Thinking about getting goats

[preciousgurl63]

Me and my family are thinking about getting nigerian dwarfs. We want to know how much it would usually cost to own some. We are looking all the information up about them on the internet. This is going to be all new to use so any info about them would help us out on if we should get some or not.

 

[Zass]

I tried goats, they were LOUD

 

[preciousgurl63]

well the noises they make don't bothers us.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

When I had goats I fed them the hay (and grain) that dropped through the bottom of the rabbit cages. Keep in mind I have 50 cages of rabbits, and had six goats.

 

[Dood]

They are escape artists with a credo that the grass is always greener in the neighbours yard. They are also smart do will use anything near the fence as a launching platform.

They are destructive. Any farm equipment would be jumped on and a tail light makes for a nice foot step. We didn't de-horn ours as coyotes are a problem and they would use them to rip out the wiring under the trailer, tractor, ATV, etc... that were parked in the yard they just escaped into.

If they are locked up or separated from their buddies they are loud. This is how we usually learned someone had escaped as the ones left behind would start crying - unfortunately they quickly learned to play follow the leader.

We got rid of the Nigerians. We now have a Nubian and two Katahdin who've we found to be much less adventurous and/or destructive than the ND

Ours are free range and they get hay over winter with a bit of grain and access to a salt lick so the cost is negligible.

 

[KKRabbitry]

We used to raise Dairy and Meat goats back in the day, but we sold out when we moved about 10 years ago.
Now we just have two little Nigerian Dwarf/Pygmy mixes. We only keep them around for weed control, and for our little petting zoo business.
Everything Dood says is true, lol! They can be obnoxious, and are world class escape artists.
We have finally gotten ours to stay in the electric fence during the day, and we lock them up in the barn at night for predator protection.

Cost is pretty low. They are great weed eaters, and if you have even a small pasture they will thrive on what they can forage.
Just need a very small amount of hay, and maybe a handful of grain in the winter. We also feed them leftover pellets from the rabbits. In the summertime when the grass grows, they can get FAT!

What are you planning to use them for?
I have heard Nigerians actually make pretty good milkers. They give less milk than the larger breeds of course, but I've heard the quality and taste is great.

Around here you can find average Nigerian babies from about $50 and up depending on color and quality. I have friends who sell their registered, show quality Nigerian babies for $300-500.

Everyone is trying to raise the blue-eyed Nigerians right now. They are gorgeous!
Thus, those are usually a bit pricier.

Over all, they are really fun little creatures if you don't mind a little bit of annoying behavior.
They are super intelligent, and fun just as pets. Ours have learned how to do tricks, like walking on their hind legs, and shaking hands

 

[preciousgurl63]

Well we want to use them for milk and try to make soap also. We like the size and how they look but this would be are first time ever having any goats. So in your opinion if these guys are so destructive and everything what would be the best type of goat to start out with?

 

[Dood]

I vote for NUBIAN

Once we decided to get rid of the Nigerians we asked several goat people on-line, at fairs, locally what breed they recommended and it was often the Nubian (La Mancha was a close second but I liked the long ears)

I was told that compared to other breeds (nigerian dwarf, pygmy, toggenberg, saanen, la mancha) they are rather dim witted, meaning they are less curious and playful, hence easier to contain.

 

[Lastfling]

I vote for NUBIAN

Once we decided to get rid of the Nigerians we asked several goat people on-line, at fairs, locally what breed they recommended and it was often the Nubian (La Mancha was a close second but I liked the long ears)

I was told that compared to other breeds (nigerian dwarf, pygmy, toggenberg, saanen, la mancha) they are rather dim witted, meaning they are less curious and playful, hence easier to contain.

:lol: Some one forgot to tell the one we had that!!

 

[dayna]

I will never own anymore ND goats. lol I sold all of mine. They were HILARIOUS but naughty. They can climb 6 foot fences, I am not joking.

I've got mostly sannen and feral mixes now. I really like sannens, easy going, good milkers. The ferals are good for milking and meat.

Nubians are very nice goats but loud. Toggenburgs are very sweet in my opinion. My favorites are my ferals, my second favorites are my saanens.

 

[joybellfarm]

I raise Nigerian dwarfs. Mine do not try to get out. I quickly sold the ones that did lol. They are awesome little guys. And love them dearly. They will drive you crazy every time they see u they try to tell you that there being starved to death and need more food LOL. With Nigerians make sure u ask to be sure they come from a dairy line. Mine is mostly a pet line . Did not know until i got attached. What i mean is some breeders do it for pretty pets dont care about the udder. Then there are breeders that work on the udders and max production. Like Dill a little goat farm. But she is a high end breeder but there udders are awesome if you can afford it. I really dont think there expensive to keep. But i have less then 10. In the summer they graze/ browse and get a little grain. Then in winter when most of the cost comes in i buy big round bales of hay 3 last me all winter and cost me under $200 and up the grain. Also u can look into getting minis. We are starting to get into mini lamanchas.

 

[Dood]

Some one forgot to tell the one we had that!!

Well they are still goats :mrgreen: but those dwarfs were terrible at doing the exact opposite of what you wanted.

I actually wouldn't go for a high production goat unless you want to be milking them 2-3 times a day, can deal with mastitis and a high somatic cell count if you miss a milking and have the freezer space to store it all.

 

[prairie dog]

If you were looking at the Nigerians because they were small, you might check into Kinders. They're basically a cross between Nubians and Pygmies. You get the smaller size, good milking ability, and they have that sweet Nubie personality.

When it comes to building their pen, don't even think about price. Just build Fort Knox. Seriously. The only fence I ever had that the goats never got through was 8 ft cyclone fencing with 2 strands of hot wire in front of it, the lowest one being just a few inches off the ground so they wouldn't try to go under. Goats like to ruuuuuub their sides down the fence, especially in spring when they start to shed. That will seriously stretch out any sort of net or woven wire. Once that happens, the bottom starts to raise up. Forget that cheap "goat wire" they sell in rolls. After a few years they'll have destroyed it from sticking their heads through and leaning all over it. Stock panels are great, but unless you dehorn you'll waste more time prying stuck heads out of the fence than you can imagine. Even the 4"x4" squares will snag a kid's head when his horn buds are little. If I were going to build another goat pen, I'd go with the horse wire (the diamond weave stuff), 6 ft high. I'd lay crossties at the base on the inside of the pen so they couldn't slide under, and then run 3 strands of hotwire, 2 in front and 1 on the top of the fence. And I know one guy down south who ran 8 strands of barb wire with cedar stays tied off every 4". There's just no such thing as not enough fence when it comes to goats.

Your other expenses won't be that bad. Feed, hay, a good set of hoof trimmers, a stand if you're going to milk, the usual stuff.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I raise Nigerian dwarfs. Mine do not try to get out.

I had Nigerian crosses and they would go under a fence but not over it.

I quickly sold the ones that did lol.

This is the best way to deal with escapee goats because they will teach the others their tricks.

They will drive you crazy every time they see u they try to tell you that there being starved to death and need more food LOL.

Which is precisely why I got rid of my goats. They drove me absolutely insane. I could not walk out of the house without them screaming at me! :x

Goats like to ruuuuuub their sides down the fence, especially in spring when they start to shed. That will seriously stretch out any sort of net or woven wire. Once that happens, the bottom starts to raise up.

That's what happened with my pen. I had horse corral panels along one side with 2" x 4" woven wire secured to it at intervals. Once they curled the bottom up I had to fix it by weaving hay twine through the fencing and around the rails top and bottom to keep it stretched tight... and I still put large timbers along the bottom since they already knew that escape was possible so pushed at that bottom edge of fencing.

 

[Miss M]

Good heavens! :shock: So what you're saying is that what I save by getting goats instead of a cow, I'll spend on the fence to keep the goats in?

 

[Schipperkesue]

I have had Nigerian goats and Shetland sheep.

The goats were loud, destructive, escape artists, jumpers, sweet, comical, and had the most adorable babies.

The sheep seemed to lack personality...until I sold the goats!

I found I could not keep both together. Different worming and nutritional requirements as well as my own injury made it impossible to manage both species. I did not have the space to keep them separate. So sadly, the goats were sold.

Amazingly enough, now the goats are gone, the sheep have become more personable. They are also more easily managed and provide both meat and wool for spinning. I am pleased with my decision.

 

[Demamma]

My favorite goats are LaManchas. I found Nubians to loud. We liked our Nigerians but they are hard to milk but the milk is excellent. We used livestock panels to keep adults in. The kids can get through that though. Until kids were bigger we lined a pen with poultry fencing. I gave my goats slides and climbing toys. Logs are fun for them to jump around on. Empty buckets without the wire were banged around and wore as hats. Goats are inquisitive so need mental stimulation. Great pets, meat, and milk.

 

[Dood]

Good heavens! :shock: So what you're saying is that what I save by getting goats instead of a cow, I'll spend on the fence to keep the goats in?

Well one 800 pound cow will eat more than 4 goats but not give 4 times the milk.

Billy goats are much easier to keep than a bull or you'll need to locate a vet or AI tech to inseminate your cow and hope she gets pregnant as estrus detection in cows ain't easy.

It's much easier to restrain a goat and to internally re-arrange a kid if there is birthing trouble, a cow and calf ....... not so much.

Also, cow milk also isn't the best for goat milk soap :mrgreen:

 

[skysthelimit]

I think you should get an Angora goat so i can spin the mohair.

 

[prairie dog]

Good heavens! :shock: So what you're saying is that what I save by getting goats instead of a cow, I'll spend on the fence to keep the goats in?

Not really, but when you build your fence and pens, do it right the first time. Don't go easy on it thinking you'll save money, because once one figures a way out, it's game over. You'll spend the rest of your goat owning life patching holes and trying to predict the next place they'll try to escape at. And all it takes is one... they're very quick to teach others their tricks.

I loved my goats for their personalities... MUCH more fun than cattle. You just have to accept that they're like a pack of toddlers determined to get into the cookie jar on the counter, and plan accordingly. And you WILL save money, in terms of equipment you won't have to buy just to handle them. The first year I showed at Nationals, I hauled my two does in the back of my Suburban. Can't do that with a Jersey.