New to Goats need advice

[countrygirl911]

hi we are thinking og getting my daughter a goat my question can we just have the one goat also what do they eat and how much room do they need if anyone could please give advice on raising goats i would greatly appreciate it. my big question is can we just have one goat and it be ok and what do we need to feed him or herthe goat would be a pet for my daughter and used for her therapy and one would be great but we do not want it to get sick. is it possiable to just have the one the only time it would be alone is at night during the day it would have me my husband and all three kids there to play and take care of it when the kids got to school he or she would be with me at all times unless i have to go grocery shopping. any help would begreatly appreciated

 

[20kidsonhill]

I would say, Yes, you can have one if you don't mind that one goat demanding your constant attention. Sense they are herd animals they will attach to you 100% if they don't have a friend to be with. I would suggest two goats.

what kind of space do you have for them??

What do you need the goat to do with/for your daughter?? A friend? companion?

they need constant hay or pasture, depending the time of year and they may need grain depending on where they are on their growth development/

They love loose goat minerals and it is very good for them.

You are keeping the goat in the house??? they can not be house broken, like a dog or even a pig, they poop wherever and whenever the mood stricks?

 

[Mama2B&D&nowgoatstoo]

i'm new to raising as well but for the main question-just to have one goat? its not recommended...not something i would do either b/c they are "herd" animals but we've been pricing things out and its not a huge difference having 1 goat or 2? We've just had our 1st two boys born and our breeder also does not even sell if she knows your only going to have one or dont have anymore at home...Of course you feed them hay and a small amount of grain a day with some mineral but especially if you get two smaller like pygmy or Nigerian dwarfs, rather than a larger breed...its not a huge cost difference...i hope! Were just trying to get our grasp too! GL!

 

[countrygirl911]

I would say, Yes, you can have one if you don't mind that one goat demanding your constant attention. Sense they are herd animals they will attach to you 100% if they don't have a friend to be with. I would suggest two goats.

what kind of space do you have for them??

What do you need the goat to do with/for your daughter?? A friend? companion?

they need constant hay or pasture, depending the time of year and they may need grain depending on where they are on their growth development/

They love loose goat minerals and it is very good for them.

You are keeping the goat in the house??? they can not be house broken, like a dog or even a pig, they poop wherever and whenever the mood stricks?

as for my daughter she was diagnosed with autisum and we were told that a goat could help her open up and be more social over time expecially if she is spending alot of time with them holding feeding combing etc. we live on about 4 acres of land and i was wondering how much room will they actually need for sleeping once older they would be out in the yard grazing. what is loose goat minerals

 

[elevan]

A single goat will heavily imprint on you and will want to be with you ALL the time. We took one in from a friend who couldn't keep him anymore and had to rehome him soon after. He would jump the fence to be with us...ignore the other goats...he just didn't know or understand that he was a goat. If you plan to keep him forever and don't mind this sort of attachment I suppose you could keep just one but I would recommend at least 2.

When choosing a goat as therapy for your daughter be very picky with personality. You want a goat who adores people not one who could care less if you pet it or not. Pygmies are notorious affection seekers and I love mine. I have one who will seek you out for attention or just want to stand next to you. If your mood is low she seems to somehow sense it and come for a visit...that type of personality would be great for what you're looking for imo.

Loose goat mineral are just a granulated goat mineral that contains various minerals that are needed for a goat to thrive. I use Manna Pro Goat Minerals here...I just pick it up at Tractor Supply (farm store).

 

[countrygirl911]

A single goat will heavily imprint on you and will want to be with you ALL the time. We took one in from a friend who couldn't keep him anymore and had to rehome him soon after. He would jump the fence to be with us...ignore the other goats...he just didn't know or understand that he was a goat. If you plan to keep him forever and don't mind this sort of attachment I suppose you could keep just one but I would recommend at least 2.

When choosing a goat as therapy for your daughter be very picky with personality. You want a goat who adores people not one who could care less if you pet it or not. Pygmies are notorious affection seekers and I love mine. I have one who will seek you out for attention or just want to stand next to you. If your mood is low she seems to somehow sense it and come for a visit...that type of personality would be great for what you're looking for imo.

Loose goat mineral are just a granulated goat mineral that contains various minerals that are needed for a goat to thrive. I use Manna Pro Goat Minerals here...I just pick it up at Tractor Supply (farm store).

hi ty i have found 2 one is a pygmy and the other it part pygmy and nigerian dwarf they do not have paper not that i know of they are 10 weeks old one is being weined from bottle the other was raised with them mom they are selling them for 50 dollars each should i be suspicious about why they are selling them at a low price. also how big are they usually at 10 weeks old.

 

[elevan]

A single goat will heavily imprint on you and will want to be with you ALL the time. We took one in from a friend who couldn't keep him anymore and had to rehome him soon after. He would jump the fence to be with us...ignore the other goats...he just didn't know or understand that he was a goat. If you plan to keep him forever and don't mind this sort of attachment I suppose you could keep just one but I would recommend at least 2.

When choosing a goat as therapy for your daughter be very picky with personality. You want a goat who adores people not one who could care less if you pet it or not. Pygmies are notorious affection seekers and I love mine. I have one who will seek you out for attention or just want to stand next to you. If your mood is low she seems to somehow sense it and come for a visit...that type of personality would be great for what you're looking for imo.

Loose goat mineral are just a granulated goat mineral that contains various minerals that are needed for a goat to thrive. I use Manna Pro Goat Minerals here...I just pick it up at Tractor Supply (farm store).

hi ty i have found 2 one is a pygmy and the other it part pygmy and nigerian dwarf they do not have paper not that i know of they are 10 weeks old one is being weined from bottle the other was raised with them mom they are selling them for 50 dollars each should i be suspicious about why they are selling them at a low price. also how big are they usually at 10 weeks old.

Depending on where you live...an unregistered pygmy at $50 is a fair price. I wouldn't be suspicious unless a similar unregistered goat in your area is typically much higher. Around here $50-$125 is fair for unregistered dwarf breeds depending on gender / age.

At 10 weeks of age they are gonna be between 10-20 pounds...depending on how many kids were in their litter.

The bottle baby is likely to be the most people friendly unless the dam raised one was well socialized during their first 2 weeks of life.

 

[countrygirl911]

A single goat will heavily imprint on you and will want to be with you ALL the time. We took one in from a friend who couldn't keep him anymore and had to rehome him soon after. He would jump the fence to be with us...ignore the other goats...he just didn't know or understand that he was a goat. If you plan to keep him forever and don't mind this sort of attachment I suppose you could keep just one but I would recommend at least 2.

When choosing a goat as therapy for your daughter be very picky with personality. You want a goat who adores people not one who could care less if you pet it or not. Pygmies are notorious affection seekers and I love mine. I have one who will seek you out for attention or just want to stand next to you. If your mood is low she seems to somehow sense it and come for a visit...that type of personality would be great for what you're looking for imo.

Loose goat mineral are just a granulated goat mineral that contains various minerals that are needed for a goat to thrive. I use Manna Pro Goat Minerals here...I just pick it up at Tractor Supply (farm store).

hi ty i have found 2 one is a pygmy and the other it part pygmy and nigerian dwarf they do not have paper not that i know of they are 10 weeks old one is being weined from bottle the other was raised with them mom they are selling them for 50 dollars each should i be suspicious about why they are selling them at a low price. also how big are they usually at 10 weeks old.

Depending on where you live...an unregistered pygmy at $50 is a fair price. I wouldn't be suspicious unless a similar unregistered goat in your area is typically much higher. Around here $50-$125 is fair for unregistered dwarf breeds depending on gender / age.

At 10 weeks of age they are gonna be between 10-20 pounds...depending on how many kids were in their litter.

The bottle baby is likely to be the most people friendly unless the dam raised one was well socialized during their first 2 weeks of life.

so they would be a nice size and hard for a 9 year old to hold a lady has a nigerian dwarf 4 weeks old for 100 with papers and disbudded i hope i spelled that right but that is the only one she has nobody around us really have any small babies they are older i do not mind it being attached to us and want to be with us all the time its just i do not want it crying when we are gone the whole time which i only leave the house unless i have to we do have dogs outside and chickens lots of chickens would the dogs and chickens keep him company

 

[kstaven]

Have you considered a wether for a pet? No hormone issues to deal with and they do better as a single than the typical doe.

 

[countrygirl911]

Have you considered a wether for a pet? No hormone issues to deal with and they do better as a single than the typical doe.

a wether is a castrated male right can a vet do it after they are purchased and at what age