Today, more and more people are discovering the fun in raising goats. It was not too long ago when goats are among the lowest on the list of pet animals. Now, raising goats are suddenly on the upswing, either as pets or even as a business. Unfortunately, many people do not know a whit about proper goat care.

Thanks to dedicated farmers and other goat lovers, taking care of goats are discovered to be not that difficult.

Short history

Goats are said to be one of the oldest animals domesticated by man. They provide milk, meat, hair and skin. Aside from drinking, goat's milk can be processed into butter, ice cream and cheese.

The bucks (males) have strong smell and will affect the milk of does (females) if they are not separated. The kids (young goats) are playful and curious and can be trained not to fear people. The wethers are castrated males. 

Food

For non-free range goats, feeding is done twice daily. Some raisers mixed their own goat food consisting of crimped oats, dairy goat pellets and some sunflower seeds.

There must be water for them all throughout the day. (Cool fresh water in summer and warm water in winter.)

Goats must also have hay available to them all day. Raisers usually provide a mixture of alfalfa, Timothy and orchard grass. Food and water must be placed on sturdy upraised feeders where the goats cannot soil them.

Since they are browsers, goats are ideally raised free-range where they rummage through all kinds of grass, leaves, and bush plants. Carefully check which plants in the area are toxic to them.

Shelter

Goats hate rain and mud. They need a proper shed to protect them from rain, snow and (cold) wind.

Some owners keep cabinets inside these shelters for goats to sleep off the ground. Goats love warm and dry places. It is important to keep these places always clean and dry to keep off bacteria.

Outside these shelters, there should be some place for your non-free range goats to roam and frolic. A small rock pile and some other objects for them to play-jump with would be ideal.

Health

Kids (young goats) should be properly immunized, usually with Bar-Vac CDT (clostridium perfringens types C & D tetanus toxoid). At one year old (and every year thereafter), they should get a booster Bar-Vac CDT injection.

They need to be de-wormed at least four times a year. De-wormers also kill external parasites (lice, ticks, fleas, etc).

Don't overfeed your goats because they will accumulate gas. (Baking soda usually relieves this.) Baking soda helps goats in their digestion and keeping in check their urine acidity. Goats know when they need to eat baking soda and how much they need.

A healthy goat has bright eyes, smooth and shiny coat, with a good appetite, and alert. Teary or cloudy eyes might mean infection.

A dull coat might mean they have parasites. Hunched backs and droopy tails indicate something is wrong, especially if they refuse to eat.

Other tips

Never raise a single goat. Goats are herd animals. Keep as many as you can. They have different personalities, are affectionate, and hang around people to get a good scratch. Goat care is not a chore.

Goat keeping or goat farming is not actually rocket science, and there are indeed basic goat care ideas that many may not be aware about.

In fact, basic goat care is actually pretty simple, sometimes trivial, but never too tricky or tedious.all it needs is practical know -how and common sense.

First and foremost, if you happen to supplement grass feeding with mineral or nutrient infused feeds, always read the label and never - ever - feed sheep feed to goats, same goes the other way around.

Sheep and goats are entirely different animal species, with entirely different characteristics, nutritional requirements and environmental needs.

Never feed bucks or wethers with grain products, which in raw form cannot be tolerated by their metabolism, but if you feel and see that your bucks require supplementation, make sure to consult a veterinarian, who would recommend grain pellet feed specifically for bucks. Although grain products are good for does, it works otherwise for bucks.

Dry oatmeal is also a good choice, but should only be taken in moderation. 

Goats, like dogs, love treats with a bit of variation like fallen tree branches, especially aromatic ones, grapes, raisins, bread, soda crackers and their favorite - animal crackers. But make sure not to overdo giving treats since it can be dangerous to their health.

Always make sure to feed fresh and nutritious hay - with or without alfalfa - as needed. Fresh hay or grass is also loaded with natural minerals and nutrients that can help prevent diseases.

Do not forget to provide clean water and fresh water in a clean bucket, which during winter, should also be ice free.

You may also want to have loose minerals or mineral block available at all times and accessible to your goats. Salt can also be made available in a separate feeding dish or as a feeding block. 

For does, also make sure to have a well balanced grain product handy at all times. It gives does added nutrients & minerals needed to stay healthy and helps in having healthy offspring.

It is easy to feed your does with grain, so always watch your animal's condition to determine how much or how little they may need. Same way with supplementing lactating does with more protein, since this is important in their milk for young kids.

Be reminded that hoof trimming is necessary every 4 to 6 weeks, to keep your animal from developing hoof rot or leg and hoof issues.

Have your goats vaccinated annually with tetanus shots, as well as Bo-Se and Copper supplements as needed.

Here's another funny yet important fact, to make sure that every goat comes running during feed time, otherwise, something may be wrong.

Another tip at watching your goat's condition is to check their coat.  A coarse, dull, or thin coat can give you many clues from stomach or intestine parasites to nutrient deficiency.

Finally, look for signs of legs bowing (back or inward), since this can indicate a nutrient deficiency.

These are but some of the basic goat care ideas that many may not be aware about, but will surely be of good help in caring for your goats and knowing what signs to look out for.

People usually cringe at the thought of thinking about caring for goat in your own backyard, but truth be told, it is not that complicated and dangerous, what is important is to know the do's and don'ts of goat keeping, especially caring for a couple as pets.

There is practically no issue with caring for goats as pets, since it does not pose as much of a sanitary or hygiene hazard for the community, as long as you know how to regularly keep track of how to care for them and knowing the basics of caring for goats.

Unfortunately, many are not aware that there are no less than hundreds of goat species and most, if not all, goats are being domesticated either for their meat, coat or milk and are generally harmless and do not pose any deadly threat to mankind.

The most threat these goats may have with neighbors in communities are the possible nuisance they could cause, especially with the incessant bleating when they feel the need to feed or be nourished, but other than that, goats are timid and calm animals. But generally, goats are harmless.

Here are some basic tips to look into if you may want to practice goat keeping in your own backyard.

Make sure to create a fence around your goat shelter, setting it up to a standard height, enough to prevent your goats from getting out of their shelter or grazing area.

A tall fence will prevent goats from trying to explore the territory outside their shelter, which goats usually do, since goats are social pack animals and to make sure that if you want to care for one as a pet, make sure to have another one which will serve as a companion. Goats usually feel lonely for periods of time, especially if they are isolated from a herd, which could even prevent them from feeding.

A tall fence also stimulates privacy for your goat farm, especially since it will prevent curious persons from looking into the farm, as well as avoid the fear of other people seeing that there is a goat farm just within the community, but just to be on the safe side, it will not hurt to let your neighbors know that you are into goat - keeping.

A tall fence also provides good protection for the goats from strong winds or drafts, which usually scares goats, thus affecting their capacities and abilities to produce.

As grass and foliage are important to goats, so does water, since goats also need to drink water especially during early spring or during the summer to cool them off, as well as aid in the hydration of their bodies.

Having your own water supply for your goat farm will avoid them from getting into other people's property just to look for water.

It may be a water can, water supply structure or even an artificial streaming pond, as long as there is water supplied for goats, especially within close proximity from where they are sheltered, will prevent them from exerting energy in looking for water.

Lastly, know the basics of goat care. These are the common and simple things you need to know if you pursue caring for goats in your own backyard.

Except for the aggressive bucks (and the occasional doe), goats are naturally good-natured than people would credit them for. Caring for goats as pets sounds fun enough. It also means considerable work in terms of raising them.

The fun part stays. The work of feeding and raising them are all paid for almost daily by their affectionate and occasionally funny nature.

Adopting

The first thing to do when deciding to adopt a goat is to check if livestock is permitted in your community. Many suburban cities and towns do not allow this, even as pets.

Some places require special permits. Do the necessary paper preparations before getting your animal.

Behavior

Goats can be affectionate and can become intelligent pets. Knowing the basic facts about goats - their behavior, requirements in housing and food, where to buy them, etc. - can help a prospective goat owner if the idea of keeping the animal as pet is sound.

Goat enthusiasts should know about the mischievous nature of goat behavior. Particularly worth noting would be their tendency to investigate everything with their mouths. These could include your clothes, your hands, your ornamental plants, and just about everything else they find interesting.

Goats are very gregarious animals. They enjoy the social company of other goats, and even other farm animals. (Of course, dominant bucks may fight among themselves from time to time.)

Goats will test your fences, either intentionally or they just would like to climb or jump onto anything. If your fence can be spread, pushed down, or jumped over - they will escape.

Shelter

Have an escape-proof enclosure erected first before bringing in your goat. This should also be good enough to protect him from outside predators (panthers, coyotes, wolves).

Inside the enclosure would be a shelter to protect your goat from rain, snow and draft. A barn or a large shed would be good for his health.

Ideally, there should be some 20 square feet of shelter per goat, in a 200-square feet area of the secured enclosure.

There should be hay for his bedding, water receptacle, and grass hay (like Timothy or Bermuda) for his food which should be available at all times. In areas where the goat cannot pasture (and also on winter months) goat food (grains) must also be available.

Preparations

Prospective goat owners must be prepared with items like de-wormers and other parasite control products. It is also very important to locate and contact a competent veterinarian (ideally for ruminant animals) for illnesses and injuries.

Livestock vets are needed to educate the new goat owners on such topics as routine care, parasite control, shearing, milking, neutering, hoof trimming, dehorning, etc. There are also annual vaccinations needed for tetanus toxoid and clostridium perfringens type C and D toxoid.

The quality of your prospective pet goat is also very important. They can be purchased from breeders, or adopted from animal shelters, etc. Care should be taken that those that are adopted are disease-free, and relatively healthy.

Depending on the sex, breed, and age, a goat will cost from $100 or up to several hundred more. These are typical for specialty goat varieties. Since they are gregarious and can be lonely, get at least a pair.

Now that you are ready for them as pets, are you ready for the constant goat care?

Goats are one of the most versatile animals domesticated by man. Aside from meat and other products (fur, leather) goats also provide us milk and some milk products comparable to cattle. And all these, with only a modicum of goat care.

Dairy goats

Officially, the American Dairy Goat Association recognizes six breeds of goats that produce milk and milk products. They are Nubians, LaManchas, Alpines, Oberhaslis, Toggenburgs, and Saanens.

The Alpines (any color, medium-large, erect ears, and straight face) is one of the two breeds (the other is the Saanens) that are popular with dairy farms because of the amount of milk they produce.

The Saanens (pure white) have large udder capacities and just as popular as Alpines because of the amount of milk they give out.

Nubians have long floppy ears and one of the larger breeds. Their milk is higher in protein and butter fat than the others. They are noisier and more stubborn.

The ears of LaManchas are so small it looks like they don't have them. They are smaller, and they are calm and gentler than the others.

Oberhaslis are colored bay (chamoise) with a black dorsal strip. They have erect ears and are medium built.

The Toggenburgs are light brown with white erect ears and lower legs. They have shaggy coats and are popular among dairies, although smaller than most breeds.

Goat dairy products

Today, more people in the world are now drinking goat's milk than cow milk. Nutritionally, they are similar but goat's milk has smaller fat globules (does not need homogenization), thus easier to digest for some people.

Goat milk is now processed into various ice creams in health food stores. Goat cheese (chèvre, the French word for goat) is used in salads and in cooking because they are higher in protein but lower in fat than that made of cow's milk.

Goat's milk soaps are bruited to be creamier and richer than the others, and have added vitamins, minerals and proteins.

Advantages

In a comparison of milk contents of goats, cows and humans, goat's milk tops the count especially in vitamins and some minerals. It levels with that of cow's milk in proteins, but is the lowest in cholesterol count.

Goat milk is naturally homogenized. It has less lactose than cow's milk and is less likely to trigger lactose intolerance in some people. 

Goat's milk is said to be more easily digestible than cow's milk. This can be attributed to its casein curd which is softer and smaller than cow's milk.

Milk boosters

As dairy goat raisers, you need to find ways and means to increase the milk production of your herd. The following are some of the ways.

Deworming your goats increases milk production. Illness and diseases (including anemia caused by worms and other parasites) slows down milk production, sometimes even stops it altogether.

Increase rations of high-quality hay. For high-milk production, alfalfa is one of the best because of high calcium content. Increased dry matter forage for the animals improves milk production.

It is also important that goat forage have high levels of fiber to promote increased rumen micro-flora which increases milk production.

Today, more and more goat raisers are into the business not just for the meat products. Goat care and raising them for dairy production also looks promising.

In the minds of some people, goat care is so easy you simply put hay in front of the animals. They are of the belief that feeding is all the care goats need at all. This, plus what was thought of goats before - that they can eat anything from cans, to cartoons and paper, to fabric and even scraps of plastic.

All these are not true, indeed.

Nutrition

Goat care is not that simple, and this is most evident in their nutritional feeding needs. Goats need year-round provisions of roughage like pasture, browser grass leaves or well-cured hay.

Young animals with inadequate nutrition in their diets are prone to diseases and will not reach their growth potential.

Those that are milking (does), the growing stocks (kids) and those used for breeding (bucks) need their daily rations of legume hay like alfalfa. For goat meat raisers, nutritious feeds for the herd take up the largest chunk of their expenses.

Goats need proteins, vitamins and minerals for energy, just like any other animal. Calorie-giving foods are the most limited while proteins are the most expensive.

Nutritional deficiencies as well as excesses (and other food imbalances) limit the goat's growth and development and can lead to various health problems. They also need a lot of fiber for digestive well-being and plenty of water.

The nutritional requirements of goats also depend on several factors: present growth rate (kids), maintenance, lactation (for does), activity and the environment (cold or hot weather, etc).

Feeds

Generally, food consumption of goats is equivalent to about 3% of their body weight. The exact amount varies according to the animal's size.

Pasture and browse food are the most economical source of food (and nutrients) for the animals. Pasture is high in energy and protein content. However, it has high moisture content and the animals have to eat enough to meet their needs.

 In cold season, hay is the primary nutrient source food. Legume hays (alfalfa, clover) have higher proteins, vitamins and minerals than grass hays. The nutritional content, however, depends on the maturity of the foliage when it was cut for storage.

Silage (from forage or grain crops) are also fed to goats. Care is needed to check on the quality of silage when feeding the animals. (Molds cause ?circling disease' in goats.)

Raisers usually provide additional food supplements to their animals in the form of grain concentrates. This is to provide additional nutrients that forage alone cannot give.

These protein supplements are derived from both animal and plant sources: soybean meals, cottonseed, and fish meal. Proteins are not stored in goats but burned or eliminated by the kidneys.

Some companies now offer feeds in pellet forms, marketing them as "complete" goat food. These are advantageous because goats who are very selective eaters cannot sort the feed ingredients in pellets.

Salt, calcium and phosphorus are the most important minerals needed by goats. They also need vitamins A, D, and E. Some grain rations already incorporate these vitamin-mineral pre-mixes.

Access to clean; fresh water is necessary for the animals. A mature goat drinks almost a gallon and a half every day. Inadequate water intake causes health problems.

Goat care is almost like that of other animals, including pets, even humans. All our nutritional needs are different only in quantities, but everything is the same.

Goats are generally healthy animals and will remain to be healthy if properly cared for, but there will be times when this becomes inevitable, but surely it will just be easy getting rid of goat illnesses with proper goat care.

It may seem a bit costly to have your animals vaccinated, especially in partnering with a local veterinarian to keep your animals in check, but surely it will mean just a fraction of the cost you can jack up if your herd starts to get ill and leave you spending thousands of dollars in treatment cost, that's exclusive of costs you may incur due to loss of production.

There are numerous conditions that can affect goats; however, we hope to mention some of the most common ones that can be addressed with proper care, treatment and even prevention.

One of the most common diseases that have affected goats in the past is Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis Virus (CAEV), which is a widespread condition among dairy - producing goats, which most of the time, is also transmitted to goat kids by infected does, but can surely be prevented with proper precautionary measures through the administration of vaccines.

At the onset, the effects of Caprine Arthritis is not always visible, since it is retroviruses that generally infects young goats or kids and do not usually exhibit the symptoms of the disease unless they get older in age.

However, as it starts to afflict older goats, it is indicative of common symptoms like swollen knees or hocks, but the best possible way to identify the disease is through blood tests, but also sometimes has a way of deceiving the blood test since it may sometimes not show up in the blood, making it a less accurate way to determine the disease.

The encephalitis virus, on the other hand, also affects goats of any age, which is characterized by symptoms similar to that of white muscle disease.

It begins with the young kid not able to move their hind legs, which eventually moves over to progress towards the front legs and so on.

This makes the kid lose appetite and will eventually be unable to eat and drink regardless of the compulsion to do so.

The virus commonly ends in death resulting from seizures.

Technically, there is still no known vaccines or treatment for this virus, but can be prevented though, by isolating the infected animal from the rest of the herd, as well as direct treatment of the symptoms affecting the animals.

As a natural prevention method, it is highly advised that kids of CAEV infected does must be separated from infected does and should be fed with heat -treated colostrums.

Among the other common disorders are ketosis, which is neither a virus nor bacteria, but is simply a deficiency in vital nutrients commonly affecting pregnant does that if left untreated, will cause does to weaken, resist food and water and eventually die.

Another one is selenium deficiency, which can lead to white muscle disease, with effects similar to that of CAEV, characterized by weak muscles and causes tremors in the hind and front legs.

Selenium is a mineral found in the earth and is usually acquired through feeding of fresh grass, but can also be administered as a mineral infusion by veterinarians called Bo -se shots or vaccines.

So it would be best to take very good case of your goats and ensure good health by getting rid of goat illnesses with proper goat care and knowledge.

Getting started on a goat farm is not that complicated, but with an idea about proper goat care, all you need is a bit of passion and know some trivia about goats.

Here is a hodge podge of information about goats that could help motivate and inspire you more with your goat farm venture.

Goats generally eat grass, but in order for them to be more healthy, your local veterinary supply store sells vitamins and mineral supplements intended for goats, as well as goat feed that are fortified with essential nutrients that can help keep your goats in tip top shape.

For those that are just starting out in goat farming and would like to know how to make goats eat more to be more productive, always keep your goats in suitable pens and avoid crowding them too much in one space.

Always make sure to maintain an average temperature within your goat pens, to avoid agitating your goats that may hamper in their productivity and prevent you from getting the optimum results that you expect from your animals.

Although many people believe that goats do not always need water, they actually do. So always have a steady supply of clean water available, especially during the warmer months since drinking water is one way for goats to keep cool and avoid getting disrupted from their usual productivity, like for breeding, milk produce or wool production.

Avoid feeding goats with rotting food or contaminated grains or feeds, since this could cause goats to get sick or even die, especially if the contaminated food is ingested right away.

This is also true in keeping or storing goat feed inside rodent -free containers. This is to keep the food from getting contaminated by rats, especially those that usually forage garbage and trash, since they are common carriers of disease and getting your goats contaminated by these pests could potentially be dangerous to your entire herd.

It is also best to keep your haystack on a hay stand or a platform, which will keep the hay off the ground, to avoid it from getting wet and may become moldy or may serve to potentially become a habitat for ground -dwelling insects or rodents.

Goats are also the picky type, since they will not drink water from a dirty container or bucket, so always make it a point to keep their water containers for drinking always clean and replaced with fresh water regularly, lest they suffer from dehydration and eventually die.

Always make it a point to have immediate contact with a veterinarian at any given time, since goats are generally susceptible to common farm animal diseases and although there are available treatments available for most of these common diseases, having a veterinarian administer treatment right away will prevent one from incurring further losses due to infestation of the whole herd.

It is also best advised to feed the goats more during colder seasons, since more food digested by the goats allow for more heat being generated in their bodies.

Do take heed of these ideas and you can be on your way to getting started on a goat farm with proper goat care and be able do it with confidence.

Aside from getting to know the usual disease problems, goat care has other problems that are sometimes hard to deal with. This is very true for beginning herd owners (or plain owners who own some animals only for recreation) and their goats with behavior problems.

Although by nature they are not aggressive, some goats (bucks and does alike) develop behavioral problems that need to be solved in time. Here's a random list. Some have solutions; the rest have only suggestions for actions.

Buck problems

Never play with buck kids or they will continue to do so as adults and can cause injuries. Also, dehorn your buck kids. With horns, bucks tend to be naturally aggressive.

Here's an anecdote. A buck might stop butting you if you hit it with water between the eyes from a squirt gun (or a water bottle) coupled with saying a firm "No!"

Buck odors are reduced by de-scenting him. This can be done while he is dehorned. (This is usually done when the buck is about two weeks old.)

Fighting does

Depending on individual behavior, some does seem more disposed to fighting than the others. Unless they are pregnant, the worst injuries are bruised heads with some bleeding. (These might cause some infections, if not treated.) 

Some milking troubles

Individual does have individual attitudes in showing their dislike of milking. Have a milk stand and use it before her first freshening. (You can use it for hoof trimming, worming and other activities.)

Frequently handle their udders when they are young. Hopefully, they will get used to it until they become milk producers.

Have the does get used to set routines of regimented activities that include feed presentations, washing, and drying. This way, they will be trained to stand still while being milked.

Some does are kickers. Some like men to milk them. Some resent being milked by someone they are not familiar with.

Some can be tricked into being milked by having one of their kids work on the other teat while you milk the other.

Aggressions

Some does simply do the unthinkable: they attack their own newborns. They butt them ferociously especially when the kid tries to nurse. They tend to go after their first-born, and let the others nurse freely. 

One solution (though not foolproof) is to separate the kid, but letting it nurse off her (several times a day) while she is being restrained. You may have to do this until weaning.

Another way is to feed the kid yourself and raise him on a bottle. (At milking time, fill a bottle for the kid's share. Feed it straight away to avoid heating up the bottle.)

Some suggestions include rubbing some of the birthing fluids from the favored kid all over the rejected one to confuse her. There had been some sporadic success with this technique. Sometimes, she will unexplainably accept the kid after some time.

The bleater

Some Nubians will associate your presence with food, and they will show their impatience with so much noise. One way of breaking this is to show up in the barn and not feeding them, just breaking up the routine.

Other behavioral problems

Goat care differs from goat to goat. You simply have to pack enough patience in dealing with them. Sometimes you get lucky.

For centuries, goats had been one of man's hardiest domesticated animals. Supplying man its milk and meat, the goats had thrived even in the most hostile environments on earth. However, this dependable animal also has to have proper goat care.

Like all animals, goats also suffer a variety of diseases, some of which are dangerous and fatal to them. As their caretaker, you must at least be in the know about their most common health enemies.

Coccidia

These are intestinal parasites that cause foamy, bloody diarrhea and dull dry coats. A goat with coccidiosis (coccidia infestation) sometimes has no obvious symptoms at all.

Young kids at four months are at their highest risk and should be treated at least once. The most obvious symptom is that they are not growing as well as they should.

There are medications specific to this disease. If in doubt, you can take a stool sample to a veterinarian who specializes in ruminant animals.

Ketosis

Also known as pregnancy toxemia, ketosis happens late in a doe's pregnancy. Symptoms include depression, disinterest in food, poor muscle control and balance.

Ketosis sometimes occurs when the doe is carrying two or more kids, or is very fat. The disease is caused by the sudden extra demand for energy by the unborn kids and the inability of the doe to eat enough to provide this energy.

Many does test positive for ketone bodies in their urine. This is a toxic by-product when the doe rapidly metabolizes fat in her body.

Propylene glycol at 2 to 3 ounces twice a day can help. To prevent this, do not let the doe get fat in pregnancy. In the last month of pregnancy, provide her with 1 to 2 pounds of grain in addition to hay.

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Syndrome (CAE)

This is a viral disease, usually transmitted by adults to young kids through contact or milk from an infected doe to her kid.

Symptoms include weakness in the rear legs, without fever or loss of appetite. However, the unused legs lose muscle strength and the kid eventually dies.

In older goats, symptoms are seen in swollen joints, especially the knees. The disease develops slowly. After 2 years, the animal has difficulty using its legs.

There are no corrective procedures or treatments. Preventive measures include isolating the kids at birth and raising them on pasteurized goat milk to prevent the spread.

During purchase, make sure a goat is free from CAE. Unfortunately, blood tests only checks for antibodies. A kid might be infected but is not yet producing antibodies.

Mastitis

This is an inflammation of the mammary gland of the animals caused by bacteria. Symptoms include swelling, heat, pain, tissue discoloration and abnormal milk.

The most common causes include rough treatment and unclean milking practices.

For preventive measures, wash the goat's udders before milking. Spray the teats with a teat dip after milking. Wash your hands before and after milking each goat to prevent spreading the disease.

It is important to consult a vet since there are different strains of bacteria that cause mastitis. If left untreated, the doe may die or lose the udder.

Other diseases

There are minor illnesses that can strike your herd, but these four are the most virulent among all others. Goat care also means being extra alert to spot these deadly four.