Just got my goats

[mossyStone]

Greetings

We just got 3 goats Sunday, they are 4 yrs old, I have noticed they are not eating well, is this just because of the new home?
They have a large pen and shelter free choice of good hay fresh water .Shade and ground cover to pick thur.
They have gone into the shelter and tossed hay around

All they do is stand by the gate, i am so worried about them.
I am trying not to bother them to much.....

Thanks for any advice,

 

[Roll farms]

Are they friendly? Maybe they miss human interaction. My goats love to see me and I visit w/ them daily. (If they're wild-ish, that's probably not the issue.)
Did they get grain where they were? If so, are you offering the same kind?
If they left her mates, they may be looking for them, as well.
Keep an eye on them for signs of the poops from stress (new home, diet, routine, etc.), ProBios generally is enough to clear it up if it's not bacterial.
You don't have to chase them down and bother them but the more time you spend around them, the sooner they'll bond to you and settle in.

 

[freemotion]

It is still very early. Imagine if you were scooped up and transported far from home and fed strange-tasting food.....even hay from a different field has a different taste, so they need some time to get used to it.

If it helps, I just got in some hay from a different source....much nicer hay than I had, mind you....and everyone turned their fuzzy little noses up at it. A few days later, they are yelling at me for more, more, more!

So try not to worry, yet, anyways. Give them a few more days, and only worry if their poo is not pellets.

 

[mossyStone]

They are friendly, they dont run and hide They were not getting grain only hay. I bought some Black oil sunflower and a bag of carrots for them for treats. so when i go see them i always have a goddies for them.
I spend part of my morning with them, their pen is next to my chicken run so i am out there alot. We took all three because they where raised together so they left no one behind.

I have been reading a ton of information on goats. One thing i'd like to ask is Alfalfa not good for them? Some things i have read said it is ok others say no, These are not milk goats
They are Pygoras i got them for fiber.

Thank you,

 

[ksalvagno]

You probably won't want to feed your goats the alfalfa hay. The protein in the alfalfa will make their fiber more course. At least it does for alpacas.

 

[helmstead]

You probably won't want to feed your goats the alfalfa hay. The protein in the alfalfa will make their fiber more course. At least it does for alpacas.

Not true in goats alfalfa is great feed for goats. If they're not being bred, they shouldn't need much else besides loose minerals.

Pics?

 

[zgoatlady]

So our your goats wethers or does? If they are wethers than you dont want to feed them alfalfa its bad for them.
They just need a good quality orchard grass, and no grain.
It will just take them time to get use to a new home. You also what to have free choice minerals for goats not the kind for goat and sheep. And also have baking soda free choice..

 

[norcal]

Wethers can't get alfalfa? Crud!!! I just bought a bale and have been feeding it for the last week. Is it a urinary tract issue (whatever they call it in goats)?

Man almighty.....too many DO's & DON'T's

 

[Chirpy]

You are correct that people don't generally feed their wethers alfalfa because of the higher possibility of UC. Just a good grass hay will suffice. Giving grain to a wether is also a potential cause of UC in wethers so I suggest just using it as a treat from time to time. Some people use AC for their wethers and feed any and everything with no issues. I haven't had a wether long enough to have personal experience with that but others here have and will hopefully chime in.

 

[Goatfarmer]

We are new to goats also. One thing that we have learned is that goats are very curious/nosy. They like to see whats goin on. One thing that has worked for us is taking a treat (apple/oat flavored horse cookies broke in half) and just hold it out and just wait for them to come to you. Then once they see that you are the one that feeds them and you give them treats, they will love you forever. Just give them a little time to settle in and im sure they will be fine, about 2 or 3 weeks.