What You Need to Know Before Purchasing a Goat

Owning goats is very rewarding, but has long been clothed in misconceptions.  Yes, goats are hardy animals--with the proper care.  Early on in our goat-breeding journey, we were rather unsuccessful in keeping healthy goats, but through nearly ten years of research and experience, we have learned what goats need to thrive.  We want to share this knowledge with you, so you can have happy, healthy goats!

One of our adorable Nigerian Dwarf goat kids

Companion.  Goats are herd animals, which means that they naturally prefer to be in a group.  They need at least one other goat as a companion.  If they are kept solitary, this creates stress and potential death.  Some goats can adapt to being by themselves, but others cannot (and you never know which type you are going to get!).  When choosing your goats, it is very important to make sure that all of them are horned or all of them are hornless.  Keeping hornless goats with horned ones leaves them with a dangerous disadvantage.  One of our clients bought a horned doe as a companion for his hornless doe.  While they were eating together one day, the horned doe went to butt the hornless doe away and ripped a gash open on her.  Thankfully, it was able to be treated.

An inseparable pair

Pen.  For two miniature goats, we recommend a pen size around 50 feet by 25 feet.  You want your goats' pen to be large enough for them to run around in and for sanitation purposes.  The fencing you choose must be durable enough to ward off predators and to keep goats in.  We use Red Brand Non-Climb Horse Fence, 48 inches tall (this is available from most farm supply stores), but chainlink and electric fencing work, as well.  The minimum height for goats' fencing is four feet.

One of our goat pens

Shelter.  Goats hate getting wet!  A good shelter will provide protection from the elements, yet still have good circulation.  There are many ways to create a suitable shelter, but we recommend that it be around 5 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 4 feet tall to accommodate two miniature goats.  If you live in a high-risk predator area and don't have a livestock guardian dog, you need to build your shelter in such a way that you can securely lock your goats in at night.  Goats prefer to sleep off the ground.  They love laying on bunks or cinder blocks!  If you would like to provide bedding for the floor of your goats' shelter, pine shavings (found at farm supply stores) work the best.  They soak up urine and eliminate bad odors.

Our first goat shelter

Food.  We feed our goats 16% Goat Feed from Dawson Gap Naturals (we have started a co-op to make this available in our area, so contact us if you're interested in placing an order!).  It is best for your goats' overall health if you only purchase foods formulated especially for goats.

The goat food we use

Food & Water Buckets.  We have always used heavy-duty plastic troughs for our goats' food and water buckets.  They hold up well and are fairly easy to clean.  There are so many options from different farm supply stores, but we usually purchase ours from Tractor Supply.

A couple of our goats' buckets

Hay.  Bermuda and Perennial Peanut hays are good choices for goats.  We give our goats Perennial Peanut hay, due to its superior nutrient content (they absolutely love it, too!).  If you are local, you can purchase both types of hay from Webb's Farm Services in Springfield, Georgia.  Alfalfa is also a good, nutrient-rich hay, but is generally not available in coastal Georgia.  Never give alfalfa to bucks or wethers, as it contains too much calcium for them and can lead to kidney stones.

Perennial Peanut Hay (left) and Bermuda Hay (right)

Hay Rack.  You have probably heard that goats are notorious for wasting hay!  Therefore, a solid hay rack is a necessity.  We have made our own wood ones and bought mounted metal ones from Agri Supply.  Whatever you decide to use, make sure that it is very sturdy.  Friends of ours lost a doe because their free-standing hay rack tipped over, pinning her under it.  We do not recommend hay bags because goats can get tangled in them.

One of our hay racks

Apple Cider Vinegar.  If you plan to have bucks or wethers (neutered bucks), Apple Cider Vinegar is a must.  Bucks and wethers are prone to a condition called urinary calculi (similar to human urinary stones).  It is very painful to them and can be fatal.  Apple Cider Vinegar prevents urinary calculi because it breaks down any mineral crystallization in their urinary tract.  We spray Apple Cider Vinegar (using a spray bottle) on our goats' food every day.  We have never had a case of urinary calculi on our farm, and neither has any of our clients who have faithfully done this.  One client decided that it wasn't necessary and ended up losing her wether.  Apple Cider Vinegar is also a wonderful immune booster and is filled with minerals and probiotics, which is why we give it to our does, too.  We purchase organic, unpasteurized, unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar from WalMart, Kroger's, Publix, or Sam's.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Dewormer.  Keeping goats dewormed is a main key to keeping them healthy.  Here in southeast Georgia, with our especially hot and humid climate, internal parasites are a killer if not controlled.  We buy herbal dewormers from Fir Meadow.  They are called DWorm A and GI Soother, and they each cover a different spectrum of internal parasites.  What we love about these herbal dewormers is that they work very well, worms do not grow resistant to them, there is no milk withdrawal period, and they prevent other illnesses (for example, pneumonia and mycoplasma).  We give them to our goats on their food.  Since these dewormers are a powder, we spray Apple Cider Vinegar on the food first, then sprinkle the desired amount on (this ensures that the powder doesn't just sift to the bottom).  We usually double dose on the herbal dewormers since it can't harm the goats.  To start goats on them or if you recognize signs of internal parasites, we recommend administering them morning and evening for ten days.  You just need to use it once a week thereafter.  We cannot stress enough the necessity of deworming your goats.  We have seen internal parasites reek havoc not only on our goats, but also on friends' goats.

The herbal dewormers we use

Hoof Clippers & Rasp.  Goats' hooves need to be trimmed every four to six weeks.  We like to confine our goats in our milking stand and occupy them with food while we trim their hooves.  Here are instructions on how to trim hooves: http://fiascofarm.com/goats/hoof-trim-rf.htm.  We purchase our hoof clippers from Tractor Supply and our rasp from Lowe's.  If goats' hooves are not trimmed regularly, it can prohibit them from walking normally, and therefore, create leg problems.

Hoof Clippers (left) and Rasp (right)

Toys.  Goats are naturally playful, curious, and love to jump.  Toys help to keep them out of trouble!  Some safe, fun toys are tires, wooden tables, and Fisher-Price play sets.  Make sure these toys are away from the fence, as goats will try to jump over it!  Never put anything sharp or flimsy in with your goats.  It is very easy for them to injure themselves on an inappropriate toy!

A couple of our goat toys

Treats.  While there are goat treats on the market, we prefer giving our goats foods that they would naturally eat out in the wild.  Goats will eat almost any fruit or vegetable, but their favorites are apples, Bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, lettuces, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes (just the fruit--the leaves are poisonous).  We buy these organic to avoid harmful pesticide residues.

Treats goats love!

Can I "play" with my baby goats?  While play-butting with your baby goats is fun and cute, it leads to a bad habit.  Since you are playing with them as they play with each other, your goats look at you as just another goat.  This may be perfectly safe when they are small, but it will not be as they grow bigger.  Since they consider you as part of the herd, they will head-butt you if they are playful, irritable, or just want attention.  This can be very dangerous depending upon the size of your goat.  When we started our farm, we had a large buck that we had made the mistake of play-butting with him when he was small.  He became very aggressive, head-butting us at full force.  We had to get rid of him because he grew too dangerous for us to keep.  Since then, we have never play-butted with our baby goats, and therefore, never had this problem again.  Good ways to form a bond with your goats are petting them, brushing them, leash-training them, and giving them treats.

Do bucks (intact male goats) make good pets?  Bucks are just as friendly and social as does are, but during breeding season (September to February), they go into rut.  Their behavior during this time of year is rather disgusting.  To attract does, they make themselves smell "good", spraying themselves with their urine.  They also reek a pungent odor from their scent glands--which most people find unappealing.  We never recommend bucks to clients who are looking to just have pet goats.  Bucks are obviously important though, if you are wanting to breed/milk your goats.  Does and wethers (neutered bucks) make excellent pets!

What is the difference between a registered goat and an unregistered goat?  Put simply, if you just want to have pet goats, registration papers are not a necessity.  However, if you want to make sure that you are purchasing a Nigerian Dwarf goat which will only mature to be around 55 pounds, registration papers are a necessity.  For those who are looking to breed/milk or show, certificates of registration not only show a purebred status, but also ensure a legitimate bloodline.  Yes, any doe can produce milk, but will it be a lot or a little?  This depends upon whether milk production was bred into her lineage or not.  You can see if a buck or doe will add valuable genetics to your herd through the benefit of looking at their recorded pedigree.