I'm planning on getting 2 goat kids this spring. What is worrying my husband is how much it will cost to feed them, vet bills, etc. Can anyone give me an idea of how much 2 does would eat, and an estimate of medical costs (assuming nothing drastic happens)?

He realizes the cost will be offset by the milk, butter & meat we will be getting, but that will take a while since we're starting with kids.

Thanks for any & all help.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), November 09, 2001

Answers

Response to Getting goats - $ question

Bonnie, it will partly depend on how much of their feed you can grow. If you have good pasture for half the year, you can expect to need half a ton of hay each to get through the winter. You'll have to check local prices of hay to see how much that is going to cost. While they are dry, they need half a pound to a pound of grain each/day, plus salt and minerals, and it doesn't hurt to supplement with sunflower seeds and kelp meal -- these all get used in such small amounts that a bag last quite a while. You'll need to worm them regularly, and trim their hooves. They may need some vaccinations, you'll have to check with local goat breeders or your vet to see what is needed in your area. Don't forget to add in the cost of housing and fencing them. You'll have to do some research on your own to figure your costs, because they vary by region quite a bit.

However, balance the costs with the fact that you will still have milk, even if the grocery stores don't!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 09, 2001.

Response to Getting goats - $ question

In our herd it has cost about $150- $200.00 a year to keep each goat. This dopesn't count the equipment or barns and fences, it does count some medication and wormer, but not heavy vet bills. Our goats are on pasture about half the year and get no hay duruing that time, so that helps. If you feed hay year round the cost will be a bit higher, also the price of hay in your area will be a factor, it varies from year to year. Get registered kids from really good lines, they will pay back your investment in quality, milk production, overall health (if they come from a good breeder), and stock sales. Cheap tock is not cheap in the long run!!!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 09, 2001.

Response to Getting goats - $ question

P.S. For what it's worth, I wouldn't start off with two little kids. You might consider getting either a pregnant doe this fall or a freshened one in the spring that is already milking and has an udder that you can see and evaluate. There are several reasons I say this: Goats are very healthy, but bottle raising kids is something of an art. So far I haven't been good at it. I certainly wouldn't want to start out that way. Then you have also invested a lot of money in the kids before you see their udder, their adult size, or their production. First fresheners also tend to have little teats that are hard to milk, not a nice beginning. An older, mellow doe that is producing well and has an udder you can see should not cost much more than a young kid if you are buying registered stock from a good herd. In fact, the kids often cost more while extra does go for less. Just my 2 cents.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 09, 2001.

Response to Getting goats - $ question

Bonnie, where do you live? The answer to your original question is very dependant on the answer to this one because in cold weather goats eat a lot more. Also, the answer depends on the growing season for hay in your area. My hay this year costs 30% more than it did last year due to a drought we suffered that reduced drastically the amount of decent second cut hay around here. When the demand is high and the supply is low, the price goes up. Such is life. A neighbor of mine has a field that he cuts with his lawn mower and rakes up by hand once a year. It's a small field, but if feeds his goat for the winter. He ends up with fine quality hay, also. I do not have the time for such an endeavor, so I buy hay.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 09, 2001.

I guess this is more complicated than I thought. I live in NE Wash. We don't have any pasture to speak of, mostly trees & brush. The reason I was planning on kids (besides the fact that my daughter loves baby animals) is because we know a couple in the next town over that have a good sized herd. They breed for temperment as well as milk production & usually sell only kids. Their goats are really sweet. When they sell a milking doe it is usually because she has or is a problem. I haven't asked them yet if they would sell a couple of good goats.

What is everyone's opinion on getting a pregnant doe or a doe with a kid?

Thanks for your great answers!

God bless!

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), November 11, 2001.

It sounds like you live not too far from me, I'm in northern Idaho, not far from Spokane. Have you considered going to a herd such as Rckin' CB or Lucky Star? Our area has a lot of really nice La Mancha herds, some of the best in the country! You could buy a very nice doe that just is not up to top show quality, but still productive and quite nice. Make sure to ask any breeder, even important ones, if the doe is CAE positive and whether or not she has been in contact with CAE positive animals.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 11, 2001.

Ditto Rebekah's answer. We could easily help you find goat clubs in your area. You then could find folks with top animals. No matter how good of a breeder you are you are going to have some animals freshen each year with udders you can not show. These are sold as family milkers, some with, some without paperwork. But an animal that is kept until freshening is also going to be fully grown, on CAE prevention and wormed and vaccinated right along with the other does in the same pen who do freshen with lovely udders that are then kept and shown or sold for many hundreds of dollars. Contacting these farms now, and telling them you would not only like a doeling but perhaps her nursing wethered bucks, would be a great start, you could still milk once a day to keep the udder empty, but your daughter would have babies to play with, and a mom to take care of the kids. You will have a little milk to play with, and much more milk (if you choose) as she weans the bucklings and wethers are really the perfect pet.

Bonus number 2 comes when your daughter decides she wants to show, because a bottom animal in a show herd can still beat some folks top animal :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 11, 2001.