Why Goats?

[Natermotor]

Hi, I have been looking into getting a couple of Nigerian Dwarf does for a while now. I like their size and the amount of milk they produce for being so little. The problem is convincing my parents, mom in particular, to allow me to purchase these goats. We are running a bit short on money now, but really, how much can a 50 pound doe eat? I even saw some 1st cut hay on craigslist for $5 a bale. I realize that this probably isn't the stuff that they would be eating, but it's just a starting point. I need some advice from you guys on how to convince my mom to let me get these goats. I realize that they take a lot of committment(sp?), but that is no problem as I already have a variety of poultry and dogs that I take care of. I have to get up at 5:20 every morning anyway, so I reasoned "what's the big deal with getting up 20 minutes earlier to take care of the goats?"

Thanks for your input guys, I appreciate it.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Not to dissuade you, because goats are wonderful, but there are other costs to factor in besides feed. Regular worming, proper housing, fencing, basic medications and medical supplies, hoof trimmers, etc. And of course if you plan to milk them they'll have to be freshened which means kidding accommodations, supplies, emergency kit, disbudding iron, milking stanchion, and so on. You may also have to take into account buck care and accommodations. Maybe your mom will let you take over some extra chores to offset the cost? Just be realistic and comprehensive about your goat budget.

 

[Dreaming Of Goats]

It took me 4 years just to convince my parents, mainly mom, too, to get some chickens. Now I want goats a lot. I decided to just start leasing some goats for fun because I like them, and with that, I'm building up some goat supplies and knowledge. I will be watching this thread.... because I need help convincing also!!!!

 

[Natermotor]

Not to dissuade you, because goats are wonderful, but there are other costs to factor in besides feed. Regular worming, proper housing, fencing, basic medications and medical supplies, hoof trimmers, etc. And of course if you plan to milk them they'll have to be freshened which means kidding accommodations, supplies, emergency kit, disbudding iron, milking stanchion, and so on. You may also have to take into account buck care and accommodations. Maybe your mom will let you take over some extra chores to offset the cost? Just be realistic and comprehensive about your goat budget.

Thanks for the input!

I have already located sources for cheap but durable fencing. I plan to just build a small little barn to be economical at first, maybe moving up in size later. As for the disbudding iron, I read in the Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats that someone had used just a metal rod heated over a wood stove(not that I will be doing that!) I definetly will not be keeping a buck unless kidding(sp?) season is near. I also have some friends who own goats, so for a while I hope they wouldn't mind lending me some of their equipment. And by worming, do you mean yearly like dogs?

Plus I already have alot of this stuff(bedding, extra durable fence/electric wire, etc.) from taking care of my ducks.

Also, what does hoof trimming entail, and how often does it need to be done? I have read that it needs to be done less often if they have some kind of rough substance in their pasture(a big rock?). Is this true?

Sorry I have so many questions, I am definetly quite knowledge hungry.

 

[elevan]

I just have to commend you for being so young and doing your "homework" and creating a plan to convince your mom that you are ready for goats!

 

[Natermotor]

I just have to commend you for being so young and doing your "homework" and creating a plan to convince your mom that you are ready for goats!

Thanks for the kind words, they mean alot.

 

[Dreaming Of Goats]

Hoof-trimming is when you clip their hooves... like clipping out nails. You use hoof trimmers like this http://www.jefferslivestock.com/product.asp?camid=LIV&pn=0035202 It isn't that hard, unless you forget to. The time depends on what their hooves look like There's some much info for worming, just do a search on here and you'll find a lot!

 

[Natermotor]

Hoof-trimming is when you clip their hooves... like clipping out nails. You use hoof trimmers like this http://www.jefferslivestock.com/product.asp?camid=LIV&pn=0035202 It isn't that hard, unless you forget to. The time depends on what their hooves look like There's some much info for worming, just do a search on here and you'll find a lot!

Do you just trim up the outside or do you also trim the inside up too?

 

[Ariel301]

You will trim the outside edges (hoof wall) and also level the sole of the foot too. It's really pretty easy to do as long as your goats are cooperative.

Do you have a 4-H program that has a goat project? Maybe joining that would be a help in convincing your parents you are really wanting to do this. It would also be educational for you, so you can learn to care for your goats, I did 4-H for many years and learned a lot.

Perhaps if you made a nice chart for your parents to look at showing that you have planned and researched out everything--list all the things your goats will need and what it will cost for each for a year, with a total estimated cost for keeping them for the year. How would you plan to pay for the expenses of upkeep on the animals, since your family doesn't have a lot of resources? I'm in the same boat, and it is a challenge coming up with feed money sometimes, or paying an unexpected vet bill. I figure it costs me about $1000 a year to keep 8 full size LaManchas just in regular feed bills, routine medical care (shots/worming/etc), and repairs to fences, new collars/leads/buckets when they get broken. If you are going to milk them, you will have to breed them every year. Figure out for your plan how you would do this, if/what it would cost, what would be involved in delivering the babies if there are problems, and then what to do with the babies after they are born. Bottle feed or let the does do it? Keep them or sell them? How would you market them for sale? It can be difficult to sell low to average quality goats, especially males, so I would recommend finding the best quality does you can afford and always breeding to a buck better than them. Find out what makes a good doe so you can choose good animals when you do go shopping for them. Find out the benefits of drinking raw goat milk. Find other things you can make from the excess milk if it is more than you can drink. Present it all to your parents when they are in a good mood.

As for disbudding, I would absolutely not recommend the method you mentioned. It can injure or kill kids if done incorrectly, and if your iron is not hot enough, it won't destroy the horn tissue and you'll have ugly deformed horns growing back in. Too hot, and you can cook the baby's brain. If you plan to disbud, you will need to get an iron or know someone who has one you can use. You will also want someone experienced to show you how it is done and walk you through the first one to be sure you know how to do it right.

 

[Natermotor]

You will trim the outside edges (hoof wall) and also level the sole of the foot too. It's really pretty easy to do as long as your goats are cooperative.

Do you have a 4-H program that has a goat project? Maybe joining that would be a help in convincing your parents you are really wanting to do this. It would also be educational for you, so you can learn to care for your goats, I did 4-H for many years and learned a lot.

Perhaps if you made a nice chart for your parents to look at showing that you have planned and researched out everything--list all the things your goats will need and what it will cost for each for a year, with a total estimated cost for keeping them for the year. How would you plan to pay for the expenses of upkeep on the animals, since your family doesn't have a lot of resources? I'm in the same boat, and it is a challenge coming up with feed money sometimes, or paying an unexpected vet bill. I figure it costs me about $1000 a year to keep 8 full size LaManchas just in regular feed bills, routine medical care (shots/worming/etc), and repairs to fences, new collars/leads/buckets when they get broken. If you are going to milk them, you will have to breed them every year. Figure out for your plan how you would do this, if/what it would cost, what would be involved in delivering the babies if there are problems, and then what to do with the babies after they are born. Bottle feed or let the does do it? Keep them or sell them? How would you market them for sale? It can be difficult to sell low to average quality goats, especially males, so I would recommend finding the best quality does you can afford and always breeding to a buck better than them. Find out what makes a good doe so you can choose good animals when you do go shopping for them. Find out the benefits of drinking raw goat milk. Find other things you can make from the excess milk if it is more than you can drink. Present it all to your parents when they are in a good mood.

As for disbudding, I would absolutely not recommend the method you mentioned. It can injure or kill kids if done incorrectly, and if your iron is not hot enough, it won't destroy the horn tissue and you'll have ugly deformed horns growing back in. Too hot, and you can cook the baby's brain. If you plan to disbud, you will need to get an iron or know someone who has one you can use. You will also want someone experienced to show you how it is done and walk you through the first one to be sure you know how to do it right.

Thanks for all the questions and useful facts, they've really set me thinking. As for determining how good a doe is, would I just search the breed standard and go from there, or what? Also, the money really shouldn't be a HUGE problem(I'm not saying it won't be a problem at all) because I'm turning a profit on my duck eggs.

For fencing, would I just be able use like the 4 foot pvc coated fence that is commonly used for chicken or duck runs with a couple strands of electric wire? The goats I want are really short so I can't imagine that I would have a problem with them jumping over.

I've read in the goat book that I have that Oak is poisonous to goats, so can there be any Oak trees in their pasture? Also, does it really matter if the pasture is part wooded and part grass?

Also, will you reccommend to me a couple of places that I could look into buying goats? So far all I have looked at is craigslist, which I don't really expect to be up to breed standards.

Thanks for all the answers.

By the way: I was kinda looking around and came across these http://southjersey.craigslist.org/grd/2046076859.html Your opinion?