First and foremost, I do not write this to convince you to NOT get goats. Unless you grew up with goats, everyone has to start somewhere. But, there are some things you need to know. First, goats are not ‘simple’. They do not eat ‘anything’. They will not mow your yard, which I’ll get into why later. They do not stay little forever and they can be VERY NAUGHTY (but they are delicious if they are too naughty - I’m NOT joking). So here is my best attempt to prepare you. You can do this! But you need to have realistic expectations and knowledge

Find a mentoR - FIND A VET

A mentor, ideally local, is EXTREMELY valuable if you are new to goats. Even folks with decades of experience bounce ideas off each other when the inevitable health issue occurs. Many experienced breeders will mentor you (even more likely if you purchase from them), after all, many of us had great mentors. If purchasing from someone, ASK if the will help you. You can give your money to anyone you want, but buying from someone who will help and support you is a better deal. Ask a few basic questions and use your gut to determine if the person you are buying from knows what they are talking about or are relatively new to goats too. I see too many people get ‘taken’ by "breeders” (I use that term loosely), that sell sick animals and fail to support the purchaser. My ‘pet quality’ goats are no more expensive than anyone else’s, and I can, and DO, GUARANTEE they have a good start (which is NOT the same as a warranty as I cannot be responsible for a purchaser’s actions, or more commonly, lack of). I will not sell you a sick animal because my reputation is important to me. Because of this, if someone strikes me as not being all that willing to learn, odds are, I WON’T sell to them. The quality of life of the animals I breed and thus bring into this world is important to me. I would rather they stay here as ‘grow-outs’ and have ‘one bad day’ than doom them to a home of substandard care only to be re-sold when they lose their novelty. And I sure as heck don’t want someone badmouthing me because of their actions, or lack of action. Sorry, not sorry (steps off soapbox).

On vets, not all veterinarians are knowledgeable on goats. Call around and find one who will see your goats BEFORE you get goats so you can react immediately to an issue (I’ll talk more about potential issues and importance of a timely reaction below). If your vet isn’t familiar with goats, ask if they would they still be willing to help you considering advice from your mentor. Having a relationship up-front is a good idea.

Generally speaking, the internet if full of awful advice. Please do not plan to ‘post on facebook’ and listen to any Joe or Jane who comments. You will only communicate the symptoms that you recognize and it can be very hard to accurately describe what is going on (and you don’t know the reader’s comprehension level). In person observation is ideal, but a video can do this job. NEVER NEVER NEVER trust the advice of someone who doesn’t FIRST ask you what the animal’s temperature is before dispensing advice. It’s the first thing every doctor/vet does when diagnosing illness and is crucial in narrowing the treatment… sometimes you need to rule out what it ISN’T to know what it is.

get Three

If you are new to goats, get 3. Goats are herd animals. They do best with the company of other goats/sheep. While some seem okay with the company of a horse, that horse won’t make a very good snuggle buddy on cold nights. So why not just 2? What if one dies in the middle of the winter? You will now have one very lonely goat and will probably have a hard time finding another in short order. If you do find another, the odds are they won’t be instant friends.

If you intend to keep a buck, plan to keep him with another male. It doesn’t matter if its another buck or a wether (castrated male). Keeping a buck with your does will result in back-to-back pregnancy, which is unhealthy for your doe(s), and will likely result in kidding during inclement months. If you are just getting started, look for stud service versus purchasing your own buck. I offer stud service and have some bucks that (most likely) far exceed the quality that someone just getting started would purchase. (The buck is the ONLY way to improve the quality of a herd / offspring, as the does genetics are what they are. Quality is IMPORTANT). More on bucks below in ‘Basic Feed Information’ and 'How do you feel about…’

bottle babies

I never recommend someone get started with bottle babies. Yes, they are cute, and rewarding, but you can always add to your herd in future years.

If you insist on bottle babies, please consider the following. Once again, I’m not saying you can’t be successful, just do your research.

You will find various overly complicated feeding schedules and recipes on the internet. Newborn kids need more frequent feeding for a few days, but after that, twice a day with heated whole milk (red cap from the store) is usually sufficient (in my experience - consult a mentor/vet for very small kids or kids with other health setbacks). Many will chug the entire bottle if given the opportunity, which is not in their best interest. You will need to assess their condition and match their consumption, which may mean feeding more often than twice a day. Too much in one serving can cause a host of issues. I believe that feeding a strict number of ounces by weight does not work as well as a reasonable assessment of how full the kid is physically. I palpate their little belly and ensure it is full but not SUPER full (do not want it hard and visibly distended) .

You must closely monitor the behavior and temperature of kids. They can eagerly take their morning bottle only to be standing hunched and refusing to eat by evening. This situation requires IMMEDIATE treatment.  Do you have a mentor or a vet (who is knowledgeable about goats) who is available within hours? Your plan should NOT be to post on an internet group. You will only communicate the symptoms that you recognize and it can be very hard to accurately describe what is going on (and you don’t know the reader’s comprehension level). In person observation is ideal, but a video can do this job. NEVER NEVER NEVER trust the advice of someone who doesn’t FIRST ask you what the animal’s temperature is before dispensing advice. It’s the first thing every doctor/vet does when diagnosing illness and is crucial in narrowing the treatment… sometimes you need to rule out what it ISN’T to know what it is. (These sentences are a direct copy from above… this is important)

So we covered food in, how about food out… Keep in mind, without mom to clean them up, that’s your job, some need regular enemas.

If you do not have other goats, bottle kids often have a hard time taking to feed/hay.  Studies show early consumption of fiber/feed benefits their rumen health their entire life. Some bottle kids don’t know they are goats and turn their nose at feed/hay.

Have you ever interacted with an ADULT bottle baby? Personally, I think they are annoying has ____. I prefer ‘handled’ and or ‘bucket fed’. Bottle kids are pushy, NOISY, and into everything! No respect!

Once you get past the 6-8 week point, there’s a whole other set of ‘kid issues’…

kids - 8 weeks to 8 months

I think 8 weeks to 8 months is actually MORE challenging than bottle babies. Bottle babies can go downhill so incredibly fast, but kids can be just as bad. Often they will have an underlying issue kicking around, such as coccidia or parasites, and then by the time it is realized, they are very weak and require very intensive care. You often hear of people saying, ‘they were fine one day and dead the next’… there probably were signs, but they were subtle. So here’s some helpful hints:

• FEED OFF THE GROUND! - Whether kids or adults, goats are ‘browsers’, not ‘grazers’ like sheep, cows, & horses. A goat’s niche is to eat vertically - shrubs, trees, weeds, brush… the stuff the ‘grazers’ do not want. Yes, goats will graze short grass, but goats have considerably lower resistance to parasites than sheep/cows/horses. Keep their poopy trotters off their food! This means hay bunks or nets and keeping their feed pan clean (ideally just remove them when not in use). Feeding off the ground reduces parasites and coccidia.

• COCCIDIA - Coccidia are everywhere in our environment, but some strains are nastier than others. Coccidia are a protozoa that lives in the intestinal tract and feeds off vitamins/nutrients (particularly B1 (thiamine)) produced by the host. Oocysts are shed in the feces of infected animals and then ingested via dirty feed pans, contaminated water troughs, contaminated hay, pasture, or when nursing. Coccidia oocysts can live in the soil and be transferred and ingested from soil. Adult animals develop a resistance to coccidia making them unlikely to be problematic except in cases of extreme illness or stress. For goats under the age of 8 months, coccidia can have a devastating effect on development and energy levels. If unchecked, the coccidia damage the intestinal lining to the point that nutrition cannot be absorbed by the animal, which can result in permanent effects on development (stunted growth) and death. Coccidiosis, the condition caused by an overrun of coccidia, is often identified by diarrhea, lack of condition, and/or low energy. It should be noted that a kid with severe coccidiosis may NOT have diarrhea. If a goat under 8 months of age and is exhibiting ANY ill health, it is not a bad idea to treat for coccidia. Fecal testing can identify coccidia levels, but there is no harm in treating and time is often of essence when dealing with a sick goat. Along with treatment, is prevention. It is wise to practice coccidia prevention. Prevention can be accomplished through the use of medicated feed, regular treatment with medication, and maintaining clean/dry living conditions. I feed medicated feed and treat proactively on a schedule. As far as medications used for the treatment/prevention of coccidiosis, toltrazuril tops the list as only a single dose is required. Sulfadimethoxine is effective with multiple day treatment but is only available via a veterinarian. Corid (amprolium) is effective with multiple day treatment and is available over the counter. It is VERY IMPORTANT to have something on hand! I recommend toltrazuril, which is available on the internet.

Basic feed information

Bucks/wethers must be fed a properly balanced diet or they are likely to develop fatal urinary calculi. An improper calcium to phosphorus ratio will result in bladder stones stones which will block the urethra and cause bladder rupture. A calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 (twice as much calcium as phosphorus) from ALL feed sources must be maintained. Read the tags/analysis. Whole grains (corn, oats, barley, rye, black oil sunflower seed) are VERY high in phosphorus. Alfalfa hay/pellets are very high in calcium. Read the label on loose mineral / lick tubs, as well, not are are balanced for bucks.

Goats are ‘browsers’, not ‘grazers’ like sheep, cows, & horses. A goat’s niche is to eat vertically - shrubs, trees, weeds, brush… the stuff the ‘grazers’ do not want. Yes, goats will graze short grass, but goats have considerably lower resistance to parasites than sheep/cows/horses. Most parasites (worms) are ingested when worm larva travel up grass blades and the goat consumes the grass. The larva develop and reproduce in the goat and worm eggs are excreted in the manure. The eggs mature in the manure/soil, hatch, and the larva travel up the grass blades to be ingested. This parasite life-cycle results in chronic infestation (and re-infestation), requiring frequent deworming. On the topic of deworming, many parasites are developing resistance to common dewormers due to the antiquated practice of deworming the entire herd on a schedule. The new recommended practice (for all livestock) is fecal testing to determine which parasites are present in which animals and at what levels. Only the animals requiring treatment are dewormed with a product that is known to be effective against the parasites that are present (not all dewormers are effective against all parasites). I choose to avoid all this with a combination of rotational foraging/grazing and dry-lotting. A dry-lot is an area devoid of vegetation, in which hay is given as the forage source. The pastures are small so they can be intensively foraged/grazed. The animals are removed after the majority of the forage is gone and moved to a new pasture. The pasture is then rested for several months (or until next year) until the forage regrows to a substantial height.

When feeding hay, keep their poopy trotters off their food! This means hay bunks or nets and keeping their feed pan clean (ideally just remove them when not in use). Feeding off the ground reduces parasites and coccidia (in kids). If their hay is kept CLEAN they will waste far less of it (although they will still waste a bunch).

As far as nutrition, first and foremost is quality hay. Goats require high quality hay (‘horse quality’ not ‘cow quality’). Goats will not tolerate rot or dust. They do, however, like bales with weeds or mix grasses as long as it is properly dried/baled.

A goat specific loose mineral is required. This should be offered free choice 24/7/365 to avoid over consumption. A horse mineral is next best, then a cattle mineral. Avoid multi-species as it can be used for sheep so won’t have adequate copper.

More on feeding here

how do you feel about…

Wastefulness: You know that $8 bale of alfalfa you bought? Yeah, they are going to pull half out of their feeder and poop on it.

"Human, I pooped in my water, please change it immediately… (Human changes water)… Human, I pooped in my water again. (This is ESPECIALLY fun in winter).

Escapes: Let’s just say if your fencing has a weakness, they’ll find it. If you get a jumper, good luck. Escaped goats will go DIRECTLY for any plant/tree that you love and kill it (or poison themselves as some plants of toxic). They will climb/jump onto inappropriate items (vehicles) and probably crap on them too, just because.

Screaming: Not all goats are loud, but 80% of mine are. If you feed them on a schedule, they know that schedule and will scream until they get fed. Some scream just because (bottle babies are notorious).

On bucks: Bucks stink! Some year round, some only when in rut. During the fall rut they think their pee smells sexy (#ipeeonmyface) and as a result will cover themselves in it. Their behavior can be very ‘inappropriate’, as well. They will stink up your hands, clothes, and yard. You’re better off not buying a buck if you can avoid it. Many breeders will offer driveway service (I do).

Commitments: With proper care, most goats will live 12 years. Goats need their feet trimmed regularly. There are not goat farriers, you will have to do this. Goats also require proper nutrition to maintain good hoof quality (or they will likely be plagued with hoof rot, even in dry conditions). This means a goat specific pellet, loose mineral, or protein/mineral block (or lick tub). They will do poorly on just forage/hay. Goats also regularly get lice/mites in the winter and will need to be treated for them or they will become severely anemic and have skin issues.