OK, I am still confused on the feeding thing.

[ohiofarmgirl]

I have been researching the goats diligently for 3 years and now that the time has come, I feel like I know nothing and am kind of freaking out. I am scared I am going to miss something and accidentally kill them.

hee hee hee you'll be fine. for all the fussin' around they are actually pretty hardy and you might have to work at killin' 'em... but on the other hand.. you might want to kill them yourself if they get out and eat all your petunias!!

hee hee hee hee just kidding

you will do great! after about a week or so you'll stop going out there every 5 mins to make sure they are ok
;-)

be sure to post pix when you get them!!!!

 

[lilhill]

I have been researching the goats diligently for 3 years and now that the time has come, I feel like I know nothing and am kind of freaking out. I am scared I am going to miss something and accidentally kill them.

It's a feeling you get used to.

I'll say this, though...if you care about your goats, then your goats are already ahead of the curve. For my money, just being as concerned and nervous as you are and your hope to be as prepared as you can be puts you at least in the top 20% of goat-owners right off the bat.

You'll be fine.

 

[jlbpooh]

Thank you again for all the wonderful advice. Well, he rode very well in my lap in the car. He didn't mess in the hour and a half ride home, but boy did he make a mess in my kitchen when we brought him in the house while I was trying to find a dog collar and leash so I could bring him to his pasture. They let him nurse one last time right before we got there and he took full advantage, his little belly was round. His buddy is coming tomorrow. We still had to put up one section of fence after we got him home. I literally pounded in the last staple and the sky opened up. I locked him in the goat house because he wouldn't stay in by himself and went in and ate dinner. After dinner I knew he was crying so I went out and sat in the goat house with him until it got dark. I made him a nice bed of straw and made sure he had plenty of hay and water. I did get a week's supply of feed and hay from the breeder. It was kind of funny, he would take one bite of their hay and then one bite of the hay I have and back and forth trying to see which one he liked better. He is a little sweety, so gentle and a cuddler. He was peeking out of the goat house watching the traffic go by. It was almost like he was thinking what wierd animals those were since he couldn't see the road at the farm he came from. When the train came through, the dingers started up and he just looked at me as if WHAT was THAT, then the train whistle blew and it started coming and he stared at it with really big eyes. I can only wonder what was going through his mind. It was interesting watching the little "ball" go up and down his neck as he was chewing and swallowing his cud. I know, I am easily amused. I am completely in love!!

 

[freemotion]

hee hee hee you'll be fine. for all the fussin' around they are actually pretty hardy and you might have to work at killin' 'em... but on the other hand.. you might want to kill them yourself if they get out and eat all your petunias!!

ohg, you are a hoot and a half!

jlbpooh, being easily amused makes life a LOT of fun! I love it when my littlest doeling burps up a cud and her cheeks pop out, then she meh-eh-eh's at me with her mouth full.....sooooo cute!

 

[broke down ranch]

Wow, you guys are getting off CHEAP on the hay and alfalfa! A regular bale of coastal here costs $7-$9 and a small square of alfalfa is $12.50! At one point the feedstore had some very stalky not-horse-quality alfalfa that he was selling for $8 each. My goats LOVED that stuff - much more than the $12.50 stuff. If we put coastal out there they throw 80% on the ground so we aren't saving money buying the coastal at all....

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

BDR,

Here at the feed store, you can get alfalfa hay OR mixed grass hay for $7.35 for a 40 pound bale.

If you buy from a farmer, you can get 40 pound bales of alfalfa for $5 (And it is GOOD, top quality) or mixed grass for $3. AND WE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRICE!!!!!! Thanks for giving me the reality check that we are lucky here.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

jlbpooh - update please! or are your arms full of goatie-luvin'????

free - hee hee hee there's been a couple times that one or two of them goats are lucky they didnt end up on the BBQ!

one time i actually said to the worst of the lot: if you dont knock it off i will LET those dogs have you and i wont even feel bad!!! then we just stood there and glared at each other...she finally stomped away. i swear she knew exactly what i was saying.

for their part the dogs were really hoping that i was serious - of course i wasnt! hee hee i paid too much for that rascally little goat!
;-)

 

[jlbpooh]

I am inside again in between baby loving and drying out, lol. Youngster #2 came today, he is so pretty too. The one I got yesterday was 8 weeks old as of yesterday. This other little guy was born March 30th. I need to get pics of them at home, but the weather isn't cooperating. My camera is waterproof, but it is so gloomy that they just aren't going to look pretty. It has been a steady drizzle here then rain, back to drizzle all day. They won't stay in the goat house unless someone (as in a person) is in it with them. It is only 65 degrees after having been in the mid-80's and humid all week. Is this going to get them sick that they keep getting wet and that it is cooler out? It isn't extremely windy, but it is breezy. i have been going in their and sitting in the straw with them for awhile so they dry out, but as soon as I leave them, they just come out and stand by the gate crying. I feel so bad. Tommorrow is supposed to be mid-80's again and sunny. I will get pics as I can. I did get 50 bales of hay from my neighbor. After I stacked it all, my shed is only 2/3 full. That is good to know in case of future expansion, lol. The lady that brought my second baby today said that with the nice pasture they are in, I probably won't go through much hay. The pasture is just whatever grows, but we have vines, weeds, grass, and tree shoots in their and it is thick and green and gold. 50 bales might last me 3 years then, oops. Oh well, I bought it for $3 a bale, and can always turn around and sell it for $5 when people are scrambling to find some. It is good quality horse hay too. Well, I better check on those babies again, lol.

 

[daisycullen2003]

thanks for this thread.

i am wondering a few things. i am confused about what "hay" is. there seem to be so many kinds.

is it okay to feed only alfalfa plus free choice minerals and baking soda? or do i also need`to feed another type of hay? is orchard hay and alfalfa a good mix?

thanks!
lisa

 

[kimmyh]

Yes, it is alright, and actually good for the goats to have alfalfa and minerals. They don't have to have grain unless they are pregnant, nursing, growing babies, or with bucks, in rut.