Keeping Goats
Feeding and Housing
I first became interested in goats at a young age. We lived on a farm in Northamptonshire and my mother decided to purchase two of these interesting animals.
One was a Saanen - white - her name escapes me at the moment. The other was an Anglo Nubian named Becca.
The goats were handmilked and I remember that one of them hated the noise of the stainless steel bucket. Replacing it with a plastic one ensured that milking time was then much more harmonious.
Fast forward to the present day and I now live with my family in Ireland. We have eleven goats : two Anglo Nubians, two Toggenburgs, one Saanen and the remainder are Nubian crosses.
For the first two years the majority of the goats were kept outside. They had two communal sheds, both with a door that we would close after dark once they had settled in for the night.
Unfortunately the weather in Ireland is not the best, particularly the high level of rainfall. Our goats hate the rain and strong winds - a combination of the two left them huddled in the sheds, reluctant to venture out at all. From the looks on their faces, I knew they blamed us for the weather and expected us to sort it out.
This we did by building a brick shed with individual pens. For the last 6 years, the goats have spent every night in their pens.
After milking in the mornings, they are let out into the field where freshly cut branches await them.
If the rain is falling, or it is extremely windy, they remain in their pens and the branches are brought to them. Admittedly if it is horrendous weather, they have to make do with hay as venturing out to get “browse” when it is “bucketing down” is not my idea of fun.
Often the rain will stop at some point during the day and then I will go out armed with my branch cutters and bring them back some sycamore,ash or some other non-evergreen type of tree branch to keep them happy.
Goats are not efficient grass trimmers. They prefer food higher up in trees. They will gradually destroy hedges either by eating, leaning against them and pushing, or a combination of the two.
Goats will quite happily devour brambles and to watch them carefully pick off a blackberry whilst avoiding the nearby thorns is a wonderful sight to see.
Our goats do not eat growing nettles, but if I cut them and allow them to dry to produce a sort of “nettle hay” they will consume them with pleasure.
Nettles are very nutritious so nettle hay is a healthy addition to their diet.
In Winter, and all year for the milking goats, we feed a dry coarse mix to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they require.
The mix can vary but will usually include maize, rolled oats and molasses.
Hay, and sometimes barley straw is available at all times for the goats to nibble.
Lily, Lucy and Bella in their pens.
April 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I was ploughing through the internet today to see what I can find out about goats, as you do on a Sunday morning! I too moved to Ireland (the ’sunny’ South East)about 2 years ago from London. I have a house on a hill with an acre of land 3/4 of that a field. I so want to keep goats, but would like to make them work for me, so to speak. I eventually want to give up work and work for myself, but more in the goats cheese/milk/food market. Of course the resession is not the best time to do this!!! Unfortunately instead of thinking ‘don’t give up a good job to do this - is is hard work’ it has made me want to do it more - what would you advise?
Also when are you next going to write a piece in your diary - it is really good?
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