One day I plan to raise goats.

[AMC]

What should I know before I start organizing my life around this?

 

[sonya123]

We have been raising meat and a few milk goats for almost 7 years now. Currently we have 74 animals ( but some are sheep).
For goats:
how much land do you have or plan on getting? Where is it located exactly ( dry west or wet east, or somewhere in the middle? )
You will need good goat fencing
They do better with brush/woods and some grass, not just all grass
They NEED a shelter to stay out of the rain and snow
You cannot feed them garbage hay ( that would be ok for some cattle) , you need decent hay despite what some people tell you , weeds are ok in it, mold is not ever
goats need regular care if you want them to do well, you can't just put them out in a pasture and forget about them
Start out with good goats, not someone else's culls from the auction
there are meat goats, milk goats, miniature goats and show goats

Any specific questions?

 

[AMC]

It's more a retirement fantasy. It would be somewhere in Colorado.

 

[Weedygarden]

What should I know before I start organizing my life around this?

What is your purpose in raising goats? For weed control? Milk? Meat?
I do know that there are a few goat herds in our area that are used for weed control.

There are a few channels on YouTube by people who raise goats.

This is one that I've been watching for a few years now.
https://www.youtube.com/@Weedemandreap

 

[Magpie]

I've been planning that since I moved here! There's always been more reasons not to get them, me working etc, and I've enough trouble with dogs escaping. Goats became very expensive over the past few years, so now I'm hoping for a rescue one.

 

[FarmOR]

My neighbor "you should get goats. They are a lot smarter than sheep."

Me "I can't even handle the sheep that are above average!"

 

[LadyLocust]

Have your fences and area ready prior to getting them. Whatever you don’t have finished or up to par, they will find it. Also, you don’t want them where they can get to your car, they will climb it.

 

[Supervisor42]

Have your fences and area ready prior to getting them. Whatever you don’t have finished or up to par, they will find it. Also, you don’t want them where they can get to your car, they will climb it.

Hee hee!
And they do not discriminate either! :

 

[Pearl]

I had a neighbor's goat come for a visit last year. I put him in the front dog yard, 48" fence and two rows of hot fence on top, 56" tall at least, he jumped it! He was a jerk if a goat, neighbor guy was afraid of him! I roped him, made sure he got home. Neighbors gave him away!

 

[LadyLocust]

Peacocks will do the same thing and are also mean.

 

[AMC]

Hee hee!
And they do not discriminate either! :

That's so adorable! :3

 

[Spikedriver]

Only things I know about goats:

Don't feed them moldy hay. It can kill them. I've seen it.

Make your fence twice as high as you think you need to. Have you ever seen a Jackie Chan movie, where he runs up the inside corner of a wall? Yeah, goats can do that.

Oh, and they will eat vinyl. I saw one eat the vinyl top off a 1989 Mercury Cougar...

 

[sonya123]

I had a neighbor's goat come for a visit last year. I put him in the front dog yard, 48" fence and two rows of hot fence on top, 56" tall at least, he jumped it! He was a jerk if a goat, neighbor guy was afraid of him! I roped him, made sure he got home. Neighbors gave him away!

that wasn't a goat, that was a deer !!
When our first buck got full grown ( around 4), he would just push down the fence, or barn door or anything else that would keep him from getting to the girls
I have never seen a full grown goat jump a high fence ,maybe ours are too fat

 

[Dani]

My suggestion is make sure that your goats can't get their heads thru whatever fencing you decide on. Goats with horns will get stuck and small babies can escape to the other side. This didn't happen to me, but a friend had a pack of dogs come in his yard and killed off all of his heard overnight, except for one billy, he calls Elvis. His horns saved him for the fight for his life. Horns do have benefits. That is a way to hang onto them during medicating and hoof trimmings. Also a way to grab hold to wrestle into the trailer to takw to auction.

 

[FarmOR]

Funny and ironic goat story:

My buddy lives in ritzy neighborhood in the big city. His neighbor is a lawyer who unwinds by gardening exotic plants in his back yard. Every back yard is enclosed by the same six foot tall solid cedar fences.

A few years ago, they had some extremely dry and hot conditions. The upscale subdivision was built on the edge of town where there's a lot of surrounding fire hazard. The HOA being smart and proactive hired a goat herder to reduce the vegetation surrounding the subdivision.

Everything was splendid until the goat herder settled down for a afternoon nap. The goats promptly formed a cheerleader style pyramid and cleared the six foot solid fence for the enticing aromas of the exotic plants. They ate everything before their scheme was discovered!

 

[joel]

Hee hee!
And they do not discriminate either! :

Milk or meat or combo goats.
A friend daughter had goats & wanted large wooden spools for the goats to climb on.
She was in luck, I had a friend who gave me five spools, two different sizes for free.
We hauled them to her house, because she did not have a truck.

 

[thankful_k]

I have spanish boers, and those little &*%$'s get into everything. gnaw on everything. Be prepared for "berries" everywhere. Don't park your trailer in the pasture, because they'll get under it and gnaw on the wires. They rub against fences to scratch their sides, and they are quite strong. I actually had one squeeze through a chicken door to get to their feed. In fact I need to put up some kind of rub fence for them. Second what @Dani said about getting their heads stuck. Also the horns. Watch out for them, they can give you nasty bruises in nasty places

 

[Dani]

I have spanish boers, and those little &*%$'s get into everything. gnaw on everything. Be prepared for "berries" everywhere. Don't park your trailer in the pasture, because they'll get under it and gnaw on the wires. They rub against fences to scratch their sides, and they are quite strong. I actually had one squeeze through a chicken door to get to their feed. In fact I need to put up some kind of rub fence for them. Second what @Dani said about getting their heads stuck. Also the horns. Watch out for them, they can give you nasty bruises in nasty places

It seems like you maybe having a hard time with your goats. I will admit I have gotten a few bruises over the years by some goats, mainly during feeding time when one clips me with his horns during matting season.Never with my girls.. My "BIG" boys do respect me though. I have a little guy who got an injured shoulder. I am babying him and he has gotten much better! I fed the special guy seperate, but stil in the goat barn, All I have to do is swing a stick back and forth and they leave the area.

 

[sonya123]

 

[AMC]

Basically as pets. That's what I want goats for.