Hello guys,
My first post here. I've been researching about possible "backyard" goat breeds and I think Nigerian Dwarf is the best goat out there for my purposes. I love goat milk and drink a lot of milk as is, so I am want to have goat specifically for milking.
I have about an acre of land with grassy hill and seeded clover plains where the fruit trees grow. I currently have chickens and they have about 40 x 40 yards pan and they are pretty happy campers with very little management. However, getting a goat is kind scary because the amount of care and time I think it will require. So here is the basic questions from a nube:
General keep:
1. How big of a barn do I need for two females and occasional babies?
2. Can I use one of those commercial shades like Costco selling?
3, I live in CA so we don't get freezing temps, but occasionally it gets close to 32, so how much of an insulation do I need for the barn?
4. Will goats eat leaves/bark of my fruit trees if I let them roam on my property? I used to have deer coming and eating leaves of my trees - killing them slowly. I don't want that to repeat.
5. How much food amount and cost wise $$$ two goats will consume lets say per day and per week (on average)?
6. Are they silly enough to jump my 5.5 feet picked fence and go on the street?
7. Can they live in the same pen 40x40 yards with my chickens and go on the rest of the property whenever I let them out.
Health and care:
1. What kind of vaccination do they need and how often?
2. Can you apply vaccination yourself?
3. How often goats get sick (on average) what is the most common sickness and cause?
4. What is the daily care routine?
5. Can you put a pile of hey for them to nimble all the time?
6. How often do you need to shave their hoofs?
7. How do you make sure that milk is not contaminated with anything? Do you "sterilize" milk through pre-boiling or boiling?
Last, but definitely not least, how do you go on vacation lets say for a week or week and a half? I can leave my chickens no problem as they have a big feeder and automated watering system. As long as my neighbor picks up eggs once in a few days, they are ok. With goats I assume I will not have that luxury and will need someone to be present and take care of them everyday?
Sorry for the long post of questions, but I hope it can be used for the future nubs as well.
Thank you.
Replies
Welcome! I'll answer some of these - my goats eat some of my treess (orange, cashew, avocado) but they can only reach the lower branches so I'm happy that they get fed but the upper part of the tree is ok. I've never seen them eat the bark.
Mine hardly ever get sick - external parasites have been the most common thing.
Daily care involves bringing them out to wherever I've placed their moveable fences each day. If its rainy season they eat grass, if its' dry season I feed them leaves and feed. I make sure they have water and shelter against sun and rain (an old table!). In the evening I bring them back to the goat shed (I have ropes that I tie/clip to their (rope) collars. If it's dry season I give them some feed at this stage. It's really not much! If you are milking, it also involves separating the mother from the kid in the evening, and milking in the morning. Having a kid when you are milking is really handy so that you can take a day off - just don't separate the kid from the mother and the kid will suckle as normal to stop the milk building up. I imagine if you don't have a kid it would be much harder to get away.............
Trimming their hoofs depends on what surface they are walking on. If they have rocks, they will trim them for you. But if it's grass you may need to do it more often.
As far as I know, if the goat is not sick, the milk is not contaminated and you can drink it. Obviously there could be other contaminants like hair (strain before drinking) or poo, but you'd see them and know.
I have a small homestead (1.5 acres) and before I had it I worked on 3 farms the year I did my permaculture cerfiticate. I was advised by one farmer to make sure I had some help - it was great advice. I love the work I do here, but I really really appreciate having someone on hand who knows the animals, the routines. He comes twice or three times a week regularly, and I'm sure I've more energy for the other days knowing that I have some days off. Then it's invaluable to be able to call him if I am sick or away for a bit. I think you'd need someone who knew your routines - caring for a homestead is more work that just looking in on a dog or cat! Maybe a student or teenager would like the work as a part time job?
I think if there is grass and the goats are in a shed with the fencing around the shed, they could just wander in and out themselves at night when they want, maybe they'd be ok for 2 or 3 days like that themselves? Not sure. Maybe it would depend on security and/or predators in your area.
My shed is about 2 metres by 2 metres and comfortable fits my current 2 females, a kid and a male. It's just a wooden frame with zinc panels and a mud floor. I also got dividing gates in one corner so I can put a kid in there to separate it from the mother overnight for morning milking.
Hope something there is helpful - take the plunge and go for it! You can always try it out and if it doesn't work you can see (or eat?) them!
Katharine
Thank you for very detailed reply!!!
Hello and welcome from a former Bay Area dweller (San Jose, born and raised).
Our forum owner/administrator, Deborah, is a wealth of excellent holistic knowledge and I'm sure she can provide the answers to a lot of your questions. This is only my third year of having goats, but I remember having all the same questions as you when I was getting ready to purchase them and bring them home.
A few things from my own experience. You really only need a basic shelter for goats, they mostly just need a place to get in out of the rain and severe weather. If you do have a barn, make sure it's not too insulated. It should have very good ventilation so that dust and ammonia don't build up, that can make animals pretty sick. My opinion is that goats (and other animals) should be out in the sunshine and fresh air as much as possible, it makes them healthier and heartier. Goats can withstand the kind of cold you'll get there quite easily.
Yes, goats will eat the leaves and bark of your trees, if it's a tree that they like. They will also eat shrubs, and other landscaping plants, so if you want to keep them off, you have to either contain them or put protection around your trees/plants. You might want to look into an electric netting fence and do rotational grazing so you can control what they have access to.
Nigerians are unlikely to jump a 5 foot fence, but goats are fence-testers, meaning they look for weak spots where they can get through. Sturdy fencing is a must. Goats and chickens usually get along fine, but you have to keep the goats away from any chicken feed because if they get ahold of it, they'll gorge themselves into a dangerous bloat. I let my goats and chickens free range together, but their feed is kept secured in their individual pens.
Food costs are hard to judge, and depends on how much browse/pasture they have. Hay costs vary, but I know in California you usually have access to to good quality hay year round. Dry does, wethers, and bucks need very little besides free choice hay/browse, water and free choice minerals. Does in later pregnancy and milking does will need a good quality grain mix, plus any other supplements you think are necessary.
On the subjects of vaccination and pasteurization of milk, I'd suggest you study those issues and come to your own conclusions on what to do. Some vaccinate and/or pasteurize and some don't. But the biggest keys to safe milk is making sure that you keep clean conditions when milking, sterilize your milking equipment, and get the milk chilled to 40 degrees as quickly as possible after it leaves the goat. This will also help insure good flavor in your milk.
In my opinion, you shouldn't leave goats unattended for more than a day. It's best to have someone come in to do your daily chores for you. There may be some folks who have found a way around this, but I haven't.
Most of all, I want to let you know that I'm so happy I made the choice to bring these little darlings into my life. They are bright, lively, funny and surprisingly affectionate creatures. They are also an efficient user of resources and much kinder to they environment than cows are. So I hope you do decide to get goats. If you have any more questions for me, just let me know.