Website by Krystle Lain
Helpful Information
New to goats? This page is here to help! Not new to goats? This page can also help!
Click on blue words to go to different places!
Table of Contents:
Water
Goat Vocabulary
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Buck - An intact male goat
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Doe - A female goat
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Wether - A castrated (neutered) male goat
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Bottle baby - A goat kid that is hand raised with a bottle
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Rut - Mating season for goats around fall. Boys become very stinky and rougher than usual.
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FAMACHA Scoring - Identifies anemia in goats and sheep. Uses a five-shade chart that corresponds with the bottom eyelid color of the animal.
Who Makes the Best Pets?
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Wethers - Make EXCELLENT pets! They are braver than does and tend to be friendlier. They do not stink as bad as bucks.
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Bottle babies - Raised by humans, bottle babies are always friendly and love attention, they make great pets.
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Bucks - Although some of our friendliest goats are bucks, they can be rough and very stinky during rut.
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Does - Friendly, but can be more senstive and standoffish than bucks, bottle babies, and wethers.
Who Can Live With Who?
Bucklings are ready to mate starting at just 8 weeks old (2 months). Does should not be bred until they are at least one and a half years old.
Does and bucks should NOT be housed together permanently.
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Goats are also very social herd animals. You CANNOT just buy one goat by themselves. They will get lonely, depressed, and may even die. Dogs, people, and other animals usually cannot be substitutions for another goat. Goats need other goats. Period.
What We Feed
Grain
During the winter months with little to no forage available, we feed grain to our does. We were not happy with pre-mixed goat rations because they were either too expensive or not complete (had to be mixed with other things). This led us to create a custom feed ration that is affordable, has accessible ingredients, and is what they need.
Our current mixture is:
45 lbs cracked corn
50 lbs whole oats
15 lbs alfalfa pellets
27 lbs Natural 36
We mix that day's ration with either vegetable oil or molasses (or a mix of both) to knock down dust and clump the crumbs together that would otherwise be ignored.
This mixture is at 16% crude protein (generally you want feed for does to be in 12-16% range). Ours is on the higher side because we feed grass hay which is lower in protein. If you are feeding a high quality hay (like alfalfa) then you need less crude protein in their grain.
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Bucks and Wethers Regarding Grain
A major concern with keeping bucks and wethers is urinary calculi -- comparable to kidney stones in people. However, unlike humans, male goats' anatomy makes it impossible for them to pass the calculi​, which prevents urinating and breeding and will kill the affected animal if left untreated.
"Urinary Calculi is almost always the result of improper feeding by the producer. A proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in feed, hay and minerals is critical; this ratio should be 2.5 to 1. Although the disease is called Urinary Calculi, the real culprit is phosphorus, specifically too much phosphorus in relation to the amount of calcium in the diet. Feeding too much concentrated feed and/or feeding concentrates with an improper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is a major cause of Urinary Calculi. Overfeeding or improper feeding of concentrates can cause solid particles to develop in the urine and can develop into a blockage of urine, resulting in great pain, discomfort and ultimately death." Michigan State University - "Urinary Calculi in Sheep and Goats"
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Feed can have an additive called Ammonium Chloride that acidifies their urine and helps prevent urinary calculi, but I personally don't trust that it is the fix-all for preventing it.
Currently I do not have a feed mix specific to my bucks/wethers. Instead I significantly limit their grain intake to basically nothing. I've bred for my goats' ability to withstand Missouri's weather, and unless we have insanely cold weather with windchills, I don't feed my bucks grain.
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Hay
Goats should have 24/7 access to hay when forage is not available. Personally we feed a grass hay mixture. Higher quality hay (like alfalfa) is not recommended except for heavily pregnant and lactating does due to its high calcium content. We get by with grass hay for everyone by increasing feed rations for pregnant and lactating does.
Supplements
We give them 24/7 access to loose minerals, baking soda, and additional salt blocks. They will go to it when they need it.
Loose Goat Minerals
Loose goat minerals have what goats might be lacking in their primary diet. It helps with their coat, parasite resistance, and overall health. It's important to get minerals specifically made for goats, as they have different needs than other livestock. Sweetlix Meat Maker Goat Mineral is what we are currently using and we are happy with its results. It is considered a complete mineral and vitamin supplement formulated for meat goats (what fainting goats are).
Baking Soda
Did you know that baking soda is the main ingredient of Pepto-Bismol?
Goats use baking soda the same way we do, to cure stomach aches!
Baking soda helps alleviate bloat that can be caused by overeating and or suddenly switching from hay and food to rich greenery.
Leaving baking soda out for your goats allows them to treat themselves before it gets serious and needs medical treatment.
Salt Blocks
Although the Sweetlix Meat Maker mineral is a complete supplement, I like to give the goats a buffet of minerals to choose from. They are fans of iodine salt blocks and less so of sulphur blocks. This may be overkill, but if they don't need it, they won't lick it.
Water
"Water plays a crucial role in supporting optimal goat health. Inadequate hydration can affect digestion, nutrient absorption, milk production, and the overall well-being and productivity of the herd." Standlee -- "Understanding Goat Dehydration"
2026 has been an experimental year on how to keep water troughs clean (without wasting a lot of water) and increasing water consumption within the herd.
Here is what has worked so far:
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Place minerals and salt blocks close to water troughs
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Replace water weekly and add Stock Tank Defense
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Pressure wash monthly
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For mosquito larvae prevention: I added a water pump that keeps the surface of the water moving. It also has a filter and traps any leaf litter or hair that falls into the tank.
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Hoof Trimming
These two videos are very helpful, going into detail about why hoof trimming is important and showing how to do it.
Genetics and grain consumption are the biggest causes for more frequent hoof trimmings.
CDT
The CDT vaccine protects goats from the over-eating disease (Clostridium perfringens type C and D) and tetanus.
New kids get a CDT shot when they are 6-8 weeks old, and again after 3-4 weeks.
After that, goats get an annual CDT shot.
All goats, even the kids, get 2mls of vaccine.
Parasites
The #1 killer of goats are internal parasites -- specifically barberpole worms. With resistant worms becoming more of a problem, worming alone isn't the solution. Here is was we do to manage internal parasites:
Run a fecal: Go to your local vet's office with a fresh sample of poop from the affected animal. They can "run a fecal" and get information on the specific internal parasite and the amount of them. This will help you treat them.
Treat only when necessary: Some farms still practice worming the whole herd on a set schedule regardless of whether or not the animal needs it. This practice is what has caused drug-resistant internal parasites. We only treat our goats when their FAMACHA and body condition scores warrant it. University of Maryland Extension -- When Should I Deworm My Sheep/Goats?"
Copper Bolus: We give a yearly slow-release copper bolus to all of our goats to help with internal parasites and copper deficiencies. It has been proven to increase the efficiency of dewormers and reduce internal parasite numbers. Mississippi State University -- "Copper Bolus"
We use San Juan Ranch's UltraCruz Copper Bolus
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Here is a link to a credible list of dewormers and their dosages:
FAMACHA Scoring
The FAMACHA Scoring makes it easy to determine if your goat needs to be wormed. By pulling down the lower eyelid and looking at the pinkness, you can calculate if they are anemic.
