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IF YOU'RE NEW TO GOATS AND MAYBE IF YOU'RE NOT
Goats are wonderful. You can keep them happy and healthy if you treat a goat like a goat, and feed a goat like a goat
Fat goats are like fat people - a pain in the neck and expensive!
Thin goats are good - better breeders, better producers.
But - skinny goats are HORRIBLE and a worse pain and more expensive than fatties.
All animals need clean water ALL THE TIME! We change water twice a day, and use automatic water fountains for our goats out on pasture.
All animals need vitamins and minerals, and your only guarantee that your Boer Goats will get what they need is to feed a GOAT mineral. When the Boer Goat first arrived there were few choices. Now most major feed manufacturers have discovered their presence and there is a better selection of feed and mineral available.
Remember, Boer Goats browse. They aren't minature cattle, they aren't dairy goats, and they aren't hairy sheep or dogs with horns. They have their own nutritional requirements. Most people forget about fertilizing their pasture and hay ground. The stuff coming off the ground is only as good as the stuff in the ground. Sort of a "garbage in, garbage out" scene. Goats really do better on plants that most of us consider to be junk.
If you're going to ask your goats to perform for you, you need to feed a well-balanced Boer Goat feed.
Click here for Feed Information
Manage your goats
- Know what your goats look like when they're healthy and happy so you can tell when they aren't.
- Take care of their feet. Keep them trimmed and inspect for signs of foot rot or other problems.
The Midwest is a horrible environment for foot health.
- Watch their horns. Keep them from growing into their heads.
- Watch for weather changes. Sudden, extreme changes in temperature and humidity can lead to
respiratory problems.
- Provide shelter - Boer Goats hate being out in rain.
- If you choose to vaccinate - do so exactly as directed and keep and store your vaccine correctly.
We recommend that you either use a veterinarian, or mail-order your vaccines to arrive air
express, cold packed for next day delivery.
Manage your parasites
- Don't overgraze pastures
- Worm according to your goat's weight no matter what wormer you use. If you don't, it won't be
effective and you will build up a resistance so that even if you do start doing it right, the wormer
won't work like it is supposed to. Many wormers must have the dosage adjusted to be effective.
- Your best source of information on wormers is a veterinarian who is fully qualified in ruminants, or
an animal health supply store with knowledgeable staff, who can show and explain to you product
information direct from the manufacturer.
- Control your manure to control your flies
- Goats get lice - watch for signs and keep it under control.
- Coccidiosis is nasty, but can be prevented by adding a coccidiostat to the feed.
Manage your facilities
- Keep it clean
- Keep it dry
- Keep the air circulating, but keep the drafts away. Urine soaked bedding can lead to snotty noses,
runny eyes, and worse in young kids. Lime under straw or shavings helps alleviate this problem
because it neutralizes the urine. Hydrated lime is the most effective, but be careful when using it -
ie follow the directions.
Regular old calcium carbonate (ag lime) works fine if you're on a tight budget.
Manage your predators
- Over the years we have found llamas to be the best protection for livestock. They must be females
or neutered males. They are effective against coyotes, wolves, dogs and stray humans. Guard dogs
(like the Great Pyrenees) will work, but if you live in a populated area they are more likely to be
socialized by your neighbors. We bred and sold Great Pyrenees dogs for livestock guarding for
several years, and most of our information came from Kansas State University where they did
research on using these dogs.
Manage Support
- Find a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about ruminants, or who is knowledgeable and willing to
work with and listen to you about healthcare needs of your goats. Treatment in goats often involves
use of medications not really cleared for use in goats. This means you must show your veterinarian
you can be trusted to practice proper dosage amounts and allow adequate withdrawal time periods.
It is always wise to err on the side of caution.
- The University of Illinois has been an excellent resource for small ruminants in our part of the country.
Manage your visitors
- Remember that the people visiting your barns bring more then themselves. If they have livestock, they
most likely will bring every mobile problem they have to your facilities and share them with your goats.
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