Education and Resources
Nutrition and Water:
Goats are ruminants and have specific nutritional needs to keep their rumens healthy. Goats prefer to browse rather than graze. They like to eat brush and long grasses that are at eye level or above. This is different from cows and sheep who will graze on short grass. They also have different nutritional needs from sheep and do often require supplemental copper, so they should not be fed “goat and sheep” mixed pelleted feed. It can be difficult for goats to obtain all the nutrition they need from pasture alone. Pasture raising goats takes care and attention to make sure you are meeting all of their nutritional needs, and you should implement a pasture rotation protocol if you intend on only feeding from pasture. As such, our recommendation is to always offer “free choice” grass hay. Grass hay, such as orchard grass, provides the long stem forage necessary for rumen health. They are naturally curious and will browse if it is available, but they should always have access to a back up hay source.
All animals need access to clean water at all times. If you live on well water you should be aware of what minerals are in your water as they may antagonize the absorption of vital nutrients in your goats digestive system. Locally our soil is known to be deficient in selenium and so we supplement our animals with selenium and Vitamin E injections. These can be obtained under the guidance of a livestock vet. I do not recommend the routine use of oral selenium replacement as it is generally not sufficient to meet their nutritional need. Selenium deficiency is called “White Muscle Disease” in goats. It can present as weak appearing goats who walk with a stiff gait, hunched back or difficulty standing. If not addressed it will eventually lead to heart failure and death. There are other vital vitamins and minerals that a goat needs. Thankfully these other nutrients are available as loose minerals and goats are generally good at self regulating this need when provided with loose minerals to eat. I do not recommend salt blocks for goats. They do not salivate as much as a cow or sheep and when only provided with a salt block goats tend to bite them which can damage their teeth over time. I recommend Sweetlix as a product. We have seen that Sweetlix products work well for our herd. Please do not buy “goat and sheep” minerals as they do not contain copper which goats need. Different farms may have different needs when it comes to vitamin and mineral replacement, as it is highly dependent on management practices. Please consult with a vet to ensure your animals are receiving the nutrition they need on your farm.
Breeding animals have different nutritional needs and it often changes as they progress from pregnancy to lactation and for males between breeding season and the off season. As a general practice I start introducing our pregnant does to alfalfa hay during pregnancy. I gradually increase the mix of alfalfa hay with grass hay and adjust it for body condition throughout lactation. Towards the end of pregnancy I start to introduce a pelleted goat mix. I prefer Elk Grove Milling “Goat Mix”. Our lactating does then receive this goat mix twice a day while on the stand. When introducing pelleted feed to a goat it is important to do so gradually. Occasionally we supplement our males “in rut” with goat mix during breeding season as they tend to spend more energy talking to the girls on our farm than eating at the hay feeder. A slow growing young goat may be offered pelleted feed. I encourage caution when supplementing young stock with goat mix. Pelleted feed can disrupt the delicate balance of the rumen and fill the rumen which may decrease the amount of long stem forage consumed. Nigerian goats have a tendency towards becoming obese. Careful attention should be given to maintaining a healthy weight throughout their lives. We have not found that our non-breeding animals require supplemental feed. They usually do well on an all grass hay diet. The proper development of the small ruminants rumen is essential to life long vitality and health. This is best achieved through the regular consumption of long stem forage in the form of grass hay and brush.
We offer our lactating does “Magnum Milk” loose minerals from Sweetlix. All other animals are offered “Meat Maker” loose minerals from Sweetlix. It is important to note the importance of maintaining a proper calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 for male goats. Water can disrupt this balance, as well as feed and loose minerals. For this reason, we do not offer our males alfalfa hay generally and they are only given the “Meat Maker” mineral. When this balance is not maintained in male goats it can increase their risk of developing urinary stones. Finally, it should be mentioned that goats produce all of the thiamine their bodies require during the rumination process of their digestion. Thiamine is an essential B vitamin. When goats get sick or stressed and stop eating hay or browse their rumen may become disrupted. During this time they may become deficient in the thiamine they need. This is clinically referred to as “goat polio” or polioencephalomalacia. This deficiency can lead to neurological dysfunction and death. For this reason we always keep on hand injectable B complex vitamins which we administer to our goats subcutaneously. It can also be helpful to offer the sick goat baking soda to lick in these incidents. Rumen disruption can quickly lead to a serious life threatening acidosis. Some breeders report improvement with the use of baking soda as a buffering agent to the pH of the rumen. I recommend contacting a vet if you suspect acidosis. Overfeeding pelleted feed, giving access to feed intended for other species of animals, giving too much milk to kids or ingestion of excessive sweets and goat treats can also lead to acidosis in goats. Please contact a vet immediately as this can become a life threatening emergency.
durvet.com/product/high-level-vitamin-b-complex/
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/white-muscle-disease-in-sheep-and-goats
https://goats.langston.edu/mineral-nutrition-considerations/
https://www.weedemandreap.com/goats-minerals-what-you-need-to-know/
https://www.canr.msu.edu/sheep_goats/health/polioencephalomalacia
https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goats-and-copper-deficiency/
Fencing and Shelter:
Goats require a shelter from the rain and snow, and in the summer time a cool place in the shade. The shelter should be free from drafts but be well ventilated. Goats tend to stay in their shelter through the rain and the build up of ammonia from their urine can hurt their respiratory system. General rule of thumb is if it is uncomfortable for you to breath in their shelter it is unhealthy for them. This is why good ventilation is so important. There are a number of different options when it comes to flooring in the shelter. Wood is porous and absorbs the urine making it difficult to clean and is generally not recommended as a flooring. Dirt can make a fine floor. It is recommended however to add either wood chips or straw and change it out regularly. These bedding materials help absorb urine and provide a clean, dry bed to lay down. We have used a product called “barn lime” with great results. It is applied to the floor area and leveled out. Then you spray the surface with water and allow it to completely dry. It hardens and resembles something solid like concrete once dry. The lime neutralizes the ammonia from urine. However, unlike concrete the urine can also easily pass through to the surface under the barn lime layer. Concrete flooring is another option. It is easy to clean which makes changing bedding easier. It should be noted that over time urine will be absorbed into the concrete. Some people practice a method called “deep bedding”. The straw or wood chips are allowed to accumulate over the season with fresh bedding added on top. As the lower layers begin to decompose it adds warmth to the floor in the shelter. The bedding is then removed a couple times of year and the process is started over again. It should be noted that ammonia can begin to build up in the shelter if there is not proper ventilation.
Goats love to explore and climb. It is a good idea to give them raised beds in the shelter if you are able. Goats prefer to sleep on an elevated surface off the ground. They will also enjoy jumping onto the roof of their shelter or other structures if allowed to do so. Old tires make great objects for them to explore in their pens. They love to jump on and off of them. We have also constructed wooden swings which our goats seem to enjoy. Goats are very curious and playful. Providing goats with opportunities to play in their pens will often help reduce their tendency to try to escape from their pen. I recommend giving them opportunities to climb within their space. They love to play king of the mountain games with each other. It is also not uncommon to find your goat on top of a vehicle if they are given access or escape. Consider yourself warned.
Since goats have the tendency to be such great escape artists fencing becomes incredibly important. I do recommend keeping your goats contained in a fenced space for their safety. Being so curious, goats can get themselves into dangerous things quickly when they gain access. They will explore things with their mouths and might eat or chew on things that are dangerous for them. Predators are another concern. The number one predator for goats in America are domesticated dogs. Dogs kill more goats than any other predator. A loose dog on your property can slaughter a herd of goats in minutes. For this reason you should keep your goats behind a strong fence at all times. I recommend “no climb horse fence” welded wire fencing. It should be at least 6 feet tall around the perimeter and posts or t-posts should be spaced every 6 feet. Place the fencing on the inside of their pen so that when the goat leans against the fence they are pushing the fence against the posts. Goats like to scratch themselves along their fence lines and will stand up with their front legs on the fence pushing it out. No climb fencing is the strongest welded wire fencing available with tight enough spaces that make it difficult for the goats to push their faces through it. If you use a different welded wire option they may be able to push their head through the fence and get out or get stuck. Other options are chain link fences which can work well with goats but be more expensive to install. You can use hog panels with goats as it provides the strength goats need, but a fence that is shorter than 6 feet may not contain your goat in their pen and may make it easier for predators to gain access to them.
Predators and Domestic Dogs:
Protection from predators is another consideration when keeping goats. A strong, tall fence and secure shelter at night are important first steps. However, predators do not only come at night and some can easily jump even a six foot fence. Adding electric wires to the tops of your fences can help minimize predators gaining access to your goats. My number one recommendation for the safety of your herd is to obtain a livestock guardian dog. There are many different breeds available. I would encourage you to research these breeds and see which ones might be a good fit for your set up and property. I also encourage you to find a good breeder who is raising the parents in this working role and you know the parents can be trusted with livestock. Guarding livestock is not something you will be training the dog to do. It is by instinct. Simply being of a guardian dog breed does not guarantee that those instincts have been preserved in the breeding. Many livestock guardian dog breeds have now spent hundreds of years being bred outside of those working roles as farms have become more scarce. Some of these breeds have also shifted from being used for protection from predators to being used for attacking humans or as “personal protection” animals. Sadly some have even been bred for fighting. It is important to know what traits the breeders have been selectively breeding for when looking for your livestock guardian dog (LGD). Having a good LGD on your property can become the most valuable piece of property you own.
A word about dogs and goats. I caution you to always supervise interactions between domestic dogs and goats. Even LGDs need to be under constant supervision until they have established themselves with the herd and proven that their protection instinct is stronger than their hunting instincts. It is not uncommon for a submissive LGD puppy to become a bully once they are no longer smaller than the goats they live with. There are many techniques to use to manage this transitional period. I highly recommend reading the book Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection, Care and Training by Orysia Dawydiak & David Sims. Breeds of dogs referred to as “farm dogs” and herding dogs should not be allowed unsupervised access to your goats. Herding and farm dogs have been bred for strong prey drives in order to serve their function on the farm. A previously friendly interaction between your dog and goats can turn into a deadly interaction quickly when the goat stimulates your dog’s hunting instincts. LGDs have been selectively bred for strong pack protection instincts. However, the LGD must view the goats as members of their pack in order for their protection instinct to over come their strong hunting instincts. The easiest way to ensure this is to always house the LGD with the herd. If your LGD sleeps in your house with you instead of out with the goats they will likely see you as their pack and the goats are then vulnerable to their prey drive. It is not sufficient to be told by a breeder that their dogs have been around goats. You should try to see the parents interact with their herd and make sure you know where the parents sleep at night. A good LGD is one that ignores the behavior of the goats in their pen. The best indication of a trust worthy LGD is when the goats bed down with the dog and are observed playing with and interacting with the dog in their pen while the dog ignores their antics.