Are goats...

This is all great advice and I really do appreciate it.

The five acres fencing is still a work in progress. This is why we have not gotten goats yet. The fence was in such poor shape that we could not even keep the cows in.

Our pasture is a work in progress. No irrigation though we could get some sprinklers on it. I am trying to get a rotational grazing set up. As we are having a hard time getting our Jersey bred I am thinking of switching to Dexter but I am not sure they are that much smaller that the Jersey we have.

I also like the the idea of goats that I don't have to keep all my eggs in one basket.

So assuming I can find some ok goats. Could I assume that a "normal" situation is.... Worm goats twice a year,free choice mineral, vaccinate kids, hoof trimming once a year.

Here is a picture of some Dexters. They are pretty small -

Don't worm on a schedule. You'll want to hoof trim about every 3 months or so.

The rest of your management depends on your goals, where you live, numbers, your level of work desired etc. Learning how to feed ruminants is a good start, because feed management can avoid metabolic disease (ketosis, hypocalcemia) and dysbiosis (enteritis, enterotoxemia). It can also effect worm/coccidia loads etc (pasture rotation, feeder design). Supplying adequate copper (most choose to bolus them) can help reduce barberpole worms, probably the most troublesome species of worm in small ruminants.

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Dona Barski

"Breed the best, eat the rest"

Caprice Acres

French and American Alpines. CAE, Johnes neg herd. Abscess free. LA, DHIR.

Oh my gosh! I want some!

I have always wanted a Dexter...

Wow! My Dexters weren't that small! Now I want another!!!

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I can't believe I deleted it!

Are you thinking of dairy goats or meat goats?

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

I didn't realize dexter's were so small. Are you sure those are not minis? Our Jersey is not too big..she is about 800lb(still able to do some damage). I would like something smaller that is not a mini. Maybe that is the way to go??

Looking for a Dairy breed goat. There are a few meat goat herds around here.
Probably should start a new thread about what ifs..if we decide to get the diary goats from the herd(and using their boars for breeding) that has CL.

DO NOT GET THE CL GOATS!! You will just be setting yourself up for frustration and failure.

Look around more; you will surely find a clean herd with nice goats to buy.

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Nancy Boling
Frosted Mini Goats
Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf goats
2 Jersey heifers
1 guard llama
And whatever else shows up...
http://www.swfarm.net/

Even if I buy a young goat from the herd? What about using their male for breeding my goats?

CL is _highly_ contagious. I wouldn't fool with it period. But, that is my preference. I don't see any profit in allowing any disease in my herd.

No. Do not buy a young goat from their herd. Do not take a doe from your herd to their place for breeding. Do not bring a buck from their place to yours for breeding.

If you visit a farm that has obvious CL on it, spray your shoes with bleach or other disinfectant.

Here's good reading about CL
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/circ...hadenitis.html

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

Those ARE mini, not standard Dexters.

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~ Mike @ Solsikke farms ~

I wouldn't go near them with a 10 foot pole. You will also ruin your reputation before you ever get started. If you bring CL to your property, you won't really ever be able to get rid of it totally. And it is contagious to humans.

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Nancy Boling
Frosted Mini Goats
Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf goats
2 Jersey heifers
1 guard llama
And whatever else shows up...
http://www.swfarm.net/

Ok, that is a deal breaker right there.

Sigh...never easy is it(they have over 200 goats, easy pickin)".
I live in "in farm country" but the only things people farm here is corn.The 4-H kids for the past couple years have been having a real hard time even finding pigs for 4-H projects.

Well back to the drawing board. Looks like some people might have a Dexter herd north of us but they look awful beefy.

The thing is, I can see CAE as manageable by knowledgeable people. CL has no such thing associated with it. And I would not knowingly eat goat meat that was from a CL positive goat. It is noxious stuff, I won't have anything to do with it or anyone who has it. As in, if I knew they had a case on their property I would not let them come and visit my place. I will burn bridges over this because it frightens me so.

This is where I got the idea that CL is transmittable to humans (someone posted this link before)...it is from the Mercks Vet manual..vets need to do some more studying

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/circ...hadenitis.html

"Although primarily a disease of sheep and goats, CL occurs sporadically in horses, cattle, camelids, swine, water buffalo, wild ruminants, fowl, and hedgehogs. CL occurs occasionally in people, so appropriate precautions should be taken when handling infected animals and purulent exudate from lesions."

Just thought I would give an update(love when other people give updates). Have not had any luck finding a milking dexter around here.

But.. I have found a family down the road that has registered Alpines. They have just a few goats now and after showing them at the 4-H fair this year they will be selling what they have in June(last daughter graduating high school this year). She has not tested of CL and CAE but has been raising goats for 10+ and they said that... once a while back a sore ended up on one doe and they culled it immediately. So maybe it is goats then...

I raise meat goats and must say, I've never hadan absess or sore to test. So I'm pretty confident that I don't have CL. This is with a, close to 10 years closed, herd. I am fairly certin I do have CAE though... CAE dosn't bother me as much as CL. (meat animal, not drinking their milk)
CL gives me the heebie jeebies.

wish you the best of luck finding a clean, healthy dairy animal, be it cow, goat, or heck, even sheep...

I agree with the OP, after reading about goats on here and many other places on the web, i was thinking the same thing, they are very fragile and overt ceceptable to sickness.
Now that I have two, I have also found out that Big R and Tractor supply both carry everything imaginable for horses and cattle and poultry, but almost nothing for goats.
Hate to sound like a complete jerk, but I have my two goats listed on Craigslist right now.

Honestly, I should have studied up more on them before getting them, and definately should not given in to my wife and daughter with the, "but they are so cute" pleas.
Especially with two little bottle goats, and especially this time of year.

Kids are in school, wife works away from home, and I am limited to what I can get done each day because I have to bottle feed a couple of goats morning, noon, and evening.

Today I have to go 20 miles away to cut firewood. Typically I hitch up the trailer and am gone all day and come home loaded....not today, I have to be back home between 11:30 and 12:00 to feed the little guys.
Don't get me wrong, I like the goats, they are very friendly and personable. I love watching them run and jump and play, but right now, bottle babies aren't mixing with my lifestyle too well.