# Proud new goat owner... and member



## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

after 1.5 years of building a 800sf playpen and shed, reading a bit and visiting several feed stores and goat farms I finally got my goats. Note:all these visits really got confusing because everyone rightfully so has their own process.

Anyway... 2 withered Nigerian Pygmy brothers have finally arrived. These are 2 year olds left by someone who couldn’t care for them anymore at a professional educational farm. I was glad to take them because I thought it better to start with mature goats to better experience if they were to get sick. These are strictly as pets.

Please tell me if I,m feeding correctly.

Pleanty of water changed daily.
Free feed alfalfa Timothy mix
1qt goat feed pellets
1qt mix of 1/3 mineral pellets, 1/3 dry beet pulp, 1/3 cracked corn
I also give them a mineral block and protein block.

Just started and I want to do this right so don’t hold back.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bob


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on your new pets. Beginning with adults is MUCH easier. Are they quite tame? Have they settled in nicely?

We'd love to see photos of them when you are able to post!

Now miniature goats, and especially wethers which don't have to work very hard (breeding, etc.) are fairly prone to obesity. Are you able to feel their ribs, hips, or spine?

You are going to get so much information and yes everybody has different ways. I would guess that your boys won't end up needing any of the feed pellets (goat grain) or corn or beet pulp or the protein block. In addition, there's a condition called "Urinary Calculi" wethers are prone to and your current diet has too much phosphorus.

Can you tell us more about the "mineral pellets"? A photo of the tag if it's a bagged item. Or do you buy it from a livestock grain mill where it's an additive perhaps?

The main most CRITICAL item you are missing is loose minerals. These are sand consistency. They contain much higher levels of the minerals imperative to goats and are easier for them to use than blocks. Keep the block, but also put a half cup of loose minerals out in a small plastic container screwed to the shelter wall somewhere dry. If you let us know which stores you might use, we can tell you a loose mineral to buy. Some are labeled for cattle.

Wonderful of you to join us and be interested in learning about their best care!


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## KST Goat Farm (Jul 29, 2019)

:hi: Welcome to the forum. I personally don't feed grain to weathers but I don't think it is a big deal. Also loose mineral is better than a block. 
Enjoy your new goats! We would love pictures.


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## Coolbreeze89 (Mar 5, 2017)

Welcome from Texas! Goats are fabulous - I have pet goats as well, just for my entertainment (I'm still a relative newbie, so I will defer to the experienced folks to thoroughly answer your questions). 
To clarify though: you're feeding those amounts daily, or that's a mix you're putting together and then you're feeding a smaller quantity daily? What brands of goat feed and mineral pellets? The alfalfa/Timothy mix is actual hay, or compressed-hay pellets?

There are some great threads here about minerals - @mariarose especially has some very detailed posts that will help answer a lot of mineral questions.

Lastly, we all LOVE pictures, so please post some of your boys!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

welcome to the forum..you chose a great place to start your goat adventure and Salteylove started off with good advise and questions. Keep it simple, the hay and alfalfa mix is perfect..that and loose minerals should be all they need. Read up on Urinary Calculi and be alert and prepared. Congrats and ENJOY...Goats are wonderful creatures!! 
https://happybleatsdairygoats.weebly.com/emergency-and-general-care/urinary-calculi


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

happybleats said:


> Keep it simple, the hay and alfalfa mix is perfect..that and loose minerals should be all they need


Maybe a bit of water from time to time...:heehee:


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Hi..from OKLAHOMA ..So hlad you are here. Its amazing how everyone here can help. Their is more knowledge here..its amazing. I usually ask what the goat is being fed when I purchase them. I agree with loose mineralsm I feed grain, pasture, and hay in winter. I raise mine for meat goats. And I also have fainters! 
Yes on the pictures..we love to see pics!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

mariarose said:


> Maybe a bit of water from time to time..


:heehee::heehee::heeheerofl)(rofl)(rofl)


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Welcome.


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

SalteyLove said:


> Hello and welcome! Congratulations on your new pets. Beginning with adults is MUCH easier. Are they quite tame? Have they settled in nicely?
> 
> We'd love to see photos of them when you are able to post!
> 
> ...


THANKS| Your question about mineral pellets may have averted a catastrophe. What I thought was mineral was actually pelleted grain. So I fed them cracked corn and grain pellets which I know is wrong.


Bobby Goat said:


> after 1.5 years of building a 800sf playpen and shed, reading a bit and visiting several feed stores and goat farms I finally got my goats. Note:all these visits really got confusing because everyone rightfully so has their own process.
> 
> Anyway... 2 withered Nigerian Pygmy brothers have finally arrived. These are 2 year olds left by someone who couldn't care for them anymore at a professional educational farm. I was glad to take them because I thought it better to start with mature goats to better experience if they were to get sick. These are strictly as pets.
> 
> ...





Bobby Goat said:


> after 1.5 years of building a 800sf playpen and shed, reading a bit and visiting several feed stores and goat farms I finally got my goats. Note:all these visits really got confusing because everyone rightfully so has their own process.
> 
> Anyway... 2 withered Nigerian Pygmy brothers have finally arrived. These are 2 year olds left by someone who couldn't care for them anymore at a professional educational farm. I was glad to take them because I thought it better to start with mature goats to better experience if they were to get sick. These are strictly as pets.
> 
> ...


Thanks to all who have replied. It certainly saved a catastrophe! As it turns out what I thought was minerals was actually a pelleted grain so I was feeding cracked corn and additional grain. I know this is bad and it's a good thing I only did it once. I've stopped feeding both and now use Mana Pro loose minerals. I've seen this product mentioned often.

The pelleted feed I continue to use (1qt daily between the two of them once a day) is DunMor goat feed 16% protein medicated. Added copper. I understand DuMore is a private label for Tractor Supply from Purina. Sorry, cant place attachments until I've been a member for a while.

I'm also loose feeding Alfalfa/Tomothy bails. No more cracked corn or grain pellets. I'll continue feeding them the beet pulp over the winter unless someone tells me this is not a good idea.

About loose Manapro minerals: Directions say no more than .5oz per goat per day. It seems impossible to loose feed them this amount so I put it in their pellet feed.

These goats are very tame and welcoming each time I visit them (constantly). Currently they won't touch fresh vegtable snacks. My guess is they've never had them in the past.

They play well together and never leave each others side. What might a 3rd goat do to this dynamic?

Photo's on the way once I can post. Thank to all for your help.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

The minerals need to be offered free choice, all the time.
Adding a 3rd goat may make one of them an outsider. I'd add 2 goats instead of just 1.
I'd switch your grain to unmedicated. Or just give them good hay. Pet goats don't usually need grains, Quality hay is best.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

You're alfalfa/Timothy hay of the perfect hay for wethers. I would eliminate that quart of feed per day and just give a nibble, small handful if you want them to come to you for a snack. They are nearly done growing and if they are good weight they really don't need the extra protein at all. Eliminate the beet pulp as well. The grain is adding higher phosphorus to the diet which is bad for wethers. Since you already have the bags of cracked corn and other pelleted grain it's totally fine to give a small handful as a treat here and there to use them up but not much at all!

Ignore the directions on that Manna Pro bag and put it out separately in a dry dish for them up off the ground. Refill & refresh as needed. As much as they want, no limits at all.

These two wethers are an established "herd" and will most likely take quite unkindly to a new single addition. Goats are very particular about herd dynamics and pecking order. A younger or smaller addition would be brutally picked on and kept away from food & shelter by *most* established herds. But sometimes you luck out with easy going fellows! As mentioned above, if you are going to add, add a pair of approximately the same size. Alternatively, bringing in a larger or more dominant goat and your boys will be running with tails tucked as the newcomer works to establish their role as herd "queen".


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

Thanks again big time. All of you have been extremely helpful and will make my new friends more healthy. I'll send pics once I can send links.


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## Denise Troy (Aug 31, 2019)

Hi there, and I want to say welcome too! I am a new goat owner also..but I wasn’t like you, and didn’t do the research first. If it wasn’t for these people on here I Would be sooo lost! And my poor wonderful goats would be suffering. So, from what I’ve learned..ask all the questions you want..and I’ve asked a lot of dumb ones...they always help!! Congratulations on your goats! They are such a daily joy and really make great pets! I can’t wait to hear more about their huge personalities!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

There are no dumb questions. How can you learn if you don't ask? Even seasoned goat folks can miss things with their animals. Life can get in the way. So if something seems off, strange or "just not right", ask away! It's better to ask a lot of questions and find out all is well and normal than to not ask and have a dead goat.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:nod::up:


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Welcome to goats!
I have a small (nigi) herd of 9 pets. I give them a 1\2 cup of a 50\50 blend alfalfa pellets and a pelletized all stock once each evening as a treat or reward. This keeps them coming to me. When it was just goats, I used Purina Wind and Rain Storm minerals in a container for them full time. A cattle mineral. Now, three sheep are with them, so had to cut out the copper free choice.
Happy New Year! Enjoy them, they are great.


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## cousnit (Dec 8, 2019)

I have 3 pet goats. My vet says they are so spoiled they don't know they are goats. I figure, why should they know! Mine are odd about fresh veggies and fruit. 2 like cabbage, 1 won't touch it. 1 likes iceberg lettuce, 2 won't touch it. 1 loves pears, is okay with peaches. 2 are okay with pears, love peaches. None of them are real fond of spinach. Broccoli is ok occasionally. 2 of the 3 love banana peels (do not leave any banana in them unless you want it spit at you). They all love grapes, 2 of them love the stems. They all love animal crackers (they only get a few a day). I read somewhere they needed "a wide and varied diet", my vet says that is not what they are talking about, but they are happy and healthy so why not!


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

Sure is great to have so much input from experience.

So.. my boys won't touch a thing off the table. peanuts, melon, lettuce, spinach, celery, grapes, parsnips.. even when I leave it with them. Nada! That's ok, they appear happy and healthy.

My neighbors think I'm nuts but they love being walked on a leash. Butcher and Chef, not the neighbors. Photos attached as promised. 

Thanks again too all!


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## Coolbreeze89 (Mar 5, 2017)

Bobby Goat said:


> Sure is great to have so much input from experience.
> 
> So.. my boys won't touch a thing off the table. peanuts, melon, lettuce, spinach, celery, grapes, parsnips.. even when I leave it with them. Nada! That's ok, they appear happy and healthy.
> 
> ...


Good looking boys! Congrats!


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Bobby Goat said:


> My neighbors think I'm nuts but they love being walked on a leash. Butcher and Chef, not the neighbors.


:funnytechrofl)(rofl)(rofl)


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

Hey Gang, Still learning.
My Manna Pro minerals are specific about how much to give my goats and even warn to monitor intake if free feeding. Yet many times I'm told to free feed. Will they pretty much watch their own intake?

Also one of them has developed a cough after running a bit. Any idea?

Thanks,

Bobby


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Most goats only take what minerals they need. At first they may seem to eat a lot, but it should taper off. Keep fresh clean water available, as the salt will make them thirsty. 

Have you taken the one with a coughs temp? How do the lungs sound? Does the goat always cough after running? Is it a chesty congested cough or just a quick one?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Definitely offer the loose mineral free choice


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Plus 2 on the free choice. As for the cough, it can be many things. 3 things to keep a watch on are lungworm, which can usually be handled by 3 doses of Ivomec Plus, given 10 days apart... Pnuemonia... and an upper respiratory infection. A temperature (of the goat in question) would help us.

Lungworm does not easily show on a fecal, and they don't affect a FAMACHA as they are not blood suckers. They are spread by snails, usually.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:nod::up:


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

one of my twin boys developed a lump. It's probably just like we do sometimes and is nothing but looking for a little feedback.

How susceptible are goats to cysts? This one is bald, about the size of a quarter and bulges out just a bit. It's next to the spine closer to the neck. I noticed a while back the bald spot and thought maybe he rubbed it bald somehow but now it's developed in to a lump. Doesn't seem to bother him. Clean flesh color.









Suggestions?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Did you give any injections there?


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

Hay gang, first I’d like to thank all who’s helped me and anyone else as a new owner. Your input is priceless. 

it seems that over half the grasses I feed them is pulled out of the feeder and left on the ground to waste. I. It mix of alfalfa and Timothy. Any ideas how to limit the waste?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

That is the leading question that we all have asked! Do you have a tray below the feeder? If they can re eat it later, some do. (As long as it wasn't on the ground.) 

I feed quite a few and they waste at least 30%+ a day. Hopefully, someone has a good feeder where they don't waste as much.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Goats like to waste hay.
I still can't figure out how to stop it.


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## Coolbreeze89 (Mar 5, 2017)

I’ve definitely cut loss down by having a tray beneath the feeder, but even more by not giving as much hay at a time. This way, what they waste is actually caught in the tray and they eventually “settle” on eating the hay in the tray. Hunger is the best motivator! No ampunt o f hunger gets then to eat off the ground, though! I can occasionally put some fallen hay back in the feeder and get them to eat it, but only if it wasn’t on the ground long. They sense any kind of dirt and refuse to eat it.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

The tray is good (but make sure it's not big enough to sleep in). Also the opening size of the feeder, make sure it's less than 4", and lastly, if you tend them once or twice a day, just put enough hay in so that's it nearly completely gone when your return, the more surplus, the more they waste.


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

IA should always, great feedback. I free feed the hay but don’t have a shelf. New priority!

What about cubes or pellets?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Cubed forages are typically too large for a goat's mouth to handle well. Pelleted forages (Timothy or Alfalfa or other pellets) can definitely replaces a large portion of the diet but still, some long stem roughage should be fed daily to keep the rumen running optimally. I doubt there would be a cost savings to feeding a pelleted forage over hay even with reduced waste but I sure would be interested to see the records & calculations!


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## Bobby Goat (Dec 27, 2019)

2x8 shelf with an edge to help hold grass on it has done a great job! I tilted it back toward the trough so it hold it back better. I’d highly recommend this. 
New issue. Coyotes. I have sensor lights and a six foot fence they are persistent in my neighborhood probably because neighbors have chicks, ducks and small dogs. Would a n ultrasonic detergent bother the goats? Are they effective at deterring goats? Any suggested solar models?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I don't have any experience with the ultrasonic pest deterrent but I'm assuming it would be bothersome to the goats if it's bothersome to mammals in general!

Have the coyotes actually tried to dig in to your goat enclosure or you just seem them about? It sounds like there are a lot of food options in your neighborhood, if you don't have baby goats, I wouldn't be all that concerned. They aren't going to work really really hard to get a 60lb goat when they have chickens available. 

A energized electric line on the outside of your goat enclosure will be the best deterrent for them. As well as harassment to convince them your yard is not fun to be in.


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