We strongly believe that the basis of good herd management is excellent nutrition. Fresh clean well water, free choice loose Manna Pro goat minerals, and sodium bicarb are always available. Our goats love to graze and browse daily throughout the farm pastures.
Goats and sheep are fed our own organic grass hay when needed in bad weather and over the winter. Milking does are fed Blue Seal Dairy Goat Pellets with a topping of BOSS and Sunshine Pellets. Our bucks are fed Blue Seal grain with ammonium chloride. All goats receive injectable Zinc, Manganese, Copper and Selenium |
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on a quarterly basis. Hooves are trimmed approximately every 6-8 weeks, and worming is done every three months as needed. We immunize with CDT yearly. We test yearly for CAE and Johnes, and do an annual exam for CL.
Kids are dam raised but handled daily. Most take a supplementary bottle from a young age which produces friendly loving young goats. Below is our guide to basic care for those unfamiliar with goats.
Kids are dam raised but handled daily. Most take a supplementary bottle from a young age which produces friendly loving young goats. Below is our guide to basic care for those unfamiliar with goats.
Basic Goat Care for New Owners
Our goats are pretty special to us and we wish we could keep them all. It is important to us that they go to homes where they will be well cared for. Here are some basic goat care guidelines. Below that you will find more technical health and management links:
FOOD:
1. Clean fresh water
2. Hay that is green and sweet smelling, without mold.
3. Loose Goat Minerals (with copper) and baking soda free choice
4. Supplemental grain for milking does and youngstock. Dry (non-milking) does and bucks/wethers generally do not need grain. If you are giving grain to young wethers or breeding bucks it should have ammonium chloride in it to prevent urinary stone formation. Feed such as Blue Seal Meat Goat Grower or Purina Noble Goat are medicated and appropriate for youngstock and bucks.
SHELTER
1. A clean and dry well protected shelter.
2. Secure Fencing - 48" is adequate for Nigerians. Fencing keeps goats IN and roaming dogs OUT.
3. Ensure that there are no poisonous plants in their enclosure (such as Azaleas, Mountain Laurel and Japanese Yew). Unfortunately goats have died when new owners didn't take this seriously. Really.
CARE
1. Regular worming 3-4 times a year depending on need. Goats can die from anemia if not wormed regularly. If you are unfamiliar with worming please ask me how to check for anemia and general worming information. We currently use ivermectin or ivermectin plus with good results, but worm resistance varies greatly from farm to farm.
2. Yearly immunization for CDT (overeating disease and tetanus), usually done in the spring.
2. Regular hoof trimming at least 4x a year, preferably more often.
3. A companion animal (very important!) Goats are herd animals and get very lonely by themselves.
If you have any questions about how to care for your goat, please contact us -
we are always happy to respond.
We highly recommend the following sources for more detailed goat care guidance:
1. Fias Co Farm - good site with loads of basic goat care information from nutrition and housing to a detailed guide to kidding.. If you are a new goat owner, read it all.
2. Maryland Small Ruminant Page - this is an excellent resource put together by a Maryland Extension Sheep and Goat Specialist. Housing, feeding, care, loads of extension articles on just about everything you can think of.
3. Goat Research at Langston University, E (Kika) de la Garza American Institute (Oklahoma)- there are many resources, including a nutrition calculator, throughout the goat research institute website.
4. Poisonous plants with photos from BlueSeal feeds.
Common poisonous plants you may have in your yard are mountain laurel, rhododendron, japanese yew and hydrangea. They can all kill a goat.
5. Nigerian Dwarf Colors Will help you describe your Nigerian's color for registry papers.
6. American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control - detailed information on parasites, FAMACHA, rotational grazing, and management.
7. Onion Creek Ranch - superb site with very informative articles
8. Cornell University Goat Management - many good articles on goat care, nutrition, etc.
9. Saanendoah - extensive references on copper management.
10. Goat Biology - animations and information on biology, digestion, reproduction, parasite lifecycles and more.
11. American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control - online FAMACHA training, parasite information.
Registries, Organizations, Journals, Textbooks
1. ADGA - American Dairy Goat Association
2. AGS - American Goat Society
3. Nigerians Unlimited - NJ Nigerian group providing education and shows.
4. Stackyard - a virtual marketplace for farmers.
5. Dairy Goat Journal - Information, ideas, and insights for everyone who raises, manages, or just loves goats.
6. Goat Medicine - by Mary Smith DVM. A comprehensive veterinary textbook from Cornell.
Goat Supplies
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/
http://www.caprinesupply.com/
http://www.hoeggargoatsupply.com/
http://www.valleyvet.biz/
http://www.premier1supplies.com/ We use their electric netting for grazing (the poultry net) and love it.
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