# First time goat owner, have lots of questions



## backyardchickenfarmer (Feb 16, 2010)

Howdy everyone! well, ive raised lots of birds from quail, to pigeons, to doves, chickens, ducks ect.. and I would like to add 2 dwarf nigerian doe goats to ,my flock lol. but this will be my first time owning goats and im full of questions. 

First, would a 24' by 12' wide pen with a 8' wide,5' deep structure be good for 2 goats?

Second, what should i feed them? i have a fairly small backyard so pastures and that stuff is out of the question.

Third, do they do well in cold wheather? i live in NJ and the winters can get pretty cold

Fourth, how often should i De-worm them? And what is a good brand of De-wormer?

Any other advise would be gladly appreciated!

woops, i didnt even realise put this in the sheep section, MODS, could you please move this to goats? sorry about that!


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## savingdogs (Feb 16, 2010)

That sounds a little small but you won't have them in the enclosure all the time, will you? 

As far as food, we feed various hay free choice to our penned goats. The females get a little goat grain. They should be offered minerals appropriate for your area and baking soda (ask at your feed store for these things). Plenty of fresh water. 

They also like lots of other things to browse so it depends on what you have around. It would be good to talk to a local goat person about that. Around here there is plenty for them to eat all spring/summer/fall and we only supplement with hay. Winter it is almost straight hay. Goats like lots of undesireable plants and tend to leave the grass.

Ours do fine in cold weather. You can let the bedding pile up (they throw alot of hay on the ground) and the composting keeps them warm. Just rake it out if it gets too wet. Their feet have to get dried out and not stay too wet. Their hooves also need periodic trimming. Make sure they have shelter from the cold and the rain, they hate the rain. They grow a thick coat for winter.

I can't help you on the name of a wormer, your feed store has all that stuff, perhaps someone can suggest a good brand. To some extent it depends on what and how many worms your goats have. 

Lots of good information on here, lots of ways to feed and handle goats. This is just what I learned from the folks who sold us ours.


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## backyardchickenfarmer (Feb 16, 2010)

thanks for the reply! well, the goats would have the 24 foot long, 12 foot wide "run" with an attached enclosed 8x5 house for them to get out of the elements.  i still have alot of time to think about ti and gather info so ill keep browsing on here and local farmers and such


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## freemotion (Feb 16, 2010)

Lots of great articles on www.fiascofarm.com that will keep you busy for many hours!

Are you zoned for goats?  You will want to find out before getting them.  It would be heartbreaking to find out that you have to get rid of them fast if a neighbor doesn't want them nearby and you are not zoned.

I would only get itty-bitty goats for that size pen, and not breed them.  It is a bit small, but it'll do, especially if you put something safe in there for them to climb on....but not to launch themselves over the fence from!

You can bring leafy branches to them if you can get some.  Just know your plants well.  Confined goats especially will eat stuff that is poisonous.  Many garden plants are poisonous, and in NJ yew is common and very toxic, as are rhododendrons and azaleas and lilacs.  Roses, blackberries and raspberry leaves, birch, most (but not all) maples, poplar, aspen, and many others are fine.  There is a good list on the above site.


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