How much$$

[christie]

How much would you estimate that it cost to have a dairy goat a month? Especially with feed?
How much hay do you feed a goat a day?
Hubby is worried it will cost as much as the horse?

[Zone]

It depends upon if they are on a dry lot or have access to browse. I seriously doubt it will cost as much as a horse. Though it has been many years since I owned one and feed prices have gone up, so....I don't know.

[Wags]

I fed my 4 Nigerian Dwarf does alfalfa pellets over the winter (they have plenty of pasture/browse the rest of the year) - cost me approx $10 a month to feed all four. (Prices have gone up since then, currently 50lbs = $7.50) They weren't milking at the time, so depending on how many were milking that would've add about another $3-5 a month for the extra grain.

[mygoat]

The main trick to reduce feeding cost is to have at least two large pastures that you can rotate your does on. With enough pasture, you don't even have to feed hay.

Here's what I do:

With enough pasture, my does don't get any hay - roughage is roughage.

My mini meat does only get max 2 cups grain per day, only for 2 months out of the year - When flushed for breeding and 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after kidding. Then they are weaned off.

My dairy does get 1 lb of grain per day in the milkstand while I 'practice' milking to get them used to being up there, starting 2 weeks before kidding. After freshening, they get 1 lb per 3 lbs milk made through a 10 month lactation.

My kids get grain 2x per day at varying levels depending on size/age/breed until they are about 6 months old, then they switch to the non-grain schedule I tend to follow.

My grain mix is a home mix - 3 parts oats, 3 parts alfalfa pellets, 3 parts corn, 1 part BOSS, 1 part Calf Manna. It costs like 10.00 and some odd cents per 50 lbs to mix on your own, so fairly cheap compared to pre-mixed feeds.

[LomahAcres]

Back when we had horses, I ruffly figured I could keep 4 diary goats in milk for the same yearly price as one horse. Plus you get babies, and milk, the horses were fun, but I soon traded in for more goats.

Your cost will depend on your choice of diet and of course local prices. Our girls get free choice alfalfa, it usually comes out to about 5 lbs a head a day through winter, and now that the spring grass is in, we're down to about 2 - 3 lbs a head a day. Grain is the killer. We go through about 300#'s of grain a week for all 29 head (kids, bucks, milkers etc) in the hight of milking season. But for just a few milkers you'd go through a lot less. Depending on the goat and her production, you could be feeding anywhere from nothing to 5 lbs of grain a day.

So for me it might come down to something like this:
Let say we have 1 goat milking 9 lbs a day, she'll need about 3 lbs of grain a day (feed 1# of grain for every 3#'s of milk). We mix our own grain and it comes down to about $0.25 a lb. So $0.75 in grain a day. Hay - alfalfa, lets say shes eating 4 lbs, I can get 70 lbs for $4.00 So about $0.25 in hay a day. Total feed: $1.00 a head a day, $30.00 a month (this will go up and down depending on the goat and certain conditions), but this is for me, what I feed, and how I feed.

We're not done yet though. Shes going to need to be wormed from time to time. Free choice baking soda and a good mineral, perhaps a copper bolus 1 or 2 times a year. Bose shots, are you going to vaccinate? she'll need that then too. What if she gets sick? You'll need a back up for meds. Are you keeping your own buck or paying for stud? There is a lot to think through and take into consideration.

[AnnaS]

It costs me roughly $1 a day too. Little or no hay in the spring & summer but much more grain. The girls are at peak milk in summer and need the grain. In winter, I feed a lot of hay and much less grain.

The additional expenses for a goat are much less than for a horse. It's easy to learn to trim goat feet. There's one common vaccination that costs about $5 for 25 doses. Breeding to a good buck runs $20-$50 around here. And you can buy all the milking & care stuff for a goat for much less than the cost of a saddle.

The value of the milk has to be added to the equation. A dairy doe can be expected to produce 1500-1700 lbs of milk a year- most make more than that, but I'll lowball. 1700 lbs of milk is 200 gallons of milk. You could get 100 gallons of milk and 85 lbs of goat cheese a year from one average doe. $400 worth of milk and $170 of cheese, plus a kid or two worth $50 - $250 or more.

[steff bugielski]

I went through this not long ago. And decided to get rid of quite a few who did not pull their weight..
I took every thing into consideration. It cost me $700.00 minimum a year to feed and care for one dairy goat.
I am a legal raw milk sales farm so I must use disposable paper towels, milk filters and test the milk annually. I also figured feed, hay, minerals, supplements, meds, vet cleaning supplies and wormer. I did not count water and electric.
At 1 gallon a day for around 10 months she can bring in $2,400.00 just in milk.

[CookingPam777]

Originally Posted by christie

How much would you estimate that it cost to have a dairy goat a month? Especially with feed?
How much hay do you feed a goat a day?
Hubby is worried it will cost as much as the horse?

I think it's debatable. Mine cost about $30 a month but have cut down on a few on the price because I try to be extra frugal.

[BlueHeronFarm]

We calculated our feed at about $1.30 per head per day.
That is with minimal hay, as they graze right now. In the winter, we'll add hay, but as they go dry the other feed costs drop.

This is with 2x a day grain on the stand plus free choice alfalfa pellets and minerals.

[southerngurl]

For me the goats actually cost more than the horses, because I don't have to buy any food for the horses but winter hay. I don't grain them I don't feed them alfalfa. But the goats I have to buy grain for, I have to buy alfalfa pellets for etc. And they have to have hay for the winter too.

Keeping a dairy doe is definately cheaper than the milk she produces in the long run. And the milk is WAY better.

[christie]

I was reading on fias co farms web that she feeds 3-5 lbs a day in grain, hay at nite, and browse during the day? I thought that sounded aloyt!
I have alot of browse. Can a goat like a wether live just on browse in the summer or do they always need a lil extra?
When you give hay how much in flakes do you give per goat?
it costs $150 a moth per horse,in feed, and he eats 2lbs a day, but like 20lbs in hay a day! So thats where my cost comes in, So @ $5 a bale it adds up fast.

[southerngurl]

Christie, yes a goat should be able to live just fine on just browse as long as there is plenty of it. Some even keep producing does like this I believe, but they just don't produce as much.

[BethW]

Depends on size as well as production. You mention wethers, which are the easiest to keep. They need no grain, for starters.

I have three Nigerian wethers that I keep as pets. They each get 1/4 cup grain per day (and that's not a requirement at all), eat no alfalfa, and even in the dead of winter, ate only one bale of grass hay per week. My goats are cheaper to keep than our cats and they're happy and healthy.

[jBlaze]

Some does just seem to need more grain than others durring lactation. Who knows why.

My heavy milkers I grain a lot. I don't weigh it, but I feed a mixture of a few grains. Heavy minlkers will get about 6 or 8 cups twice a day, lighter milkers get about 2 to 4 cups twice a day. I only grain milkers and babys, and the bucks get a bit durring rut if necessary. I do not need to grain otherwise.
I have orchard grass / alfalfa available most of the day, and they have about an acre for 20 goats. Those 20 goats get about as much hay as 2 horses, same stuff.

The horses need hoof trimming every 8 weeks, the goats I do myself. There is a lot more horse poo to shovel pitch-fork than there is goat poo to sweep out. My horses get their teeth 'maintained' at least every 2 years at between $100 and $200 each. My vet does the horse vacinations, I do the goat vacinations. If a horse is sick, the vet comes out, if a goat is sick I do most myself, or can take it in to the vet. I wory about lush grass foundering or colicking the horses, the goats love it and have not had any problems.
I suppose the only way the horses are better than goats is that they are easier to contain. Our goats get out under our horse fencing, lol! But that is easy to fix.
And then there is all the tack that goes into horse riding, the trailer and gas.
For me horses are a luxury, and goats are a farm deferal.
hth.

[christie]

Yep horse luxury! That is why I am soo looking forward to goats, But it seems so scary venturing into uncharted animal husbandry. As fragil and expensive as horses are, I know them, and am comfortable. I can't believe a the thought of a lil goat is keeping me up all night! lol!!