How much room?

[Harvey_Birdman]

I was planing to get 2-3 pigmy goats this spring. I have read that they are a good breed for milk and meat.?. I was wanting to know how big of an area should I fence in for them? How tall does the fence need to be? And is this a good breed choice for milk and meat?

I have never owned goats, or any other livestock larger than rabbits. My papaw has an electric fence power box I can use, from when he had pigs. So I intend to have an electric fence. I have 15 acres, so I can go as big as I need to, but I am on a budget, so I don't want to go too big and run the cost up.

Any help or advice would be great! I am still in the planing stages so I am open to any suggestions.

God bless,
Chad

[Alice In TX/MO]

Pygmys are meat goats. The small goat breed that's good for milk and meat is the Nigerian Dwarf goat.

For a couple of goats, an acre is more than enough.

Use electric NET fence with your charger, especially with the small goats, or they just SWOOSH through the strands.

Edited to add:
Study goat care for at least six months before you buy goats, please. They are not a 'put in the pasture and harvest later' animal.

The MOST important things to have are:

1. Healthy goats. ANY goat you buy should come from a herd that tests for CAE. Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis. http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/CAE.html
There's another disease called Caseous Lymphadenitis. Not a good test for that, so you need to learn to spot the abscesses. http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/ar...hadenitis.html

2. Good fence.

3. Shelter.

4. An understanding of good feeding/deworming/healthcare practices.

Welcome to the world of goats!

[Harvey_Birdman]

Thank you for the advice, those artcles are a good read. Losts of good info on there. I have been reading up on goats (when I can) for a while now. I also have some family that raise dairy goats, and I have been asking them a lot of questions, and I know I can rely on them if I need any help once I get my goats.

My family have never had meat goats, so I was just going on what I had read on the web as far as breed goes. I will look into the Nigerian Dwarfs. Looking at the prices of that net fenceing I may have to buy some goat meat to try before I go all in. LOL! I have never ate a meat I didn't like, but my wife and kids are picky.

My land is almost all woods. How much clearing should I do, if any? Or is it safe to let the goats do the clearing?

[Alice In TX/MO]

The goats will clean it. That's their best food! Don't mess with it unless there's something toxic in there like Azaleas, Rhododendrons, etc.

[Harvey_Birdman]

Now that I am at the point of spending money, I think I will have a lot of time to read up on goats. It looks like the cost of startup is going to be more than I had thought. I will have to collect materials throughout the year this year and shoot for next spring.

In the mean time I will be picking the brains of the good folks on here to find out all I can until the time arrives that I can get my own goats. I may buy one meat goat, and put it in with my cousins dariy herd so I will at least have something for the freezer.

God bless,
Chad

[Alice In TX/MO]

Sounds like a good plan.