Getting pet goats (wethers) in April and need some help with details

[nbelval]

Our three nigerian dwarf boys will be arriving in mid-April! I'm getting very excited and can't wait to have them here.
I just was hoping someone could double check what I'm planning on feeding them and how I plan to store the food and the feeding containers I'm using and give my pointers if anything seems off.
I've been researching a bunch and I realize everyone has their own preferred method of feeding and mine may not be what you would do, but I just want to make sure that there is no health risks in the way/manner of feeding.

HAY
For food the majority of the diet will be forage and good quality hay fed free choice from a hay bag (not the netting kind). Would one bag be enough for three goats or should I have two or one for each goat?
I can either have a high shelf built to hold a few bales of hay up close to the ceiling in the goat shed or I can store bales in my garage. I will only be able to store 3-4 bales at a time with either method.

FEED
Will be offering a 1/2 cup or less of 50/50 Noble Goat 16% and Alfalfa pellets per goat during the summer as a treat and will increase as/if needed in winter since there will be a lack of browse for them. This will be fed in an individual bowl so no one gets too much.
Storing the grains in metal trash cans with lids and keeping it in a wooden box that the goats will be able to climb/sleep on. The top will be hinged and will be lifted up to access the grain containers. Do I need to latch the lid so there is no possible way for them to get in?

MINERAL/SUPPLEMENTS
Will be offering Manna Pro Goat Mineral free choice with added A/C. Should I add AC to the water instead? Should I do both?

Baking soda...still very confused on what to do there. Some swear by it others say it can contribute to crystals in castrated males. Offer free choice or if digestive upset has occurred or not to bother with it at all?

FLOORING
Currently the floor of the goat shed is old pressure treated lumber from our old deck. It is only a few years old and in great shape. My concern is that there are obvious gaps between the boards (1/4" or so). My husband says this is fine and that the cracks will fill in with manure, bedding, hay etc. I worry that it will be hard to clean and maybe too cold/drafty especially for 8 week old babies even with bedding placed down. Should I get a rubber stall mat? I'm thinking it would make cleaning easier and be a better surface for them as well. Is this an unnecessary expense?

I think that is it for now, thanks for any input you have!

Nicole

 

[Mamaboid]

Hay - it is a good idea, anytime you have more than one goat to have at least two feeding stations. Some days goats that get along fine most of the time just cannot stand each other and the dominant one will not let the other eat. It just saves a lot of hassle to have two.

A 'high' shelf in an area that goats are in is an invitation for your goats to try and climb to it, and they will try. I would keep it separate if at all possible.

Feed - yup latch that lid. There are a million ways and things to feed your goats, use what works best for you and yours.

Baking soda - do not offer free choice. It is salty and if you do this the goats will not eat their regular minerals because they love the salt. Baking soda should be used as a medicinal supplement only. (My opinion, and we all know what opinions are like)

Floor - your floor will be fine, you DH is correct. The hay and bedding will fill it in. All our floors are wooden, and we use a snow shovel to scrape the floors. We tried mats and found them to be a lot more trouble than help. (again, an opinion)

Good luck with your boys and don't forget to show us pics as soon as you get them.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Like was already said, having two places to feed hay is a good idea, and if you can have a solid structure instead of a feeding bag, that would be better.

YES latch the lids and maybe even store them outside of the goat's enclosure. I know of goats that can and have figured out how to unlatch gates and if they were to knock the can down and get it open, you would have some sick (or worse) goats on your hands.

No free choice baking soda. Good minerals and so long as you balance out their calcium to phosphorus intake, the AC is not needed all the time. Have it on hand and if you want to top dress their feed once a month, that would be fine but with the ammonium chloride, be careful. Too much is dangerous and it doesn't taste good so they might not drink their water with it mixed in, which can lead to dehydration and such.

I like dirt floors best. Use what you have though and if it doesn't work for you, you can always take it out and do something else then. Make sure it isn't slippery for your own safety and the goats.

 

[nbelval]

Thank you Mamaboid & Pearce Pastures!

My hubby will be thrilled that he was right (it doesn't happen very often !
The goat shed is raised off the ground about a foot and a half with a ramp leading into the shed. So dirt floor is not possible.

Good to know on the baking soda, I was skeptical about that myself and was leaning towards not and this confirmed it. Will not offer free choice and I always have it on hand anyways so I'm good there.

I will latch the box that will hold the grain containers and the containers themselves will also be latched, sealed, wrapped, bungied or whatever works as well.

I will do the once monthly application of AC and see how that goes.

The only reason I was thinking of going with a hay bag is that most designs for a solid hay rack I've seen look like a lot of hay gets wasted/pulled out and that also they are used as climbing toys by some goats and can get stuck or injured in them. As a kid we had pygmy goats and the male always climbed in the pallet made hay rack and also dirtied the hay up that was. My Dad removed it and just tossed a flake over the fence three times a day. I'm sure that was not their preference and also probably a great way for them to get exposed to more parasites, but they ate it!

One more question on the high shelf, Mamaboid you said they would try to get on it. It's going to be 6 feet off the floor and the top of the hay bale will be just shy of the ceiling. Would nigerians be able or inclined to try at that height? If yes then I'll definitely store it elsewhere. Don't want to risk it.

Thanks again for your help I really appreciate it. I will of course be posting pics of our little men when we get them. Yeah for goats!

Nicole

 

[Mamaboid]

One more question on the high shelf, Mamaboid you said they would try to get on it. It's going to be 6 feet off the floor and the top of the hay bale will be just shy of the ceiling. Would nigerians be able or inclined to try at that height? If yes then I'll definitely store it elsewhere. Don't want to risk it.

My only question would be 'who is gonna be hauling those bails down from above their heads?' Hay is heavy. If there is no way for them to climb, it would probably be safe for the goats, but if there is ANY way they can get up there, they will.

 

[nbelval]

My strong tall hubby of course! LOL

I think I'll store it in the garage just to be safe and it will be one less thing my hubby has to build into the shed. THANKS!

 

[Mamaboid]

My strong tall hubby of course! LOL

I think I'll store it in the garage just to be safe and it will be one less thing my hubby has to build into the shed. THANKS!

Those tall strong ones do come in handy, don't they. I have one of those too. He cracks me up. He is a carpenter by trade, so when I ask him to build me a chicken coop for 'a few chickens', he builds the Taj Mahal of all chicken coops. He is now working on ' a little duck house'. At last measurement, it was 8 feet by 12 feet and 7 feet high. So we don't bump our heads, ya know.

 

[lovinglife]

HA HA I have a tall strong husband also, he likes to build me things but he forgets how short I am, usually everything is too tall for me. My rabbit cages, I can't reach the back because they are too high, the pictures in our house are eye level, but only if your 6'7, benches in my green house, yep also pretty darn tall... oh well, it is great to have a tall strong husband....

 

[nbelval]

My husband gets all upset if there is a teeny tiny mistake that no one can see, he knows it's there though and it frustrates him. I tell him it's just going to get pooped or chewed on but that doesn't seem to help! I am grateful for my tall strong hubby! Glad to see that there are more like him.