BASIC GOAT REQUIREMENTS:
Please remember these are very general guidelines. I recommend all goat owners purchase a few goat books for reference and consult with their veterinarian for more in-depth health care information.
Morning "Goat Run"
HOUSING
Miniature goats require about 10 square feet of indoor space per animal. The house should be dry, well ventilated and provide protection from rain, snow & wind. You can easily convert a shed, section off part of your existing barn, use a calf hutch or even buy a large dog house for them. Also look for a house that is easy for you to clean. The easier to clean and the more likely that you will do it often! Facing the house towards the south to southeast is best. Do not face the doorway to the north. The wind will blow right into the house in winter. I also like a house with a patio where the goats can hang out when it is raining or snowing. Goats will not go out in the rain! Having a patio area with a hayrack will keep your hay dry and provide a place for them outside of their house on rainy days.
I bed the house with shavings spring, summer & fall and with a deep bed of straw in the winter. “Fluff” the bedding several times a week and sprinkle new bedding on top as necessary. Completely clean out the house weekly, at a minimum of once per month. More often when they spend a lot of time indoors. In winter I use a bed pack method. Every few days I sprinkle fresh straw on the top layer. The bedding underneath compresses and decomposes thereby creating heat. By the end of winter I have a good foot or so of bedding to dig out and spread in my garden!
Goldenbrook Farm Sweet S'prise on "Goat Mountain"
FENCING
Miniature goats require a minimum of 130 square feet of outdoor space. Fencing must be strong, high and escape proof. Goats are great at finding gaps in fencing! The best I found are called Combo or Stock panels. They are 16’ long and 52” high. The line wires are spaced closer at the bottom and gradually increase upward. The goats can climb all over them and they don’t bend. An 8-week old goat can walk right through a 4”X4” square so the bottom gaps must be small. You can also line the panels with hex net wire to keep baby goats from going through. These panels can be connected at the corners with wire cable ties and supported with a few t-posts. The fence also needs to be high enough so a stray dog or coyote cannot jump the fence and also when the goats are adults they cannot jump out.
Please never tie your goats out on a rope. They easily become entangled and can strangle themselves. They love to go for walks and browse around trees though!
Also the outdoor pen should contain some type of safe climbing toy: a big rock, a cable spool (with the holes covered), a wooden box or an old picnic table (make sure the paint is non-toxic). Goats need to climb!
Goldenbrook Farm Strawberry says "Hay, What's Up?"
FOOD & WATER Grain, Hay, Water, Minerals, Baking Soda
Grain-Always use a feed intended for goats. Sheep feeds do not contain copper and goats need copper! For wethers (castrated males) add a pinch of Ammonium Chloride daily. It is VERY important to add this to help prevent urine calculi. This condition is very painful and costly to treat, so preventing it is essential. Other preventative measures include making sure your goat drinks enough water and do not overfeed grain. Grain should be fed twice a day. Goats utilize their feed very efficiently and grain is a concentrate so it will seem as if you are feeding them very little, however it is important to not overfeed grain for several health reasons.
Hay-The bulk of their food intake should be a nice clean, leafy hay. Offer them fresh hay often and feed it free choice so they may consume as much as they like. The hay should be dust-free, free from mold and be fine in texture and as leafy as possible. Of course, many times only coarser hay will be available which is fine, they will just waste more of it. Remove any hay that becomes wet and completely clean out hay manger and rake under it once per week. Look for 2nd cut grass hay during the summer. If you find some hay they like, stock up!
Water-Keep fresh, clean water available at all times. You will find your goats will drink small amounts of water, unless they are lactating. I like to put two buckets in each pen in different areas. Sometimes the goats will knock over a bucket while playing or poop in it and this way they still have another bucket. In the winter I bring my goats warm water two or three times a day depending on the temperature outdoors. If you use a heated bucket make sure the cord is inaccessible to nibbling goats! A bucket inside their house nestled in the straw will take longer to freeze too. I also like the older style plastic coolers. They keep the water cool in summer and unfrozen longer in winter.
Minerals-Loose minerals offered in an appropriate mineral feeder are best. Choose the one for the type of hay you are feeding. A 4# trace-mineral salt block commonly sold for horses (cost under $2.00) will work if you can't find the loose minerals and the aluminum slide in feeders as well (retail for about $5.00). Loose minerals are best though, because it is difficult for the goat to consume enough from a block. . Mount in about nose height inside their house near their water if possible.
Baking Soda-it’s a good idea to keep a small can of baking soda available to your goats. When a goat’s stomach becomes too acidic they instinctually consume an alkaline substance like baking soda to restore the balance and keep from becoming sick. Baking soda does not taste good and they won't consume alot.
GROOMING
Goats love to be scratched, therefore usually love being brushed. Use a stiff brush to remove mud and dirt first and then finish with a soft brush to polish the coat. You may wish to clip your goat’s coats in the summertime. This not only makes them look more attractive but it also keeps them cooler and allows sunlight to reach their skin, which will help keep mites and other pests to a minimum.
HOOF CARE
Trim your goat’s hooves at least every other month. Handle their feet often when they are young so they are accustomed to it. A pair of small pruning shears usually work best and a surfoam (carpenter’s tool) to finish them off. Look at a diagram in a book to see what the hooves should look like. A baby goat’s hooves are perfect and if you keep them trimmed they will not become overgrown. It is very important to give your goats good, frequent hoof care.
SICKNESS IN GOATS
More than likely you will be able to tell when your goats are not acting “normal” just because you observe them daily and know their routines. Symptoms of a sick goat are diarrhea, restlessness-getting up and lying down repeatedly, extreme inactivity, loss of appetite, noticeable weight loss, twitching, teeth grinding (usually done when they are in pain), lameness, loss of hair, fever, runny nose and eyes, labored or fast breathing, continual coughing, frothing at the mouth, kicking at abdomen… If you suspect something is wrong with your goat, take your goat’s temperature (rectal temp should be 102-105 degrees) and call your vet. Goats with proper management rarely get sick but it’s important to observe them daily.
KIDDING
Kidding is an exciting and nerve-racking time. A little preparation will help you get off to a good start. A month prior to your goat's due date give her a booster of CD/T. This will protect the kids until they receive their own innoculations. Two weeks prior, clip the goat. In warm months, I clip the whole goat. In cooler weather, I only clip the doe's udder, and the area under her tail. This is also the time to get you kidding kit together. I begin watching the doe closely a week prior to her reaching 145 days gestation. I will start stalling her in the kidding pen at night, usually with another doe due around the same time. Once she reachs 145 days, she will go in the kidding pen whenever I am not home or if her udder looks full or she's acting "different" that day.
My KIDDING KIT includes: lots of towels (for drying kids), lubricant and gloves (for assisting), iodine (to dip umbilical cords), dental floss (for tying umbilical cords), scissors (for cutting long umbilical cords after tying), weak lamb feeding tube (in case I have a very weak kid), goat nutri-drench (both for doe and kids that need it), propel glycol (to treat ketosis), scale (to weigh kids), tums (for calcium supplementation in does with quads or more), molasses (for that warm after birthing drink), and a kidding record notebook.
Our doe, Pistachio, gave birth to a healthy 4 lb buckling on June 28th. We captured many aspects of the birth, however, due to his size, I was busy assisting when he finally whooshed out!
5:35 PM-Doe is in labor. She began acting "different" the day before. Today she is very restless. Notice the hollow in front of her hip bone, the obvious discharge and the fullness of her udder. Now's the time to move your kidding supplies close by. I place a plastic tote with towels and lubricant right in the corner of the stall.
Doe also appears rounded over her spine and is holding her tail arched over. Now she's beginning to paw at her bedding. It's a good idea to write down when active labor begins so you know how long your doe has been pushing if she becomes distressed and you need to call the vet.
5:50-She's down and begins pushing. Some does (including this one!) make alot of noise when pushing. Once the doe starts pushing, birthing will progress rather rapidly. If your doe pushes for a long time and notheing happens, you may need to evaluate and assist or call the vet.
That's a good push! This doe's using the wall to brace her legs. At this point only a single hoof was showing. The doe continued to push, but the other hoof and nose were not present after several strong pushes. I washed up and lubricated my fingers to have a feel of what was going on in there. The kid was presented properly, but was large, especially since this was her first kidding. I guided the other hoof out and gently pulled at the same time the doe pushed. The nose appeared and after another strong push, a new kid entered the world!
5:58 PM-Birth! The doe inspects her newborn. At first she's not sure what to do with him. I use a towel and clean out his nose and mouth. If a kid sounds like he's has alot of fluid in his airways when he's breathing, hold him up by his rear legs and let them get out a few good screams. This will usually help them dislodge it.
The doe begins cleaning and bonding with her kid. I like to let the doe clean the kid herself. It's an important time for them to bond. If it's especially cold, I will have a heat lamp setup in the stall and will place the kid under it so the doe can lick him in a warm spot.
After the birth, you will see a clear liquid filled sack. It often bursts while it is being passed. If the doe is having multiple kids, she will stop licking her newborn and move away to begin pushing again. This is a good time to wrap the first kid in a towel and help his dam dry him off.
They doe receives a drink of warm molasses water. A doe loses alot of heat during kidding and they often will drink down the whole bucket.
6:12 PM-Once he's almost dry, a kid will try to get on his feet. THe dam's licking stimulates him. Instinct will make the kid seek out his dam's milk. She will lick and call to him to encourage him to get on his feet.
A few wobbly starts and he falls back a few times, but he keeps trying.
The kid begins to walk with his dam encouraging him every step of the way.
Kids often go between their dam's front legs and search her belly for the teat. Squeeze each teat to make sure the waxy plug is out and the kid will get her colostrum, ideally within 20 minutes of birth.
Almost there! It will take some kids several tries to find the teat.
6:17 PM-Finally, he's latched on and nursing. His dam continues to lick and encourage him. After the kid has nursed, I weigh them, tie their umbilical cord and dip it in iodine. I record all of the birth information in my notebook.
7:50 PM-Later, after the doe has all of her kids, she will lay back down and push to expel the afterbirth. The afterbirth should be expelled within twelve hours. If it's not, call your vet since your doe will become very ill if it is retained.
9:30 PM-The kid is dry, his belly is full and he takes a much needed rest. His dam continues to dote on him. Kids will nurse and nap almost continuously their first day of life.
RANDOM THINGS I'VE LEARNED:
The best water buckets are plastic-sided coolers. The water stays cool in the summer and freezes less in the winter. When it's cold, we fill ours with warm water and sit them in a bank of straw and they rarely freeze all winter long.
To chill your milk, place your tote in a frozen bucket during winter. In summer I use a bucket with ice water and some cold packs. I bring it out to the barn and set my tote right in it. The faster you cool your milk, the better it will taste!
Dental floss is great for tying off umbilical cords!
Calf hutches make great shelters. I use them for my bucks. They are easy to clean, just flip them over. They are easy to move too. A 4'x8' hutch can house three to four bucks. They are warm in the winter because the sun shines right in and "captures" the warmth.
If you are new to goats or just considering them…
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