# First time goat owner: Questions!



## Fethre (Aug 23, 2013)

So i'm very interested in getting a pair of goats.. Where do I start?
First of all, why I want goats. I simply want them as pets, and to eat all the grass/plants surrounding my home. What breed or breeds will work for this? Based on the research I have done, Pygmy goats & Nigerian Dwarfs seem the best suited for what i'm looking for. I want to raise them from babies as well! What do I get, wethers, females or bucks? 
Now for fencing, etc. How much space will they need? All my property is already fenced in with chain link fence (2 acres), but I don't want to let them roam all the time, I just need an enclosure to put them away at night or something they'd be comfortable in. What kind of fence can I use and how tall does it have to be? Personally, I don't want to use chain link fence/hog/cow panels if I don't have to. Do they need a barn type thing to sleep in? Preferably something budget friendly!
Food. What and how much will 2 goats need to eat? I read that wethers don't need to eat grains? What will food cost me monthly? I'm aware that they also need a mineral block made for goats specifically.
And lastly, anything else I need to know?


----------



## Rocco (Aug 24, 2013)

LOL...that's a lot of questions. I won't even attempt to give answers to all of them or I could be here all day.

But regarding what to get - wether, doe or buck. What is your ultimate goal? If you have no interest in breeding goats and just want to see what it is like owning a couple of goats as pets and groundskeepers, than you definitely DO NOT want an intact male goat. If someday you might want to breed them, get a couple of does or one doe and one wether. No interest in breeding, two wethers are a good answer.

All breeds will eat the "stuff" around your house. You need to decide what ultimate size of a goat you want. The bigger the goat, the more they will eat. Also, you need to be knowledgeable about what plants you have around your house and land and what plants are potentially poisonous to goats.

Contrary to popular opinion (of non goat owners), goats are very picky eaters.


----------



## SheepGirl (Aug 24, 2013)

Fethre said:
			
		

> So i'm very interested in getting a pair of goats.. Where do I start?
> First of all, why I want goats. I simply want them as pets, and to eat all the grass/plants surrounding my home. What breed or breeds will work for this? Based on the research I have done, Pygmy goats & Nigerian Dwarfs seem the best suited for what i'm looking for. I want to raise them from babies as well! What do I get, wethers, females or bucks?
> Now for fencing, etc. How much space will they need? All my property is already fenced in with chain link fence (2 acres), but I don't want to let them roam all the time, I just need an enclosure to put them away at night or something they'd be comfortable in. What kind of fence can I use and how tall does it have to be? Personally, I don't want to use chain link fence/hog/cow panels if I don't have to. Do they need a barn type thing to sleep in? Preferably something budget friendly!
> Food. What and how much will 2 goats need to eat? I read that wethers don't need to eat grains? What will food cost me monthly? I'm aware that they also need a mineral block made for goats specifically.
> And lastly, anything else I need to know?


Any breed will work as a pet. Never get an intact male animal as a pet...yes, they can be pets, but for newbies who don't understand body language just yet, keeping an intact male animal is not a good idea. If you think that you may just breed your goats (baby animals are so much fun...plus selling them helps cover feed costs of the parents), I would go with females. They will be more expensive than castrated males, but it may be worth it to you just on the off chance you want to breed. That way you don't buy two wethers and then buy a female...you already have the females and you will just have to worry about finding a buck for them.

As far as space, the general rule of thumb for sheep is 30 sq ft of space for adult animals in an outdoor lot plus 12 sq ft of space inside. This is for confinement, and food is brought to them rather than them going out to graze/find their own feed. I assume goats would have similar requirements. I've never fenced in goats so I don't have any advice as far as types of fencing...

And for shelter, I have this 4x4 building for my ram. It is only 16 sq ft but it fits him and two ram lambs when it's raining. They don't use it otherwise. Sometimes they will lay in there for shade during the day, but they usually like to lay on the outside of it. It was cheap to build, just two 4x8 pieces of plywood and six 2x4s. Plus screws. But if you were to get another piece of plywood and another 2x4 then the building could easily be 4x8, doubling the space.






And for feeding, depends on how much they weigh. Goats require 3% of their body weight in DM daily for maintenance. A 100 lb goat will require 3 lbs of dry matter. Most hay is about 90% DM, so to meet the needs, a 100 lb goat will need to be fed 3-1/3 lbs of hay per day (100 lbs x 3% = 3 lbs / 90% DM = 3.33 lbs). Two 100 lb goats will need 6-2/3 lbs of hay per day. This does not account for waste. Figure about 10% for waste, the hay they pull out of their feeder and stomp on and won't eat. So 6.67 x 110% = 7.33 lbs. So for two goats you will need to put out 7-1/3 lbs of hay per day to make sure they get what they need. Personally I can buy hay for $0.0625/lb ($25 for a 400 lb round bale), so for me I can feed two 100 lb goats for about $0.46/day. However, your hay may be priced at $0.125/lb ($5 for a 40 lb square bale), making the cost per day of feeding $0.92/day. This is the price for hay only. Your goats will also need mineral (preferably loose, not block) to make sure they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need. If your goats are growing, breeding, pregnant, or lactating, they will need more hay, or even grain. The cheapest goats for you to buy and maintain would be two adult wether goats of a smaller breed.


----------



## Moonshine (Aug 24, 2013)

I just want to touch on the grass part and inform you that your goats are not going to be lawnmowers! They love brush and lower limbs but they don't tend to eat the grass to much.


----------



## Southern by choice (Aug 24, 2013)

I would recommend visiting *SEVERAL* goat farms of all different breeds. This gives you a much better feel for the kind of goat, different management practices, smells, sounds etc.  You will find you have alot more questions by visiting and seeing.

We give lots of farm visits to those that are thinking about goats and hoping to get more info.  Because we have 3 different kinds of goats it helps people to see how different they are and their needs are different too. 
Not all farms are going to take the time because they have a farm LOL but I am sure you can find a few that could take a little time and show you around.

I will say I love all our goats... but large goats are hard on the land and EAT... and I mean EAT! Our Nigerians are the easiest on the land and eat far less. Personality wise they are wonderful! But in all honesty all our goats are pretty sweet. The 250 lb New Zealand buck is a big baby doll ( he is intact) not any different than our little dwarfs. But I can pick up my dwarfs. LOL


----------



## Catahoula (Aug 24, 2013)

Grass will probably be the last thing they eat but they will eat grass...eventually when there is nothing better to eat. If the grass is too long with long stems, they may pass that though.

As for shelter, depending on weather and predators in your area, you may need a better shelter than 3 sided structure. I have bears and mountain lions so I have to lock them up at night.

Buying a wether (castrated male goat) is cheaper than a doe (female). If you don't think you will ever breed, then wethers will work very well. They are great pets.

It is a good idea to have a smaller fenced in area for them. We have 2 acres fenced in but also a 50 feet round pen with a shelter for my animals. They get to roam around but sometimes it is necessary to keep them in the pen when we work on the property. We use woven wire fence for the animals. 

Pygmy and Dwarf shouldn't cost too much to feed. They are small...and especially if they can eat off your property. 

Loose minerals are better for goats. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## SuperChemicalGirl (Aug 25, 2013)

I'll add some info as well. Do not buy goats on a whim. Visit with farms and LISTEN. I got nubians not realizing that their screams were baseline noise level. Some are bigger screamers than others within breed. 

As far as fencing, I have full sized goats and a 4 foot panel style fence works well for us. 






We've since added on to it (it's movable, too). The top bar helps the goats not escape - they can't bend the fence down and climb over. 

You will need some kind of shelter for them, depending on what your weather is like. They will need to get out of the rain and snow. Here we have blustery cold for months on end - I have an 8x8 barn with a door that closes for when it is really cold. I also have a 3 sided shelter that they like to use when it rains. 











They eat about a pound of grain each, daily. Plus a lot of hay. 

They also like to browse - and will eat preferentially things at their head height and higher. They do not mow the lawn.


----------



## SheepGirl (Aug 25, 2013)

Also if you want a critter to eat grass, go for sheep


----------



## Catahoula (Aug 25, 2013)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> Also if you want a critter to eat grass, go for sheep


Or couple alpacas! They are wonderful and very clean. Easy to clean up after cause they make poop/pee piles.


----------



## Fethre (Aug 25, 2013)

Thank you all for the information! And it is fine if they don't eat all the grass, I decided I really want them just as pets. I got 150ft of 5ft welded wire fencing, and t-posts, so i'll be building a decent sized pen for them, as for shelter, I have a large shed they can have for now.
As it turns out, i'll be visiting a farm nearby that is willing to give me 2 free goats, they're Nigerian Dwarfs, mother and son. She said they are up-to-date on shots, have been dewormed, and CAE tested. Anyways, they are free because apparently the mother has bad genetics, something about a third nipple, so she is not breeding material. And the mother is aloof, but will come for treats, so they'll both need to be worked on.. She did say I could just take the son if i'm not up for the mother, he is 4 months old and he has to be wethered, sadly he is not debudded.

Should I take both? Just the son? None?

And I know i'll need to get another goat if I get the son alone, I had a breeder contact me saying she has Alpine goat kids, does and wethers, she can sell to me for $50 each. I was thinking of getting a doe. Can Alpines be kept with Nigerian Dwarfs?


----------



## Fethre (Aug 25, 2013)

I can't post pictures because i'm new, but I uploaded one of the mother and son, can be found on my page. I'll upload one of the Alpines later!


----------



## SuperChemicalGirl (Aug 26, 2013)

I, personally, wouldn't get pets with horns. And you would need to have him castrated ASAP. 

If it were me, I'd go meet the mom and see if I wanted her. If she acts really bad, I would probably pass on her, too. You don't want unfriendly goats.


----------



## Catahoula (Aug 26, 2013)

SuperChemicalGirl said:
			
		

> I, personally, wouldn't get pets with horns. And you would need to have him castrated ASAP.
> 
> If it were me, I'd go meet the mom and see if I wanted her. If she acts really bad, I would probably pass on her, too. You don't want unfriendly goats.


Alpines are a lot bigger than Nigerian Dwarf. They could probably live together but I would think about keeping either horned or hornless herd. I know some people keep both but personally I wouldn't. Horned goats are more destructive because they use their horns on the fencing and they can pull and break the fence...or worst, get stuck in the fence. Spacing between fencing has to be small enough so the horned goat's head doesn't go through or he may get stuck. 
Take you time, build your fencing first. There are lots of goats available...if you wait till spring again, there will be plenty more to pick from. You can visit all the farms and see what breed appeals to you. Don't rush.


----------



## Moonshine (Aug 27, 2013)

Catahoula said:
			
		

> Take you time, There are lots of goats available...if you wait till spring again, there will be plenty more to pick from. You can visit all the farms and see what breed appeals to you. Don't rush.


I love this advise!! It is so true on many accounts! You can do all the research you want but it's just not the same as visiting a goat in person. Nothing I read said my goats would be loud belly achers! When I went to pick up the goats they weren't loud or even vocal, maybe because they were still nursing and were the low man on the totem pole in their heard. I have 3 different goats from 3 different places all around the same age and its prolly because their spoiled but they are very vocal especially the bottle baby! Which I don't mind but someone else wanting goats might and might be turned off by that. It's like anything else that you read and then do hands on, it's just never quite the same as you pictured it when you read it. And by the time spring comes you'll be ready for babies!!!


----------



## jodief100 (Aug 27, 2013)

I find you can keep just about any goats together as long as they have enough space and none are too aggressive.  If you don't mind the horns, go for the mother an son.  See how they are living and what they are eating.  Make sure you can accommodate that, you don't want to make any big changes in their management.  Be aware horns can get caught in fencing.  If the welded wire is 6 x 6 holes, you will be unsticking goats a lot.  If it is 4 x 4 you will be fine once hey are bigger.  If it is the graduated with 12" verticals, that should work as well.


----------

