# Looking for an average cost per month?



## Tennessee (Oct 4, 2016)

I'm planning on getting 3 Nigerian Dwarf doelings next spring. I'm interested in milking them and maximizing production. I'm just looking for an average cost per month per Nigerian dwarf goat. I know there is a lot of variables from age to if they're milking to climate and so on..

But if someone could give me something to look forward to on feed, vet costs, etc. Basically just tell me a little about your setup and operation and an average that you spend per goat.


This will really help me look forward to what amount of money I need to be budgeting and how much I need to be looking forward to digging in my pockets.


I've never owned goats before and this is my first post here. I'm looking forward to learning a lot on this site.


Thanks!


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Feed is my biggest expense because I have pretty much no land. Will your goats have pasture or brush to eat?

Most goats rarely get sick, you can use mail in labs for worm & blood tests, & get vaccines from the feed store, so I haven't found medical expenses to be a big deal. The one time we took a goat to the vet, we saved money by driving her there rather than having the vet come to us.

It's usually a lot cheaper to pay a breeding fee & use someone else's buck than to buy one, construct his housing (which needs to be very sturdy) & feed him all year when you only need him for a few months every year. Maybe if you really had a lot of does it would become cost effective to own your own buck.

If you're hoping to make money from the milk, look into your state's laws. Here, we can't sell "home grown" milk for humans, only animals. All that's legal is goat milk soap.

Good luck on your new goat adventure! Goats are fun!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

My goats are currently not on much pasture. If I average my current feed/ minerals/ hay over each goat it's about $10 per goat a week. Some of these are weaning babies, some are empty does, some are milking does that are feeding kids and giving me 1L-3L, others are bucks. 
Then on top of this there is vaccinations, vet care, medical products etc. that's probably about $10-20 a week if I spread it out over the entire year. 
Obviously if you have a big vet bill it adds up too. I try and have savings aside for that emergency. 
Hope this helps! 
Also this is all in Australian $$


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## Tennessee (Oct 4, 2016)

catharina said:


> Feed is my biggest expense because I have pretty much no land. Will your goats have pasture or brush to eat?
> 
> Most goats rarely get sick, you can use mail in labs for worm & blood tests, & get vaccines from the feed store, so I haven't found medical expenses to be a big deal. The one time we took a goat to the vet, we saved money by driving her there rather than having the vet come to us.
> 
> ...


 My house sits on 2.5 acres. I'd say they'll end up having a full acre of pasture once I get my fence up and have that area planted with a good mix. The problem is, it's a perfectly manicured 2.5 acres and all of my neighbors have very nice yards. My next dilemma will be how to make it look decent and not off-putting. :lol: I would like it to be reminiscent of a western European pastoral landscape.. and not a "dairy operation".. If I can maintain my grass and not have it looking like a muddy feed lot then I'll be extremely happy! lol

I'll definitely be taking my goats to the vet myself unless it's an emergency after hours. I also want to be very minimal as far as vaccines and other medication. My fiancé is a pharmacist and.. I'll just say, our family doesn't use any medication unless it's an emergency...

I definitely will not be purchasing any bucks any time soon but what should I expect to pay for stud services? specifically on the high end, and from very very good milking lines? I'm a little bit of a rebel so state laws won't sway me too much. If I go to jail for raw milk then so be it! lol



Bree_6293 said:


> My goats are currently not on much pasture. If I average my current feed/ minerals/ hay over each goat it's about $10 per goat a week. Some of these are weaning babies, some are empty does, some are milking does that are feeding kids and giving me 1L-3L, others are bucks.
> Then on top of this there is vaccinations, vet care, medical products etc. that's probably about $10-20 a week if I spread it out over the entire year.
> Obviously if you have a big vet bill it adds up too. I try and have savings aside for that emergency.
> Hope this helps!
> Also this is all in Australian $$


 Thanks for the insight! I'm sure it will vary a lot depending on location and California to New York would probably be just as relevant info from Tennessee to Australia! haha .. I think all information is great when it comes to budgeting because I always take the highest number I get for a specific item and expect to pay that. If I come out paying lower then I'm not disappointed! If your girls are giving you 1L-3L per day then I'm assuming you have a breed other than Nigerians Dwarfs?


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Tennessee said:


> I would like it to be reminiscent of a western European pastoral landscape.. and not a "dairy operation".. If I can maintain my grass and not have it looking like a muddy feed lot then I'll be extremely happy! lol


You can achieve this with rotational grazing - smaller pens with the goats spending very little time in each pen before moving to the next one is a very basic overview of it.

There's youtube videos and plenty of website that talk about it although they probably are more cattle oriented. Totally doable with goats though. I do it  
Save​


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

You can sub section cross fence and make 4 paddocks. Rotate them every 3 weeks (thats what I'm doing and so far its starting to work beautifully). 

I can't help you with costs because I'm in Hawaii. $52 dollars for a 100# bale of hay is my current price and I know folks on the mainland that pay $5 for that same bale. lol


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I kinda just glanced at replies sorry :/ keep in mind that when they kid you will have extra ones to feed. My first year I looked around at my 25 head and then my mom reminded me in a few months it will be 75! Lol 
Now I do agree with borrowing a buck that it would be much less of a headache but I also disagree to a point as well. They are a pain! I will admit that and you have to feed them all year for a month of wow time but if you go this way make sure you can find a buck. I finally broke down and leased my buck out to a gal that bought from me because no one would lease their buck out to her. I didn't even want to but she is in vet school and a nice girl and I figured since they were virgin goats and came from me I would. That will be the one and only time I will ever do that.
Vet stuff. For the most part you shouldn't need a vet. Of course there are oh no times and that can get pricey fast. I can't even tell you on what to expect on all that to be honest just try me put a little away for if God forbid you have to get one. Even then on a lot of stuff you can do most yourself that I see a lot of people go to vets for. You can do vaccines and shots, disbud and band you just have to be willing to do so and I know some people don't have the stomach to do things......no judgment at all.
Feed will be the most expensive. I let mine graze now a few months out of the year since I have more then one buck and can't turn them all out at once, I also won't turn them out when they are nursing because of coyotes. But for full grown boers last year it came out to $200 a head per year. Kids get grain and that was included in the $200, the kids feed I mean, adults get hay and last year started out with grain but then I cut it out. I put protein tubs out, free choice minerals. I had a young buck and he got grain for awhile, I cut him off a few months ago.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Make sure you can legally have goats on your property. Just because you have 2.5 acres, doesn't mean your area is zoned for livestock.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Absolutely check on zoning. Your costs the first couple of years will be high if you are starting from scratch. Fencing, housing, place to store hay and feed, medicine cabinet, kidding supplies, disbudding irons, banding or burdizzo tools, milking supplies, milk stanchion feed pans, water troughs/buckets.... Then daily supplies such as hay, grain, loose minerals, bedding. Oh, and the cost of good stock.

Check CL or other sites to find used equipment if possible. If you are a member of ADGA, the membership directory lists breeders who offer service. Price and terms are up to the breeder.

Make sure you have a vet close by before getting your goats.

Good luck to you!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Tennessee said:


> Thanks for the insight! I'm sure it will vary a lot depending on location and California to New York would probably be just as relevant info from Tennessee to Australia! haha .. I think all information is great when it comes to budgeting because I always take the highest number I get for a specific item and expect to pay that. If I come out paying lower then I'm not disappointed! If your girls are giving you 1L-3L per day then I'm assuming you have a breed other than Nigerians Dwarfs?


Yes I have Australian miniature goats  I'm not sure the normal amount for NDs sorry.. I am looking into getting a few dairy girls (BAs) in the future so I'm sure they will cost more to keep than my minis due to size difference! My minis max height is 63cm for bucks and 60cm for does right now (most are about 57-58cm but I have some older ones that just touch 60cm) 
I know NDs are smaller than my minis so I guess that will change the pricin too  
This is one of my Australian miniature babies


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I have ND. I feed alfalfa, Nutrena 17% grain along with BOSS. I get a bale of hay for $8-10 here in AZ. A bag of grain runs about $15. I have 15 goats, and go through a half bale a day. When my does are in milk, I go through more grain. Right now it's about a bag every 3 weeks. I also give free choice loose minerals, a bit every few days so it stays fresh. A bag will last me several months. I have Pen-g, CDT Vax and anti-toxin, and dewormer and cocci meds. I use Baycox and Ivermectin with good success here. I don't go through much of either. 

I have a disbudding iron, a one time purchase that is a necessity if you want to sell high quality kids, or ever show.

So far, my biggest expense in setting myself up has been the goats themselves. I went with well known, reputable quality breeders, and have absolutely zero regrets about that.


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## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

TN where are you located?

City limits my affect you

as for the "yard" remember that it is best for them to eat roughage and that we never mow our acre lot, if you mow I have read that the morning wet grass can harbor parasites and they normally are 3 inches or so from ground

I feed them fresh hay in the morning, with a hand full of grain. this in theory will fill them up and they stay inside chewing cud until mid morning when yard has dried out (this will kill the parasites that live on the ground and venture up the wet grass etc), they eat anything and everything in the yard

They will climb and eat tree bark, they mow the grass and will strip wild roses with a smile

In the summer I go through 1 bale of hay a month with 3 wethers, they eat in the yard all day

In the winter I feed them in the morning and at night due to not as much grass and they like the heat lamps so don't venture out when it is really cold

Hay here is about $5 or so a bale, maybe 20 bales a year

I do not leave hay out all the time, tried that and they will pull it out and play with it, summer time is bad enough when the "floor" grows 6 inches in thickness from them just pulling hay out

I am a newbie also and they are only 1-1/2 years old or so

Read up and be prepared for the first couple weeks of getting the healthy and used to new settings, 

Our goats could have been a lot healthier, thanks to the website and it's awesome family we along with Sulmet,Vit B, B-complex, red cell and some honey, where able to save them from anemia (coccidia) and the scours from diet change, stress and the coccidia parasites

Also along with this site, book mark Tennessee meat goats dot com, they have a lot of free info available

good luck! 

MODS if I gave bad info please correct me :thankU:


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## Tennessee (Oct 4, 2016)

I'm on the goatspot app right now so I can't multi-quote and I might get auto corrected but I'll reply to everyone's main comments. 

I 100% plan on rotating for grazing. I think it is the only way you can truly make small acreage work with livestock. I'm just hoping these little girls won't get too crazy on me and tear the yard up within their little zones lol

@Dana why don't we start up a cargo company that strictly ships hay to islands? We'd be millionaires! That's an insane price.

@Jessica I plan on breeding myself and I'd like to strive for perfection. From showing to milking I want to have some great goats that other people would be proud to own or take stock from. I don't think bucks will be a priority for me in the beginning though just based on room, experience, and trying to get my fiancé involved.

I also want to avoid vets at all cost. No offense to anyone on the forums but I've yet to find a decent vet. 


@ksalvagno @goatblessings I live in the county and there aren't any restrictions on my land. Thanks for the list also, some stuff on there I haven't considered 

@Bree_6293 absolutely beautiful!


@CrazyDogLady I know I can get hay and grain cheaper than that here so I'm feeling better about my monthly budget! I will also go with very high quality stock for my founding does. I did with my lab Willow as well. We are breeding her next year!

@Bansil I'm in west Tennessee and not near the city limits. I will be fine on land use. I'm just in a nice area and plan on maintaining the status quo while adding a few goats and chickens lol! They'll just spice things up!

Ive also heard about the parasites on low cut grass. I can't remember where I read that though. That's something to consider. It would also minimize them digging into the soft ground and creating divets. 

Sounds like you treat things naturally and with minimal synthetic ingredients. We do the same for ourselves and our dogs and chickens. We'll continue that trend with our goats also. Thanks for the info and I'll check out that site as well


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Keep looking for a good vet. When you need one, you need one.


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## Tennessee (Oct 4, 2016)

After everyone's input I'm assuming if I can get a square bale of mixed grass hay for around $5 or less, and grain will last awhile if kept in the right conditions.. I'll be spending less than $10 a month for 3 ND girls... WOW. That's less than my chickens and A LOT less than my dogs.. I would have never thought I would be spending this little when they'll give me so much in return.. I'm pretty happy now


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

My goats do cost less than the dogs. I have 10, including 3 pyrs. They can eat!


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