HELP! We just bought 3 goats. NOW WHAT??

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Stock auction. Too cute for words. Child monsters abusing the heck out of a newborn buck goat. He still had his umbilical cord, at least until the hellions knocked it off while roughing it up (not MY children). We have him in a large cardboard box. He's had a bottle of hot reconstituted milk, and he's peeing just fine. Now what???

-- Helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), April 03, 1999

Answers

Sell your lawn mower.

-- Wiseguy (got@it.gov), April 03, 1999.

Calling Goat Boy! Calling Goat Boy!

-- wise gal (---@wise.gal), April 03, 1999.

BbHaWaAaAaAa! Cute affectionate little critters, and won't smell while they're young. Raw fresh goat milk is what they need; their mama! We used to rescue animals and feed them a slush of soft-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and pureed green beans. Some babies did not make it. Good luck!

xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 03, 1999.


"feed them a slush of soft-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and pureed green beans. Some babies did not make it."

I'm not surprised Leska!!! :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), April 03, 1999.


Helen....good luck. You can buy milk replacement for goats at any decent feed store (the kind in the country--not PetsMart). Get some decent books and read/absorb quickly. Weaned much too soon (shoulda sold the two legged kids instead of the four legged).

-- Lobo (atthelair@yahoo.com), April 03, 1999.


Yes, but Andy, the majority *did* make it! Wanna come over for dinner? ;-D

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 03, 1999.

What! The one's that didn't make it!? :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), April 03, 1999.

Your fun (or trouble) is just beginning. You are going to need good fencing, and a shed to store hay for the winter.

And you mentioned three goats. Are the other two nannies? How old are the others?

---SJ, who has six goats; if all goes well that will be about ten goats next week, along with a couple of gallons of sweet fresh milk a day!

-- SJ (SJ@goatherd.org), April 03, 1999.


Run, do not walk, to get Goat Husbandry by David MacKenzie (now in print in paperback). Several other references are listed on Amazon's page.

Mackenzie's book is invaluable, and enjoyable reading..

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), April 04, 1999.


Please remember that an agile young goat (as opposed to an old goat like me) is inclined to view any tight fence under six feet in height as both a personal affront and challenge. It's been my experience that if you can make the fence goatproof, it usually takes care of the dog problems too.

-- Lobo (attheair@yahoo.com), April 04, 1999.


Had a baby goat given to me last year still with its umbilical cord.Luckily managed to pass it on after a week to someone who could look after it better.The worst thing was you had to massage its bottom to get it to poop !!

Many years ago a neighbour killed her goat acidentally feeding it on too much hay(I think).Anyway it got bloat & that was it.

Best advice above.Get a book on goat keeping & talk to other goatkeepers.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), April 04, 1999.


1- Go to feed store and get milk replacer pronto 2-Get a book on goats- 3-Provide hay along with milk- he will start nibbling it right away 4-put him in a secure pen out of the elements(no drafts or rain) 5-WHAT are you going to do with him anyway? (if eating him is the response- DON'T name him).

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 04, 1999.

Thank you everyone for your help.

The worst off is a little nubian buck. Today he's doing fairly well on reconstituted milk. He's nibbled a little cracked corn with the chickens. We'll do all of the things mentioned above and also what the people who emailed said to do.

The other two are a doe with her first baby, a doeling. They are doing very well.

What are we going to do with them? Milk the momma, breed her and her daughter to the buck (later), and maybe someday eat the buck offspring...if we can bring ourselves to k-k-k-kill one.

By the way, the momma does not WANT me to milk her. Pointers???

-- Helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), April 04, 1999.


First I want to thank you for being a compassionate person and giving these little guys a home. I got two little Toggenberg (sp) goats the same way.They were strictly for pets, and kept me hopping. We put up an electric fence, and they got on their knees and crawled under it. We lowered it, and they sailed over it. Chain link solved the problem.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), April 04, 1999.

Helen

Secure mama on a leash, and feed her while you milk.

The best milk goats are bottle fed as babies. Do this to daugher and she will be a much better goat for milking. ----SJ

-- SJ (sj@goatherd.org), April 04, 1999.



Helen- how long since mama goat freshened? The way i personally do it, is i let her nurse 24 hrs/day for 2 weeks and don't milk her. then- at 2 weeks of age, I take the kids away at night and put them in a separate pen. then, first thing in the am, I milk momma. Then put the kids back with her all day- do this til you wean them. then go to 2xday milking.

to keep momma standing while you milk- get someone to help you the first time- put her grain in the dish, put her in her stand-stanchion, clip, whatever. Milk away. If she finishes her grain and you're not done- give her hay to munch. A couple days of this and she'll mellow out.

Hope you enjoy them- goats are terrific. Ps- put her on the stand and groom her too- she'll love that and associate the stand with good things

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 05, 1999.


oh- and since i didn't realize that you had a lactating goat as well- just feed her milk to your buck and he'll be fine- forget the milk replacer

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 05, 1999.

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