2. Why keep goats?
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lower milk production per animal: 3- 6 litres/day
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milk is easier to digest for some people
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smaller animal = easier care and handling
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browsers and grazers eat a wide variety of feed
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good at clearing brush from land
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contributes valuable manure to a small farm
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they happily eat leftover veggies like carrot tops
and market returned kale
3.
4.
5. Breeds of Goats
Dairy:
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Alpine, Toggenburg, Sanaan - Swiss breeds
produce higher milk yields with lower fat
Nubian - African breed produces lower milk
yields and higher fat - good for cheese. Can be
dual purpose.
Meat:
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Boer - doubled muscled South African breed
Kiko - from New Zealand feral goats, very hardy
mothers and meaty kids
10. Housing
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shelter from the elements - goats hate rain
safe from predators especially during kidding
season
indestructable - goats climb on things, chew on
things and can hurt themselves in the process
be able to create separate spaces for things like
quarentine, kidding, housing the breeding buck
and creep feeding kids
11.
12. Fencing
Very important! Goats will go over, under and
through inadequate fences.
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Fence #1: strong barrier such as page wire or
boards
Fence #2: deterant to climbing the barrier =
electric wire
With goats, good fences definitely make good
neighbors
13.
14. Feeding
Goats are ruminants = 4 stomachs = chew cud
= converts plant fibre indigestible to humans
into meat and milk
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a healthy rumen houses a large and diverse
community of microbes that consume plant fibre
and release nutrients to the animal
a healthy rumen means a healthy animal
a healthy animal requires less chemical
intervention in the form of anthelmintics
(chemical wormers) and drugs like antibiotics
15. Rule #1: Feed the Rumen
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hay, grass, weeds, browse (branches, leaves
and bark of trees and bushes) will keep the
rumen healthy
concentrates = grain and legumes - keep to a
minimum and whole grains are better than
ground
ruminants make their own high quality protein in
the rumen so don't need supplements
concentrates will increase growth and
production to a point but at a cost - find the
balance and use them wisely
16.
17.
18. Health Maintenance
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high forage diet, including access to pasture
with diverse plant species, and careful use of
concentrates for production
access to clean water at all times
access to salt and goat minerals (BioAg) at all
times
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regular hoof trimming
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good milking hygiene to avoid mastitis
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keep pasture and barn free of hazards to avoid
injury
vaccines?
19. Internal Parasite Management
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goats tend to have fewer parasite problems than sheep
grazing animals will always carry a certain parasite load, your
job is to prevent it from affecting their health and production
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rotational grazing is very helpful
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rotate with poultry or let them range with goats
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feed hay in the morning then let them out to graze once dew
has lifted
early kidding means kids are larger by the time they are on
pasture and better able to handle parasites
herbal wormers: mix of red clover, thyme, oregano, pumpkin
seed, garlic, hyssop and wormwood (artemisia absinthium)
chemical wormers when necessary and after fecal testing
21. Principles
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goats are seasonal breeders and usually
seasonal milkers
some goats will milk for 2-3 years without
having to be bred
you can milk once or twice/day
keep kids on the does and you can milk only
when you want to
good hygiene is important for goat health and
milk quality
22. Good Milk Quality
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keep all containers clean
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wash and dry udder before milking
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strip out the first few squirts of milk, check for
abnormalities and discard (feed to cat!)
milk the udder out completely and handle the
udder carefully (squeeze, don't pull the teats!)
dip the teats in a teat dip solution after milking
if she doesn't have a kid with her, make sure
you milk her on a regular schedule
23. Milk Quality cont'd
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if she is milking a kid, make sure you still
monitor the udder and that both sides are being
milked evenly
filter milk through a proper filter (single use)
before storing in clean glass or stainless steel
containers
cool milk as soon after milking as possible and
store cold (coldest part of fridge)
keep track of milk in the cooler so oldest milk is
used first
after 5 days, unpasteurized milk will start to turn
so try to use it up before then
25. Cheeses - easiest to hardest
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ricotta and paneer
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mozarella
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chevre
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feta
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crottin
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gouda
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blue castello, fourme d'ambert
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cheddar, brie, camembert, gorgonzola
26. Costs
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Milking doe - $150 - $450 (grade - registered
purebred)
50 - 60 bales first cut hay/goat/year @ $1.50$2.50/bale
25 bales second cut hay/goat/year @ $3.00$3.50/bale
200 kg oats/goat/year @ $0.43/kg
other = milking supplies, feed for kids, minerals,
vet, breeding costs
27. Costs cont'd
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equipment = milking stand, fencing, building,
milk equipment, hoof trimmers, disbudding iron,
feed buckets, heated water bucket = $500 and
up
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cheese making equipment
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butchering fees
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your time = 180-200 hours/year not including
cheese-making or butchering
28. References
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Natural Goat Care - Pat Coleby, Acres USA
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Living with Worms - Anne Macey, COG
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Fiasco Farm - www.fiascofarm.com
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GoatKeeper magazine - www.goatkeeper.ca
