Goats: What to have before you get your first goats

When we decided we wanted to get a few small goats for the farm, we spent weeks researching what we should have on hand before we even started looking at goat breeds and adoptable goats. We talked to friends who’ve had goats for years, and discussed with our equine vets about how the horses would respond to having such a small animal near them 24/7. We quickly learned that horses and goats actually do fantastic together so long as they have separate areas. Please note that you should never put a larger animal in with your goats. Goats are small and easily stepped on or picked up by a larger animals. There is no such thing as guard llamas and or donkeys or alpacas. Our goats and horses are never in the same pasture at the same time because of the sheer size difference. While horses truly love having goats around them to see over a fence, it is just too dangerous to have them in the same direct area.

BEFORE YOU GET A NEW ANIMAL: Locate a vet that treats that animal, especially farm animals. Not all farm vets treat all farm animals. Immediately after getting a new animal, have your vet do a wellness visit ASAP. Make sure you have a client relationship established BEFORE anything goes wrong—because something WILL go wrong at some point. Having an established relationship with your vet will make it significantly easier to get treatment in a timely manner in the case of an emergency, as priority is usually given to established clients.

Here’s a list of items you definitely want to have in your medicine pantry before you get your goats. In another post we will go over the most common diseases and ailments for your goats and sheep, but for now, this is a pretty conclusive list of the must have items.

Vitamin B complex

Iron pellets ——Ultracruz iron guard plus

Horse Red Cell or Chlorophyll (we prefer chlorophyll)

Selenium Paste

Charcoal Paste

Ivermectin liquid dewormer for sheep (can be used for goats)

Fenbendazone liquid dewormer for goats (Safeguard/Pancur but must be paired with another class of dewormer to work properly)

Cyndectin Oral Sheep dewormer

Drench gun for administering meds (1-10mL size is usually fine)

Hoof shears (a farrier can teach you how to trim your goat’s hooves on your own)

Loose mineral delivery system—I will share a link to our favorite system. Please note that goats CANNOT use the salt block systems that horses and cows can. They need to have loose minerals. Ideally, a feeding mineral system that allows for them to choose which mineral they need specifically and not a mix)

Horse quality hay (1st or 2nd cut but a mix is great)

Pine bedding for enclosures

Solid, tall, fences (Minimum of 5 feet high with sheep/goat panels in between any gaps so they can’t squeeze through). Goats and sheep can also go UNDER fences so be cognizant of this. Know the predators in your area and take the time to make your fencing system as secure as possible.

A minimum of a three sided enclosed structure that allows for goats to get out of the weather and have a safe sleeping space. You should estimate roughly 10 square feet per goat for an enclosure.

*Note that all dewormers will likely need to be purchased through your farm vet. You can also just have a vet administer them when needed, but it is much easier and nicer to have in your own animal medicine cabinet because sheep and goats do not exhibit signs of a worm overload until they are very sick and waiting on a farm vet can be costly in both time and money. However, if you are not medically knowledgeable and do not understand dosing or which dewormer to use, please rely on your veterinarian to do this for you until you have more experience and knowledge. *

This is not a full list, but these are the must haves to avoid common early pitfalls. When it comes to fencing and enclosures, if it can’t hold water, it can’t hold a goat. Check daily for any signs of leaning or broken fences, and never put something a goat could climb or jump onto next to a fence where they could escape.

Our next post will talk about nutritional need differences between bucks, wethers, and does. As a reminder, all goats need 24/7 access to fresh, clean water and good quality hay. Grain is almost never necessary unless a doe is pregnant/lactating or a goat is failing to gain or maintain weight (teeth issues and geriatric goats/sheep will need daily but well balanced grain). While you can give grain as a treat, it must be a very small portion of the overall diet to avoid toxemia and overeating disease.

Link to favorite mineral system: https://goatcare.com/products/the-complete-goat-mineral-buffet-starter-kit-20-minerals-salt?srsltid=AfmBOoqYxB-1JUFq_wERrZXHBPDc4sV2cBGNHYdJVTo4sCAz7LizE9b0

Nutrition: The do’s and don’ts of feeding goats

One of the most commonly asked questions we get revolves around the unknowns of what to feed goats. Most people have a misconception that goats can eat just about anything and be fine, however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While goats can digest fibrous material and weeds that other ruminants can’t like poison ivy, that doesn’t mean they can just eat anything.

Goats, by nature, are browsers. This means they won’t eat off the ground if they don’t have to. If they’re in the woods foraging, they’ll only eat the top few inches of plants and won’t eat down to the dirt like horses, cows, and sheep will. Goats are highly susceptible to some pretty nasty parasites, so you must make sure when you feed their hay it is in an elevated feeder.

Goats are also very messy eaters. Our heard of 12 go through about 50lbs of hay every 18 hours. A decent chunk of that ends up on the ground and they use it for bedding. You can build hay catching tables, but honestly they’ll just end up sleeping in those too. An elevated feeder, in an enclosed, dry area, is your best bet long term. This is a link to the feeders we use, but anything similar is good. Please note that if your goats have horns, get a feeder that they can’t get their heads stuck in. There’s no perfect solution, especially if you have young goats, but try to be as cognizant as possible for the possibility of horns getting stuck in smaller holes.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tarter-dura-tough-mini-feeder-dtsaf-1382874?store=1762&cid=Google-Shopping-Sustain&utm_medium=Google&utm_source=Shopping&utm_content=Sustain&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnTm2237LntRhl6fn_JIWqvk_aiz&gclid=Cj0KCQiA19e8BhCVARIsALpFMgGuoaViT-EdbjN7AFvNaiz3LH4fdJ6N-z0SMOkhdhT8RuoVsORHuK4aAmSTEALw_wcB

Now, the topic of feeding grain. This is a doozy because a lot of people have very strong opinions on it. We’ve discussed this with our vets many times. The only good time (in our opinion) to feed grain consistently is for young babies using a medicated feed to help prevent coccidia (extremely common parasite issue), quarantined goats you plan to introduce to your mixed herd (again, stress will cause a coccidia bloom in many goats and sheep. It’s a natural part of their gut but when out of balance can make them extremely sick), or sick or older goats who need help gaining or maintaining weight (you would want a sweet feed for this). If you choose to feed grain, please make sure it has ammonium chloride in it. Bucks and wethers have different urinary needs than does. Male goats are highly prone to calcium stones in their ureters, which is a life threatening and extremely painful condition. When fed too much grain, one of the major risks is these stones. Another major risk is a goat eating so much grain that their natural bacteria cannot break it down and they begin to bloat. Bloat is tremendously painful and dangerous. There are treatments, especially if you have a vet who can see you right away, but it’s always better to just avoid the problem if you can.

When it comes to letting your goats forage or graze on pasture, rotational grazing is highly important. Our goats have four separate grazing areas. They have their main enclosure, a swapped out area with the horses (one on species on it at a time), their secondary larger pasture for just them, and then our backyard for extra entertainment and fun treat plants. A large topic with goats will be parasite control. By allowing for rotational grazing, you’ll limit the amount of exposure to common parasites. One of the nice things with goats is that their parasites can’t hurt horses or chickens, and vice versa.

This is a short list of natural vegetation that goats enjoy eating. Please make sure to check your region for any poisonous plants and learn how to identify them. One of the most toxic where we are is poke weed. If you know me you know I go to battle with this plant for about half the year trying to eradicate it from our property. The goats can eat a tiny amount of this plant, far more than other animals, but it is still very toxic. Nightshades are also toxic, make sure not to let your goats have any access to nightshade plants (tomatoes, potatoes, etc)

Wild plants that goats love to eat!

Plantain

Chickweed

Dandelion

Clover

Wild Violents

Milk Thistle

Pine Needles

Nettle

Yarrow

Wild Garlic

Bramble

Goldenrod

Creeping Charlie

Poison Ivy

As always, make sure your goats have constant access to clean, fresh water. Keep their hay covered and dry, and use high quality horse hay for their forage. Ours prefer 2nd cut hay but they enjoy a good 1st cut from time to time.

Our next post will be focusing on enclosures and enrichment for your goats!