New 2 goats - How much pasture?

[lisa's garden]

We are moving soon and I am doing my research to see what animals I will be able to raise on a bit more than an acre. We will have poultry, but I would also like to buy two dairy goats. The new neighbors sell high quality, organic grass hay and I can get alfalfa hay for a reasonable price. But the pasture will probably be about 1/8 acre for the goats. Is this enough space for them? I know that I will need either electric or a tall fence to keep them in. I will also have a small barn with enough space for each doe to have about the size of a horse stall to herself. I will need to build stalls once we get there. We may also be able to purchase some extra land in the future...up to 2 additional acres. If that is possible, then I could have the goats no problem.

I have never raised goats before, although I grew up on a farm and we had beef cattle, horses, pigs, ducks, chickens, and rabbits. I used to milk the Herfords when they were giving milk, to help keep grocery bills down for my parents. So I know how to milk, how to care for animals, etc. Any tips on a good book for beginning goat keeping, etc. would be appreciated!

I will need to bring water from the house to take care of the animals every morning and evening, so I am also wondering about how much water goats will consume in a day. The house is only 50 or 60 feet from the barn, so it isn't a big deal...but then, I will have poultry, rabbits and goats to take care of.

We are moving at the end of June. Any thoughts on buying goats this year vs waiting until next spring?

[HillsideWayCSA]

I have my two dairy alpines in a 25x100ft area but they hardly ever leave the barn. Only reason they do is because the water bucket is at the end of that 100ft. I think they'd be content with just the barn itself if I had water in there. The kids on the other hand like all the space.

If you wait till spring you might find a couple of does near ready to kid. The good thing about that is getting use to the animals before you have to start milking everyday.

[lisa's garden]

Ok, it sounds like I should have enough room for 2 nannies then. I was thinking that spring would be best, since I will need to get a lot done before they arrive!

Thanks for the feedback, Hillside!

[mygoat]

The more pasture, the better. As much as you can afford to fence off with GOOD fencing. The other poster's goats are by no means the norm, at least not that I've found at all - even with free choice hay mine are usually out grazing. The more pasture, the less feed they'll consume. Also, if they're not forced to graze down a pasture as much, then you'll lower their worm load. Better yet, make rotational pastures so that they never deplete an area completely, and are always moved to fresh. They CAN get by on very little area - but you'll have to offer hay free choice 24/7 (which I do anyways) but you'll go through a LOT more of it than I do. I prefer as little input as possible, while still getting excellent production. Therefore, the more grazing I can offer, the faster meat kids will grow and the healthier the herd will be in general... And for less cost.

My goats range as far and wide as their pastures allow. We're even building them a new pasture this year, to expand. And with goats, the brushier the better - they are browsers, not grazers.

[deineria]

Yes, you will have enough space for two does. The only advantage to buying in the spring is really to give yourself time to get everything ready before Winter.

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by lisa's garden

I will also have a small barn with enough space for each doe to have about the size of a horse stall to herself.

A stall for each doe? They hate being alone.
The two will want, and its best if they do, share the same stall.
They would stress out if apart at all.

[motdaugrnds]

I would suggest you turn those "two" horse stalls into "one" stall that both goats can use. (The only time a goat needs to be alone is if she is either hurt/sick or having difficulty bonding with her new kids; and you can always add a cow panel inside if you need it.)

As to pasture size, 1/8th of an acre is certainly better than no grazing area at all. You might make sure it has a variety of grass/bushes/vines in it goats thrive on.

As for bailed alfalfa, I would never again buy it for my goats because they sneezed too much while eating it. A mixture might be good; but a high quality orchard grass (endophyte free) is what I prefer. (This, of course, is just a personal decision on my part.)

[lisa's garden]

Hmmm, you're giving me a lot to think about here. I guess that I was assuming that when the does are kidding they would need to be alone. But that can be arranged and just keep them together most of the time.

The pasture area will be grassy with very little brush. There is a possibility of purchasing extra land eventually, but the owner just lost his wife and I don't want to bug him about it for another year or so.

We found other properties in our search that would have worked much better for raising goats, but the price of a larger farmette was really out of our budget. Most of them had so much work that needed to be done too, so the cost would be even higher. So we opted for the smaller property with a house that wasn't falling down! Alas, this means fewer animals, but at least we are moving away from the subdivision life and can have a few farm critters!

Thanks for your suggestions and information. I am planning to pick up a book about goats. The Storey series seems pretty thorough. Any other suggestions for a good book?

Thanks again!
Lisa

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by lisa's garden

The pasture area will be grassy with very little brush.

Every think about a few sheep?
They love grass and my ewes are the biggest cuddle bugs and without jumping on you or shoving each other!
No need for alfalfa either. Minimal grain when breeding, pg and lactating.
Easy to care for compared to goats and easier to contain.

Sorry, I love the sheep, got do a pitch for them once in awhile.

[Eunice]

I live on small acreage in a desert area. I have numerous little pens for my goats at different ages and stages. My two milking does have a pen that is 16'x32' and a hutch to get out of the weather. I don't have water rights to grow any pasture. The only roughage they get is alfalfa hay, and it doesn't make them sneeze. Good quality alfalfa hay sure helps the milk production. There is wild spring grass on adjoining property and I take my goats and good book out there once a day for about an hour, which gives the goats enough time to fill up.

[lasergrl]

You can easily run a hose that length to make work easier. I have 100 foot of hose running to my back pasture.
Might want to send a letter to the neighbor now, just stating that if he were to ever sell you would be interested. He might just sell it from under you if he doesnt know.

[motdaugrnds]

Not to hijack this thread .. however, I've given consideration to raising a pair of sheep; but thought better of it because of the "shearing" they needed each year. RiverPines, how do you deal with that part of raising sheep? (You may send me a pm so as not to disturb this thread please.)

[fishhead]

When you get time I would think about burying waterline to the barn. Even if they only drank a cup of water it still takes time to walk back and forth with that cup 365 days a year. I can burn up 1/2 hour before work with all the food/water trips to this shelter and that shelter in the winter.

[CaliannG]

100 ft of water hose: $15.00
Y connection for outdoor spigot: $2.95
Automatic, plastic, float valve waterer: $26.95
Time to make all of that happen: 2 hours (learning curve)

Not having to haul pails of water to the barn twice a day in no matter what weather: Priceless

[lisa's garden]

The water hose would be great when temps are above freezing. Long term we are planning to have a water line taken from the house out to the 'barn'. We would need to either have a small heated room for the water, or a spigot that allows the water to drop back down below the freeze zone. But for this summer, I would go with the hose idea...thanks for the suggestions.

The gentleman who owns the land behind the new place is in his 80's. His wife just passed away a few weeks ago and he doesn't want to talk about selling anything just yet. We decided to take a chance on the land in back. His grand daughters have signed an affadavit (sp?) agreeing to give us first rights on the land if and when the grandfather passes away. They are the sole heirs, according to the family. None of this sounds particularly firm to us. However, when we went looking at properties to buy, we were forced to make a decision between homes that were in need of extensive repairs and were at the top of our budget, but had more land, versus this house which is well within our price range, needs few repairs and has 1.03 acres.

Since my husband and I are in our mid-fourties, our son is a teen and planning to go off to college in a few years, and we want to be able to afford to take a vacation ever once in a while to go visit family, we decided to go with the property that was not going to drain our wallet. We can still have chickens, ducks, geese, maybe turkeys and possibly 2 goats and/or a pig (to butcher) each year. In addition, I can have a big garden. We will have to buy in most of our feed for the animals, but the family on the other side of us sells organic hay, so that is a plus.

Question for RiverPines: I have heard of people milking sheep, but I wonder if they give nearly as much as a goat? And what is the flavor like? My biggest reason for wanting goats is to milk them. I think they would be fun to have, and a lot easier than a dairy cow. But if I can't milk them, I'm not planning to keep them. Every animal (with the possible exception of the cats) will have a purpose on our 'farm'. That sounds so funny, I grew up on 400 acres!

Thanks to everyone who has replied with their suggestions. It is fun to read and very informative!