Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
How much water does goat go through a day?
Mine go through about a gallon a day, and more when they are lactating. I put out three 5 gallon buckets daily, and then if one bucket DARES to get a piece of hay in it and therefore making it poison in the goat's opinion, they still have other options for drinking.
How much grain is the maximum before bloting?
Grain and pelleted feed are really not absolutely needed, pregnant or not. In my practice, I do not change the feeding routine much at all for the pregnant does because too many extra calories can add weight to the dam and kids that complicate delivery.
Here, kids that are under a year get about 2 measuring cups full of Noble goat feed per day. Lactating does also get about that amount plus what they eat while I milk and as much pelleted alfalfa as they want.
For the most part males do not get anything other than hay. During this harsh winter, I did put them on a small ration of feed to help them maintain condition but cut it off as soon as the snow had melted.
How much pellet feed would be needed a day if not using hay?
Can pellet feed and hay be used together or would it be best to feed on different days?
Again here, all they can eat hay every single day and you will have to make the decision on whether or not you use feed/grain. Whatever you do decide, keeping a goat's diet consistent is important. If you are going to give feed, do it daily.
Side note too---don't use a sweetened feed.
Minerals and other expenses
1) VETTING: Find a vet before you get goats. Ask them how much they charge for farm visits, how much and IF they will let you bring goats to them for exams, how much they charge for fecal exams, how much they charge for vaccinations, and how much they charge for emergency calls.
You should run fecal tests a few times per year at the least because parasite management is incredibly important. Treating goats will just a random medication, often called rotation deworming, is a very bad practice that effects everyone due to the parasite resistance. It also effects your pocket book and your goats since just if you are not treating the correct parasite, the cost of the medication was lost without any benefit.
2) Vaccinations: If you want to avoid the cost of a vet, you can learn to do these yourself. Once or twice yearly, you will want to at least vaccinate with CD&T, an inexpensive preventative for a few horrible way for an animal to die.
3) Equipment: Start up items like hoof trimmers, feeders, buckets, strong fencing can add up. As you get more into the care of the goats, you will likely develop quite a collection of care items and may need a place to store them as well.
4) Yes, you should provide your goats with minerals constantly if you want to keep them in good health (which will save money in the long run). We use mineral blocks and loose minerals. Just be sure that if you get blocks, select ones made for goats (they are soft and are have the levels of copper you really need for them to be healthy).
Mine go through about a gallon a day, and more when they are lactating. I put out three 5 gallon buckets daily, and then if one bucket DARES to get a piece of hay in it and therefore making it poison in the goat's opinion, they still have other options for drinking.
How much grain is the maximum before bloting?
Grain and pelleted feed are really not absolutely needed, pregnant or not. In my practice, I do not change the feeding routine much at all for the pregnant does because too many extra calories can add weight to the dam and kids that complicate delivery.
Here, kids that are under a year get about 2 measuring cups full of Noble goat feed per day. Lactating does also get about that amount plus what they eat while I milk and as much pelleted alfalfa as they want.
For the most part males do not get anything other than hay. During this harsh winter, I did put them on a small ration of feed to help them maintain condition but cut it off as soon as the snow had melted.
How much pellet feed would be needed a day if not using hay?
Can pellet feed and hay be used together or would it be best to feed on different days?
Again here, all they can eat hay every single day and you will have to make the decision on whether or not you use feed/grain. Whatever you do decide, keeping a goat's diet consistent is important. If you are going to give feed, do it daily.
Side note too---don't use a sweetened feed.
Minerals and other expenses
1) VETTING: Find a vet before you get goats. Ask them how much they charge for farm visits, how much and IF they will let you bring goats to them for exams, how much they charge for fecal exams, how much they charge for vaccinations, and how much they charge for emergency calls.
You should run fecal tests a few times per year at the least because parasite management is incredibly important. Treating goats will just a random medication, often called rotation deworming, is a very bad practice that effects everyone due to the parasite resistance. It also effects your pocket book and your goats since just if you are not treating the correct parasite, the cost of the medication was lost without any benefit.
2) Vaccinations: If you want to avoid the cost of a vet, you can learn to do these yourself. Once or twice yearly, you will want to at least vaccinate with CD&T, an inexpensive preventative for a few horrible way for an animal to die.
3) Equipment: Start up items like hoof trimmers, feeders, buckets, strong fencing can add up. As you get more into the care of the goats, you will likely develop quite a collection of care items and may need a place to store them as well.
4) Yes, you should provide your goats with minerals constantly if you want to keep them in good health (which will save money in the long run). We use mineral blocks and loose minerals. Just be sure that if you get blocks, select ones made for goats (they are soft and are have the levels of copper you really need for them to be healthy).
They think we are here to serve them! ![:\](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/side.png "side :\")
