Will it be big enough? - Homesteading Today
You are Unregistered, please register to use all of the features of Homesteading Today!    
Homesteading Today

Go Back   Homesteading Today > Livestock Forums > Goats


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 03/14/10, 05:35 PM
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,120
Will it be big enough?

I have an area 30ft by 50ft and want to make it a home for three Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. Looking at it its a big space and looking at the size of the goats it should be big enough but thought I would ask you guys what you think? Is it big enough? They will have logs to climb, a shed for protection from the rain and three kids - the children kind - to play with so I dont think they will be board.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03/14/10, 06:13 PM
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
Yes, it will be. . .you will have to provide plenty of hay because the area will be eaten down quickly. I'd cut them branches when you have any - so they can eat leaves and browse - as they enjoy that.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03/15/10, 08:14 AM
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,120
Oh Yay! I thought it was big enough but tend to worry a bit. Had planned to feed hay as the yard isnt big enough to feed them with brouse alone but a few questions...........................

Will they eat oak? Have LOTS of that! Not sure if even goats will eat saw palmetto but we have lots of that too.

How much hay will each eat per day?

Do they eat grain mix like horses? Sweet feed for goats maybe?

Have kept horses in my youth so not unused to hay burners but not sure if anything I know from the past is going to be useful. From my reading on goats I DO know to make the pen like fort Knox lol but am now going to go reading all about care and keeping on these little guys.

Oh, the hay, does it have to be super good quality like for horses? Not that I would feed them carp but we got stuck with a bad lot of hay once and had to throw it all away (a ton of it ) so can goats eat musty or dusty hay?

NOT going to get the goats till the pen is totally done, even if it means the pen just sits there till next years tax time. I want to get started on it NOW but have to wait for my share of this years to get to me. Never mind, will go measure it all out and draw it again, that should keep me busy lol.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03/15/10, 10:48 AM
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
My goats will stay in about anything - reg. cattle panels or field fence will work fine.
Goats, unlike cattle, cannot have moldy hay. I'd not skip on the quality of the hay since in that small an area, they will eat anything that grows in the area quick, and they will depend on nutrition from the hay. They also waste a lot of hay picking through, but that is just how they are - nothing will help that. I offer about 1-2 lbs per goat daily. They also get between 1/2 - 2 cups grain twice a day, but this depends on breed, buck, wether, doe - in milk or dry.
You can buy Purnia Goat Chow, but I wouldn't give a food not made for goats unless you
do a custom mix. I feed:
150 # whole oats
100 # wheat
150 # rolled barley
100 # beet pulp
50 # linseed pellets
50 # alfalfa pellets
50 # black oil sunflower seeds
50 # wet molasses
5 # goat mineral mix

You must provide a high quality, free choice loose mineral (I use sweetlix, but I think a lot of people buy black onyx here)

Be aware they will likely need BO-SE or the selenium gel and cooper bolused yearly. . .
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:15 AM.
Contact Us - Homesteading Today - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top - ©Carbon Media Group Agriculture