Getting in to Goats

[aklabrecque]

Hi My name is Kari, I live on about one acre's here in Eagle River, Alaska, My husband and I are almost ready for our goats, we are looking at getting Nubain's for milk and maybe some how? a Boer buck, to cross with the Nubian for meat. I am wondering what a good number of goats is to keep and how much I am looking at to feed, we will get snow around the end of October and it will last till the end of April. I have never had a goat and dont know how much they eat a day, Most breeders I have talked to have a hard time telling me as they have a huge herd. Any help would be great.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

to the herd!

Sorry, I can't help you with goats but, I wanted to welcome you.

 

[beefy]

beats me i just got goats too. i have plenty of weeds most of the year. i like the boer x nubian idea you have too.

 

[Goatfarmer]

It all depends. Most people you talk to say not to feed your bucks or wethers grain at all. Then some people say to grain the bucks when they are in rut. We feed grain to all of our goats, 2 does, a wether and a buck. We only feed in the evenings when we put the goats up in the barn, they usually get about a cup of 12% sweet feed. All of our goats are healthy. We keep a roll of hay in the pin we keep them in when were not there, they have a blast playing and jumping on that roll of hay and they eat of it what they want. They have free choice goat protein pail, billy block, salt block, beet pulp, and or BOSS (Black Oil Suflower Seed) and we also give them baking soda every now and then.On occasion we will give them a small amount of whole oats in their group feeder in the pin, kind of a treat. When we are there, they have free range of our small 16 acre farm, they get whatever weeds grass and brush they wana eat. So I guess our advice is it just depends who you talk to. Just listen to what everyone tells you and try different things and see what works best for you.