Basic Goat Care

PLEASE NOTE: 

What works for us may not work for you. As I am learning I will update this with new methods I have seen/heard of as well as putting what we do on our farm and our experiences with the different methods if we have tried them. Please do your own research and see what might work best for you, your location, your animals, and your overall farm goals. We are located in the Pacific Northwest in the desert. You are responsible for judging what practices might fit your farm best. The Internet is a great tool to use to find answers to your questions, but it also requires some effort on your part to judge how accurate that information may be. We have linked to some products we use or have found to work well, feel free to shop around to find better prices (we do not get a commision off of these items).

The basic needs of all goats are pretty simple: they need 24/7 access to water, a lose mineral, hay, and a shelter. Below I will go into more details about each of their needs and elaborate on addition care requirements. There are other basics that would be needed depending on what you are utilizing your goats for, such as milk, meat, packing, etc. 

Water:

Goats need access to fresh clean and cool water all the time. 

On our farm we do our best to scrub out water troughs/buckets at least once per week to keep them clean. 

We know several people have had problems utilizing their well water us included due to higher iron levels. When the iron levels are too high it affects how goats absorb important nutrients like copper. If your goats get a copper deficiency it is pretty easy to spot their coat will become dull/faded, they can have hair loss around their eyes and on the bridge of their nose and they can get a fish tail. There are other symptoms to keep an eye out for but these are the most common. 

If you are like us and need a solution to use your water here are my suggestions: get an in-line RV filter to attach to the hose you use to fill up their waters or use rain water that you catch on your property. I have had good success with both of these options. 

Goats go through phases/seasons of drinking differing amounts of water, it is always a good idea to monitor your goats water consumption to notice trends and patterns. This will allow you to catch any problems before they become bigger. My goats drink the most when in milk and and the change of seasons especially spring going into summer. 

Feeding:

All of our goats get free choice grass hay and free choice minerals daily along with access to various fresh produce and time to graze with miscellaneous plants to forage around our property. 

When bucks are in rut, they are supplemented with a grain mix of alfalfa pellets, whole oats, and black oil sunflower seeds to help maintain their body condition.

Worming

Our goats are wormed once a month the day before, on, and after a full moon with Fir Meadow's DWA and GI Soother. We also use an essential oil blend to help with deworming once per week. Bella's Naturals is another dewormer we have used before. 

Essential oil blend of: Oregano, Orange, Lemon/Lemongrass, Ginger, clove (not for pregnant does), and cinnamon (not for pregnant does). We mix 1 drop of each for our adult goats and for our kids that are younger than 6 months we mix 1/2 a drop of each. 

This method is used as a maintenance and preventative for any stomach parasites.

We mix up their wormer and supplements to form little treat balls. Adding Slippery Elm Powder can help cover up the bad taste that often comes with herbs. Other options are mixing it in applesauce or giving it to them in a drencher with olive oil as the carrier. 

If you have an acute problem, then more needs to be done.

We worm during the full moon because of  'circalunar' reproductive cycles common in nematodes/helminths including parasitic species. Just like marine worms tend to form reproductive swarms as the moon approaches the fullest, terrestrial ones tend to as well. So we feel this is the best time to wipe out adults and eggs while they're in the lower bowels to breed, so they can easily be eliminated without causing the host problems.

Other:

We give our goats Selenium/Vitamin E gel about once a month, we do this because our area is deficient in Selenium. We give 2 ml for kids and 4 ml for adults. We give this at the same time as we deworm them. Replamin Gel is the best option, another option is using a Selenium/Vitamin E gel like this. 

We give our goats Copper about quarterly, or about once every 3 months depending on the goat. We give about 1 g/22 Ibs. We give this at the same time as we deworm them. We use the kid version because we give it more often, you can use a higher dose less often such as this Adult Copper.

Medical/First Aid Kit:

This is a list of what we commonly have on hand and what some common uses are for the items. 

• Thermometer: 101.5-103.5 is ideal - Some options for these are this one, this one, or this one

• Hoof Trimmers: Trim every 4-8 weeks (we do it every 8 weeks, and increase to every 4 weeks if they are getting grain regularly) 

• Drencher: For deworming and other medicines

• Probiotics: For stressed or sick goats 

• B Complex: A boost of B vitamins for sick goats that will stimulate and help maintain rumen function

• Disposable Needles and Syringes: 3cc or 6cc Syringes with 22 gauge 3/4' long needles

• Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton Balls or Alcohol Wipes: For cleaning areas before drawing blood/tattooing/etc. 

• Disposable Gloves: Handy for blood draws, wound care, etc. 

• Lidocaine Aerosol Spray: Pain Killer

• Banamine or Baby Asprin: Pain Killer, Fever and Swelling reducer

• Alushield: liquid bandaid 

• Milk of Magnesia, Vegetable or Mineral Oil, Baking Soda: For treating bloat

• Activated Charcoal: To treat poisoning

• Apple Cider Vinegar (preventing) and Ammonium Chloride (treating): Urinary Stones in male goats