# What do goats cost?



## sarah31d (Nov 7, 2015)

Me and my husband will be buying a property this January and once we are established I would love to have some goats. I've been doing a ton of research in my spare time and I am looking for someone local with goats to let me come help out so I can learn as much as I can before we actually get them. But of course my husband's biggest concern is how much is all this going to cost. So I was wondering about how much it cost to get started and how much would we spend a month on supplies for our future goats.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Well to actually get started its going to cost a good amount. You will need feeders, shelter (trust me they really do need shelters lol) water troughs, hoof trimmers, of course feed, bedding, minerals and that's pretty much the minimum lol but will also get you started till you find out what else you might need for your management. I can honestly say I spent way to much money my first year with goats, basically anything that said goat I bought


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Well that depends on a lot of things...cost for goats will depend on what you want..milk, meat or pets? You maybe able to find a pet goat for $50 but if you want quality or registered you are talking quite a bit more...cost of keeping depends on what you have available for them to eat, how many you have...such as pasture to graze...moms to be, new moms and milk goats need more then graze so you figure in grain and alfalfa. Then there are some Needed meds and supplies you should have on hand....

Your first step is to decide what you want out of your goats


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Your area makes a big difference as well. An acre of land in Western Oregon will support 2 goats pretty nicely, not so much in Eastern Oregon...


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

Adequate fencing and shelter will be your biggest initial cost. This cost will vary considerably depending on what your property already has on it. 

Another consideration is what will your goats eat? For example, I have enough fenced pasture and browse to supply 85-90% of my goats' diet year round. My goats will not eat hay if they have green grass and weeds available. I buy very little hay compared to other goat owners. My goats get grain only during late pregnancy, lactation, and growing. My feed bill is considerably smaller than say someone who dry lots or has only a few acres. 

Supplies can be a big cost but what supplies and how often you need to replace items will depend on what you want to do with your goats.


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## sarah31d (Nov 7, 2015)

I've been think about Nigerian Dwarf and I really want to try milking


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

In my area milking quality Nigerians are the most expensive breed. They also require a bit more specialized fencing because the babies are so tiny they can walk right through normal field fencing.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

I have Nigerian Dwarfs here in Florida. Mine are not registered. The two girls I bought cost me $350 each and the boy was $150. My buck is Nigerian Dwarf X Nubian was $100. When I sell, I'm asking $250 for the girls and $100 on the boys. Of course, if you're in a warm climate, you'll need shelter more for keeping rain off of them than keeping them warm. You can use goat food or All Stock. Find the agricultural website in your area for hay and call someone close to ask their price on hay. The price of hay will vary on the time of the year.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

In my area, most registered Nigerian Dwarf bucks and does go for around $300 each, and pet wethers usually start around $100. If you want top-quality Nigerian Dwarves you've got to be willing to spend at least $400-$500 each. But, if you watch, you can sometimes find registered goats going for less than $200 each. And every once and a while someone will give away wethers for free. 

Around here, grain and alfalfa pellets go for about $16.00 each for a 50 lb bag, and square bales of hay vary by year but are usually less than $4.00 each. The biggest cost is putting up fencing and shelter, and that of course depends a lot on what you decide to build.


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## sarah31d (Nov 7, 2015)

We live in Northeast kansas so shelter is a must and hay cost us next to nothing because his parents produce it


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

You said you want to try milking - that means getting a freshened doe, which can cost more, or trying to breed yourself, which mean housing the doe and buck separately and having a buddy for each. Plus kidding with smaller breeds comes with it's own set of challenges. Goats are great - but the start up cost, if you have nothing to work with on the property, can be quite a bit for the first few years.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We spent about 5 grand getting started not including the goats & could have easily spent more. This was about 10 yrs ago. 
A used cap for the truck was next so we could bring home 3 bred Boer sisters. They were in the 1200 range for all of them.
One of the most important things for me was having a mentor. I really liked my breeder so she was (and still is) numero uno & I still learn from her and others here on TGS. 
There is a barn & outbldg.
A few yrs into it both these structures got new wiring. It was a little disconcerting to pull the chain as a switch & have it smoke.
Lots of scrap lumber & free stop sign posts.


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## sarah31d (Nov 7, 2015)

Has anyone de horned their goats and how much dose that cost


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Do you mean disbudding when they are kids, or taking horns off as adults? Very different procedures. If you choose to disbud kids yourself, figure the cost of the disbudding iron, any meds (tetanus, banamine)possibly a disbudding box and anything else that you may choose. 
Taking horns off an adult is a more complicated procedure and there are different methods. 
Vet costs vary for these procedures, plus the service call, so it's best you talk to your vet.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Any advice I give to people now is "take whatever you think you're going to spend on goats after you calculate it all and double it". That's about what you'll end up spending.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I added up my actual costs via my tax return from the last three years. I have spent about 25K on goats, fencing, meds, food, vet visits (that I don't bother with those anymore they never helped me), etc.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

You can start buying some of the small stuff, or even the fencing, now so it is spread out over time. I had horses, so most of what I needed for the goats was hand me downs, so to speak. I buy larger priced purchases (like fencing) at Tractor Supply when it is on sale or when they have their 5, 10 or 15% off sales going on. I buy supplies (like vaccines, worm meds and such) from Jeffers online, especially when they are on sale. Being in the area you live in, probably you can get locally milled grains made for goats fairly reasonably priced.

Up here, a well bred milking Nigerian doe will sell for 400 as a kid, 500 for an adult. A good breeding buck cost 400 or so plus, depending on breeding and the quality of his kids.


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## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

from a newbie, it is alot more %%%% than a dog or cat :shock: 

our babies were about $50 each, they are pygmy/newbians/cute/sumthinsumthing

the fencing/shelter (against wind/moisture) is what you put in it...biggest thing is to remember that having time to pound fence posts/run fence/build a structure and STILL take care of the little ones you got before you did anything else :think:

so they were cheap...ugh...affordable (sorry guys) the feed/food is online with a couple dogs, the TIME IS THE BIGGEST $$$$ if you dont have time

you better do everything BEFORE you get little ones :cheers:


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

We are in Texas and spent a near fortune on our ND does, But they are well bred and produce very well. Easy milkers with a lovely udder and teat set up. Saanen do very well in colder climates...and are docile and sweet in personality. They are large goats but super gentle. If you need color ( I like eye candy!!) A sable is a Saanen with color... 

Any breed you choose you will want to get the best you can afford then some. If milk is what you want then you want girls that produce. I rather feed 5 girls that give me 5 gallons then 10 girls that give me 5 gallons. Correcting Herd mistakes can take years sometimes. You will also want to purchase from a tested herd...CAE is not something you want to start your goat adventure.

Even if you just want 2-3 does for pets and milk...get the best you can. Pets can be of any quality/breed...but if you ever want to build up from them...start smart..

best wishes


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I agree that quality Nigerians are cute, but they are more expensive to buy and to breed than full sized goats. I paid $350 for my Nigerian doe, but less than $200 for my LaMancha. Both are registered dairy goats from decent milking lines. Breeding my Nigerian costs me $75, my LaManchas only cost $50 to breed.

HOWEVER, Nigerians eat less and take up less space. So you definitely get some monetary savings there!!

I was VERY blessed to have a great deal of equipment (disbudding iron, show clippers, hoof trimmers, metal milking stand - which I have to modify for my Nigerians because they are too short!, electric water bucket, a couple of feed dishes, and more...) given to me by a friend/farmer who was getting out of goats. My hubby had a friend help him build a small "barn/storage" building for about $250. We started wth cheap fencing really regretted it. The goats tore it and my Nigerian babies escaped frequently. I spent WAY too much time doing repair work!

Now we only use cattle panels. However, Nigey babies can fit through those, so they stay in their own "cage" until they're finally too big to slip through the panels.

Final note from me as one who has done a lot of farm sitting. If you plan to milk your Nigerians, then DO shop around and make sure they are from good milking lines and their dam and their sire's dam have decent sized teats and give a reasonable amount of milk. There's nothing more discouraging than trying to coax milk out of Tic-Tac teats! My doe's teats are long enough for me to use my thumb and three fingers to milk. I've taken care of goats that were so tiny I could only use my thumb and one finger...NOT fun!

On the plus side, Nigerian milk is absolutely unsurpassed in flavor. It's amazing!!!!!


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

If your place is fenced that is a big start. Even if you have to attach field fence to a strand fence at least you have the posts and all set already. Housing does not have to be huge, just a nice place to get out of the wind and weather. You could pick up a couple young mix breed doelings pretty reasonable, raise them up get them bred in the fall and you would be on your way. To milk you don't HAVE to have a lot of special equipment as long as your does have nice teats. ND sometimes are hard to hand milk as they are just so tiny. I started with a nice grade Nubian who has great hand milking teats, but from starting with two to milk I am up to 5 this year and my hands were bothering me so I invested in a milking machine, best purchase I have made for the girls. Love it, but I hand milked several years first. As long as you have good shelter and buy a few essentials for the med. cabinet, provide good loose minerals clean water and some hay they really don't cost that much to keep after the initial investment which you just can't get around.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I want to add...its great you are doing your research first. Preparing for your goats ahead of time is very wise!! fences, shelter, food and medications. Also knowing what you want to do with them..you want milkers...I would look up each breed to see what one fits what you want to do. with every breed there are pros and cons...once you and your husband have decided on what you want, shop around, you can find great back yard breeders with out papers for less then a registered/show goat,(keep in mind Many breeders of quality milkers have spent years breeding to improve their breed, this doesn't just cost time but lots of money) Set your budget and head out to bring home your new goats. Be sure to get at least 2. Never have just one. They are herd animals and need companionship of another goat. 
here is a link to get you started
http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/goat/factsheet/breeds.htm

Best wishes!!!


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

I'm in the minority, but our start to goat ownership wasn't as expensive as we planned. I'll try to remember and write down ballpark expenses...


We started out ahead because we have a half an acre fenced in with a six foot wood privacy fence. I separated it in half using about 25 t posts and 100 feet of 2×4 inch wire field fence... That was just under $100. We have two shelters we built for free using pallets, leftover plywood from our home remodel, and I stapled the old sticky tiles we pulled up from our kitchen/dining room to the plywood as shingles. (Works great!!) 

We started out with two minimanchas. Here's where we got lucky... We thought we were buying a doeling and a wether for $150. I asked the breeder to band the wether for us before we brought him home, but he ended up not having time so he said he'd give us both of them for $100. When we got home, we realized that he was a she. Score!! So we got two doelings for 100. 

I spent $75 on a water bucket, a split container for minerals/baking soda, two halters (which I've never used) a brush, dewormer, b complex, and bluekote(which I've also never used). Then I spent $50 on grain, alfalfa pellets, DE, BOSS and probios. I already had hoof trimmers and feeders for grain/alfalfa. I spent $60 on 25 square bales of mixed grass hay. I built a hay rack out of old wooden lattice. 

Those were pretty much our start up costs. I got the girls in August and haven't needed to buy more grain yet, but I just bought another bag of alfalfa pellets this week for the first time. 

Oh, and I've added another goat....a (possibly) bred one year old ND for $100.


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## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

Fencing has been our biggest expense so far. It's pretty easy to find prices on fencing (including posts, etc), determine your dimensions, and then crunch the numbers. Fencing is one thing you do not want to skimp on. There are few things as discouraging as escaped goats, especially if you have a garden or young orchard that you worked hard on. I used 5-foot woven wire horse fence, wooden posts every 75 feet, and t-posts every 8 feet between them. My does have never escaped this (except when I didn't latch the gate) but I did have a Nigerian buck jump it to get to a doe.

If you want your goats to live primarily on pasture, cross-fencing is invaluable so you can rotate pastures. How many and how big those paddocks need to be will depend on what kind of pasture/ browse you have, and how many goats. I only have 2 paddocks so far, but even that really helps. You can put up a really good perimeter fence, and then go cheaper on the interior cross-fences, since it won't be the end of the world if they do jump them and get into the wrong paddock. 

Feed is ridiculously expensive here, and might not be too big of a deal where you are. I don't feed hay, but I'm sure you could find out approximately how much hay and other feed each goat will eat in a month, and get a rough estimate how much you will spend where you are. 

Shelters can be expensive or fairly cheap. Pallets make great, inexpensive, or free building materials to frame walls. You can often get away with second-hand roofing materials. You will want to make something that is easy to clean, and cozy enough to keep them (and potentially babies) comfortable when it's cold out. 

Then, think about feed dishes, buckets, brushes, milking supplies, first aid, wormers, mineral, etc., and price those out. A milking stand can be fairly cheap if you can build it yourselves, but it is one more expense. And then there are of course unexpected expenses, like with anything in life. But if you plan well from the beginning, at least you won't suddenly decide you need a new milking shed closer to the goat pen, like I did. 

So most of the costs you can roughly figure out ahead of time. Might scare your husband! But you can also figure out how much you spend on dairy products, and share that with him if it helps (though be aware it will be a long time before the goats pay your investment back in dairy products, if ever). Not that you can compare your own, fresh, dairy products to the stuff you buy at the store. As I tell my husband, that is priceless.

As far as the goats themselves, we don't have super "high-quality" goats around here, but I'm pretty happy with the ones we have, and I didn't spend a ton for them. Just for my personal, home use, my elderly, mediocre Alpine doe, who gives about 3 quarts a day, is more than enough for me and my family. We have kefir every morning, milk on our cereal, and as much yogurt and cheese as I care to make. Nigerians are probably a different story though. I'm guessing if they are not from excellent (expensive) milking lines they won't be much fun to milk, or give enough to make it worth your while. So if you're looking for a good, basic dairy goat that won't cost too much, maybe consider a larger dairy goat, or larger goat/ Nigerian cross. 

Getting your does bred so you can milk them is a whole other can of worms. Lease a buck, buy a buck, then turn around and sell him, do driveway breedings, keep a buck and a buddy full time, requiring separate housing and excellent fencing... all of these cost money. Leasing a buck is usually the cheapest and easiest option, if you can find a good one for lease. 

Sorry that is so long, and hope some of it helps. I got my first goats just under a year ago, so it's all still very fresh!


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## GoatMama123 (Sep 9, 2015)

sarah31d said:


> Has anyone de horned their goats and how much dose that cost


I would try to purchase them already disbudded if you can, and that it what you are looking for. I bought mine at 2 months old and their horns were already too big to just disbud... I got mine put under by a vet to have the process done which was a mixture of disbudding and dehorning. All in it cost 100 per goat for the procedure, which wasn't a bad deal...I live in Oregon. But like I said Id try to get them already done because being a new goat owner dealing with that on top of it is just another thing to be worried about that you don't need.


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