# New Goat Owner in need of a phone call!



## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

HELP!!! LOL! My husband surprised me with a 10week old mini-LaMancha yesterday morning! I had been asking for a goat, but I was NOT prepared! We are going to build it a proper shelter this week, but for now I have cleaned out our wooden shed (sorta?!) and have put pine flakes down for it to sleep on (how much do I put down?!), with a hay bag to feed from, and I also bought Goat Minerals and Goat feed, but I am soooo confused and overwhelmed with what to do to make sure she's properly fed and situated! =( I have soooo many specific questions!! Is it possible for someone to call me and help me ease all this anxiety?! LOL! 

Send me a direct message if you are able to call me and I will provide my number, or visa versa! THANKS IN ADVANCE!! 

Ashley Shaw


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First she needs a buddy ASAP.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

If the hay bag is a net, get rid of it, she can strangle. Do you have any idea what she has been fed? Any idea if she has been wormed, treated for cocci or had any CDT vaccinations? Provide a bucket of fresh water at all times, get a good loose mineral for goats - Tractor supply has this and offer free choice always. I would take a fecal (poop) to your vet and see if she needs any kind of worm or parasite treatment.
Feed a little grain sparingly, offer free choice hay and browse.

And yes, she needs a buddy ASAP! If you need further help, you can send me a pm with your phone number.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

She has it pretty much under control. 
Manna pro minerals free choice 
Dumor goat pellets 1/2 cup twice a day 
Grass hay free choice
Alfalfa pellets starting at 1/2 cup and slowly working up to 1 lb/ day


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Fresh water, small pasture area, and shelter. 
Getting another doeling ASAP 
We should share worming and cocci information 
Symptoms of Polio etc 
Basic medical kits ect


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks Jill, and my first thought was a buddy, glad to hear she will have one.

Welcome to the forum Ashley!


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

THANK YOU JILL!!!!! You were GOD SENT!!! Yes, after a bit of a new goat owner anxiety attack lol, I do believe I'm going to be okay. It is KILLING me to hear her SCREAMING every time we go inside, but thankfully it only lasts a couple of minutes and then she calms down somewhere. =( =( =( I'm going to find another mini-lamancha as soon as I can get a proper shelter built. Thank you all for your responses!!! =) =) =) I'm sure I'll have more questions between now and then too! Will update everyone again as soon as possible!!! Thank you again!!!!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Getting a companion should fix the screaming pretty quickly.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I wouldn't wait till you have proper shelter. She is locked up in a shed by herself. That isn't good.


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## spidy1 (Jan 9, 2014)

I have a Lamancha Boer cross doeling available, she wont be mini but she is sweet, where are you located?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good advice by all.


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

While I'm hanging out in the garage keeping Miss Bailey company - to which she is PERFECTLY content with -- I figured I'd send a not-so-quick reply to some of you guys' concerns and/or tips, (which I GREATLY appreciate btw!!!)

"First she needs a buddy ASAP." - I'm working on that.

When my husband decided to completely surprise me, the person he got it from for some reason did not insist on and/or did not tell him that they cannot be alone. (he got it from a chicken swap in the Tractor Supply parking lot... yes, I know, I know. If I had been the one to get it, it would NOT have come from there, but... c'est la vie what's done is done) I have to admit, I was not even aware that I would need two either, but again, had I been the one who actually sought out a goat, I most likely would have come to proper conclusion that we needed two of them.

PLUS, the big super dummy that he is, didn't even THINK about the fact that we were leaving the state for the week of July 4th to visit my family in Alabama!! THANK GOODNESS, I have found someone who will board her for the week with her goats! WHEW!! When we get back, we hope to get her a buddy ASAP. (spidy1 - we live in Suffolk, VA... not sure how much those shipping and handling fees would be LOL but THANK YOU!!)

"If the hay bag is a net, get rid of it, she can strangle." 
-- From the moment he brought her home, I did as much non-stop research on what to do, even before I found this forum, and had luckily read how dangerous the nets were before I purchased the bag feeder; I freely admit that I don't seem to have much common sense at all when it comes to taking care of a goat, but if anything, the net bag did seem quite dangerous to me lol. I have the bag very close to the floor of the shed as to limit the hay from going in her ears. =)

"Do you have any idea what she has been fed? Any idea if she has been wormed, treated for cocci or had any CDT vaccinations?"
-- HA! Funny, not funny question, to which the answer is, sadly no. See above about my husband getting her from the chicken swap and getting NO information from the guy. <face palm>

"I would take a fecal (poop) to your vet and see if she needs any kind of worm or parasite treatment." 
-- A vet appointment is one of the priorities upon on return from July 4th trip. =)

"Feed a little grain sparingly, offer free choice hay and browse."
-- She is currently on Alfalfa hay free choice in the hay bag, and about a 1/2 cup of grain pellets morning and night.

"Provide a bucket of fresh water at all times, get a good loose mineral for goats - Tractor supply has this and offer free choice always. "
-- She has a bucket of fresh water in her shed that I change out twice a day, and there are also a couple of bowls around the yard for my dog, as well as the sprinkler system that keep the yard hydrated morning and afternoon; I have learned from my research that goats hate to be wet, but she sure didn't seem to mind it too much when they happened to pop up while she was gobbling up some fallen bird seed. lol She did eventually seek shelter in her shed though. =)

-- I also put 1/2 cup of the loose mineral in the other half of her feed tray, but it's been two days now and I don't think she has even touched it. Should I try the salt lick? I tried to find one at Tractor Supply earlier today but wasn't sure exactly what to get her and those people know nothing about goats apparently. smdh!

And, speaking of the dog... while he is very gentle with her, they are NEVER left alone in the yard together w/o supervision, for obvious reasons. He is a 5yr old pure bred Jack Russell named Steve (literally related to Wishbone!!) and they bonded almost immediately! As I type this, they are both asleep just inches away from each other below the stool I am sitting on lol. Bailey does like to head butt Steve (in slow motion, oddly enough) on occasion, especially when he won't quit sniffing her butt (will he ever stop?! lol) but he quickly darts out of the way, as Jacks do. The ONLY time I have seen him get irritated with her thus far is when he rolled his ball to her and she didn't return it back to him as he was expecting. lol He growled and barked thinking she was stealing it from him, which I gently scolded him for.

I'm actually more worried about HIS safety than hers simply b/c of her horns, which is why the lady who is boarding her is going to see if the horns are still short enough to be removed - they are currently only about an inch long (again, had I picked one out, it obviously would not have had horns.)

While the yard is big enough and they do seem to be respecting each other's spaces quite well, I plan to building a pen to keep the goats in once we return; that way I can leave the dog out unattended again and he can resume use of his doggy door.

"Getting a companion should fix the screaming pretty quickly."
-- Gosh I hope so!! My neighbors are going to be patient only but so much longer! Would having two goats and a strict schedule *FOR SURE make for quiet pets?!* I'd like another mini-breed simply because they are obviously smaller and are more likely to be classified as a "pet". Do I need to get another mini-lamancha or will another breed be better/worse? Several people have suggested that I get a wether.

"I wouldn't wait till you have proper shelter. She is locked up in a shed by herself. That isn't good."
-- I can assure you that she is not locked up in the shed! =O She has free roam on our 1/4-1/2 acre wide open yard that is secured by vinyl fencing, and we have the shed doors secured open. However, it _was _suggested to me that I close her up in the shed at a specific time each night and let her out a specific time each morning so that she would have more of a routine. Will she freak out and go crazy inside the shed if I close the doors on her overnight?! I was going to try to see if that routine makes any difference in her anxiety level when we exit the yard, but again, she's going to be boarded for a week starting Thursday evening, so I'm not even sure if there is a point to trying that. (I could kill my husband.)

Here is my ACTUAL dilemma.... we live in a neighborhood. (yes, I know, "city folk just shouldn't have goats" lol) It's not an urban neighborhood though - think "suburbia surrounded by the country"; we just happen to live in a developed neighborhood - about 160 houses - which I have a love/hate relationship with, especially now. Yep, we even have an HOA (embarrassingly enough, I was even elected the the board just last week LMAO!!) but our bylaws do not say anything about keeping specific pets, except, super-oddly enough, we aren't allowed to specifically have "vietnamese pot-bellied pigs" WTF?!; the bylaws simply say "no livestock or farm housing" - but, mini-goats aren't technically livestock, they're technically pets, riiight??, especially if I don't plan on breeding and/or milking them, and a shed with fencing isn't _exactly _"farm housing", riiight?? lol - it's not a BARN, so I think there _IS _a way for me to get around those regulations, I just have to be super-duper clever and careful about how I build the shelter and pen and then keep it super tidy and odorless; call me crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to having a more strict schedule and responsibility lol. I'm currently doing some research on getting around the HOA laws, but I welcome any and all shelter and pen suggestions you guys have on this matter!! (especially the quick and eas-ier type)

I am hoping we can have the shelter done within a week, at most two, after we return from our trip. I know neither I, nor the goat, can take the screaming day after day, nor can I expect my neighbors to take it for very much longer at all either - *even if it is literally is only for a couple of minutes each time we exit the yard.* On one hand, the yard IS plenty big enough for two goats with or without a pen, but on the other hand, the current SHED, however, really ISN'T properly big enough for two goats - it's doable, but they'd be cramped for sure. I know it's going to be a big investment of both time and money, but I get the feeling that - even though I personally don't think it's a smart idea to get another one before I at least finish the shelter... unless I get another goat as soon as I get back from my trip, my only other option is to give her up, which I really don't want to do at this point, but it really is about what's best for Bailey.

Am I thinking all of this through properly at all?! =/


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Go ahead and treat her for cocci. Baycox is best, you have to order it from horseprerace.com. 

Research CDT and decide if you want to give it or not. Most breeders do, but I don't. 

Make sure she doesn't get any more birdseed. Can cause bloat.

Add some kelp meal to the minerals. It's good for them and they like the taste. She might just not need any though. 

Don't give her a block. Ok, you can get a cobalt block, but not the generic treat lick from TSC.

You can band her horns and then disbudding once they fall off if they're too big to disbudding now. 

Not for sure quiet, but most likely. 

I would definitely go for a wether. More wethers need good homes, and they make awesome pets. They basically stay babies forever. 

Any mini breed should be fine. So long as the new one is the same size as Bailey.

I don't like locking my goats up at night. They like to eat and move around through the night. 

You could go with a couple dogloos for shelter. Surely that wouldn't be considered farm housing, lol.


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

So, I've basically been either in the garage or out in the yard playing with her and the dog for the past several hours and I just led her out to the shed and closed her up to see what would happen... nothing, not even a single peep! Walked away and went back into the garage... no sound.... walked back outside and still ... ABSOLUTELY NO sound! What?! Did she just instantly lay down and go to sleep?! Wish so badly I knew what she was doing! Should I expect at any time for her to possibly freak out and start jumping around in there or something??


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Checking her fecal matter before she sheds eggs at your friend's farm might be considered polite. Can you TRULY not take a fecal in to your vet before you leave? Vet does not have to see the animal to look at the poop...


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

Btw, the shed is ventilated. Love the dogloo idea actually! Ha! It would also give them something to jump around on and still not get over the fence. Very easy setup too! Not the easiest to clean out, but still... worth the easy setup!


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

mariarose said:


> Checking her fecal matter before she sheds eggs at your friend's farm might be considered polite. Can you TRULY not take a fecal in to your vet before you leave? Vet does not have to see the animal to look at the poop...


I certainly agree with you! She asked and I told her that I had no idea if she'd been vaccinated and still said she'd take her for the week =/ said she'd been raisong goats for more than 10yrs, s I assume Bailey will be somehwhat quarantined at the very least. Going to try really hard to at least drop off the poo at a vet on Wednesday, which is the earliest I could possibly go, so fingers crossed.


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## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

I never hear anyone mention this but if you collect poop to take to your vet to test you should put it in a ziplock bag and put in the refrigerator and then put in a cooler on ice for transport 
If not the eggs will hatch into larvae and the larvae don't float and are not
counted
And yes at any given time I have to move bags of
goat poop in my fridge to get a drink


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## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

Think about if you want the horns on your goats 
And if you are traveling to Alabama from Suffolk VA you are coming right by me in NC and I can send you a Nigerian Dwarf home with you


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

IHEARTGOATS said:


> Think about if you want the horns on your goats
> And if you are traveling to Alabama from Suffolk VA you are coming right by me in NC and I can send you a Nigerian Dwarf home with you


Oh that would be so awesome!!! But unfortunately, with two adults and one teen, there will be NO room in that car for a goat LOL! There is a very good chance that I will be contacting you soon after we get back tho!!!


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

Random thought... if I get a whether I have already decided to name him Barnum... Barnum and Bailey!!! HA! I KILL ME!!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Well Geeze, I'm honored that you would name your goats after my dog who is descended from the original Barnum and Bailey circus performers. Lol


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You may want to make sure your property is zoned for livestock. You could end up with more problems than just HOA. All it will take is one complaining neighbor.


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

goathiker said:


> Well Geeze, I'm honored that you would name your goats after my dog who is descended from the original Barnum and Bailey circus performers. Lol


Oh wow!! That is too cool! I somehow managed to go my entire life thus far w/o having seen a B&B circus, until THIS YEAR... will always remember my first trip being in their final year... bittersweet.


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

ksalvagno said:


> You may want to make sure your property is zoned for livestock. You could end up with more problems than just HOA. All it will take is one complaining neighbor.


Yeah, I'm still trying to sort through that. I cant seem to find any of the city's laws regarding pet goats. My neighbors are cool with it, and I live at the dead end of our street, so at least there's that.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Whether pets or not, goats are livestock.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good advice by all.


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

I am sooo upset!! The woman who said she would board my goat while I was out of town next week backed out on me TODAY!!! I called her to let her know that I had been able to get the goat vaccinated this morning and that I had a question about deworming but before I could even finished my sentence she cut me off and said she could no longer keep her, that it just wasn't going to work out for her and then pretty much hung up on me - I couldn't even get a response in! I have to admit that I don't blame her for backing out after all I've learned about goat health, but she was my miracle! I had contacted 5 or 6 places asking if they could keep her (or knew someone who could) and this lady was the only one that ever even responded! I leave on SATURDAY!! I have someone who is willing to come feed her each morning and night, but the thought of her being BY HERSELF with VERY little interaction for an entire week?! I just can't! NO WAY!! (nor can I expect my neighbors to either.) Given the situation, I feel like my only option is to find her another permanent home WITH other goats BEFORE I leave!  We were planning to get another goat and build a proper shelter and pen when we returned, but no one wants a goat for just a week, right?! I could KILL my husband!! I know he just wasn't thinking, but this totally sucks!! What's sad is that she is very attached to him and him to her as well. 

I was going to go back to the livestock swap on Saturday morning (where my husband got her) before we left that day and at least try to find the guy (have no clue who he is!) or SOMEONE who would take her to rehome her, but the only swaps around here are the 2nd and last Saturdays of the month!! (I mean, this couldn't get any more complicated!)

Finally, I looked up Rescue Farms and finally found one an hour from me that was willing to take her, so I'm taking her there tomorrow morning. 

I feel AWFUL!!! I worry about her new quality of life - even though it is bound to be better than living here.  But she had quickly fallen into a routine, as was I, and I became quite attached!! I was really looking forward to the new personal responsibilities too!

I can't be mad at my husband b/c he was just trying to surprise me with what I'd been asking for (although I am secretly very upset that he didn't think about our week long trip, which is why I'm having to give her up! Just another reason why I HATE living so far from my family that I have to take a week off in order to go see them!), but I sure can be mad at the guy who sold her to him knowing we didn't have any other goats around!!!  

Granted it wasn't the best of situations for a goat (limited yard, HOA, etc), but I was really committed to making it work so I could keep her - I've invested a lot of money and have done so much research!!!! Maybe I can go back and get her when I get back, but odds are, again, considering my lack of resources, it wouldn't be wise at this point - I had a go at owning a goat, but it just wasn't meant to be I guess - for me OR a goat. 

God this sucks so bad!!

P.S. - THANK YOU ALL SOOO MUCH for all the GREAT advice and, above all, KINDNESS!! I don't know what I would have done w/o you guys!! This really is a great group of people!! And if I ever do find myself in a situation where owning a goat would be more practical, you better believe I'll be right back here on DAY 1!! =) =) =)


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)

Update! Miraculously found a farm on Chesapeake that wants her! On way there now!! Yay!!!!


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## AshPage (Jun 25, 2017)




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## GoatGirlInTraining (Mar 26, 2017)

If you ever want goats again, I live in TN and have a pair of baby goats. Also, I can babysit if you bring the goats to me.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad all is well.


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## Idahogoats (Sep 5, 2016)

AshPage said:


> HELP!!! LOL! My husband surprised me with a 10week old mini-LaMancha yesterday morning! I had been asking for a goat, but I was NOT prepared! We are going to build it a proper shelter this week, but for now I have cleaned out our wooden shed (sorta?!) and have put pine flakes down for it to sleep on (how much do I put down?!), with a hay bag to feed from, and I also bought Goat Minerals and Goat feed, but I am soooo confused and overwhelmed with what to do to make sure she's properly fed and situated! =( I have soooo many specific questions!! Is it possible for someone to call me and help me ease all this anxiety?! LOL!
> 
> Send me a direct message if you are able to call me and I will provide my number, or visa versa! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!
> 
> Ashley Shaw


Goats get lonely so get another goat close to same she adapt.


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## Idahogoats (Sep 5, 2016)

Suzanne_Tyler said:


> Go ahead and treat her for cocci. Baycox is best, you have to order it from horseprerace.com.
> 
> Research CDT and decide if you want to give it or not. Most breeders do, but I don't.
> 
> ...


We have 3 wethers and a Nigerian Pygmy girl. She is buddies with Leo, the Lamancha, Alpine blend. They came together and we rescued two Nigerian Wethers. They are beautiful. They are all healthy and happy. Wish the Nubian did not come with horns though. They are long and lethal. Maybe glue tennis balls on them?
Cindy
Idaho goats


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

You could always band the horns.


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

* some fallen bird seed*
Hi Jill, you have a lot on your plate. The part about her eating bird seed perked my concern, you don't know what her diet was before, so I would suggest keeping it simple. The old adage about goats can eat anything is a lie. My friend went on vacation, her niece farm sat and the nieces little girl thought the goats would just love the cracked corn the chickens were fed. Well Laurie didn't feed corn and the goat bloated and died. Not to scare you, but you should always introduce new food slowly. This site is full of experienced goat owners, and the web has tons of info.

Good luck.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Wrong name lol, I'm Jill, the one who called her. The bird seed was just the husks of boss and some Thistle seed that occasionally fell when the birds ate. A few teaspoons maybe. 
She did find a home for this goat as she didn't live in an area where she could legally or safely keep her.

Sent from my LGL34C using Goat Forum mobile app


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