Cost of owning goats

[SkyWarrior]

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

 

[Oakroot]

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.

 

[Catahoula]

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!

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.

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 :/

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.

 

[SkyWarrior]

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.

 

[OneFineAcre]

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

 

[michickenwrangler]

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.

 

[Jewls819]

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.

 

[Jewls819]

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!

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.

 

[Jewls819]

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.

 

[littlelambx3]

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.