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I am not a newbie or in need of advice, but I thought I'd start a thread full of advice from people who've made mistakes themselves. That way, newbies to goats don't have to make our mistakes! It can be anything; it doesn't even have to have ended up as a mistake, just some tips and such. Here are mine:
1. Never coddle your bottle-fed buckling. Don't bring him in the house and swaddle him . . . and especially don't praise him when he flehmens or wails, no matter how cute it is. He will do worse things later -- and probably at you as well as the goats, if you have coddled him.
2. Don't even bother deciding exactly how many goats is right for you. You will most likely change your mind later when you see an adorable kid for sale . . . and another . . . and another . . . and when your does have kids . . . etc. (It even happens to people with great self control -- you know, that doe with perfect form . . . nice teats to milk . . .)
3. When you buy that adorable kid who is so tiny and not growing, of which the owner said is just 'a runt,' be forewarned that it has Coccidiosis pretty badly, because no kid just naturally doesn't grow. As soon as you start the meds, it'll grow like a weed (but might still be a little goat all through their life.)
4. If/when one of your does has her first kid/s, you will be in a panic and think something is going wrong and all that and maybe even call a veterinarian . . . but most likely nothing is wrong and you'll have some perfect, adorable newborn kids (but you'll still be terrified about the kids all the way until they're several weeks old!)
5. When you vaccinate your goats, be prepared with something to reverse an allergic reaction. This one ended in tragedy for us, when a doeling died from an allergic reaction to a shot. (I'm not saying it will happen; just that you should have something just in case, because it might happen.)
6. Never be afraid to ask for help. Not saying we did this one wrong, but seriously. Everybody makes silly mistakes, nobody's perfect, and nobody gets stuff right on their first try. So ask for help . . . have somebody show you . . . have them give the shot for you . . . whatever. Trust me, it's helpful, especially if you know somebody who has a lot of goats and is experienced and willing to trim your goats' hooves for you, LOL.
Feel free to give your own newbie advice, anyone! This is intended to help out those of us who are inexperienced and probably will make just as many silly mistakes as we did, but might not make our mistakes if we tell them what they are!
1. Never coddle your bottle-fed buckling. Don't bring him in the house and swaddle him . . . and especially don't praise him when he flehmens or wails, no matter how cute it is. He will do worse things later -- and probably at you as well as the goats, if you have coddled him.
2. Don't even bother deciding exactly how many goats is right for you. You will most likely change your mind later when you see an adorable kid for sale . . . and another . . . and another . . . and when your does have kids . . . etc. (It even happens to people with great self control -- you know, that doe with perfect form . . . nice teats to milk . . .)
3. When you buy that adorable kid who is so tiny and not growing, of which the owner said is just 'a runt,' be forewarned that it has Coccidiosis pretty badly, because no kid just naturally doesn't grow. As soon as you start the meds, it'll grow like a weed (but might still be a little goat all through their life.)
4. If/when one of your does has her first kid/s, you will be in a panic and think something is going wrong and all that and maybe even call a veterinarian . . . but most likely nothing is wrong and you'll have some perfect, adorable newborn kids (but you'll still be terrified about the kids all the way until they're several weeks old!)
5. When you vaccinate your goats, be prepared with something to reverse an allergic reaction. This one ended in tragedy for us, when a doeling died from an allergic reaction to a shot. (I'm not saying it will happen; just that you should have something just in case, because it might happen.)
6. Never be afraid to ask for help. Not saying we did this one wrong, but seriously. Everybody makes silly mistakes, nobody's perfect, and nobody gets stuff right on their first try. So ask for help . . . have somebody show you . . . have them give the shot for you . . . whatever. Trust me, it's helpful, especially if you know somebody who has a lot of goats and is experienced and willing to trim your goats' hooves for you, LOL.
Feel free to give your own newbie advice, anyone! This is intended to help out those of us who are inexperienced and probably will make just as many silly mistakes as we did, but might not make our mistakes if we tell them what they are!
