Goat farming questions

Grandpa's favorite goat story: Billy goat kept climbing the gate where there was no electric lines. He wasnt getting out, just wearing down the gate. One morning Grandpa was at the kitchen table and seen the goat climbing the gate and told me to shoot him in the belly with my bb gun. !0 year old me pumped it up a half dozen times, stepped out on the porch and took careful aim at his belly about 100 ft away. Dead on left to right but the bb dropped about a foot an a half right in the low hanging fruit. They swang back like a church bell, the goat screamed and danced on his back legs and then his front legs and back to his back legs until he was in the middle of the pasture for the rest of the day. He never climbed the gate again

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

I just about blew beer out my nose!
 
My wife and I raise our own chickens, meat rabbits, and hogs. Plus we both hunt deer, rabbit and squirrel. She buys very little meat at the store. She also cans fruits, vegetables, jams, and jellies out of stuff we raised. We sell the excess eggs from the chickens, and sometimes trade them for what other people have canned. It isn't bad when the weather is nice, but it can be horrible when it is 2 degrees and windy. Everything still needs to eat and drink no matter the weather. Plus animals get accustomed to being fed at a certain time, so we either have to be home or make arrangements to have someone else do it. Vacations are hard to do sometimes as well because we always need to know "Who is going to feed?" From a financial standpoint, it is break even at best, and probably a loss. We do it because we enjoy it, and like the idea of knowing where our food comes from, but it is a commitment.
 
As you may have suspected, I DO have some experience with goats! :laughing: Once, in the early 80's, I actually worked at a place and during the general low brow chit chatter of the various other paycheck-to-paycheck punchclocks, one of my co-workers axed if anybody wanted a free goat...We were very poor at the time, so anything 'free' piqued my interest...It was a nanny goat, white, weighed about 50lbs, had a pair of 6" horns attached to its head, square pupils in its eyes......

Well, it was a dangerous 50 mile drive home in my Plymouth Volare Station wagon with that goat bouncing around all over the place! Yelling and screaming like a backseat full of kids, peeing and crappping, and trying to stab me in the head with her clown stickers! Sorta like what a Chicago cab driver or a soccer Mom has to put up with I imagine.

Yes, goats are amazing! They will eat anything and keep your yard nice an tidy as if you had a lawn service Co. there daily! For free! I let our goat range and roam at will unfenced undisciplined, and heres what I noticed...

They do like to climb, and my goat preferred the high vantage point of any parked car in my yard, so that was also a benefit that discouraged riffraff from staying too long...like peddlers, meter readers, nosy neighbors, uninvited folks that want to tell me about Jesus, visiting inlaws, etc...

Anybody that rolled up into my place, and Zip! before they even had a chance to get out of their vehicle, They had a goat stomping around on top of their car taking a big dump right on the hood!...So that was good..

In retrospect of my time with a goat, doing an honest +/- assessment...The +'s for having a goat around win!.....cant say this about Mrs Mud, and I doubt she would judge me in favor either!...goats cant cook and I hate yard work..:laughing:

addendum: an actual Northern MN Grey Wolf ate my goat!.. there wasnt a damn thing left! Not even the horns or the hooves! Evidently goats are quite succulent as well..
 
We had a goat that would say HEEELLLLLOOOOO and it sounded just like someone in the distance yelling hello. Grandpa got a kick out of watching people pull up and head to the goat barn thinking it was Grandpa calling. Some would make it all the way to the barn before they realized they were talking to a goat.
A friend about 5 miles away borrowed a billy goat to clean up some overgrown hog pens. The little 8 year old neighbor girl would pet and play with Billy and give him treats, after a month he brought the goat back. Next day the goat was 5 mile down the road at the little girls house. Grandpa went and got him and the next day hes down the road again and Grandpa picked him up again. The next morning when the goat was visiting once again Grandpa went and talked the parents into letting her keep the goat.
 
Perfect timing for this thread. I just bought a house on 2 acres that is completely overgrown. It has very good thick grass though.
Couple of questions- do goats have to be put inside at night, to protect them from predators?(Florida- coyotes, bobcats) I was also told that I should get two goats, not one. Is there a basis for this other than the goat having a playmate? Do I have to feed them or can they thrive on just grazing? It seems like a win/win. Goats are a lot cheaper than a tractor/ bushhog, and they do all the labor. Not to mention their playful nature. The nieces and nephews will love them.
 
I agree about trying to avoid antibiotics and GMO's, I've noticed on the store chicken we buy it says "no antibiotics ever" as well as "no added hormones or steroids", (I just looked at the label again to see how it read) so there are stores that sell that kind.
Is before, or after that chicken was sent to China for processing? :no:
 
Is before, or after that chicken was sent to China for processing? :no:

I could see that happening maybe for processing some canned chicken or frozen chicken nuggets, but I can't imagine they could send chickens all the way to China just to cut up and freeze and send back :?:

I was referring to actual whole bone-in chicken pieces (still raw but frozen), not canned chicken or processed frozen chicken nuggets in a box.
 
I could see that happening maybe for processing some canned chicken or frozen chicken nuggets, but I can't imagine they could send chickens all the way to China just to cut up and freeze and send back :?:

I was referring to actual whole bone-in chicken pieces (still raw but frozen), not canned chicken or processed frozen chicken nuggets in a box.
Yep, whole, bone-in chicken. The USDA approved the shipment and processing of raw chicken to China several years ago. The raw processed chicken is then sent back to the US for consumption, just like is done for seafood. Packages for retail do not have to be labeled as such. Economically, the savings in labor costs are great.
 
Yep, whole, bone-in chicken. The USDA approved the shipment and processing of raw chicken to China several years ago. The raw processed chicken is then sent back to the US for consumption, just like is done for seafood. Packages for retail do not have to be labeled as such. Economically, the savings in labor costs are great.

Send a whole chicken all the way to China just to have it cut up into whole bone-in chicken pieces which might take a worker here about a minute or less per chicken ?

Wow, I would think the shipping cost there and back would wipe out the savings in labor cost.

I just checked my chicken package and it does say "Product of USA".
 
Send a whole chicken all the way to China just to have it cut up into whole bone-in chicken pieces which might take a worker here about a minute or less per chicken ?

Wow, I would think the shipping cost there and back would wipe out the savings in labor cost.

I just checked my chicken package and it does say "Product of USA".
The labor over there is about $1/hr compared to about $12 here, quite a difference. “Product of USA” would still be correct, packaging is not required to have “Processed in China” on the label, either way. I don’t agree with any of it.
 
Did Mud get another goat ?

Looks like having a goat could come in handy when on a detecting hunt to carry your finds pouch ! :laughing:
Muds_detecting_goat.jpg
 
Had a friend who had a Billy. Went out to feed him one evening and the Billy decided it was time for a fight. My friend bent over to move the food dish and the ram hit him in the head full force. My friend does not know how long he was unconscious. But he woke up with blood everywhere and a head ache that lasted for days. The goat got given to a guy. I think the guy killed and ate the pet goat.
 
How many goats can you raise on 1 acre?

I would recommend checking with your city hall on this one. By my understanding, the number of animals you are permitted to raise per acre varies by city. For instance, my family raises guineafowl, and we're enabled by our city ordinance to have 10 per acre; however, if we wanted to raise horses, we would be allowed only one horse per acre. Of course, you can "mix and match" animals - i.e. in my city, a person with 3 acres of land could raise 10 guineas as well as 10 chickens and one horse, if they so chose. :yes: Other factors exist, such as whether or not domestic animals are included in the "per acre" restrictions (something to check into if you have a dog).

I hope this info is helpful to you & your wife! If you decide to invest in goats, have fun in your endeavor. :grin:
 
My wife and I raise our own chickens, meat rabbits, and hogs. Plus we both hunt deer, rabbit and squirrel. She buys very little meat at the store. She also cans fruits, vegetables, jams, and jellies out of stuff we raised. We sell the excess eggs from the chickens, and sometimes trade them for what other people have canned. It isn't bad when the weather is nice, but it can be horrible when it is 2 degrees and windy. Everything still needs to eat and drink no matter the weather. Plus animals get accustomed to being fed at a certain time, so we either have to be home or make arrangements to have someone else do it. Vacations are hard to do sometimes as well because we always need to know "Who is going to feed?" From a financial standpoint, it is break even at best, and probably a loss. We do it because we enjoy it, and like the idea of knowing where our food comes from, but it is a commitment.

Everything you said down to the syllable...with one exception. Here in Maine we've had -64 F tho most often not THAT bad. We ALWAYS heat the henhouse nights and when real bad 24-7...using a halogen flood bulb. Cheaper than the heat lamps less dangerous and way more durable. BTW....NEVER EVER use the bulbs marked "ROUGH SERVICE"...they are coated with a silicone film, which...when heated gives off odorless fumes which kills birds flat out.
 
When I was last at my friend's farm we hooked up a boombox and played eye of the tiger while two goats were rocking away on the see-saw, not gonna lie it was pretty epic. I recommend that you should all do the same.:cool:
 
Perfect timing for this thread. I just bought a house on 2 acres that is completely overgrown. It has very good thick grass though.
Couple of questions- do goats have to be put inside at night, to protect them from predators?(Florida- coyotes, bobcats) I was also told that I should get two goats, not one. Is there a basis for this other than the goat having a playmate? Do I have to feed them or can they thrive on just grazing? It seems like a win/win. Goats are a lot cheaper than a tractor/ bushhog, and they do all the labor. Not to mention their playful nature. The nieces and nephews will love them.
We never put ours up except when they were having babies.
Adult goats do a pretty good job defending themselves against predators, except maybe wolves. Most times the neighbors dog is a bigger threat. Goats are a herd animal and do better in a group than alone, not only for a playmate but for defense. 3 or 4 would be better than 2, but with goats it's more the pounds of goat per acre than number of goats that a pasture can support. An acre of good pasture can support 2 or 3 medium size goats without supplemental feeding. They can be raised on just forage, but with a little supplemental feeding you can make sure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.
 
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