# Cleaning up and preparing for goatees :)



## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

We have been spending time in the yard clearing out stuff and dangerous plants so we can get goats some time soon 
It might take a while because it's a bit of a jungle hehe









Mum and my step dad demolishing the evil peach tree!

Getting very excited that things are finally happening !


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Yaaaay! I'm so excited for you 

I've been thinking heaps about goats for you. Are you sure you are sold on having minis/nuwby's? There just doesnt seem to be many/any in your area, whereas I know there are plenty of dairy goat breeders in the sydney area and you could definitely pick up a nice pair without having to travel too far.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm pretty sold, mainly on the fact that while are backyard is fairly big, i just think full sized goats wouldn't have enough room and are harder to cater for 

But it's not set in stone of course so we'll see. 
There's some minis about 40 minutes away we might be looking at soon. *crosses fingers.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Oh and we've found some great second-hand pool-type fencing on ebay that comes with a gate and everything that we'll probably get and put in the fence off their section


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

oh that fence sounds great! 

make sure you know about mini registration and grades. There are so many people out there selling supposed 'mini'goats and its all such a scam. 

I dont mean to put you off, but if you dont go through a proper breeder you may end up with goats that are probably rangelands. 

Miniature goats arent registered until they are 3 years old, until that age they are not even referred to as Miniature Goats, and certainly shouldnt be sold as "Registered Miniature Goats", but as "miniature bred goats" or "potential grade A" or whichever grade applies. 

So if you are dealing with a reputable breeder they will have miniature bred kids for sale, not miniature goat kids and certainly not registered miniature goat kids. 

Kids are recorded with the society when they are born, and ideally their height is measured at 1 yr and 2 yrs and this is recorded with the society (although the measurements at these ages are optional). Then at 3 yrs they have their height measured again and it is at this point that the goat becomes registered, and given its grade, depending on its height and parentage. At this point they can be called an Australian Miniature Goat. There is also an optional 4 yr old measurement. 

Grade D is for goats 63.5cm or less with or without recorded miniature parents. Nuwby's can be up to 66cm. 
Grade C is for goats 61cm for does, 63.5cm for bucks/wethers (Nuwby bucks/wethers can be up to 66cm) and does must have at least one registered miniature parent, bucks must have two (minimum grade D). 
Grade B is for goats 59.7 cm for does, 62.2cm for bucks/wethers (Nuwby does up to 63.5 and bucks/wethers up to 66cm) and both bucks/wethers and does must have two registered miniature parents (minimum grade C)
Grade A is for goats 58.5cm for does, bucks/wethers 61cm (Nuwby does up to 59.4cm, bucks/wethers 62.5cm) and goats must have two registered miniature parents (minimum grade B)
Purebred - is for goats 57cm for does, 60cm for bucks/wethers (Nuwby does up to 59.4, bucks/wethers 62.5cm) and goats must have two registered miniature parents (minimum grade A)
Herdbook Purebred - is for goats who have the same height restrictions as purebred above, but goats must have two registered miniature parents (minimum purebred status). 

There's a lot of numbers and confusion there, but its important to understand it if you want a genuine Australian Miniature Goat and recognise the importance. So many people out there will sell you 'purebred miniature goat kids' when they cant even tell you what grade or what height the parents are, the kid is a week old, its parents may not even be registered or they might be D grades and you have no idea how big that kid is going to grow. Even with the higher grades, Bs and As, you can have kids born that go overheight since the breed is still very much in its infancy here and still being developed.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

sorry for the huge rant. I hate to see new people being taken advantage of, and it happened to me when I first started considering getting minis (when there was ND semen potentially coming from the US) and before the grade system was fully explained to me by the top mini goat breeder in WA. 

How much space have you got available to you? My friends keep 1 full sized saanen doe (in milk) and 1 mini in an area the size of an average bedroom. They live in the middle of Fremantle on a 300 square meter house block. They take them for a walk every afternoon to a bush reserve at the end of the street so they can stretch their legs and have a nibble on the trees. It amazes me that the goats actually do really well and are quite happy


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

In case I can persuade you  here's some dairy goats for sale! LOL

http://www.farmstock.com.au/Classifieds/sale/301955.html

http://www.farmstock.com.au/Classifieds/sale/301828.html this one the guy has a lot of dairy goats so I'm sure could find you a mate for him

http://www.farmstock.com.au/Classifieds/sale/300064.html this one is further away but the lady has hundreds of very beautiful goats

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/the-hills-district/livestock/2-milking-goats-and-kid/1010643479 this one looks interesting, the goats look pretty nice if a little skinny and you could MILK THEM! lol

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hornsby/livestock/miniature-meelan-dairy-goat-kid/1010403776 this one is VERY interesting, if its legit. Since melaans are usually a full sized dairy breed and this ad claims that they are mini melaans. I'd love some mini melaans, the full sized ones are stunning.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

or this one?? if the breeder is legit and can give you info about the parents height and grades etc. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hornsby/livestock/kid-goats-mini-young-adult-goats/1009897501 also demand to see the rego papers for the kids/parents, dont accept the line "we will post them to you" I got stung by that you never get the papers cos they arent registered and I know you probably dont care about papers but you should since those papers are the only guide you will have to how big your 'mini' is going to grow plus if you ever need to re-sell or if you decide to breed the kids are gonna be worth a lot more.

Also make sure they are from a herd tested free of CAE and Johnes! Plus no obvious signs of illness, make sure their coats are smooth and shiny, they are in good body condition not skinny, their feet are nicely trimmed, they dont have lice or bald patches, no abcesses on their face etc.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

wow thanks for the info 

You're very set on dairy goats aren't you 
Our block is like 623 square feet or something, not sure how big the backyard are is. and we have a reserve just down the street I can take it for walks and stuff, how cute!

That last breeder is the one we are looking at 

Okay thanks! I might have to try be confident with this, I'm not very good at demanding >_<


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## Jodi_berg (Oct 29, 2012)

Take your time and wait for bottle babies, I got my nigerian dwarfs at 2 weeks old and now they are like pets, very,very,very,very spoiled pets. If you start at about 3-4 weeks with the tricks they pick them up like nothing. Anyways my advice to you although unsolicited is take your time,you could have them for the next 10-15 yrs and you want to get the right kind of goats for your setup as well as your preferences!


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Oh I would just LOVE bottle babies


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Lol, nit really, theres just a lot of dairy goat breeders around sydney

emand probably wasnt the right word ... Be polite but dont let them pull the wool over your eyes


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Picc, sounds like you need to have Miz Keren's phone # handy when you go to look at goats!

Bob


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Haha that is true bob!

I think to avoid confrontation/awkwardness while looking at them, I'll ask about all this stuff over email/messages before I go, so I know they'll have whatever papers ready on the spot. 

I'm worried, though, that they could somehow fake the papers, because I don't know what they look like or what to look for :$


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

The fence and gate has been ordered, big bush that may be poisonous to them is getting taken out tomorrow, planning the shelter we're going to build. 
I can't believe this is actually happening!  after four years it's suddenly happening!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Woo Hoo sounds like you're almost there. It's great you're taking your time to get everything ready before hand.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm putting more effort into this than anything else! Hehehe


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

How goes the goatie adventure Alyssa?


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Well my step dad finished putting up the fence so that's one bit hurdle out of the way c:
Thanks for asking


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

:thumbup: Awesome, the fence is the biggest hurdle. The rest is fun. Well, until you have to start doing all the cleaning up anyway. Especially after your 2 goats have grown to 16.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Well I'm keeping two in my backyard so I have space restrictions so I'll be forced to keep the numbers down hehe


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