Finally! And now some serious questions.

[ailsaek]

DH & I have decided that we are definitely staying put where we are for a year so that DS can go to kindergarten in the town we are in now. He also says that while he's not completely sold on goats, he's not saying no or yes until I present him with a detailed budget. So now I need to figure out how much hay costs and minerals and how much it would cost to build a small barn (I'm thinking of adapting these plans ) and all. I've already researched fencing (You all were wonderfully helpful, thanks!) and I've told DH that we'll have to go on a field trip to see how much things cost around here. But what things do I need to take into consideration for a complete budget?

He's already sold on chickens and ducks, thank goodness, so I don't have to do a lot of finagling there. And I don't think the goats are going to be a hard sell. He's even agreed that a trip up to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont would be a good thing (Hi, Jillis!) I just need to be able to show him that I can do it and not break the bank on it.

Anybody got any good suggestions?

[Jillis]

We built a 16 ft. by 16 ft. barn for about $1,800. We had a friend and my dh and ds knock it up in about a week. We have another double sided shed up the hill. We really need more room. Some people put up a hoop greenhouse---a very large one. You have to fence the sides or the goats eat the plastic, of course.
There is a woman who has registered, champion Alpines in our area. She makes aged cheeses and is well-known in these parts. She has one HUGE barn that her partner built, a gorgeous barn. And then a very large greenhouse---I was there in the dead of winter and that greenhouse barn (with white plastic) was noticeably warmer than the outside, and than the barn itself. This intrigued us, of course! The greenhouse was large enough that there were large pens on both sides and a path down the middle of them.

Of course, just starting out, we don't need anything like this, and you won't either.

Once you are all set up with shelter, pen, locking feed storage, and etc., goats themselves are easy enough to keep. They eat a lot less than a cow or a horse!

I hope your dream comes true. Goats are wonderful animals, very friendly and they bond with us humans.

[Jillis]

For 2 goats, a square bale of hay should last about 4 days. Around here, decent square bales cost about $3.00, more or less. I would have a stainless steel garbage can with my own grain mix. Mine is 6 scoops prime oats, 4 scoops shredded beet pulp, 1 scoop black oil sunflower seed, and 3 scoops Sweet Goat 18% by Poulin grain. Mixed together, and I just keep repeating this until the can is full. I am phasing out the sweet feed, but I can't find a source for whole barley that is feed grade in my area. Get cans you can bungee the lids down on to keep the goats out if they ever escape into the feed room.
I feed my goats kelp powder free choice. I also feed Sweetlix minerals free choice. I use the one with Rumensin on non-lactating does, and the MagnumMilk on milkers. You will probably need to supplement copper---most choose to bolus. Some of us use the powder.
Give them as much alfalfa pellets free choice. Especially pg and lactating does.

Baking powder of course. You can get the CD &T vaccine online, it's not expensive. There are threads you can search out on here that detail what you should have in your "goat medicince chest".

Once you have made the initial investment in the 50# bags of grain, your grain will last a long time, as will your supplements with only a few goats. I go through it pretty quickly myself!

Your goats shouldn't get a whole heck of a lot of grain, except for milkers. I hope that helps!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Not baking powder. Baking soda.

[ailsaek]

Thanks Jillis. Now I'm pondering just what exactly do I want to build or buy for shelter. I love the idea of a greenhouse barn. That's kind of what I was thinking of for chickens (not now, in the future - hoophouse chickens!)

I think I'm going to assume I need space for four goats, even if I'm planning to start at two. I know goats don't just "happen" like cats do (we moved here with two cats; we have four now, and could probably have had more), but it would be good to be able to expand a little without having to rebuild immediately.

Milk can be processed in the kitchen, right? I don't need to build a separate milk room?

[homebirtha]

We got one of these when we first moved here, because we couldn't afford to build a conventional barn. It's been almost 3 years, and it's still in great shape:
http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies...;104989af.html

We also built a small run-in shed for a just a few hundred dollars. So you can do a shelter for not a lot of money.

Feed and hay, you'll need to ask around your area to find out about prices. It varies HUGELY.

[ailsaek]

That's a neat idea, I wonder if the town would allow it.

Feed store fact finding trip today was a bust. Three stores tried, three stores closed. No Sunday hours (poo!)

[Jillis]

Originally Posted by Rose

Not baking powder. Baking soda.

Thank you, Rose! {{{blush!}}}

Ailsek, what do you mean, "processing" milk?

I just stick it in the fridge and drink it!

[ailsaek]

Originally Posted by Jillis

Ailsek, what do you mean, "processing" milk?

I just stick it in the fridge and drink it!

Um, straining, cooling, etc. Maybe pasteurizing (DH & I are still arguing about that; I'd rather not bother, but he's nervous about it).

[farmgirlmama]

Dh is building out goat barn from salvaged old wood garage doors. Very cheap way to build!! Our friend installs new garage doors and has tons of them to get rid of for free!

[Patty0315]

If you can travel and have a trailer to borrow I can get you an amish made building under 1000.00 to house a few goats. I am in upstate NY. It will be made out of true 2 inch lumber and a metal roof a few windows and a door.


Patty

[suzyhomemaker09]

We started out with a run-in shed for our goats granted we have slightly milder winters as we are further south...but it served well for our girls until our herd outgrew it. milk can be processed in your kitchen, though some take frozen bottles of water out in their milking buckets to facilitate the speedy cool down of milk.

[tioga12]

My husband had built a large sturdy pavilion that is open to air, so we enclosed that with sturdy kennel fencing and two barn gates for our milking area and feed storage. Goats can be kept in there as well as they have no way of escape. We used that for a breeding area as we had several groups of does in the fall. My husband also built an entire large loafing shed with walls salvaged from an old dairy barn on our property. We converted a large shed built from T-111 (originally to store tools, bikes, and a mower) and cut openings and built partitions (at kidding time) in that. Another housing setup we have is a horse pen we dismantled from my MIL's new home and set up here. So we didn't spend anything on housing, but did purchase fencing. We plan to buy cattle panels from now on as it is too easy to escape with welded wire fencing, and the panels will be easier to work with (moving, etc.) They should last a lot longer and save $$ in the end.
I am currently feeding grain twice daily to 6 lactating does..mostly Alpines, and a little once a day to three yearling does, and we use about $14./ week in grain(100 lbs), plus supplements (alfalfa pellets, boss, minerals, beet pulp), which would tack on another $8. a week (roughly). We have 9 kids also but they just nibble at what their moms have. When the pregnant does are drying off we only grain them once a day and cut way back, so although hay costs must be factored in during the winter, the grain expense lessens considerably.
Right now they are getting browse free choice and no hay. In the winter you will need to figure in your hay costs as well. For a dozen full grown goats you will probably need a couple of small bales a day, as bedding will be more important then too. (We allow it to build up and compost to provide heat. It actually stays much cleaner that way, if you just add a new layer each day or so.)
You should take into account any medical items you ought to have on hand, such as wormer (Safegard) and vaccines (such as CD-T). If you can use them up in time it is cheaper to buy in bulk. (Jeffers.com) I would highly recommend an oral drench gun (cheap) as I know it saved the life of my doe when she was sick. You should have an injectible antibiotic on hand, kidding supplies (gloves, bottles and nipples colostrum); milking supplies (milking stand...my husband built ours from scraps...Stainless buckets, strainer and filters, glass jars for storage). Power punch and calcium drench are good to have on hand, as well as the baking soda. A lot of household items such as vegetable oil, gator-ade, dishsoap, and pepto bismol can be used for goats, too. We use molasses and corn syrup in warm water for the does after they kid.
Vet bills to test for diseases such as CAE should be considered...the testing itself is only a few dollars per goat...but the bill for the farm call is the expensive part. We had ours lined up and ready to go and the vet got them done for us in record time...so we got charged for 10 minutes instead of half an hour.
Hoof trimmers run around $15. and need to be replaced or sharpened more often than we'd like.
You may need a disbudding iron ($17.-$60.), castrating tool($12), and tattoo setup($20.) depending on your goals for your herd.
We just got our first goats last summer...I think I hit on 'most everything we needed here.
One other thing that comes in real handy is to know someone experienced to whom you can go to personally. I have such a friend and it is always reassuring to be able to go to her with any questions.
(converted tool/storage shed)
(converted horse stall)
milking pavilion (center)

[ailsaek]

Originally Posted by Patty0315

If you can travel and have a trailer to borrow I can get you an amish made building under 1000.00 to house a few goats. I am in upstate NY. It will be made out of true 2 inch lumber and a metal roof a few windows and a door.

Ooooh. I told DH about that, expecting him to choke or laugh or something, and he said that it would make a good anniversary present. He's probably not actually going to go for it, but heck, yeah! Best anniversary present ever, IMO.

And thanks to everyone for all the wonderful pictures and tips. I am turning all sorts of ideas over in my head right now, and tomorrow we are going on a fact-finding mission to a local farm supply store that actually has Sunday hours. (And I'm way more excited about that than the party we're going to afterwards.)