How to Choose a Healthy Goat

Learn how to examine the udders, check the teeth and estimate the age of a goat to be sure you choose a healthy animal to raise.

By Sue Weaver
June 2, 2011

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“The Backyard Goat” is the perfect resource for anyone interested in raising goats. This book is a complete guide to goat ownership, with instructions and advice on how to choose, train, milk, shear and breed your own backyard goat. 

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The following is an excerpt from The Backyard Goat by Sue Weaver (Storey Publishing, 2011). This book is an introductory guide to keeping productive pet goats, especially for those who want to raise livestock in their backyard. This excerpt is from Chapter 2, “Getting Your Goat.” 
No matter what type of goats you need, buy healthy ones; don’t make the same mistakes we've made in choosing goats of poor health and form. Consult the images in the Image Gallery for traits that should and shouldn’t be present in the goats you’d like to buy. In particular, you’ll want to consider the prospective goats’ udder and teat conformation, as well as mouth structure. 

Soft Udders and Two Teats 

Dairy does should obviously have good udders, but meat and fiber breeds should, too. Kids can’t nurse from the sort of badly deformed teats often seen in Boer goats or from udders that sag so low they nearly brush the ground.
Examine a doe’s udder before you buy her. It should be globular, soft, pliable and free of lumps. It should have good “attachments” (the ligaments that attach her udder to her body) that hold the udder up high and tight to her body. She should have two normal, shapely teats with no spurs or outgrowths — unless she’s a Boer or Savanna; these breeds generally have four teats. Both sides of the udder should be the same size and both teats the same size or almost so.
When choosing a doeling who hasn’t built her udder yet (it develops when she gives birth to her first kids), examine her mother’s udder and her father’s teats; this will give you a preview of what’s to come.
Yes, her father’s teats. Males have rudimentary teats in front of their scrotum (or where their scrotum used to be). It’s important to check a buck’s teats before buying his daughters or when choosing a mate for your doe. He should have the correct number of teats for his breed, and they shouldn’t be misshapen. 

A Normal Mouth 

A goat’s lower teeth should be flush with her upper dental pad when her mouth is closed. If her lower teeth extend beyond the dental pad, she is “sow-mouthed” or “monkey-mouthed”; this is fairly common in Roman-nosed (arch-faced) breeds such as Boers and Nubians, and it’s severely penalized in the show ring.
If her dental pad extends beyond her lower teeth, she is “parrot-mouthed.” This is severely penalized as well. And worse, badly parrot-mouthed or sow-mouthed goats have problems browsing and grazing. They tend to lose weight on pasture and need hay and possibly grain to survive.
Both sow-mouth and parrot-mouth conditions are hereditary and should be avoided, especially in young goats, as both of them worsen with age.

Other Factors to Consider 

Most goats are healthy, but you’ll want to make sure your goats have been tested for the major diseases: caprine arthritic encephalitis (CAE), caseous lymphadenitis (CL), and Johne’s disease. Also, you’ll want to choose individual goats based on your particular needs, taking the following factors into consideration.

Age 

If you’re looking for pets, working wethers, or a companion for your horse or pony, think about starting with kids. Kids bond with the humans who raise them and the type of animals they find in their environment. However, take extra care with kids. Build separate quarters in your horse’s stall until the little guys are big enough not to be stepped on, and give packgoat and harness kids time to grow up before putting them to work.
Harness goats shouldn’t be driven and packgoats shouldn’t carry weight until they’re at least 2 years old. If you’re eager to pack or drive right now, choose a more mature goat.
Dairy doelings are fun to raise but not so much fun to train to the milk stand. Also, first-fresheners (does who have recently given birth to their first kids) give less milk than older does and have teeny, hard-to-milk teats. If you haven’t milked before, you’re much better off with a seasoned adult.
In Angora-type goats (Angoras, Pygoras, and Nigoras), the younger the better, as fiber coarsens with age. You don’t want old goats if you need fine fiber for spinning, though their fleece is excellent for making dolls’ wigs and Santa beards.
How old is old? It depends. Most does and wethers live 12 to 14 years; some live much longer. Does should, however, be retired from kidding when they’re about 10 years old, as kidding problems increase with age.

Sex 

If you don’t breed goats, you probably won’t want a buck.
If you milk, obviously you need does. And while harness goats and packgoats are traditionally wethers, if you have a doe and don’t breed her, she can be a working goat, too. Some packers take low-production dairy does in milk out on the trail to provide fresh milk for meals. If you plan to do this, choose a doe with a small, well-attached udder, not one with an easily injured, floppy udder and dangly teats.
Wethers make the best all-around goats because they aren’t preoccupied with kids, heat cycles or rut. Unless you plan to milk or breed, think wethers.

Suitability 

Choose goats that can do the job you have in mind. For instance, Myotonic goats (unless they rarely faint) and Nigerian Dwarves don’t make good backcountry packgoats. But be objective when choosing. If you don’t need a lot of milk, non–dairy breed does may provide all you need; some Spanish and Boer goats produce almost as much cashmere as bona fide Cashmere goats; and if you day-pack on fairly level terrain, a Pygmy goat can carry your sandwiches.
To learn more about evaluating goats, ask the organization that registers your breed of choice for a copy of its breed standard. Have fun goat shopping!
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/choose-a-healthy-goat-ze0z11zkon.aspx?PageId=2#ArticleContent 

Getting Goats 101 – Everything you Need to Know to get Started (for Dagny, lol)

Think you’re seeing more goats lately? Well, it’s not your imagination. After chickens, goats are the fastest growing livestock animal in the US today. They’re increasingly popular on small farms and homesteads because they’re easy to care for and so useful. Goats don’t require pastures, are easily handled and housed, and can provide meat, milk, fiber, fertilizer, and brush control. Goat milk and meat are preferred over cow in most of the world, and folks in the US are starting to catch on in a big way.

Goat breeds are divided into three types: meat, dairy, and fiber – with several breeds readily available in the US within each type (see goat breed chart). Any of the breeds can be used for both meat and milk, but they’re classified according to their main usage. The meat breeds are taller and stockier, the dairy breeds lighter and more refined, and the fiber breeds typically fall somewhere in between. There’s also one breed within each type that’s considered miniature (the Pygmy, Pygora, and Nigerian Dwarf), and that can be kept in suburban settings (if local zoning allows it) because of their small size.

Choosing a breed
Choosing a breed comes down to what you want the goats for — will it be primarily for milk, meat or fiber? What breeds are available in your area, the cost, and breed size?

If milk or meat consumption is a primary goal, then tasting that breed’s milk or meat is important. Taste can vary substantially from breed to breed.
If fiber is the goal, then it is important to make sure the breed you are interested in produces the right fiber.

Next, it should be determined whether purebred goats are desired; it is easier to sell their offspring, but if they will just be used for meat or farm milk, it may not make sense to invest in purebreds.

Finally, you will want to make sure the breed is readily available within travelling distance, is in your price range, and fits your size constraints.  The miniature breeds are increasingly popular because they often cost less, fit in small spaces, and are very easy to handle (like a medium size dog).

Once you have chosen a breed, it’s best to visit several reputable breeders, look over their goats, check out the housing arrangements, ask lots of questions, and make sure you will be happy with the support they’re willing to supply. Information and experienced veterinarians for goats can still be hard to find, so having a willing “mentor” can be invaluable.  There are also several serious goat diseases that should be avoided, and reputable breeders will be willing to show evidence that their herds are free from these diseases.  It’s a good idea to avoid goats from auctions, as they may bring hidden problems or diseases with them.

Housing for goats

Housing for goats ideally includes a barn with room for the goats and their kids, water, feed storage, lights, and a separate area to milk in (if you’re going to be milking).
However, all that is absolutely required is a shelter that will keep them dry and out of the wind. Goats do need protection from predators such as coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, and stray dog packs; so housing them in a barn often makes sense. It’s also much more comfortable for humans and kids (baby goats), particularly during kidding season and while milking. Goats need a minimum of 10’ to 15’ square feet of protected space per goat, if they also have access to outside space.
Goats prefer wooded browse to pastures (they prefer to reach up to eat rather than down like sheep or cattle), and will happily eat things we consider nuisances like poison ivy and brambles. In addition to browse, they need good hay, goat minerals, water, and grain (when pregnant or milking). If an area for browsing can’t be provided, goats will do fine on hay alone for roughage. Besides food and water, they generally require regular hoof trimming, a couple of semi-annual vaccinations, and worming to prevent internal parasite infestations.

Fencing for goats
Fencing for goats is a very important, as they tend to be escape experts.
There are many fencing options available, but woven wire fencing that’s at least four feet tall and supported by sturdy wooden posts is highly recommended. Welded wire fencing should be avoided because the goats will rub and stand on the fencing causing the welds to break. Many owners combine woven wire fencing with electric strands at the top and bottom (on the outside). The electric at the top keeps the goats off the fence and the electric at the bottom helps keep predators out. Woven wire spacing of 2” x 4” rather than 4” x 6” is recommended if horned goats or miniature breeds are being fenced (so the horns don’t get caught as readily and the miniatures can’t slip through).

Goats are social animals, a herd should start with at least two.

And since goats multiply quickly (usually producing at least two or three kids per year), a herd can build quickly starting with just a few does (mature female goats). Many start their herds with two or three doelings (baby does), and build from there. Male goats (bucks) are very smelly during the mating season, and many goat owners choose not to keep any if there are good quality bucks in the area that can service their does. If a buck is kept, it should generally be penned separately from the does, and also needs a companion (another buck or wether (castrated buck)). Bucks are housed separately from does so that the buck smell does not affect the milk, and so that it’s known when the does have been bred.

For those interested in meat goats, many people find that goat meat (chevon) is easier to digest than beef or pork, and it’s low in fat (see Table 2), making it an excellent meat source for small farms and homesteads. In addition, the markets for meat goats include those for goat meat, show goats (4-H or FFA), breeding stock, and pack goats. Today, the meat goat industry is the fastest growing livestock industry in the US, primarily because there is so much ethnic demand for goat meat. For delicious milk, it’s important to buy does from good milking bloodlines since milk production, butterfat, and protein content can vary widely even within breeds. Milk production and butterfat content also vary widely from breed to breed, and higher butterfat content milk is generally preferred for drinking (see Table 3). Excess milk can be made into yogurt, cheese, and butter for home use; but selling goat milk or milk products from the farm can be difficult. Many states prohibit the sale of raw milk, or it’s against the law to sell milk unless you’re a licensed “Grade A” dairy. However, excess milk can often be sold as “baby” food for breeders (to feed to puppies, kittens, etc.) and some owners sell “goat shares” so that others can obtain raw goat milk. When planning to market goat milk, it’s best to check the rules in each state carefully and proceed cautiously. There are; however, ready markets for dairy goat milk soap, breeding stock, and show goats.

Homesteads with fiber goats can process the fiber into roving, yarn, batts, and knitted products for extra farm income. In addition, the market for fiber goats is growing so there’s also good demand for breeding stock and kids.

Beside all the practical reasons for keeping them, goats are typically gentle creatures that are just plain fun to have around. They are very social, and if handled regularly from birth, form loving bonds with humans. And, there is no place happier than the goat barn during kidding season – goat kids are irresistibly cute and just add joy to life!
http://www.fromscratchmag.com/getting-goats-101/

Harvesting Game for Sustainable living after SHTF, the big myth

Like several of the wolf pack readers, I am an avid hunter. The wife and myself usually harvest 4-6 deer a year to fill our pantry with canned venison, and our 2 freezers. We also hunt and trap a wide assortment of small game such as rabbit, quail, raccoon an squirrels along with turkeys. Over the past 20 years, we have come to depend on this as a large part of our diet, along with our homegrown garden that we double and triple crop most of the year.

We raise cattle and chicken, ducks and turkey, using the cattle as a cash crop we do not eat, and eating the eggs and select poultry also. We pick and can/freeze/dry blackberries, raspberries, cherries, apples and pears here on our farm. Our weekly grocery bill is between $20-25, mostly for staples, due to our frugality and hard work. This leaves a lot more money in the budget for other needs, and prepping also! We both work a full-time job, but becoming more self-sufficient has become one of our main hobbies last few years.

Often in various discussions on other blogs, and locally I hear folks saying the extent of prepping is to raise a garden and shoot deer, fish and hunt and such and all will be well. Folks, they are in for a big surprise for several reasons. First of all, gardening for sustenance full on is a huge effort, most folks today don’t have a clue as to the labor or just the know how . As for the bringing in the wild game by the truckload, you can forget that. Every person out there has the same idea, and like game was here in the turn of the century, early 1900′s till about 1960′s, it was nearly all wiped out by people hunting to eat, and to survive!

Add to that the we have a huge influx of predators, coyotes, bears and bobcat populations have soared the last 5 years here in KY, that they would also have an effect on the wildlife population. Most of the big game, and small game would be gone within 1-2 years tops. Huge populations will soon be without access to meat, and what small amount of wildlife remains, would move away from populated areas. Also, after a social meltdown, there would be not government officers to protect wildlife, and all species would be hunted all year-long, without rest and a chance to reproduce. Their would be not protection of fish, and wholesale netting, gigging of all fish species would happen, you can bet on that.

What could you do, we ask ourselves then? I would lean towards raising animals for consumption that don’t take a lot of specialized feed. I am in the process of gearing up for goats, and possibly hogs’  have had extensive experience with them growing up on the farm here. Goats will thrive on plants that your cattle wont touch, along with the grasses that cattle love. My cattle could be replaced with several goats making a small herd, that would provide meat on an ongoing basis. Hogs are the same, and can be fenced into wooded areas to forage and clean out the under growth. Scraps from your garden and table can be fed to both species, any animal waste to the pork.

Goats will eat pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe rinds with relish as will hogs. Any greenery not eaten from your garden plants will make great high protein food for these two species. Also, goats and young hogs are easily slaughtered and butchered, and you can render the fat into lard from hogs for cooking, and to help in storing canned meats if needed. Goats also give a rich milk for drinking, and making yogurt or cheese, both made very simply, and that would go a long way to vary and enrich your daily diet. Well, this is some food for thought for you folks, I am daily adapting more and more of my life-style to the prepping mindset and taking action. I thought I would pass this on, maybe to jog your conscience into reality.

by Sam K

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/harvesting-game-for-sustainable-living-after-shtf-the-big-myth/