How to Care for Goats
Are you considering adding goats to your little homestead? Yes? Well, then you should learn how to care for these animals. While they are reasonably easy to care for and do not need a lot, there are some things you should pay heed to.
In this article, we are going to go over the basics of goat care and what you should do to ensure that your herd stays happy and healthy. So without further ado, let’s dive right in and get started!
What Are the Basics?
There is a lot you need to remember when it comes to goat care. But, there are some staples that you should always keep in mind when you are caring for goats. In this section, we are going to cover the basics so that you can ensure that you will at the very least have your herd’s basic needs covered.
Fences Are Your Friend
Goats are known escape artists. As such, you need to make sure that you obtain appropriate fencing to keep your goats in their area. There are a range of options including cattle panels, woven wire, electric fences or even welded wire.
In addition to good fencing material, you should ensure that your fence is at least four feet high so that the goats cannot leap out. Finally, make sure that your fence is tight so that it can’t be pushed down.
Space to Roam Outdoors
The space you will require depends on the breed and size of the herd you have on your property. At the very least you will need a minimum of 200 square feet of space per animal. You might need a little less space for miniature breeds like Nigerian Dwarf goats.
A Shelter to Call Home
While goats are typically tough animals, they still need a shelter to keep the elements at bay. Despite their devil-may-care attitude goats hate getting wet. Not only is it unpleasant they can also get sick if they are left to the elements without a proper shelter.
Regular Care
Goats need a lot of care to ensure they stay fit and healthy. As such their routine care should be completed on time. Your list of regular routine care should be as follows:
- You should trim your goat’s hooves regularly.
- Regular deworming is essential for your goat’s health.
- Vaccinations against disease should not be skipped.
- Always be prepared for an emergency.
As long as you remember these four things, your goats should want for nothing. Just make sure you have a vet on call in case of emergencies and a med kit on hand in case something happens. Other than that, your regular care should be enough to keep your goats happy and healthy.
Healthy and Delicious Food
As with every living creature on this planet, your goats will need a constant supply of food and fresh water. You will need to make sure that your goats have their staple feeds, as well as supplement feeds to give them all the nutrients they need to thrive.
You should take special care when you are dealing with pregnant does as their nutrient requirements may differ when compared to a doe who is not pregnant.
A Few Things You Should Know Before Getting Goats
In addition to the basics, there are a few things we wished we knew before we got goats. The list below highlights these key points.
1. Goats Are Incredibly Curious
Goats are remarkably curious and will get into anything and everything that they should not. So, if you want to make sure that they do not cause trouble, make sure to keep your items out of reach and make sure that their enclosure is escape-proof.
2. Don’t Underestimate the Intelligence of Goats
You might be surprised to learn that the intelligence of goats is on par with dogs and pigs. They will easily learn your habits and even pick up tricks as time goes on. But because of this intelligence, they can be difficult to handle.
3. Goats Are Browsers
By nature goats are browsers, this means that they are more likely to strip a tree bare than eat grass. So, if you have beloved plants growing in your goat’s area, be prepared for them to be stripped and eaten almost to death.
4. Goats Are Escape Artists
As we have said before, goats are escape artists. As such, your pens need to be properly set up to ensure that they are not able to escape and wreak havoc on your veggie patch or flower gardens.
5. Getting Supplies is Not Always Easy
Sometimes, obtaining supplies for goats is not easy. Milking goats or farming meat goats is something of a speciality which can make getting equipment harder than it needs to be.
6. Goats can Become Skittish without Human Interaction
If they are not handled regularly, goats can quickly become feral or skittish to humans. This can make caring for them harder than it needs to be. As such, make sure that you are handling them regularly to ensure they remain tame.
7. Goats can Imprint on People
Goats that have been bottle-fed might imprint on humans and start to think of themselves as people. This means that they might prefer the company of people to others of their species.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this article and learning the basics of goat care. There is obviously a lot that you need to know about raising goats, so this is not the kind of topic you can entirely cover in a single article.
So if you want to own your own little herd of goats and give them the best care, make sure to check out some of our other articles and do additional research. Being more prepared is always beneficial!
If you enjoyed reading this article and learning about goat care, make sure to check out our website. We cover a wide range of topics concerning self-sufficiency and homesteading.
From how to make Lemon Bars to Which Dairy Goat Breed are Best, we cover it all. If you too would like to learn more, you can rest assured that we will cover everything you need to know and more.
Thanks for reading!