feeding goats

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we would start a goat herd. our idea is to use excess milk to feed baby calves and to feed out baby goats to sell as slaughter goats.we have pasture but we use all of it for stock cows so the goats would be kept in a dry lot situation. im trying to find out what it will cost to feed a goat per year and the cost of feed to raise each baby goat to slaughter weight.

-- timothy j. gruber (herbs@computer-concepts.com), March 09, 2002

Answers

It costs me about $200. a year per goat, this is with utilizing the summer pasture, no hay in the summer. If you feed hay all year round, the cost will go up. Using the correct type of feeders will cut down on feed costs considerably. Slaughter weight, well, how big are you talking about? Some people eat them as newborns (yuck), I like to start when they are about two or three months old, no older than 5-6 months.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 09, 2002.

Hi Tim, Depending on your pasture make-up of course, you can run cows and goats together. If the pasture has enough briars, bushes, etc. for the goats, they should not compete with the cows for the grass. It is possible to have two cash crops on the same pasture. I have read cases where people run goats and cows together for the finacial benefits.

-- ken (you@surfbest.net), March 09, 2002.

i'm sorry i did not make myself clear. what i want to know is how much a goat eats in a day.ie... 1# of pellets, 2#hay etc. so i can figure out my feed costs. i also want to know feed rations for a wether.

-- tim gruber (herbs@computer-concepts.com), March 09, 2002.

That depends on so many factors- how big is the doe, is she still growing, is she pregnant, is she milking, how much milk is she giving, etc. The better the milker the more grain she will be eating- to a point, but the more milk you will be getting, too.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 10, 2002.

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