We are buying a goat....

[brother chris]

Okay, now that we have our farm set up, we need some animals to accent the property. <br />I think a goat is good to buy. They will eat all my grass out on the acreage.<br />We were thinking of getting a cow or a pig, but are still undecided. We might get one of each, just need some input about farm animals. <br />I'm sure there are some of you out there who have had a farm before. <br />What would be the best farm animal? <br />And of course we are going to eat the animal when they are good and fat. <br />What are the downfalls of owning a goat, cow or pig?

 

[jsfinn]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Brother Chris - this is i*B*oats, not i*G*oats!! <br /><br />A buddy of mine has 2 horses but he boards 4 or 5 others. It pays for his mortgage and the care of his horses.

 

[neumanns]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Long time ago I was told, " if ya don't have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" This will conclude the goat portion of the conversation.<br /><br />The upside of cows and pigs are they are rather tasty. The downside...can't think of any.<br /><br />You will find hogs eat anything including most table scraps and fatten up fast. Some people will pry tell ya they stink...Like there's don't!<br /><br />When it comes to mowing the property I think you would find sheep do a better job, they can be ready for butcher after the summer so ya don't have to winter them and I would rather eat lamb anyday over cabritto (spanish for goat).

 

[brother chris]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Okay, I realized that some of you would cringe to the sound of eating goat, but where I am at, there is no aligator eatin(like Florida) nor raccoon gizzards frying up in a pan. <br />Anyhoo...so what you are saying is that I can get a sheep and by winter the bad boy is ready for the frying pan?(and my grass will be eaten as well?) Nice. <br />As for horses....I might just run that by my buds and see what they say about it. I have friends who own horses, they are alot of work, morning and night.

 

[JB]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Goats a fairly tasty, too, Neumanns.<br /><br />The best thing about them, though, is that they don't smell nearly as bad as monkeys. Worse than anything else, but not as bad as monkeys.<br /><br />Pigs I like. They are smarter than other livestock and are always trying to become family pets. They will also eat absolutely anything and turn it into pork.<br /><br />Cows. What can you say about a critter that makes you a fat young steer every year. All those great steaks and all that chili meat. Yum! Of course they can be pretty ornery and they are too big to swat.

 

[Homerr]

Re: We are buying a goat....

I've had some goats for a while now, and I've decided to start breeding purebred fainter's.<br /><br />My daughter is getting into 4H next year in school, so I think this will be fun for her, as well as make a little money on the side. Purebred fainter's make some decent cash if you work at it. <br /><br />I just picked up a nice purebred (papered) buck last weekend. I can't wait to see the babies!<br />If they are half as cute as he is... look out!<br /><br />Goats are fun as all get-out if they are friendly. I've been fortunate enough to have the type that think they aren't goats... They think they are human! Very funny creatures, and fun to mess with.<br /><br />Oh and.. they eat every weed in site... as well as your prize roses <br /><br />If you're wanting just a weed-eater, get the biggest breed (Nubian I think)... They'll eat everything in site. And if it's a male, make sure he's been "cut"... <br /><br />Some males that haven't been cut can be real smelly, nasty, and mean. Of course their behavior has a lot to do with how they were raised. I have two males that have been cut, and they are the friendliest goats I've ever seen.<br />They come right up to you like your dog would... wanting to play etc...<br /><br />I had pigs years ago. They are probably the easiest and most profitable to raise (from a 4H standpoint)<br /><br />Had cows too... They were a pain in the arse and then some. Could have been the breed. <br /><br /><br />H.

 

[brother chris]

Re: We are buying a goat....

I did not know that goats stink.

 

[neumanns]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Common fellows, I didn't cringe or say they wernt tasty. What I said was I would rather eat lamb than cabrito. Cabritto are young goat and I have eaten more than few. They are cooked on a spit in the front of the resturant's and fine table fair. I was just stating my preferances.<br /><br />The part about not having nice things to say was more aimed at my disdain for them as a living creature, put them on a platter and I'll head the line up...Provided thare is no lambchop line.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: We are buying a goat....

No Chickens???..... Ya can't have a farm without Chickens, right???....<br /><br />Gotta have Eggs.. Ya know, fer the Bacon & Eggs....<br /><br />

Long time ago I was told, " if ya don't have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" This will conclude the goat portion of the conversation.<br />

LMAO @ Neumanns..

 

[carrotsnapper]

Re: We are buying a goat....

much as I hate cats, they do keep the mice population down. around a farm, I reckon I'd have one. Back in my younger days working on the potato farms I always liked to see rabbits running around. I used to chase them with hay forks. I never got one but got my big toe once (ouch). I didn't ever tell my folks till much later and they told me about lock-jaw. Sounds like work. Mark

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: We are buying a goat....

We have a hobby farm that we raise horses on. A few of them we ride but they all breed to help pay their upkeep. We have 2 goats tha are 4H projects. The nubians are good goats but we have full blood boers. Yes goats will eat grass, but they will eat every shrub/tree/vine around first. I have moved mine into our backyard to clean the fence row, excellant job. Both are male, one is cut and the other is not. MAKE SURE TO GET YOURS CUT!!!!!!!!!! Goats do stink something terrible if not cut. If you get it while its real young it will be your freind for life, almost like a dog. One of ours is that way, unfortunely not the one thats going to the show. The show goat is as mean and honery as they come. A plus about a goat is it interacts digestive wise with a cow. What a cow wont eat a goat will and vice-versa. If pressed they will compete for food but you have to have a real small area (like a 50X50 pen) before that would be a problem. Lets move on to pigs. Pigs do not stink. Pigs are clean animals if you let them be. A pigs is a great animal but I have never seen a pet pig like wilbur was. Chickens- Fairly easy to maintain. A little feed and a little scratch and your good. Raise them for the eggs though. You can buy a chicken already processed for what a live chicken will cost. Cows are very high in price right now. Lots of stuff dealing with cows are just not economically feasible for a super small operation. I wont eat my horses till WWIII starts and everything else is gone so I'll leave them alone. Anymore questions?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: We are buying a goat....

I was just thinking about something else. You need a mesh style fence for a goat/pig/lamb. Barbwire will not hold one in.

 

[roscoe]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Gotta get a few peacocks. Around here they sell for about $45 each.

 

[brother chris]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Well, we had a cat, but it disappeared a couple weeks ago. Probably a coyote got her. We are going to get 2 or 3 more cats. We have 2 dogs now. <br />And we had a chicken coup, but is where my trailer is now. We hooked up a rope around the entire chicken coup and hooked it up to my 4x4 and tore it down. Now I have a cement pad where I keep my travel trailer on. <br />So no chickens, I am not into building a coup which I just tore down. <br />We have a mesh style fence already. The farm was previously used for raising chickens, and the horses were out back on the acreage. <br /><br />kennith Brown: What kind of goat should I get? I am not into showing a goat at a fair or anything like that. All I want it for is to eat my grass and then I eat it later on. <br />And how big should a pig pen be? Same goes for a goat area. <br />I have around 3-4 acres of fenced land out back, with a couple good sized pens(probably 40'x100'). <br />And how much would it cost to raise a cow for a year?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Basiclly any type of nubian/boar goat will work well for you. I prefer the boars because they are excellant meat goats. Your pens sound like a great size. I would get 3-4 goats and rotate them around in the pens. Move them every month and the will keep it looking good without stomping the ground down. I honestly don't know about a cow. I have always been in the country but never had cows. I did have a calf for about 2 months but grew tired of it and sold it. I do know that if you have animals you have to do your own vet work. It costs way too much to take them to the vet for everything they have to have. Two of my horses came down with a cold. To take them to the vet for 3 days in a row would run me about $30 in gas plus 2 hours each day. The vet would only charge me about $20 each day but I was looking at $90 minimum, olus I had to consider I had 4 other horses that MIGHT get sick. A small bottle of Pen Aquaous (penicillian for horses) and a syringe with 15 extra needles came out to $17. There is enough in that bottle that I could doctor all of them for 4 days each if needed. Just about any animal that you get you will have to doctor in one way or another. To pay someone else to do all of it is just not cost effective. Serious issues I will take to the vet but most of it I do myself. A good start for you is to go to your local Tractor Supply or even better is the local feedstore. Tell them what you are interested in doing and they will be able to help you a great deal. You will learn that you NEED them along this journey. Animals are a lot of fun, they are also a lot of work. Start out with something small and try it out. Rabbits are also a good animal. It doesn't take much to raise them and the initial cost is low. Rabbits do have to have special conditions to breed but when you hit it right, boy howdy, so do they!

 

[RPJS]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Anything but SHEEP.<br />Far to high maintanance.<br />Pigs are a good choice, easy to look after & good eating (nothing tastes as good as your own sausage & dry cured bacon). Get a few free range chickens to scratch around the yard, they compliment the bacon and sausage so well.<br />Remember any animal is a 24/7 job, looking after them will be hard work but the rewards are better than anything money can buy.<br />Best of luck

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: We are buying a goat....

I can understand ya getting a goat,"Spring" is just around the corner,with the grass turnining green and growing!!!<br /><br />I may get me a goat, when the wife no longer can cut the grass!!!!<br /><br />Does a goat cost less then a lawn mower and the upkeep of a wife?????????

 

[rudeafrican]

Re: We are buying a goat....

The boer goats that Kenneth B refers to originates from South Africa. They are fairly "low maintenance" animals and their meat is very tasty, very close to lamb.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: We are buying a goat....

Brother Chris, your setup sounds awesome. How can I convince my wife to sell the house and move to the country?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: We are buying a goat....

my daughter had a fainting goat, grew into the biggest goat I ever saw but was a taad mentally deficiant. followed her everywhere. neighbors got a kick out of it. anywhere she rode the horse the lab and the goat followed.got the goat as a companion animal for the horse and daughter. had it about 6 years and gave it away when daughter moved. still have the beast though.<br /> she is the prettiest yard dog I ever owned and rarely keeps me up barking at nutria rats. one day I may learn to ride, I have mastered poop scooping though . for those that need barn caats, I have a few that I may have to get rid of. theye are tamed ferral cats, not lap cats like my others but tamed, hard on the mice population though. all are fixed and can be handled if done carefully.