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. The information presented here is only to be used as a guide and not intended to prescribe any treatment for your goats.
Morning "Goat Run"
HOUSING
Miniature goats require about 10 square feet of indoor space per animal. I would plan on at least twice the amount you need for your "oroginal" goats, since goats tend to multiply, either by breeding or goat owners who want more! 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. Wood or "dirt" floors don't drain well. For a good floor surface that wil drain, stay dry and be easy to clean: remove all of the top soil from the area, fill with about a foot of gravel and then top with 6" stone dust. Wet the stone dust and pack it level. Set your house on top. Make sure your goat house or barn will be easy for you to clean. The easier to clean, 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.
STALL BEDDING
I have to say that I am meticulous when it comes to stall cleaning. My husband would tell you that I clean the barn more than the house - he's so silly! Overall, the cleaner the environment your animals are in, the healthier they will be. I sometimes see goats kept in stalls with no bedding, just a build up of manure on the floor, or in what appear to be very dirty stalls. Although they'll survive, contact with bacteria from the manure is bound to impact their overall health and well-being over time. My advice would be to keep your stalls as clean as you can, make sure everyone has adequate space by not crowding animals, and plan your cleaning schedule on a chart so you will be more likely to stick with it.
I bed the house with shavings SPRING, SUMMER & FALL. I also use Sweet PDZ stall deodorizer regularly to keep the stalls smelling fresh. “Fluff” the bedding daily or several times a week with a manure fork or rake 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, mainly if there has been rainy or inclement weather. Also your doe kidding stalls and new kid pens must be kept especially clean to keep everyone healthy.
In WINTER, I use a bed pack method. I start with a completely cleaned out stall and sprinkle the floor with a generous coating of Sweet PDZ (stall deodorizer), then I layer on about 4" of pine shavings. Over the shavings, I spread 1-2" of straw. Every day I remove whatever manure I can and rake the top layer so any remaining goat manure falls below the surface. I then sprinkle a bit of shavings and fresh straw on the top layer. The idea is to keep the top clean and dry and let the bedding below compost and create heat. The trick is to keep the bed pack dry which you do by consistently adding enough bedding to absorb any moisture. If we get a damp or rainy spell during the winter, I spread a layer of diatamaceous earth on the bad pack to keep lice under control (you can dust the goats too along their topline at the same time, just try not to create alot of dust since diatamaceous earth isn't good to breathe) and spread more shavings to absorb everything. By the end of winter I have a good foot or so of bedding to dig out and spread in my garden! The stall needs to be cleaned out completely by the first warm, wet spell in early spring, otherwise lice can become a real problem.
Housing the Does & Kids: OUR MAIN BARN 22' X 34'
View coming down the hill in the kid pen. We use this pen for all our does and their kids once they are 2-3 weeks old during the day and to house our young kids after weaning day & night the first year. The stall is 6' X 5'. We close the sliding door at night. The window you see on this is in the milk room.
This ia a view from the main doe herd side. The inside "day" stall is 6' X 7'. At night, we open up the aisle section (an additional 6' X 6' area) so everyone has room. In the winter we open the stall on the other side of the aisle and the herd has another 8' X 10', so everyone has a nice, cozy spot (below). We also use this stall during kidding season to seperate the does from their kids at night.
One week after our does kid, they are moved out of their private kidding stall to our community doe & kid stall. At two weeks the kids are seperated at night so we can milk..
The doe pen heading out to the hay shelter on the other side of the hill.
Housing the Big Boys: BUCK HOUSING
The top buck house was the first one we made. I like the patio area in the front as the goats can hang out there when it's raining, but this house is hard to clean and quite back breaking! I wouldn't make such a "low" house again that I couldn't walk into.
The pen has many hills and logs for climbing. The high areas also don't get muddy during spring which is important.
This picture shows our "calf hutches" which we use for our 4 large bucks. Because they are opaque, the sun can shine in and warms them up quite a bit. When I want to clean them, I just tip them over (a one person job) and scrape it away with the tractor.
FENCING & PENS
Goldenbrook Farm Sweet S'prise on "Goat Mountain"
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!
FOOD & WATER Grain, Hay, Water, Minerals, Baking Soda
Goldenbrook Farm Strawberry says "Hay, What's Up?"
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!
We use a 10' X 20' canopy to feed hay to three pens at once, our main doe pen, our kid pen and one of our buck pens. I can fill all three racks from the one center area in the kid pen which cuts down on chore time.
ABOVE-The doe side on the left and the center kid area. We also use some wooden homemade racks so all the does have plenty of room to eat.
BELOW-We feed our bucks in the hay & grain bunk pictured on the left and use the sheltered rack area on the right during rainy or snowy weather.
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. In winter, goats will drink more if the water is warm. Be careful that the water is not too hot-you don't want to burn them! 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.
BREEDING
THE BUCK STOPS HERE!
In order to produce milk, you will need to breed your does each year. Some does will milk through longer. Although Nigerians are considered year-round than breeders, they seasonally come into the most detectable heat cycles in New England during late summer/early fall through late winter. I have bred as late as March with sucess. Also consider that many does do not settle when breeding is followed by a hot period, so summer breeding is difficult.
I get many questions on what exactly " buck service" is. I am sure it varies farm to farm, but this is what we do: I only breed to registered Nigerian, either AGS or ADGA, and they must pass my health inspection when they arrive at my farm as well as have a health certificate dated within the past year. I also want to know the doe's origin and how long you have owned her prior to your visit. I do not board or allow outside animals to stay on my farm.
Once the doe arrives and passes "inspection", she is brought to a neutral area on my farm where my goats do not go and I bring the buck to her on a leadline. Both animals are kept on leads when he services her, once or twice, depending on how well she receives him, and we try not to get tangled! The buck can be scary to first fresheners with all of his goofy sounds, licking and carrying on. Sometimes, especially with younger does, a second visit is a must to make them more comfortable. When we're done and the buck has provided his service, I fill out the breeding agreement and service memo.
The tricky part is bringing your doe at the right time if you are not familiar with your doe's heat cycles. Sometimes even when you have tracked your doe's cycle, the stress of the trip throws her off. It is harder to detect your doe's cycle when there is no buck on your farm but with a smelly buck rag and some keen observation, you can do it. I often suggest mailing me a bandana or facecloth in a ziploc bag with a self-addressed stamped envelope to return it to you. I will take the rag and rub it on the buck so it smells like him. Then you would take it out for the doe and let her sniff it to see if she's interested. After doing this for a few weeks each day, you will be able to gauge when you doe reacts differently. When a doe is in heat, she generally becomes more vocal, shows increased tail-wagging, her vulva may appear swollen or pink and she's definately interested in the buck rag. Some does have very inconspicuous signs, so watch carefully. Once she shows some of these sign in increasingly, this is when you need to bring her for breeding. "Standing" heat usually only last about 24 hours, sometimes less, so timing is important. Does usual cycle every approximately every 3 weeks.
Also, if your does have not had any contact with bucks, they may very well come into a strong heat a day or two after you make the trip here and they meet the buck, so plan on a second trip which may be necessary. Driveway breeding ,as we call it, can turn into a few trips before your does are bred. If your does do not become pregnant, you can bring them back for buck service at no charge during the same year as long as they continue to pass the health exam. I suggest after you have them bred and you think it took, have a blood test done a bit later to make sure they are. Nothing is more disappointing than waiting for babies and then finding out after breeding season that your doe's not bred.
"Goat Dating"
A doe that is receptive to the buck and ready to be bred, lets him approach her, do all of his silly tongue flapping, and eventually mount and breed her.
SIGNS OF A DOE IN HEAT:
Very Vocal
Tail Flagging
Swollen vulva/possible discharge
Interest in a buck rag
Acts "differently" than usual |
KIDDING
Kidding is an exciting and nerve-racking time. A little preparation will help you get off to a good start.
BEFORE THE KIDS ARE BORN
Our doe's get their own deep straw bedded kidding stall (approximately 6' x 10') to give birth. One month before they are due, they receive a booster of their CD/T vaccine, selenium and vitamins A, D, & E injection. I start putting them in the stall 2 weeks before they are due, usually with another doe that is due around the same time so they are not alone. This is the same time I crotch them to prepare for birthing. 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. Once she is almost 145 days, she goes in the kidding stall whenever I am not home or if her udder looks fuller than before or she's acting "different" that day., Make sure she gets out each day though so she has plenty of time to exercise and socialize.
Bit of Heaven's 2009 Triplets
My KIDDING KIT includes: lots of towels (for drying kids), lubricant and gloves (for assisting), iodine or Triodine (to dip umbilical cords), small cup to pour iodine in (old cold medice cups work well), 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.
HOW WE RAISE OUR KIDS & WHY
I am often asked how we raise our kids. Let me start by saying that my way won't necessarily work exactly the same for you. One thing I've learned is that as you progress into goat raising, you will develop methods that work best for you and your herd, but learning about how other goat farmers do what they do and why is often helpful.
We choose to dam raise our kids, with occasional supplemental bottles especially if their dams are on our show string for that year. One of the reasons I began raising goats is to get back to a more "natural" lifestyle, producing my own milk. To me it seems against my core reasons for getting into goat raising to go against nature and bottle raise the kids.
I also have a deep respect for the bonds that form between the goats and their kids. I have two distinct family groups in my herd from my two original does (we maintain a closed doe herd so all of our does are out of our two original foundation does). Each family group made up of the grandmother, mothers, daughters and sisters eat and sleep together. Even the more timid does can get into the hayrack next to their mom or sister! Dam raising them helps make them well socialized parts of the herd early on. We have had a few bottle babies that I found didn't always mesh well with the other herd members. It's sad to see them off by themselves instead of curled up next to a relative during nap time. Of course, some of this depends on the individual goat's personality as well.
We always try to be there for the birth, both to greet the kids as they enter the world and to be there for assistance to the doe. We handle each kid daily and spend lots of time sitting in the pens and playing with them. We often become human play gyms with kids running and climbing in our laps and over our backs. We spend alot of time with them so that they will be well socialize with humans. This can be alot of work when there are lots of kids, but luckily this is one job my children love to have on our farm! It's also about the nicest feeling in the world, at the end of seemingly endless feeding and cleaning chores to plop down and have a kid curl up and fall asleep in your lap at the end of a long day.
ABOVE: Does & kids in our kidding stall with divider. Divider is open in the picture and we "anhor" it with a water bucket snapped on so it's can't close accidentally.
ONE WEEK OLD
After the kids reach a week old, each morning I bring the doe to the milkstand for her breakfast and milk out whatever the kids haven't drank yet. Some kids catch on quickly and as soon as I come into the barn they run to their dams to nurse! For some does, there is only a little left, others I can get up to 1 1/2+ pounds. I do this for a few reasons. I find the does will produce more overall during their lactaction when I start milking early, but I'm not ready to seperate the kids overnight yet.
Many times I find a single kid will nurse his dam mainly on one side, making her udder uneven, and by milking her I help even her out. It's important to check a doe's udder daily with a single kid from birth. If only one side is nursed, the other side bags up and can become painful to the doe.
Another reason to start this "practice" milking is to accustom my first fresheners to the milking routine. Since I am milking much less than a "full" milking, it's quicker so they don't need to be as patient and neither do I! They learn that the milkstand means lots of good things, breakfast and treats after. It also lets them learn the order they are milked in so there is less confusion and "cutting" when I am more pressed for time milking everyone out completely.
TWO WEEKS OLD
Now is the time we start seperating the kids from their dams at night. At first I start late at night, around 10 pm, and give both the does and kids hay to nibble. As they get used to this arrangement, I start separating earlier until I am separating them at 6 pm (normal dinner time) and the kids eat their grain separately. By now they are ready to start nibbling on it, although they aren't ready to really start eating it heartily yet. I will also start adding some Deccox to the kids grain to prevent coccidiodis soon.
I have one stall in my barn that is 10x10 and I split this in half using 4"x4" welded stock panels. You can also make your own wood framed panel with wire mesh inserted as long as the size mesh is small and sturdy. I run the panel 3/4 of the way and then have a makeshift gate for the last 1/4 that I can open and close and secure with double ended snaps. The metal grid panel is nice because the kids can see and sleep next to their dams so it's less stressful for them. I comfortably fit up to 5 does on one side and all their kids on the other. You can also build a smaller square pen inside whatever you have for housing to secure the kids in at night, just keep in mind that they will need more room as the grow.
I like this arrangement because it gives me the opportunity to go in and sit and play with the kids alone which makes them friendly since their dams aren't demanding all of the attention. Most of the time the kids treat me like a jungle gym and trying climbing up and over me. It also allows me to feed them medicated feed, etc. without worry of the does in milk getting into it.
In the morning, I milk the does and then they all get turned out in the same pen to spend the day together.
8 WEEKS OLD
I continue this routine until the kids are ready to wean at about 8 weeks. By now the kids are eating plenty of grain and hay and are ready to be on their own. Since they are already accustomed to being seperated from their dams part of the time, weaning time is less stressful. I like the kids to be completely weaned for 5-7 days before they leave my farm. I also try not to stress them in any other way during this time by not making any other changes, after all weaning is stressful enough!
HEALTH CARE
Vaccinations here in NH (depending on where you live, you may be advised by your veterinarian to give additional vaccinations)
CD & Tetanus - follow the labels directions and give yearly boosters
Deworming your goats
As far as deworming, you always hear that you need to rotae dewormers so that parasites don't build up resistance, but don't rotate every time you worm! You rotate once a year at best. You should use the same wormer until it's no longer effective (resistance has built up), then switch to a completely different class of dewormer. Look at the chemical ingredient-ivermectin, pyrantel, fenbendazole etc. and not the brand name. It's a bit tricky really because most dewormers are not labelled for goats and many can't be used on milking does. I really like Rumatel pelleted dewormer by Durvet and their equine paste dewormers which are apple flavored and the goats actually like them. I deworm 2-3 times a year-usually spring before the great mud season, then do a fecal float early-mid summer and see how everyone's doing, followed by a dewormer if needed, then deworm again in fall. Over the winter if any one looks "wormy" they get dewormed again. Kids get dewormed much more frequently as do the more "prone" herd members. Your veterinarian can convert many dosages on other species dewormers to the proper goat dose. I use chemical dewormers as I have no faith in the effectiveness of herbal dewormers.
Copper Supplementation
Goats hate to be forced to swallow a copper bolus, but it's important part of keeping them in good health. They should receive a bolus every 5 months. The dosage is 1 gram for every 22 lbs of bodyweight. Measure their heart girth, calculate their weight and divide by 22 for the correct dose. There are no studies about bolusing in early pregnancy, so avoid it. I have also used the copper sulfate method diluted with water. It is effective but difficult to keep administering to each goat daily for two weeks, then break, then again, when you have several goats to supplement. Using a bolusing gun to administer the bolus isn't any fun either. I have found that making an irresistable treat for your goat to eat is better for the goats and me. Just press the bolus in something tasty for the goat to swallow. Some people put the copper rods right in the treat, but since the goats should not actually chew on the rods, I like putting the rods in gelatin capsules first and then hiding them in the treat. The capsule give the rods a bit of protection against chewing.
My bucks will eat large marshmallows whole so I simply put the bolus in the marshmallow for them. Since they are always afraid the other buck will get it, they swallow it immediately, especially if you hold up another treat in front of them as soon as you give them theirs. My does are a bit more fussy. I have tried many types of treats, but I have found that everyone loves this recipe: Squeezy Buns horse treats, Manna Pro licorice treats and light Karo syrup. I microwave the squeezy buns for a few seconds so I can crumble them into a bowl, then I crush up some Manna Pro licorice treats and mix together. Add enough Karo syrup to bond the mix together. Spoon out about a little more than a teaspoon and press a bolus into the center, then press the ball together firmly in your fist. It's sticky and very messy, but they love them! I try to make them as small as possible, just enough to cover the bolus evenly all around.
Before I begin, I cover cookie sheets with aluminum foil and use a marker to draw squares with each goat's name in the square. I can then drop the correct sticky treat for each goat in their square so it's easy to see which treat goes to each goat.
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. A healthy goat is alert, follows the herd, eats and drinks normally, is free of any signs of discomfort and has no noticable ailments
IN THE SHOW RING
MORE TO COME ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN (AND TIRING!) SHOWING CAN BE!
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!
To help prevent the doe's discharge from drying in hr tail hail, apply a light coating of petroleum jelly to her tail daily. Don't forget a little fly spray too.
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…
Call or e-mail us!. We love to talk goat!
