Before buying miniature goats
- Check you have goat proof fencing
- Have a shelter and enough space for a minimum of 2 goats
- Check local council regulations
- Register for property identification code (PIC)
SHOULD I BOTTLE BEED THE KIDS, TO GET THEM FRIENDLY?
No, not necessarily, we leave our kids on their mothers, and just give them about 150ml of powdered milk once a day, from 1 week old - around 3 months, this seems to do just as good a job at getting them friendly, without causing so much stress on the animal and you.
It takes quite a bit of time to bottle feed an animal at the start. They also end up not getting the goodness from their mothers or learning a lot of useful things when you bottle feed them.
They can be weaned of their mothers from about 3 months, but if the mother is in good condition, we quite offten leave the kids with their mothers till they have weaned them themselves at around 6-7 months.
It takes quite a bit of time to bottle feed an animal at the start. They also end up not getting the goodness from their mothers or learning a lot of useful things when you bottle feed them.
They can be weaned of their mothers from about 3 months, but if the mother is in good condition, we quite offten leave the kids with their mothers till they have weaned them themselves at around 6-7 months.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO CARE FOR A GOAT?
- They need to be wormed every 3 months
- Have hooves trimed every 3 months
- Shelter from rain
- Clean, feed and water
Feeding miniature goats
The main diet of miniature goats consists of grass and other plant material like tree leaves, some bark and weads. In addition to this you may add a good quality grass hay, like rye, oaten, or pasture. In sever drought or as a treat to keep goats friendly you can feed some grain like equesterain complete and crush barley or oaten chaff. If you want them to gain a lot of weight you can feed larger quantities of crush lupins.
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