grain/mineral price may be less also.


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## SkyWarrior (Mar 21, 2013)

See, I got my first two does (Belle and Heidi) more than a year ago.  That changed with Annie and Oreo.  And then we got Lisa and Lulu. And Delila.  That doesn't count the goats that were sold or went to freezer camp.  Oh and the kids.  We have 9 now.  

So yeah, two goats are probably not going to stay two goats.


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## moonstone5879 (Mar 23, 2013)

Wow guys I am so glad I found BYH I was already on BYC and never seen anything about BYH.... Thanks for all the input! I only have limited space so I wouldn't be able to keep any kids. And ND are the breed I'm gonna stick with. I really want them as pets but decided I could justify having them if I made money from their milk/products. Even if I break even with meeting their needs and no profit. I'm getting so excited I can't wait!


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## alsea1 (Mar 23, 2013)

I find that the feed and mineral cost is nothing compared to the cost of putting up fencing and shelters and repairing them frequently. I think as soon as I'm out of sight they have these little meetings and discuss how they are going to dismantle what I have built. 

Also the cost of medicating when nec. and when your in over your head the call to the vet. Now there is the real cost of owning and keeping any animal.


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## moonstone5879 (Mar 23, 2013)

I know that's the truth! I breed Devon Rex cats (was breeding Sphynx the hairless ones) and I had to have a c-section on one of my queen's besides I am such a worry wart, I am at the vet at the minimum every 3 months! My vet originally was specializing in poultry and she breeds horses so she is familiar with farm animals, I think she gives me a discount because I'm always there, I absolutely love her!  I am single and don't have any human children so my animals are my children I don't know how a parent can not take their child to the doctor when they are sick I just fall apart!!!


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## Oakroot (Mar 23, 2013)

I had one goat in Nov. I now have 5 and should have two more kids on the ground by the end of April. **Just to share **


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## woodsie (Mar 23, 2013)

WoW! I can't believe how much you guys have to spend for hay!!! We spend at MAX $7 / bale and that is for top quality alfalfa hay with little to no waste, I get the 5' round bales for $40 a bale up the road and that feeds 4 yearling goats, 7 sheep and a couple kids for 2-3 weeks at least! Its nice to fine ONE thing cheaper in Canada. I think this means I am justified in getting some more goats! 

Now the fencing that's a different story....costing us a fortune fencing a couple more acres. 

I would research what the prices for hay are in your own area as there is obviously a big difference in prices from region to region....we have to spend much more for straw than top quality hay but in the prairies it is nearly free as they grow tens of thousands of acres of wheat there.

Best of luck, especially at keeping only 2 goats!


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## OneFineAcre (Mar 23, 2013)

woodsie said:
			
		

> WoW! I can't believe how much you guys have to spend for hay!!! We spend at MAX $7 / bale and that is for top quality alfalfa hay with little to no waste, I get the 5' round bales for $40 a bale up the road and that feeds 4 yearling goats, 7 sheep and a couple kids for 2-3 weeks at least! Its nice to fine ONE thing cheaper in Canada. I think this means I am justified in getting some more goats!
> 
> Now the fencing that's a different story....costing us a fortune fencing a couple more acres.
> 
> ...


I think a lot of folks are buying from feed supply places and not from farms direct.  We get round bales of Bermuda for $25-35 depending.  I can get round bales of peanut hay in the fall for $20.

I have 20, including the bucks and 7 kids who range in age 7-5 months.  I go through 2 round bales a month, and mine are dry lot I don't have any pasture.

Now, alfalfa is another matter.  Doesn't grow around here.  Square bale of that costs $15 minimum.  That's why mine eat Bermuda.


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## babsbag (Mar 23, 2013)

OneFineAcre said:
			
		

> woodsie said:
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I feed alfalfa 95% of the time, and almost no browse. I usually pay 14.00 for 100-110 lb bale and if I go to a feed store it can be as high as 19.00. Grass hay is the same price, maybe more. If I can come up the money to buy 5 tons at a time, and a place to store it, I can get it for about 12.00.  

If I had known 4 years ago that I was going to be raising goats I would have been looking for land on irrigated pasture instead of living on the top of hill :/


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## SkyWarrior (Mar 24, 2013)

It's the dang drought.  I've resorted to cow hay for the goats.   :/  Yeah, we still have to buy more.


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## Oakroot (Mar 24, 2013)

Good grass was 9 for a 50 lb bale here this fall. Anything at around 7 was horrible. My guy gave me a bale of the 7$ stuff for free with my order the goats would not even eat it. Ended up using it for bedding. That was straight from the farm not a store. 

We are going over to hydrofodder this year should cut our hay bill in half.


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## Catahoula (Mar 24, 2013)

babsbag said:
			
		

> OneFineAcre said:
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True, If I look hard enough, I can find alfalfa hay at about $12 a small bale. If I beg my breeder, she would sell me some grains at cost to her. I feed my goats Chaffhaye and that's $13.25 for a 50# bag. We don't have room for those big round bales...or even the 3x3x4 ones. Even so, our hay and grain price are a bit higher than most areas. It seem the farther West you go, the more expansive they get. I was told a few years back hay price was at about half the price it is now too.


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## SkyWarrior (Mar 24, 2013)

A lot has to do with the drought last year.  Montana ended up shipping all our hay to drought areas.  It's starting to get better, methinks.


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## OneFineAcre (Mar 24, 2013)

And N.C. had an abundance of rain last summer when many areas were experiencing drought.

5 ft round bales approximately 900 lbs of Bermuda or fescue for $25-$35


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 24, 2013)

SkyWarrior said:
			
		

> A lot has to do with the drought last year.  Montana ended up shipping all our hay to drought areas.  It's starting to get better, methinks.


Same here. We did have a long dry spell in northern Michigan, but it wouldn't have been so bad if ranchers from Oklahoma and Texas weren't driving up here to get hay. They were driving from farm to farm in semi-trucks, filling them, and driving back south and west. At one point hay was up to $12 a bale for first cutting, but it has dropped since then.

Since abundant rainfall and good soil are staples of Michigan, it was rare for hay to get much about $5 a bale before that. It was $2-4 a bale for decades.


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## Jewls819 (Mar 24, 2013)

OneFineAcre said:
			
		

> I remember when I just had a pair
> 
> I can't remember how much two cost to feed though.  I'm reminded every month how much it costs to feed 20 goats.


Haha...I had two goats 4 weeks ago and now they turned into 4..lol.


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## Jewls819 (Mar 24, 2013)

Goatherd said:
			
		

> > Trying to find a simple cost list
> 
> 
> Twenty people can have two goats and twenty people will pay different amounts of money to keep those goats.  Sure there are basic needs, but as has already been mentioned, what you choose to provide for them or even need to provide will vary greatly.
> ...


I can vouch for the price of suppies for soap and it goes up every year!  As a matter of fact dang olive oil just went up..ugh.  I have been making soap for over 3 years and selling it for about a 1 1/2. I get my milk from a local farmer here.  I am starting with goats so I can have my own milk but that is a ways down the road plus my freezer is loaded..lol.  I really got the goats because I have always wanted them.  I justified getting the goats because of soap if that makes sense..haha.


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## Jewls819 (Mar 24, 2013)

alsea1 said:
			
		

> I find that the feed and mineral cost is nothing compared to the cost of putting up fencing and shelters and repairing them frequently. I think as soon as I'm out of sight they have these little meetings and discuss how they are going to dismantle what I have built.
> 
> Also the cost of medicating when nec. and when your in over your head the call to the vet. Now there is the real cost of owning and keeping any animal.


I am feeling the cost of fencing right now..lol.  My old horse fencing is not going to work for my goats plus we have a rather large field to update the fencing on.  So far the feed and meds ect have been just fine but eww that fence I am buying is a boat load of money.  I could have almost had my soap and candle workshop built..lol.


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## littlelambx3 (Mar 25, 2013)

I started off with about 4 goats. It was not that expensive at all. Then I got more goats. Some sheep. Some horses. And have 3 dogs.

THAT, is more money than just a few goats.


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## moonstone5879 (Mar 26, 2013)

I can totally see myself wanting more animals after I get a pair of ND but luckily I don't have the space or money for any more than that. As it is I am gonna have some extra costs for food, vet visits, milk replacer (in case of emergencies), and other kittening supplies in the next few months I am just crossing my fingers that her pregnancy and labor and delivery go wonderfully without any complications and that she doesn't have any issues nursing either!!!


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## KinderKorner (Mar 26, 2013)

It's about $250 a goat here a year. I think.  

That for testing, hay, grain, shots, wormer.

Any vet bills is on top of that. So it might be $0 or it might be $500.

Not too bad with 2 goats...

But like others have said. 

I remember when I just had one goat.... 

Now It's over 30. I've lost cost. And I'm always increasing. 

Honestly though. My goats have 2+ babies on average. At $200+ each baby, You can make nearly double profit on each goat. With no milking or anything.

Although something always happens, it seems. They don't get bred, or they get sick, or whatever. So just be aware it won't always work out like it does on paper. But it's a good thought.

Overall I think my goats make a profit each year.

But if you count in the high cost of fencing, and supplies. Maybe I haven't broke even yet. I don't really keep track anymore.

My hay here is $4 a bale around 50lbs . Which is feel is high. I just bought some Alfalfa for $6 a bale and about peed myself. I remember hay at $2 a bale just a few years ago. The drought has struck even the midwest hay country.


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## Vannahrain (May 15, 2013)

SkyWarrior said:
			
		

> I had two goats--once.
> 
> Feeding?  Hmmm, probably a bale of hay every week to two weeks.  Depending on what you get, that'll cost $5 to $10.  Goat feed?  Maybe a bag a month?  $15 to $30?  I feed sweet feed with 14% protein, so that's about $13.99 for a 50 lb bag.  Goat minerals and salt -- maybe $10-$20 bag?  That'll last fairly long.
> 
> Regular care items like hoof trimmers -- about $20.  You'll need a stanchion to care for and milk your does -- build one and you'll spend maybe $50.  Vaccinations, dewormers and other health items?  Maybe $50 or so total.  Other things like disbudders, castrators, and OB products will cost more.  Milk pails, strainers, etc, can be pricey.    Check out Caprine Supply, Hoeggers or Valley Vet under Goat stuff.


I found your response very helpful because I too am trying to figure out what the monthly costs will be to raise 2 Nigerian dwarf does for milk! I do have one question, however. When you say about $50 or so total for vaccinations, dewormers, and other health items, do you mean $50/month? Also, I am new to goats and am wondering what vaccinations/dewormers are necessary for NDs or just goats in general. We don't have any pasture and are hoping to be able to keep them with our chickens in a large yard. Will those factors make any difference in what we need to give them?
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer!


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## SheepGirl (May 15, 2013)

Vannahrain said:
			
		

> SkyWarrior said:
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For vaccinations/dewormers/other health items, it would probably be $50 per year, if that. You can buy a 25-dose bottle of CD/T (the smallest size) for about $7 or $8 and you can buy a pack of 100 needles and syringes for about $20. That would last you foreverrrr. And because you are going to be dry lotting them essentially, they shouldn't have any worm issues so you shouldn't need to buy dewormers for them at all. Except for maybe one dose for each goat of each class of dewormer so you don't bring any worms onto your property (see about getting this from your vet so you don't have to spend $60-$70 per bottle and then pen your goats up in a small pen for a month or two for quarantine before exposing them and their germs to your clean/untouched yard).


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## BlondeSquirrel04 (May 16, 2013)

And don't forget emergencies...

I had a goat kid lose an eye to the tune of $1,200.

If you want goats just to have goats, then go for it. But if you want them to start a bath and body business, the market is already over saturated BIG TIME.


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