What I Wish I Would Have Known Before Owning Goats Episode 3 of 10

[@davidjohanson8964]

Yeah, Marc, so many things to watch for. We dam raise our kids, seems like a little less work, but got blindsided by a parasite infestation after they were weaned in the little bucky pen. Little guy had bottle jaw by the time I noticed, called the vet, and we saved the other two. Had a first time mama with a single, biggest newborn I had ever seen, he was strong looked like he was nursing fine, but she had a mastitis going on, I didn't catch it, little guy couldn't get enough, and I lost him. Hard lessons learned, so I watch a lot closer now.

[@lauriefleet3573]

Thank you for doing this series. I look forward to each episode. Are there specific minerals that they need or just an all purpose blend?

[@PackGoatscom]

@@lauriefleet3573 you always wanna make sure you’re feeding loose mineral that stays out of the weather and isn’t a poop collector. Goat specific mineral by Purina has a tendency to be my favorite as a general guess but mineral is area specific and you might need to try a few different blends to see what works best in your area.

[@mr.redacted2489]

I have sheep cohabitating with my goats. Do you think I should have open mineral? I know sheep can be sensitive to copper, would they be at risk of eating the mineral and getting sick?

[@bonniehyden962]

You're talking a lot about hay. Im in East Texas. At present, I'm allowing all day foraging on my property for 3, 6-9 mth old goats, with evening feeding of goat pellets. For other livestock, my husband (recently deceased) only fed hay in winter. What are your thoughts on this feeding habit? Im going to start setting aside money to take your courses. I'm not sure exactly what i want to do with my goats. But I want to take good care of them whilst I'm making up my mind.

[@carlafisher7976]

I thought I'd done my research before getting my nigerian dwarf buck and another small mix, they said he was a savanns/? Mix, but who knows. First of all, bought them both at trade days, don't ever do that. Secondly, i knew nothing about urinary calculi in goats, both were bucks. I had their pen all set up, feeders/ feed bought, minerals, baking soda...fell in love with them instantly. 2-3 weeks in, the mix goat was acting a little off. Started researching, decided it was urinary calculi, very serious, started trying to find a vet, bc apparently not all vets treat all animals, was calling around 3 states, took me 2 days to find one. He was only about an hour away. Rushed my baby down there, he agreed, after x-rays, that it was urinary calculi, kept him. Doctored him for 3 days and tells me he's gonna need surgery bc he was filled with calculi, i mean packed. He did the surgery. He wasn't getting any better, long story short i lost him. My heart was broken. Said he most likely was impacted when purchased, i just didn't know. 😢 he also said, in his opinion, goats should only ever be fed hay, and as you said, grass hay not straight alfalfa, maybe a little goat feed now and then as a treat, but very little. The vet was truly amazing, couldn't ask for better service. I still am heart broken and carry the guilt of his loss. My other baby, Gimli, has been on straight hay since then, plus dry loose minerals and baking soda, he's over a year old now and is thriving. I hate that he is alone and in hindsight wish i had gotten 2 does, but....hard lesson learned. He gets tons of attention, but is starting to develope a habit of wanting to butt, I'm sure he just wants to play, but this needs dealt with, the garden hose works, if i pick it up he immediately stops, however it isn't always handy so i figure I'm going to have to flip him. I think it may only take 2-3 times, he's pretty smart lol. Really just wanted to say i appreciate your videos and the knowledge you share, wish I'd found you sooner.

[@PackGoatscom]

@@carlafisher7976 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@dirtrider4291]

I have a 50/50 mix of alfalfa grass hay. Is there anything wrong with letting my weathers have that partial dose of alfalfa on a routine basis?

[@PackGoatscom]

@@dirtrider4291 you need to send a sample in of the Hay you’re feeding and make sure your calcium levels fall in the proper ratios of 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 calcium to phosphorus or he will build stones. Search “urinary calculi explained” on my channel and you will learn all you need to know about that subject.