# Goat Starter List



## BetterHensandGardens (Aug 3, 2010)

As we were preparing to get goats, one of my biggest questions was what I should have on hand.  This was the list I used to prepare for Tinkerbell and Honey (some of these are obvious I know).   Ive seen others ask the same question on Backyard Herds, so I thought Id share:
Basics
	Shelter  they need protection from predators and inclement weather
	Fencing  it needs to keep them in and predators out (remember they are escape artists!)
	Bedding Material  pine shavings seem to be a good option here
	Collars  easy to clip on and off because you only want the collar on when using the leash
	Leashes  more than one if youre getting multiple goats
Feeding and Watering
	Food Dishes  one for each goat so you can monitor how much each is getting
	Hay  preferably the same type of hay they were eating at their previous home 
	Hanging Scale  to measure how much hay youre giving them
	Goat Food  again preferably what they were previously eating, at least to start
	Measuring Cup  to measure how much feed theyre getting
	Black Sunflower Seeds  added to the goat food to provide vitamin E
	Goat Mineral   Mana Pro minerals
	Salt 
	Baking Soda  to offer free choice
	Calf Mana  top dressing for goat food
	Goat Treats  to help get things moving in the right direction
	Watering Bucket  the Fortiflex brand seems indestructible
Beauty Supplies
	Hoof Trimmer
	Clippers with blades for face and body
	Grooming Brush
	Goat Weight Tape  to measure how much they weigh
Health Supplies
	Alcohol
	Cotton Swabs
	Goat Nutri-Drench
	Rectal Thermometer
	Pepto Bismal/Milk of Magnesia
	Vegetable Oil
	Baby Aspirin
	Phone Number of Recommended Goat Vet (that will visit farm)
Obviously everyone's list will be a little different, but did I miss anything that should be on hand day one???????????


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 4, 2010)

Just wanted to emphasize the # of a good goat vet part!  When I first started I was lucky enough to have a recommendation for a GREAT goat vet from a local breeder (thanks Kate!  ) who used him.  He has been invaluable for the few (thankfully) situations where advice but not visitation was needed.

Also, one thing that I'll always have on hand at kidding time is a enema bag.  We had a dystocia early this year and needed to do a uterine flush and this isn't something you'll find at Walgreens.  Trust me, I had to ask.    It might end up being something in the kit you'll never need but at least you don't have to scramble if it does become necessary and it certainly won't expire!


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## glenolam (Aug 4, 2010)

More Health Supplies that I have found are invaluable:

Probios
Vitamin B Complex
CD&T Vaccination
Pen G
Mineral Oil

I leave my goat's collars on 24/7; however, they are the kind that will snap if caught on something.


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## helmstead (Aug 4, 2010)

C&D antitoxin, sure as you don't have it, you'll need it.


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## jodief100 (Aug 4, 2010)

A good dewormer.  2 kinds is best.  You may need to experiement to see what works in your area and what doesn't.

Syringes
Drencher
Iodine
Scalpal
Surgical Scissors


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## Emmetts Dairy (Aug 4, 2010)

Molassess....I couldnt live without it!! "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down"  LOL...and yes a good Vet on call!!


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## lupinfarm (Aug 4, 2010)

Add VacuTubes (Vacutainers) to that list! For emergency blood-draws for tests


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## cmjust0 (Aug 4, 2010)

> Hanging Scale  to measure how much hay youre giving them


Hanging scales are nice, but hay is best given free choice, 24/7..  No need to weigh it.


> Measuring Cup  to measure how much feed theyre getting


Bagged feed _is_ best measured by weight, instead of volume..  I weighed a small coffee can full of our feed (1.2lbs), and can kinda guestimate from there.


> Black Sunflower Seeds  added to the goat food to provide vitamin E


BOSS is mostly good for fat, which helps improve body/coat condition, though it generally is also a good source of selenium..  Dunno about BOSS's vitamin e content..  Bear in mind also that when you add BOSS, you've essentially begun mixing your own feed because it can throw the balance of the ration off..  


> Salt


NEGATIVE...do not provide salt.  They get their "salt fix" from the mineral, so if you provide free choice salt, they'll likely ignore/under-utilize their mineral.  Make their mineral their only source of salt.


> Calf Mana  top dressing for goat food


AS NEEDED, and see the 'mixing your own feed' comment under BOSS...read your gauranteed analysis tags and be willing to do the math.


> Beauty Supplies
> Hoof Trimmer


This goes under "health supplies."  


> Health Supplies
> Alcohol
> Cotton Swabs
> Goat Nutri-Drench
> ...


As others have mentioned, you'll also need dewormers..  At a minimum, I'd keep Safe Guard and an ivermectin 1% injectable on hand.  

*Iodine, 7%...it's "restricted," so you'll probably have to call around.
*Needles, 18ga, 20ga, and 22ga in 3/4" to 1" lengths..
*Syringes..6ml luer locks are a good all-purpose around here..
*ProBios is handy..
*Activated charcoal is good to have, especially if you have milkweed, azalea, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and things like that which may pop up and go unnoticed by the herdsfolk from time to time.
*Tetanus anti-toxin, for punctures and other wounds favorable to the growth of anaerobic bacteria.
*C&D antitoxin is rarely needed, but critical to have and seemingly impossible to locate when you actually do NEED it.
*antibiotics...PenG is good, and probably some kind of oxytetracycline (BioMycin if you can get it, or LA200, Agrimycin, etc).  
*Scour-halt (which is just oral spectinomycin, an antibiotic) and/or oral neomycin...good for bacterial scours.
*DiMethox...good for coccidiosis; nearly impossible to find locally, anywhere.  Must-have if you start with kids or expect kids soon..
*Blood-stop powder....ya never know.  And, yes, I've actually used it.
*Electrolyte mix...essential when a goat has a super-watery scour.


I know there's other stuff, but when I think about my own cabinet I can't really imagine raising goats without most of the stuff in it..  At the same time, I KNOW my cabinet is a bit ridiculous..    That leads me to want to say things like "lactated ringer's solution and IV sets!" or "Dexamethasone!"...when the reality is that they're probably not going to be useful to a beginner anyway..

All the stuff I added, though...I'd recommend, even to folks just starting out.

That's me, though..


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## BetterHensandGardens (Aug 6, 2010)

Thanks for all the health supply suggestions and advice - I actually had a lot of questions about which health supplies I should have on hand for unexpected situations, and this helps.  

So, I'm on-line shopping for more supplies  Is Triodine 7% the same as 7% iodine?  And, since we have Dwarf Nigerians, do we really need 6 ml syringes, or would 3 ml be more appropriate.

Sorry, still have many questions


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## ksalvagno (Aug 6, 2010)

Actually, you need both 3cc and 6cc. Probably more 3cc than 6cc though.


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## BriteChicken (Aug 7, 2010)

This is very educational for a lurker beginner like me to get a list of everything needed so thanks for the info and keep it flowing!


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## cmjust0 (Aug 9, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Actually, you need both 3cc and 6cc. Probably more 3cc than 6cc though.


Not around here..  I keep teenie 1ml's and 6ml's..  My experience has been that goat-dosages of most things are high enough to warrant only keeping the 6ml's.

That's here, though...ymmv.  

(I rarely use the 1ml's, either, but I keep a few in case I have to do something reeeeeeeeeeeally precisely.  Like, giving 0.1ml of Rompun [which was already diluted to 10% strength] to a 40lb kid, as I had to do once.  That 0.1ml was enough to have him stumbling and drooling...another 0.1ml probably would have killed him.)


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## BetterHensandGardens (Aug 9, 2010)

Ok, I'm trying to work thru this list and both get these supplies and simultaneously figure out what I would do with them.  So, I'm get 3 ml and 6ml syringes; but on the activated charcoal, are we talking this kind of product (it's from the Jeffers site):

Activated Charcoal Gel with Electrolytes                    

(Kaeco) Contains activated hardwood charcoal, Attalugites and certain electrolytes to use as an emergency first aid treatment for accidental poisoning. For dogs and cats, give 1-3 ml per 1 lb of body weight. For sheep and goats, give 1-3 ml per 2.2 lbs of body weight. Adult cattle and horses, give 300 ml and repeat as needed. 
NOTE: This 300 mL tube requires an applicator gun (Item #PN-P3). :/


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## ksalvagno (Aug 9, 2010)

CM, I buy BOXES of 1cc, 3cc, 6cc, 12cc and 60cc and go through them all.


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## jodief100 (Aug 10, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> CM, I buy BOXES of 1cc, 3cc, 6cc, 12cc and 60cc and go through them all.


Same here. 100 count boxes from Jeffers.  Keep in mind my biggest goat is just south of 170 lbs.  

3cc handle the vaccines. I usually need 6cc for LA-200 or PenG and B-12.  I use the 12 occasionaly for B-12 and wormers.  

The 12cc or even 24cc I use for giving an injectable orally.  I attach a needle to the lure lock syringe, then remove the needle and drench the goat directly from the syringe.  Bigger is better for these so I get waaaaaaaaaay down the throat.

I even have little 0.3cc syringes for when I need something very precise.  Admittedly, the only reason I do is because they are insulin syringes for my cat.  I wouldn't buy them just for goats but they do come in handy on rare occasions.  

Syringes are cheap and don't go bad.  No reason not to stock a bunch of sizes.  You never know what your goat is going to get into.  I did multiple shots of the same stuff too many times before I got smart and just kept a bunch of sizes on hand.  

I think CM (who has goat pharmacy Walgreens would envy) can agree with me that it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.


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## jodief100 (Aug 10, 2010)

BetterHensandGardens said:
			
		

> Ok, I'm trying to work thru this list and both get these supplies and simultaneously figure out what I would do with them.  So, I'm get 3 ml and 6ml syringes; but on the activated charcoal, are we talking this kind of product (it's from the Jeffers site):
> 
> Activated Charcoal Gel with Electrolytes
> 
> ...


YES

It doesn't matter how well you plan, there is something you will need in a hurry at some point.  And there will be things you buy and NEVER use.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 10, 2010)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> ksalvagno said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I buy boxes, too..  I just started my 2nd box of 100 since our kids were born this year..

Thing is...the 6ml's are only $2 more/box than the 3mls.  Yeah, $2 is $2, but that's another big spot I gotta find in my already-cramped goat med cabinet.  I'd literally rather waste the $.02/syringe and give 2ml of vax in a 6ml syringe than have to maintain two seperate boxes.

So, that's my excuse on the 3ml's.  

As for 12ml+, I keep a few sterile ones handy just in case they're needed for some kind of an injection.  I never, ever use those for oral meds, though..  I have a drench syringe specifically for stuff like that and I've only VERY OCCASIONALLY had to give more than 6ml of an injectable to a single goat as an oral dose.  

Usually, big oral doses are oral formulations...Safe Guard, for instance.  Honest-to-goodness drench syringes are a thing of beauty for stuff like that.  



> I think CM (who has goat pharmacy Walgreens would envy) can agree with me that it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.


Yep...much better.  

But, for the record, I've never looked at a 6ml syringe and thought "DAMN YOU, SYRINGE!!  IF ONLY YOU WERE A 3ML!"..


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## cmjust0 (Aug 10, 2010)

BetterHensandGardens said:
			
		

> Activated Charcoal Gel with Electrolytes
> 
> (Kaeco) Contains activated hardwood charcoal, Attalugites and certain electrolytes to use as an emergency first aid treatment for accidental poisoning. For dogs and cats, give 1-3 ml per 1 lb of body weight. For sheep and goats, give 1-3 ml per 2.2 lbs of body weight. Adult cattle and horses, give 300 ml and repeat as needed.
> NOTE: This 300 mL tube requires an applicator gun (Item #PN-P3). :/


Yeppers...that'll work.

The stuff I got is from Jeffers, and it's called "universal animal antidote gel".  Says it contains "activated hardwood charcoal and thermally activated attapulgite clay in an aqueous gel suspension."

Same stuff, and same listed dosage, too.  

If ever I have to use it, the dosage I use isn't likely to be measured in MLs, though....more like wads, or perhaps gobs.


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## MysticScorpio82 (Aug 15, 2010)

I am SO thankful for this thread!!  I am going to be getting goats, and I have been researching for sometime, but to see a list of supplies from experienced goat people...   Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


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## elevan (Mar 8, 2011)

Just bumping this post up for some new goat owners.


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## Wild Wind Farm (Mar 9, 2011)

Great post, very helpful.  Thanks Lesa!


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## Queen Mum (Oct 27, 2011)

My vet gave me a bottle of Valium for one of my goats, Mama, (by the way she weighs 250 pounds) who was extremely stressed because a bear ate one of my other does.  (Mama was the queen and it happened on her watch.)  She needed 1/2 cc of Valium 3 times a day.   It worked wonders to get her to eat.   So those tiny dose syringes came in really handy!  

Then, just a week ago I had to give some to a sheep that wasn't eating and it came in handy again.  I'm not saying you should keep Valium on hand, but the small syringes can be useful.


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## cmjust0 (Oct 28, 2011)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> My vet gave me a bottle of Valium for one of my goats, Mama, (by the way she weighs 250 pounds) who was extremely stressed because a bear ate one of my other does.


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## Queen Mum (Oct 28, 2011)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

>


I love those smilies!


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## Fish sticks (Apr 21, 2016)

I'm not sure I truly understand what I'm getting into lol


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