# goat pasture advice



## dansbar (Apr 4, 2013)

Hi, I am need of some help! I am currently in Afghanistan, but when i return I would like to get 2-3 small milk goats. I've bought the books and have done the research for the past 2 years. I am thinking small milk goats like Nubians or Pygmy or some sort of crosses. I have about 4 acres in central VA. The issue is my land has large VA Pine trees on it. I have an area about 150 x 100 foot grassy area and I am buying a small shed for them (8x10). 

I guess my question is how big should i make their enclosure? Can it go through the wood area? Will they eat the bark off the big pine trees ( i plan to buy premium goat feed and provide that for their diet)? How tall should I get the woven wire? You would think after 4-5 books, I would have found a answer, but I find the books/website PDFs are "catch alls" and don't address specific issues and breds. Thanks for your time and help!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes, you can fence into woods. They may eat some bark but if there is enough browse and you are providing proper minerals and feed, I would think they would leave the bark alone. I would give them as much pasture as you can.

Nubians are big goats. Are you talking about Nigerian Dwarfs?

Do you plan to breed them? You will need more room than an 8x10. You do need a place to store hay and grain. If you milk, you will need an area for a milking stand. Room to have kidding stalls and still have plenty of room for the general population. There has to be room for hay and water and you need multiple places to have hay so everyone can have some.


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## dansbar (Apr 4, 2013)

Thanks so much for your reply! It means alot. Yup, I meant Nigerian Dwarfs. So what type of space/shed would you suggest for just a small group? I intend to keep them as pets, until I figure out what i am doing, but might like to bred/milk in the future.

If I can use wooded space along with pasture, they should have 1/2 acre or more. 

I am going with 5 foot woven wire and heavy t-posts. That should work right? thanks again!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Will you need to lock them up at night? Is it cold where you live that they may stay inside their house for days? I give my 6 goats a 12x24 area in my barn and that seems to be a good space. However, I don't use any of that space for kidding, I use additional space in my barn for that.

Just be sure to use the 2x4 spaced woven wire. You don't want them to be able to stick their heads through anything.

The space above does not include hay storage. I have to buy my hay for the entire year so I need about a 10x20 space to store my hay. Then there is room for feed and milking which is probably about a 10x10 area.


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## Moocowman123 (Feb 12, 2013)

1st of all thank you for ur service. Secondly it would be better to have it go through the wooded area. If u get nobians my fence I have to keep at 5 feet or maybe a little less. If u get pygmies you can make it a foot shorter but if u have a problem with predators make it 5 feet.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

If you can go through the wooded area that's fine, it's more room for them. For full size, my boers I have 4' field fence with a strand of hotwire. My nigerians have 4' high that horse non climb type 2"x4" for the girls and kids also with hot wire (as I have one who literally climbs right over the fence). My Nigi boys also get field fence as they're grown and don't get through it. My hay is on pallets and double tarped out side the pen. I have two shelters and they can go in which ever one they want (there's 4 girls). At kidding time who ever is due gets locked in one of the shelters. I have smaller water buckets I hang inside if they need it. I have double sided feeders that are just over 3' long- so 6' of space for 4 girls. Do remember predators, especially when kids are young and crying, or the smell of birth. We lock all of them in at night if we have kids on the ground, other wise they can come and go. My boys use their shelter everynight regardless of weather, my girls won't go in unless it's really raining or really snowing other wise they crowd under the feeder.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

One or two calf huts would work fine for so few little goats...


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## dansbar (Apr 4, 2013)

Thanks folks for the great info! Alot of good stuff. I can keep my hay under my covered Deck under a Tarp, I like that idea. I will run the fence through the woods, I think everyone agrees that should work. 

For the fence, what kind of predators should I be concerned with? I have had a fox and raccoon get into my chicken coop (they were dealt with accordingly). We have Coyotes in the area (central VA), but they have never came after the chickens, perhaps from the scent from my 2 large Shepherds. Would a fox harm a goat? How high should the fence be for coyotes? 

As far as barn space, I can build a 10x10 shed. I also have another shed where I keep my lawn tractor and other stuff (which can be left out in the spring/summer). Could I use that one for kidding and for sick goats and let the rest hang in the main one? And maybe get a calf hut for a back up?


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

It all depends on what's feasible for you. Obviously a huge barn with tons of space is ideal... but some of us dont have that option. I have two ND does. My hay, which I can only buy up to about 10 bales at a time, gets stored in my garage, next to my car, my lawnmower, my freezer, etc. My milk stand was also in the garage, so I tethered the goats and took them out each morning/evening to be milked. They had a 5'x5' playhouse for their shelter, and I added a 4'x8' lean-to, which they preferred. That worked all fall/winter. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. 

Now I'm excited to have completed my 10x12' mini barn. It will house my milk stand, the goats and the chickens. I'm actually toying with the idea of a "fold up" milk stand currently - kinda like those beds that fold out from the wall. Currently, it's not in use, but the chickens find it a great roosting place... which is a sanitation issue. I would have LOVED to be able to store my hay in the barn too... but I just couldn't build anything big enough. So that will have to continue to be stored in my garage and I'll just have to trudge through the rain and snow at feeding time. 

Do what you can... but definitely go big if you have the space/ability/finances. I live in town, so bigger than 10x12 meant permits and building to code. That would have increased my cost too much to complete the project. 10x12 is better than what I had - by a lot! And not having to walk the goats out to the garage (and risk someone getting loose) is going to be really nice once we start milking again. But I still drive by the barns out in the country and think how nice it would be...


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## dansbar (Apr 4, 2013)

Thanks Jen! Good insights. Big is best, I wish I had the barn space too. I am limited too, because of cost and cleared land. 

Are your two ND happy together? Maybe I should just start with two. How big is your fence space for the two?

Thanks again everyone for your help! I feel smarter already!


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

They're inseparable - though they did come from the same herd too. When I had to walk them out to the garage for milking, whoever was left in the pen would yell for the other (which the neighbors probably didn't appreciate, at 6am). My fenced area is L shaped... with the larger part being 40X40 and the other about 20x20. Seems to hold up relatively well - though I'm thinking about doing some temp cross fencing so I can reseed some areas that took more of a beating. I'm retaining a doeling - so we'll see how the area does with three! Having a buck for a month seemed to increase wear a LOT - but he was pretty spunky too.


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