Interested in getting a goat (or two)!

[roohound]

Obviously goat and mini horses are different creatures, but it seems like a lot of their needs are the same - vaccinations, hoof trimmings, wormings, etc. I have a farrier for the mini - no way do I trust doing her hooves myself. Does anyone do their own goat hoof trimming or do you rely on a farrier for that too? I think I prefer to rely on the farrier lol

I guess that's another reason to get a bottle baby - the more they're used to being handled and loved on, the easier such unpleasant tasks can be

I do have a question about feeding wethers. I've seen some sources say they can get by on just hay and don't need goat chow. And then I see some people say feed alfalfa hay and others say avoid it because it can cause calculi.

Also, we have a 6 foot chain link fence which was professionally put in - this works perfectly for the mini - would it work well for the goats?

 

[Roll farms]

Does the fence have a bottom rail?

If not, goats will go under it. Our pasture fence is 5' chain link, it was put up for llamas....the goats went right under the bottom b/c it's so flexible anywhere there's a low spot.

Goat hoof trims take 5 minutes 4-6 times a year w/ a pair of trimmers that look like rose pruners.

You possibly deworm your horses according to a schedule given by a vet. Goats can't be dewormed the same way...They should be dewormed only as needed, and w/ the right dewormer.

I've never kept a wether long-term...but our bucks get grass hay and a goat pellet when they're in rut, no grain...by that I mean chunks of real corn or oats.

The thing to remember is to balance the Ca ratio to prevent stone formation. Ideal is 2:1. Alfalfa is high in Calcium, low in Phosphorus.

Wethers, like most gelded critters, tend toward the chunky as adults, from what I've seen. Fat is bad.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

welcome!
*you definitely want to buy in pairs even if you are putting them in with other animals (unless it's a nice size goat herd)
*bottle babies are babies that need to be bottle fed. this could mean the kid was a triplet and taken from its mom to keep mom from so much stress and as a better chance of survival for the third kid. or it could be that the people want to prevent undue stress on the udder and as a rule take kids from the mom. or they could be orphaned kids, etc.
*breed is a matter of personal choice and what you can get in your area. or if you want to/can afford to buy from far away then you can pretty much buy any breed.
*you need to decide what the goats purpose will be though before you can decide breed. if you want to milk then you need a dairy breed: saanen, ober, togg, alpine, nubian, etc. if you want them for meat you need a meat breed: boer, kioko, spanish, etc.
*your best bet for newbies is bottle baby wethers, polled or dehorned. if they are just for pets or if you want to train to pack or harness. wethers usually stay very loving but can get strong like a buck... without the smell.
*in goat talk a "gelding" is called a wether. we usually do this at about 2 months age (this is when the bucklings start getting frisky usually)
*bestfarmbuys.com is a good website. you can search by location or what you are looking for. you can also post free ads once you know what you are looking for.
*i'm in ohio and most goats by me are $50-$150 range with a few showy's in the $200+ range.
*if you are going to a farm to look ask to see the best of the herd. then compare those to the ones they are selling. and i recammend you look around alot before buying. get to know whats good and whats not...

i'm typing my fingers down to nubs... you're probly like
hope i helped!
ps: if you wanna talk about packing or harness message me!