I don't know if we can afford goats anymore......

could you break down your $275/mo feed expenses for me?

in 2008, we spent $1,634.06 for goat feed/supplements/medicines/baling twine, so that is $136/mo. I have 5 does and one buck....well actually I have 7 brand new babies as I type. I feed oats and boss, supplements free choice, and our own grass/vetch hay. Making our own hay is NOT cheaper...we like cutting it for its peak nutritional value, not for volume as is the custom around here.

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Speading Bamboo, saves allot of money, is year around, grows fast.
You can save allot on hay just by feeding a couple smaller meals a day I have mine in 40 gallon rubber troughs and only throw a few flakes in at a time instead of a whole bale which would get peed on, strowed out and so on. Mine get hay three times a day, they dont waste it, granted they may be a little hungrier between those three times, but that also makes for no waste, and considering they are all in good shape...
Its more important to have a high quality hay source, but if you have to do with pellets, then save some money one some lower quality hay thats still healthy, but not so expensive.
Mine are doing quite well off what I feed, I do have something going on this week with I believe the hay i just brought home. I do whole oats and cracked corn with dumor goat feed as it helps as it has added AC and a few other things, and alfalfa pellets or hay just which ever I get to first. It does cost about 200 a month to feed them but Im on a completly dry lot, and trying to keep a high meat market weight.

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I'm a goat person, not a people person,
De @ Udderly Southern Dairy Goats
we will be adding a new breed in the spring

Whoa! How can a person spend $200 per goat per month (maybe you meant per year)! I don't spend that on all my goats. And they are essentially dry lotted right now.

I have:

7 does (5 in milk)
1 Buck
7 kids (they are being dam raised)

Per Month:

Alfalfa hay, very big heavy squares
$10.75 per bale, 5 bales per month
with kids and does heavy in milk probably
increasing to 7 per month so 7 bales: --------------------- $75.25

Grass hay $2.50 per bale
Goats don't eat as much as Alfalfa hay,
I feed as much as they will eat. probably
4 bales per month, (generous) ----------------------- $10.00

Oats 5 bags per week, 7 something
per bag ------------------------------------------------------ $40.00

Minerals 1/2 bag per month about
actually, horses and cow eats a LOT of
that ---------------------------------------------------------- $15.00



TOTAL $145.25

They are producing about a quart shy of 4 gallons per day (one doe has been in milk since last May producing only a quart and another doe isn't producing that great, 3 quarts per day), but with the kids on them, I get about 1.5 gallons per day. So that's 112.5 gallons a month, at $1.29 per gallon. Even if you went by the production I'm actually bringing in the house (because the kids are eating a lot of it until May), about 1.5 gallons per day, it's $3.22 per gallon. I sell just $90 worth of milk per month now, we drink the rest. Plus kid sales. My does are not even at full production, one doe only making 2 lbs, and 2 does just eating my alfalfa hay and not producing a thing (well, one *might* be bred).

And that's all being pretty generous. There is a rare dose of wormer or herbs too. I just don't seem to need the wormers much. I fecal to keep an eye on things. Add another $20 if you prefer.

I do pay for blood tests for CAE and preg test yearly and I'm getting appraisal done this year, so that's more, but those aren't needed just to raise some goats. I don't show, so I don't have that expense. What am I missing? I felt like I was spending too much on my alfalfa hay even. Imagine if I could get it at a sane price. But here in Arkansas it's hard to do. I'm trying to find a better source.

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Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
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Wow, hay is much more expensive here in California. I pay $20.00-$25.00 for a 3 string bale of orchard grass. I can only get two bales at a time so I am not getting the ton price but my sister doesn't pay much less when she buys a ton for her horse. It seem to be almost even after she pays to have it delivered and stacked. My 6 wethers still only cost me total about $150.00 per month or less to keep and they get meat goat pellets mixed with a little beet pulp and BOSS and free choice minerals. I don't really keep track of the total cost but I know it's around $150.00 or less after the original expense of buying all the meds, hoof tools and other stuff that you need to keep on hand. My 4 dogs cost me $240.00 a month in food plus treats and toys and they don't clean my hillside so I look at the goats as being cheap. The estimate I got to have my hill cleaned off by people once a year would be $800.00 per year to keep the county happy so the goats are almost free and way more fun the the people you pay to do the goat's job.
.

Goatdad, if your goats are keeping your hill cleaned off, and just whethers, you shouldn't be spending that much. Just feed grass hay, a whether shouldn't need grain unless they need to keep from losing weight in winter maybe, but you are in California! I would just give them all the grass hay they want, minerals and leave it at that. They will probably be healthier too.

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Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
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In my part of Texas, alfalfa hay is $17.50 a bale.

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Alice
* * *
"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

Wow. I only have one buck and 4 does.


I get COB made from the feed store and it cost me 89 dollars every 3 months.
I get alfalfa hay and it cost me 5 dollars per bale. I got 75 or 100 bales that last a year.
I get alfalfa pellets only during last 2 months of pregnancy and during the milking and not for dry goats or buck.
I get loose mineral and it cost me 40 dollars every 6 months becuz it is HUGE bag and my goats wont eat it all fast.

I sell the milk and eggs. Sometimes I sell the cheese for family members or friends only. And it helps and I sell the baby goats. But I didnt get whole lot back but I have to watch what I am doing too.


My mother in law had the same problem like yours she is spending a lot more than i do. It seem weird.

i was calculating wrong. it is not $200 per goat but for five goats as i calculated to compare with mamadee .
this means i have about $40 per goat per month.

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Susanne Stuetzler
Ain-ash-shams
Nubian Dairy Goats

please visit us at
http://www.ain-ash-shams.net

I figured that had to be a goof!

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Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
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yes, after i wrote the $200 per goat, i went out for milking and was thinking i'm milking white gold out of my does and how is it possible i can afford to have so many goats LOL
and then i realized there was something wrong with my number.
the only thing not included is labor. since we have spring and all the barns are cleaned out more, i should calculate that too.
anybody figured labor for their animals?

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Susanne Stuetzler
Ain-ash-shams
Nubian Dairy Goats

please visit us at
http://www.ain-ash-shams.net

I did not on mine. I do expect to get paid (pay myself) for my labor next year though.

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Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
Taking Reservation for 2015!

My costs are about the same as yours. With 5 goats, 3 does, a buck and new buckling I spend about $30 a month on feed, $12 on hay for winter only, $20 on grain, and occasionally I buy a huge bag of alfalfa for them. So I guess about around $60 or so a month. During the summer they browse the back 3 acres and eat everything green they come across which means I buy even less grain and feed.

I pay WAY more than all of you for my alfalfa bales! I pay $50 per 50Ib. bale of straight alfalfa here!!! LOL. JK-that's in pesos! LOL. And it fluctuates depending on demand...sometimes we only pay $25 or $30 pesos a bale. Last year it got up to $60 pesos though!!! LOL. It's still really expensive though when it's at $50 pesos. That's why we feed the peanut hay to break up the monotony of straight alfalfa and to ease the cost...only $15 bucks a bale...and they do great on it! Next year we hope to seed our own alfalfa.

I have been trading (horse quality) hay for eggs; I just started doing this when I realized my doe was pregnant, I have a little more than half a bale, she really doesn't seem to eat on it. I have seen the kids nibbling on it, and since I only have the three goats I get the smaller blocks of minerals and they are like 3.50. I don't feed the alfalfa pellets but my goat seems healthy enough so far. I am feeding her more than I used to but that is because she is nursing and I know they need more food then. I'll most likely need to go get another bag of the goat feed next week.

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Mom to a 9 1/2, 7, 4 yr old. Sandy Creek Farm- 20 chickens,6 cats,2 nubian/boer goats,2 hermit crabs, 4 Pekings, 4 mallards & a beta. www.thegowenfamily.com

I spend around $700 a year per goat.
I can get back $2000 + a year per goat.
I sell milk and kids.
If each goat gives on average 3/4 gallon a day for 300 days that's $2100 in milk and two kids at $75 ea is another $150.
I have 18 adults-8 in milk-5 due April-2 bucks-3 very old does.

That is including EVERYTHING from feed and hay to paper towels and milk filters. It does not include electric or water.

I will no longer keep any goat that does not produce on average 3/4 gallon a day.

I feed Blue seal Premium Dairy Goat
Tons of local grass hay and Alfalfa pellets to those who want it, many don't.
Loose minerals
Herbal wormer weekly

My hay costs $3.50 a bale , I go through 5 a day
Feed 1s $10 a 50lb. Right now with 14 kids i go through almost a bag a day.
The wormer costs about $5 a week for all.

If I were only keeping for my family i would have only two of the best producers and be making all of our cheese, yogurt, soap, ice cream, and feel like I was ahead of the game. Not to mention the manure that grows all of our veggies. And meat in the form of kids.

This is what I was thinking...
I just can't see how she was spending that much money. Except if she is spending $50 for a bag of pellets and hay is $10 bucks or some such non-sense.

steff i spend about $38 to $40 per goat per month. this includes all meds, testing and vet bills. what is so expensive at your place?

__________________
Susanne Stuetzler
Ain-ash-shams
Nubian Dairy Goats

please visit us at
http://www.ain-ash-shams.net

Better to cut down on your herd than to lose them entirely...like I did.

I spend around $100/month for an ND herd of between 15-18 goats. That's just diet, not vet or other supplies.

O.K., I did some re-figgerin' and it's not as bad as I thought...maybe.

It is true that I'm spending $275 a month at the coop on goat feed (alfalfa and grain and beet pulp.) But I think more of that than I thought must be rabbit and chicken stuff.

Here is a breakdown of what and how much we feed and how much that "should" cost for 5 does and 2 young bucks:

Grain: none for bucks
1/3 a pound a day for dry does
1 pound a day for 100 days plus bred does
2 pounds a day for milking does

That is about 4 bags a month at $15 a bag. So: $60

Alfalfa pellets: none for bucks
2 pounds a day for does (tried to separate dry from milking, but it didn't work too well)

That's about 7 bags a month at $12 a bag: $84

Beet pulp: Used as a treat. Maybe a bag every couple of months: $12 a month

I didn't even count minerals, since its such a small amount.

Now all of that only comes out to $156 a month for grain and alfalfa pellets. If you add $50 a month for hay it comes out to about $200 a month or $40 per goat a month. Is that more reasonable?

But my issue is this: somehow my coop bills were $250 for goat stuff. There's something wrong somewhere. I went over with my boys exactly how much they're feeding to make sure nothing had changed. I will have to save my bills and see exactly how much of it is chicken and rabbit stuff. I didn't think that much, but maybe my memory is failing me. Maybe it's not my goats sucking me dry, but my chickens?

Anyway, for 5 does and 2 young bucks, is $200 a month (just for grain, alfalfa pellets and hay) a reasonable amount of money to all of you?

Dee