Oregon newbie

[Craig MacDonald]

A year ago we retired to 3 acres west of Eugene, north of Elmira. An infestation of Engraver Beetles meant we had to have about 80 large Douglas Fir trees removed (sad) and we've decided to use some of the cleared area for meat goats. In mid-Nov. we'll get two bottle babies from a local Boer breeder. I've got the pen built: 75'x45' of Red Brand goat/sheep fence (no-climb), 4' tall. Next week I'll start the shelter, which is what led me to this site, researching size, flooring, configuration, etc. Lots of different opinions that make it hard to decide.

Also considering a LGD of some sort. We lost a hen to what we think was a hawk, and there are reports of coyotes in the area. I've just read several threads on the topic here.

Still learning my way around this site, but already appreciate the wealth of info here. We've got lots to learn, so school me, please!

 

[micah wotring]

Awesome! I hope it goes great for ya.

Welcome to BYH! There's lots of goat folks on here who would be more than willing to help.

MW

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings Craig and welcome to BYH! As Micah said, there are quite a few active goat folks on here and a lot of really helpful folks to boot. Many if not most of us also own various avian breeds and are members of the sister site; Backyardchickens.com as well. Grats on your retirement! Nice to not have to wake up and go to work... for someone else right? Of course there's always work to do around the home place. Sorry you lost all those fir trees. Tree pests are moving further north every year. So yeah, there's a lot of great info and experience shared in the threads. Make yourself at home and browse around If you have questions, just post them and normally someone will come along straight away to try and help. Glad you joined us!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hi, and welcome from Texas!

 

[babsbag]

Welcome from "just down the road" near Anderson. This is a great place to come and learn and ask questions; we are always willing to help.

Goats aren't picky about their shelter. Two or three sides to protect them from wind and rain and they are good. Make it big enough to get a tractor in if you have one so you can scrape the floor every now and then. I used lots of straw bedding in the winter, the build up of it and the composting keeps them a little warmer but goats tolerate cold well. A dirt floor is just fine for goats. Make sure they have a covered place to eat and it is helpful if you can throw hay in the feeder without having to go in the pen. They can be pretty "aggressive" in a nice way when they see their food coming.

If you don't want to do dirt I have seen wood floors that are slotted so the goat berries fall through. But you have to make the slots big enough for berries and small enough for baby goat feet to not get stuck. The floors were modular so they could pull them out. But really, dirt with lots of straw in the winter is good, just make sure no water will flow through it when it rains. Stall mats work too, put you have to muck them out more often and the mats can't absorb the urine. I use them in my kidding stalls.

Fencing sounds good, but a row of hot wire at goat knee height will save your fences. Goats like to rub on everything and fences are perfect for that. Also one at the top will keep your LGD in, and you MUST get an LGD. It's required.

Honestly, you will sleep better and so will your goats if you have a dog. I absolutely will never be without one again.

Does the breeder test their goats for CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis)? That is a very prevalent disease in meat goats. If they don't test you *might* think of getting goats from someone that does. You want to start off with a clean herd and once CL gets in the soil it is there to stay.

Also, you get a lot more rain than I do which means more grass which means more worms. Make sure you stay vigilant on worming the goats, if you don't you run a really high chance of them dropping dead, literally. Not trying to scare you, it is just better to know now.

Goats are fun, you will love them. Are you planning on breeding them? If so, check the teats on the kids and their dam and sire if possible to make sure they are clean teated. Boers can have more than 2 teats and that is fine, but you want to make sure they aren't fishtail teats, that is a disqualifying fault and it makes it hard for them to raise young.

 

[Craig MacDonald]

[QUOTE/]Does the breeder test their goats for CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis)? That is a very prevalent disease in meat goats. If they don't test you *might* think of getting goats from someone that does. You want to start off with a clean herd and once CL gets in the soil it is there to stay.

Goats are fun, you will love them. Are you planning on breeding them? If so, check the teats on the kids and their dam and sire if possible to make sure they are clean teated. Boers can have more than 2 teats and that is fine, but you want to make sure they aren't fishtail teats, that is a disqualifying fault and it makes it hard for them to raise young.[/QUOTE]

We'll start with just these two and butcher them but we're leaving open the option of breeding. That's why I made such a big pen and will build a shelter bigger than necessary. She's graciously making us a deal on the bottle babies and gets a lot more for breeding stock, so we'll see what happens. We won't be showing, just eating

I asked, and yes, she tests. But I'll stay on top of the worm issue!

 

[OneFineAcre]

Welcome from North Carolina

 

[TAH]

I asked, and yes, she tests. But I'll stay on top of the worm issue!

When you go to pick up your kids you may want to ask to see the results for the testing. If they won't show this to you they may not be the best people to by from.

How old are they going to be when you get them? Are you getting bucks are does?

 

[alsea1]

Hey there. Good to see another Oregon member. As the title suggests I am in Alsea Oregon.
I def. agree about using hot wire. If you don't, your fence will get hammered.
As for the LGD I would def. get one, but a person needs to put solid training into them or there will likely be serious problems with canine behavior. Good breeding only goes so far. Solid training is a must for success.
And yes. parasites love our climate. It pays to constantly check goats. The best cost savings will be to learn how to do your own fecal exams. Doing this will enable you to effectivily monitor your herd and make sure your parasite control program is working. Also helps you decide who to cull. As breeders it will benefit us all to breed for goats that are more resistent and need less chemical wormers in order to survive.
I have a motley crew of a saanan doe, a grade nubian and her daughter, a spanish buck and a nigi buck.

Another critical issue is to make sure if you supplement with grain to make sure the calcium to phosphorus ratio is correct. Bucks are especially sensitive to this. Improper ratio can result in kidney stones a goat cannot pass. This happened to me and I learned a very costly lesson and my buck had to be put down.

Good Luck and have fun with your new endeaver.

 

[TAH]

I forgot to say welcome from shedd oregon soon to be seward alaska. We lived in eugene for 9 years.