Your goats need the majority of their diet to be natural forage from brush, woody plants, hay, tree bark and more. Most likely, the fiber they eat does not provide them with all the nutrients they need to maintain perfect health. It will probably be necessary to supplement their diet with a coarse grain such as goat feed, corn, or another good grain product.
If you feed your goats a diet that is almost all grain, they will develop kidney problems that can be fatal. They may also develop a bloated stomach or gain too much weight. A goat should have a balanced diet containing between 75% and 80% of its dietary intake from plants that provide natural fodder.
You may have heard that a goat can eat anything, or that a goat will eat anything. This is not true. Many natural plants can make your animal seriously ill or, in some cases, cause the animal to die prematurely. Plants that will make your goats sick.
• hemlock
• Wild cherry
• Azalea
• Black walnut
• Rhododendron
• Sheep’s Laurel and Mountain Laurel
• Juniper
• ponderosa pine
• Yes
• Mesquite pods
Keep plenty of fresh water available for your animals at all times. The amount of water they will need will vary depending on the moisture content of the food they are eating. In the winter months, if you live in an area where temperatures drop below freezing for long periods of time, you’ll want to get a submersible heater to put in the water bowl so the animals’ water doesn’t freeze.
The shelter is a must for your animals. They need a dry place where they can shelter from the rain and where they can sleep without getting dew on them. Their shelter should provide them with a way to escape the cold winds that blow in the winter and provide security from natural predators.
Most goat owners place a thick layer of straw or hay inside their shelters so that their animals have adequate protection from the cold and damp ground. You can put a wooden floor in your shelter if you wish.
A large dog house is also a good shelter alternative for a goat. The animal will go inside the structure and will also climb on the structure. Many owners purchase the small igloo dog houses and place them inside their enclosure so that their small animals can enter them.
You will have to learn how to trim the hooves of your goats. You can put stones or cinder blocks in the pen with the animal to help it maintain its hooves naturally, but every once in a while you need to put bugs in its hooves and trim off the excess.
good fencing
You must install fencing that the animal cannot get through and cannot lift to get under. Goats are notorious for sticking their heads through the fence and often have their horns dangled on the fence.
You need strong fences with secure gates to contain these animals. They will often push against the fence as if they are scratching their sides into the fence, so it is very important to have the fencing material properly secured to the fence posts.
Signs that your goat is sick
No matter how well you take care of your animals, there will be times when they will get sick. The best way to determine if you have a sick animal is to pay attention to its normal behaviors. Then, when one of the animals starts acting differently than he normally does, he’ll quickly tell the difference.
Some signs of disease in goats are:
• When they don’t ruminate
• When they refuse to get up
• When they are not eating like they normally do
• When your poop is solid or liquid instead of granules like it should be
• Walking and crying more than usual
• stop drinking
• They begin to grind their teeth
• have a limp
• They are amazing
• Their udders are warm to the touch
• are coughing
• Your eyelids or gums are beer-colored
• Have a runny nose
These animals have big personalities and will entertain you for hours. They will help keep the property free of brush and weeds, and the young will bring a fair price when you sell them. Caring for animals isn’t really hard to do, and the rewards outweigh any trouble caring presents.
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