Denim Deb
More Precious than Rubies
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OK, didn't know if he went out and chopped down a cedar tree or what. I'm sure you could also do something similar w/cedar shaving.
Damummis'- Auf wiedersehen
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Damummis
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I am officially FREEKING!!!!!
I have animals coming and I have nothing ready and it is POURING out!!! DH is converting HIS garage into the barn, what a man. Right now it has car parts in it that all need to find new homes. A lot of it he has listed on CL, but CL is dead at the moment. I know it will get done but I am getting nervous.
What do I need? I have a brain cloud this morning and can't think.
I have.....
Big black rubber tub for water
one blue grain holder that hangs on wall/fence (dump find)
Raising dairy goat book
What do you all use for bedding? Grain?? Utter wash and all that stuff?????
HELP!!!!
I have animals coming and I have nothing ready and it is POURING out!!! DH is converting HIS garage into the barn, what a man. Right now it has car parts in it that all need to find new homes. A lot of it he has listed on CL, but CL is dead at the moment. I know it will get done but I am getting nervous.
What do I need? I have a brain cloud this morning and can't think.
I have.....
Big black rubber tub for water
one blue grain holder that hangs on wall/fence (dump find)
Raising dairy goat book
What do you all use for bedding? Grain?? Utter wash and all that stuff?????
HELP!!!!
Javamama
Almost Self-Reliant
I have to go back and ready your goat details because I can't remember them at the moment...so here's a quick answer.
Bedding - straw and wasted hay
Feed- hay only unless they are milking and then they get a few cups of purina goat chow (it's in a pink, yes I said pink bag) on the milkstand (probably want to make sure feed is not medicated if you are drinking the milk)
Udder wash (so you must be getting one in milk
) - I use baby wipes, but you can use a drop of dish soap in warm water or there are lots of other personal preferences
I milk into a 1 cup pyrex measuring cup that I dump into a larger one that has a metal coffee filter sitting in it. This results in no wasted milk because they can't put their foot in something I am holding as I milk. I'm a beginner and it works for me.
Collars so I can walk them to and from the milk stand, but I take them off when I'm not with them because i worry about them hanging themselves.
You mentioned tiny pieces of stuff in the barn? (I haven't had coffee yet, so I'm not processing well, forgive me) Make sure they can't get to them because they might eat them. Never know what a goat will decide is food.
I'll be back, keep asking questions...
Bedding - straw and wasted hay
Feed- hay only unless they are milking and then they get a few cups of purina goat chow (it's in a pink, yes I said pink bag) on the milkstand (probably want to make sure feed is not medicated if you are drinking the milk)
Udder wash (so you must be getting one in milk
) - I use baby wipes, but you can use a drop of dish soap in warm water or there are lots of other personal preferencesI milk into a 1 cup pyrex measuring cup that I dump into a larger one that has a metal coffee filter sitting in it. This results in no wasted milk because they can't put their foot in something I am holding as I milk. I'm a beginner and it works for me.
Collars so I can walk them to and from the milk stand, but I take them off when I'm not with them because i worry about them hanging themselves.
You mentioned tiny pieces of stuff in the barn? (I haven't had coffee yet, so I'm not processing well, forgive me) Make sure they can't get to them because they might eat them. Never know what a goat will decide is food.
I'll be back, keep asking questions...
lorihadams
Always doing laundry
Are they in milk already? Ask the people you are getting them from what they are eating and see if they will give you a big ziploc bag with 2-3 days worth of feed in it. That will buy you some time to get a bag of feed.
Make sure you have some hay. You can use straw for bedding....they will waste some of their hay and if you put the hay feeder in their bedding area then it will just add to it.
Do you have a dog crate to transfer them in? We are going to move ours in our trailer and close it in with some cattle panels I think.
You should ask Aly (Quail Antwerp) she has brought home all sorts of animals in her van....even a calf. Throw down a tarp and let it roll....but make sure to roll the windows down to air it out later
Make sure you have some hay. You can use straw for bedding....they will waste some of their hay and if you put the hay feeder in their bedding area then it will just add to it.
Do you have a dog crate to transfer them in? We are going to move ours in our trailer and close it in with some cattle panels I think.
You should ask Aly (Quail Antwerp) she has brought home all sorts of animals in her van....even a calf. Throw down a tarp and let it roll....but make sure to roll the windows down to air it out later
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Damummis
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Yes, they are in milk. They are going to be delivered. The "barn" will be clean.
Keep the advise coming.
Keep the advise coming.
Javamama
Almost Self-Reliant
transport - we put collars and leashes on ours and tied them in the back of the van - took out the back seat. We put down a tarp just in case - and they did pee and poo. They loved looking out the windows.
glenolam
Lovin' The Homestead
I agree with lori's suggestion about feed. If the previous owner can give you a few day's worth of grain that would be optimal. If you switch over to whatever kind of grain you can get they may get scours. It's not a big deal, but gradually switching them over to a feed you can get is much eaiser on their system.
Also, keep in mind they may scour regardless of if you keep their feed exactly the same or not. Transporting and a new home cause a lot of stress for goats so give them a few days to get used to you and their new surroundings. If they do get scours and they don't clear up within 2 or 3 days it might be useful to get a scour treatment in them. Some goats do fine and don't get the runs at all and others get so stressed they loose weight (my very first doe did this - scared the crap out of me!)
I use 16% Dumor goat grain that I get from Tractor Supply. I mix 1 50# bag of that with approximately 25# alfalfa hay (about 1/2 a 50# bag) and about 12# of calf manna (about 1/4 of a 50# bag). The alfalfa is great for lactating does if the hay you give them does not have a lot of alfalfa and the calf manna will help their condition.
Jav is right - hay should be left out free choice unless you want to attempt reducing the hay waste, which IMO is a waste of time. You'll have to watch them and give them more hay each time the feeder is empty if you want to try reducing waste, but they'll still end up wasting some anyway.
Some use pine shavings as bedding, but others say you should not use pine shavings if there are goat kids in the area. The kids might chew a peice of shaving and get it stuck in their throat or rumen and cause some serious issues.
I actually just use the hay they pull down as their bedding. By the time I've gotten to the hay they've dropped on the ground they've soiled on it, so it's just easier to pick it up and spread it around than to get it cleaned off and put back into the feeder.
I built their hay feeder from this site. This feeder is awesome and I ended up cutting it in half lengthwise and screwing it to the wall of their barn.
You might want to get CD&T vaccinations and a dewormer to have on hand. Do you know their vaccination history or if they ever required a dewormer?
Also, keep in mind they may scour regardless of if you keep their feed exactly the same or not. Transporting and a new home cause a lot of stress for goats so give them a few days to get used to you and their new surroundings. If they do get scours and they don't clear up within 2 or 3 days it might be useful to get a scour treatment in them. Some goats do fine and don't get the runs at all and others get so stressed they loose weight (my very first doe did this - scared the crap out of me!)
I use 16% Dumor goat grain that I get from Tractor Supply. I mix 1 50# bag of that with approximately 25# alfalfa hay (about 1/2 a 50# bag) and about 12# of calf manna (about 1/4 of a 50# bag). The alfalfa is great for lactating does if the hay you give them does not have a lot of alfalfa and the calf manna will help their condition.
Jav is right - hay should be left out free choice unless you want to attempt reducing the hay waste, which IMO is a waste of time. You'll have to watch them and give them more hay each time the feeder is empty if you want to try reducing waste, but they'll still end up wasting some anyway.
Some use pine shavings as bedding, but others say you should not use pine shavings if there are goat kids in the area. The kids might chew a peice of shaving and get it stuck in their throat or rumen and cause some serious issues.
I actually just use the hay they pull down as their bedding. By the time I've gotten to the hay they've dropped on the ground they've soiled on it, so it's just easier to pick it up and spread it around than to get it cleaned off and put back into the feeder.
I built their hay feeder from this site. This feeder is awesome and I ended up cutting it in half lengthwise and screwing it to the wall of their barn.
You might want to get CD&T vaccinations and a dewormer to have on hand. Do you know their vaccination history or if they ever required a dewormer?
Javamama
Almost Self-Reliant
OK, so no transport needed, but I had fun posting that photo 
You'll need hoof trimmers eventually. Hopefully they have been trimmed recently. Mine need it about every 4 weeks, give or take a week.
Most people keep a tube of Probios on hand in case of scours or rumen upset. Baking soda too. Minerals for goats. That will depend on what's available in your area. Some people use blocks, some use loose. I use loose minerals - Sweetlix brand.
Glen - I like your feed mix recipe, I may try that. I started using soaked alfalfa cubes yesterday to slow them down on the grain and it helped alot!
You'll need hoof trimmers eventually. Hopefully they have been trimmed recently. Mine need it about every 4 weeks, give or take a week.
Most people keep a tube of Probios on hand in case of scours or rumen upset. Baking soda too. Minerals for goats. That will depend on what's available in your area. Some people use blocks, some use loose. I use loose minerals - Sweetlix brand.
Glen - I like your feed mix recipe, I may try that. I started using soaked alfalfa cubes yesterday to slow them down on the grain and it helped alot!
glenolam
Lovin' The Homestead
Geez...as I was typing I was trying to figure out where I should start in on the minerals and probios and stuff and just plum forgot!
I buy loose 'Goat Mineral' from Tractor supply. I think it's made by Manna Pro Products but I've never really looked at the bag. It's the only loose minerals my TSC sells. I usually sprinkle a little minterals in the trough feeder shortly before grain time and they will lick a little out, then at grain time I just pour the grain right on top of the minerals and it's all gone by the time they're done.
I keep the powdered probios on hand and sprinkle a little on top of the grain (called top dressing) every few weeks or when the weather gets really damp/nasty.
I don't ever really give baking soda unless someone seems to have a nasty stomach ache or is having cud issues. You can leave it out free choice if you'd like for the first few days - with the added stress they may eat it all up knowing they need it.
I buy loose 'Goat Mineral' from Tractor supply. I think it's made by Manna Pro Products but I've never really looked at the bag. It's the only loose minerals my TSC sells. I usually sprinkle a little minterals in the trough feeder shortly before grain time and they will lick a little out, then at grain time I just pour the grain right on top of the minerals and it's all gone by the time they're done.
I keep the powdered probios on hand and sprinkle a little on top of the grain (called top dressing) every few weeks or when the weather gets really damp/nasty.
I don't ever really give baking soda unless someone seems to have a nasty stomach ache or is having cud issues. You can leave it out free choice if you'd like for the first few days - with the added stress they may eat it all up knowing they need it.
lorihadams
Always doing laundry
I'm gonna use a feeder that has two sections for minerals and baking soda and do it free choice.
You may want to have some molasses on hand if you don't have any nutri drench....that could help if they need a pick me up.
Do you guys use alfalfa pellets? I was thinking of that as well as some beet pulp pellets mixed in with the feed rations for mine. I have to check with the breeder to see what they are eating before they come home. :/
You may want to have some molasses on hand if you don't have any nutri drench....that could help if they need a pick me up.
Do you guys use alfalfa pellets? I was thinking of that as well as some beet pulp pellets mixed in with the feed rations for mine. I have to check with the breeder to see what they are eating before they come home. :/
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