| Basic Goat Care! |
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| Goats are funny, playful and smart animals. They will provide hours of "entertainment" for the whole family! They make an excellent pet when cared for properly. They will NOT mow your lawn, BUT they will eat all your flowers, Trees, shrubs and bushes! Please note that everything in this article is how I raise my goats and is meant as a guideline for basic pet goat care. I am NOT a Vet and these are my opinions. The Basics.... ~ Goats are social (pack) animals and should never live alone. You should always have 2. ~ Do NOT tie out your goat. Goats need constant supervision if they are on a tie out. Goats need a fenced in area that can keep predators out and allow them to run and play. Housing... ~ A small shed or large dog house makes a great shelter for 2 goats. A horse stall in a barn is great to! I use pine shavings on the floor. Then I add hay or straw in the winter for warmth. ~ Goats hate to get wet, so please make sure they can get out of the weather and keep there "house" as draft free as possible. ~ Their house/shed/stall will need to be cleaned out about once a week and fresh bedding added. Feeding... ~ I feed Blue Seal dairy goat pellets as a base. I then add some Blue Seal sunshine plus and black oil sunflower seeds as an added supplement. I just add a hand full of each to their daily feed. This helps with dry skin and keeps the coat shiny. Each goat should get 1-2 cups in the morning and again at night. Male goats (including wethers) do not need much grain. I only feed the boys 1/2 of what the girls get. Boys are more prone to urinary calculi. ~ A good horse hay should be fed either free choice or also in morning and night. ~ Fresh water ALL the time. ~ They should also have "free choice" GOAT minerals & Baking soda. ~ Treats... Goats LOVE plain animal crackers. Shots/Hooves/and other care ~ Goats NEED their hooves trimmed at least every 2~3 months. ~ Goats get a CD&T shot at 4-6 weeks old, then 8-10 weeks old. Then they get a booster every year. ~ Goats NEED to be wormed every 3-4 months. You can give Ivomec 1% injectable (for cattle & swine) This can be given as a shot or orally ~(Dosage: 1cc sub-Q per 85lbs. 2cc orally per 85lbs.) The other wormer I give is Safe-Guard Liquid De-wormer for Goats. You should alternate worming between the 2 and always give ProBios (cattle/swine) a day or 2 after worming. These Basics will keep your goats happy and healthy. I have added some great goat resources to the back cover. I have put the "basics" in here that I do for MY goats. This is meant as a guideline for care. Goat supplies... ~ Hoeggers Goat Supply ~ http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/ ~ Jeffers Supply ~ http://jefferslivestock.com/ This next site has a wealth of information and is just a great resource! ~ Fias Co Farm ~ http://fiascofarm.com/ |
