Rasing Goats 101 - For the Newbie!

[country4life]

Hello Eveyone,

I am interested in eventually getting a few goats in the future and Im going to be honest with you.. I know absolutely nothing about the care of goats, though I am excited to learn anything I can get my hands on. So I need the help of all you goat experts, so that I can learn all about these animals! I will have lots of questions.. some of them you might roll your eyes at and think are silly because Im so inexperienced with goats, but any help is VERY much appreciated.
1) I need all goat terms and definitions please!

2) .. What do goats eat? ...special pellets like chickens? Any treats? What cant they eat?
How much do they eat? (I would most likely get pygmies)

3) I will probably get a small breed such as a pygmy to start. How often would they need to be milked?

4) Do they need to have a kid to produce milk?

Those are only a few questions, but I need to know everything and anything there is to know about raising goats for the newbie!
Thanks in advance!

Leah

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Are you getting goats specifically for milk? If so you're better off with a dairy breed than a meat breed. Pygmies are a meat breed, Nigerian Dwarfs are a miniature dairy breed. Yes, they do have to kid in order to produce milk.

 

[phoenixmama]

There's a pretty good post on a cute blog about raising goats in urban & suburban areas. There's a lot of good info that applies regardless of where the goat lives, though.

http://ittybittyfarminthecity.blogspot.com/2011/04/goats-strictly-country-or-potentially.html

It sums up your questions pretty well...hope that helps!

 

[20kidsonhill]

Yes, they have to have babies to produce milk

They have to be milked atleast one time a day, if not twice.

Pygmy is very hard to milk. I would recommend a dwarf breed.

 

[freemotion]

There are many, many articles good for newbies on www.fiascofarm.com that you might enjoy.

 

[phoenixmama]

There are many, many articles good for newbies on www.fiascofarm.com that you might enjoy.

Yes, Fias Co Farm is a classic...I would have been lost without that website.

 

[savingdogs]

No one mentioned what they eat. Maybe that is because there are many ways to feed a goat! But mainly they eat hay, and the amount depends on the size goat you have. Or if you have them browsing or on pasture, you might not have to feed hay full time, a lot depends on your area and what your housing is like.