Hello! This is our Sales/Reservation Policy
It is highly recommended that EVERY word is read BEFORE making a deposit on any goat. When purchasing a goat from Bierbaum's Totes Ma Dairy Goats you are agreeing to all the terms in this policy.
First time goat owners, this is a HUGE responsibility and commitment. At the bottom of this page I will be adding some links to information that should be read before adopting any goat, even if it's not from us.
For outside links, I am not affiliated with these pages in any way. It's just information that I have found helpful. The links are subject to change as I find different/more sites more informational so bookmark them.
You'll find that the goat community is divided on many things, even what to feed your goat! I'm only putting information that I have found valuable since we started breeding in 2018.
This is by far NOT all the information you need. I learn something new about goats every year. You will too.
As with any information, please take it with a grain of salt. Do your research and consider what will work best for you and your new family member.
Also, think about what makes sense. The best approach to the care of an animal is logical and scientific. The emotional connection is separate though we know it's there!
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Please be sure to print the agreement at the time you put down your deposit. I do make updates to this agreement periodically and you will want the version that you agreed to.
The Reservation/Sales Agreement
Our goal is to find wonderful homes for our goats and for you to be happy with your goat purchase. We do everything we can to produce healthy, high quality goats for pets, breeding stock, high producing milkers and show animals. These are not un-cared for backyard animals.
Goats are herd animals and need to be with other goats. We will not sell a single goat to a home that does not already have goats. If this is your first goat purchase, you must purchase more than one or have proof of plans to purchase from another seller/breeder. This is in the best interest of the quality of life for the goat.
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If making a reservation for a kid from a breeding where they are not yet born, this is free. No deposit is required. I will put you on my list (first come first serve). You will get the first opportunity to put a deposit down on a specific baby once the kids are born. Or second, third, etc. in order of the waiting list.
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1. Deposit: We require a non-refundable deposit of $50 on any animal we have for sale once they are born. We will not hold a kid without a deposit paid.
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2. Payment: We accept cash, Venmo, Cash App or Zelle. If you want to use a credit card for the deposit, you can do so here. It is only the deposit. We don't accept credit cards because of the huge fees they charge the business owner. This is also why we do not accept PayPal. We're a small farm with a small business. Charges like this add up for us.
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3. Pickup: Animals must be picked up by the agreed-upon date. If animals are not picked up within seven (7) days of the agreed-upon date and other arrangements have not been made, the animal(s) will be offered to the next interested party and you will forfeit the deposit.
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4. Refunds: All sales are final. A refund will be granted if an animal becomes seriously ill or dies prior to the pick-up date. All animals will be healthy upon leaving our property to the best of our knowledge.
We cannot be responsible for an animal once it leaves our property.
We recommend getting a thermometer and finding a vet in your area that is familiar with goats before taking the goat home.
The stress of travel on kids and leaving home can make them sick, most commonly with pneumonia or a coccidia bloom. We use Temecula Creek Equine as our vet.
In baby goats, if they show ANY signs of distress, diarrhea, etc. DON'T WAIT! They can go down hill quickly. Marcella is available time if you have questions, even after purchasing the goat and taking it home. If you are unsure AT ALL please contact her and she will help/advise to the best of her ability.
We reserve the right to cancel any sale for any reason.
If purchasing a goat for show you are responsible for inspecting the goat before removing it from the property for any abnormalities. If you do not notice something before taking it home then we cannot be expected to have noticed it either and we will not be held liable for something we are not aware of. We will not knowingly sell a goat for show with any abnormalities but we do not offer any guarantees.
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5. Registration: If you think you may show your doeling/buckling, or if you just want them to be registered, for an additional fee we will register your goat with the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) or the Mini Dairy Goat Association (MDGA) and give you the information/paperwork needed to transfer the registration to yourself.
You do not have to be a member of the organizations to register a goat. However, the cost is discounted if you are a member.
Please provide us with your doeling/buckling name at the time the deposit is made so that his/her official name will be on the registration papers if they have not already been registered. Otherwise the goat will have the name that we have chosen.
All registered goat names will include the farm name in addition to the name you choose. This is common practice for breeders. There is a 30 character limit that includes our farm name "Bierbaum's" This uses 11 characters so the rest of the name, including spaces needs to be 19 characters or less.
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6. Bucklings: Unless otherwise stated/requested IN TIME, bucklings will be castrated (wethered) and will not be registered. Wethers will be castrated before going to new homes. You have to make a deposit early if you want an intact buckling, before they are 12 weeks old. They are neutered between 12 and 16 weeks usually.
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7. This page will be printed and signed when you arrive to pick up your purchased goat/kid to show that you have read the terms, agree to these terms and have knowledge of our sales policy or you can save as a PDF, sign it and email it to us at totesmadairygoats@gmail.com
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I recommend printing a copy for yourself because I do update the policy occasionally. If you print a copy now you will have the specific information that you've agreed to.
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Printed Name
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Phone Number
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email
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Address
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Signature & Date
Hopefully some useful information
If you have a Facebook account it is highly recommended that you join an emergency goat vet group. I belong to two of them. I have learned a LOT from these groups. Things come up that you would never consider and they have files on hand that will be helpful.
I belong to Goat Vet Corner â„ -- Only Veterinarians Comment and GOAT EMERGENCY TEAM but there are many other groups out there that can be useful.
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In the first group, only actual goat vets comment. If something I have said conflicts with what a vet says, go with the vet. They have more training/experience than I do.
Links - Not affiliate links
I do not represent the entities in the links and they do not represent me. This is just information that I think is helpful.
Dewormer Chart for Goats - Includes withdrawal times
ADGA - American Dairy Goat Association
MDGA - Mini Dairy Goat Association
AGS - American Goat Society
Products I recommend
This entire section is a work in progress. Please know that I am working on it daily to organize it in a way that makes sense. It's only published so I can get feedback from specific people
Some of these might be affiliate links but I only recommend products that I've actually used and like.
No this isn't just a boring list. I do explain WHY I like or dislike these products with stories behind some of them because I've found a person can be told to do something but not understand how important it is until they understand the WHY. Or they will forget the advice but if they know the WHY then they are more likely to remember.
Please note, I am not a vet. I do not have any formal training or education. I've taught myself through books, blogs, vlogs, Facebook Groups as well as trial and error. With a lot of error. I learned how to milk my goats by watching YouTube.
I do not have generations of goat herders behind me or a grandma sharing decades of advice. I have the same resources that you do. Books and the internet.
Do not take my word as gospel. I encourage you to do your own research and ALWAYS listen to your vet. When in doubt, take your animal to the vet.
So, WHY do I take the time to do this? Because believe me, this website takes a TON of time and work.
It's because I genuinely care.
Talk to anyone new to goats that has bought a goat from me. I have and will spend HOURS with them in person, on the phone, through email or text helping to educate them the best that I can as long as they are not wasting my time (there are trolls who do this unfortunately. I have to watch out for scammers in the goat world. It's crazy).
These goats are my PASSION. The expense and time vs. the return I get on these goats is not profitable. It doesn't pay any of my bills. It barely pays for itself. It took years for it to even do that much. I can afford to do this because my husband and I both work and have guaranteed income. I do this because I love it and I love sharing my excitement and fascination with other people. I love sharing it with you.
General Animal Care/First Aid/Tattoos
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Goat go bag - you will want to keep a kit together with essential supplies in case you need them in a hurry. I have an every day type one and my goats in labor one. Any bag will work. I'm sure there are cheaper options but this is what I use.
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Rectal thermometer - A MUST HAVE.
If you don't buy anything else, buy this.
Normal goat temps should be between 101.5 and 103.5. Anything outside of this should immediately be investigated. Especially in babies. If they have a lower temp than 101.5 get them warm IMMEDIATELY. When babies start to show signs of illness they go downhill quickly. DO NOT WAIT. Call your vet.
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Gauze bandage - good for your goat go bag. Obviously you can get this almost anywhere. This is just a reminder to have some.
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Spray bandage - good when disbudding kids or for open wounds that need to be covered to protect against dirt, bacteria, flies, etc. in a hard to bandage area. Or if the goat keeps eating their bandage.
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70% alcohol for wounds or to sterilize materials like tattoo supplies or scissors to cut umbilical cords, etc. (Why 70% is actually better than 99%)
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Sharp shears - These always come in handy. You never know what might come up. Something will come up.
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CD&T Vaccine - a necessary vaccine that needs to be given yearly to adults.
(Please see the item just below this one for more information)
This article is a good explanation of why the CDT vaccine is important above all others that you could give.
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Syringes with needles - There are a few things you will need these for if you want to avoid the cost of the vet for simple things. CDT vaccine yearly, for pregnant does and new babies.
Vitamin B injections, Ivermectin, etc.
It's easier to give an adult goat a shot then it is to make them drink something that tastes bad. Medicine doesn't usually taste good. Trust me.
If you teach yourself or have someone teach you how to give shots yourself then it is cheaper than going to the vet. By a lot.
Learn the difference between a subcutaneous injection vs. intramuscular. That's important!
What you can do yourself you should do yourself.
Just taking one goat to the vet is $35, without an exam. Just taking a "goat" has a fee.
It's $85 if the vet comes to your property. Again, this is before an exam or any treatment.
It's $18 for them to give the CDT shot at my vet. Yours might charge differently. Especially if you're not in California or are in a more rural area.
With 40 goats at $18/goat a yearly vaccine is $720 just for the shots. With 40 goats, I'm not taking them to the vet. My trailer isn't that big so, $85 on top of the $720 for the vet to come here.
It's almost $1,000 a year just to give my herd a yearly vaccine if I were to use the vet.
This doesn't count the additional shots for babies, they get two shots in the first few weeks. New babies have a $35 goat fee twice (because I will take babies to the vet instead of having the vet comes to us), plus $18/shot is $106. We had 18 babies this year so that's $1,908. Now we're at almost $3,000/year just for a vaccine.
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I am being very open and transparent here. From the sale of baby goats in 2023 I made $5,185.
If I had to pay $3,000 JUST for a yearly vaccine, even with our two jobs I couldn't afford to keep my goats.
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In 2023 I spent $5,000 at tractor supply and over $2,500 for the vet ($1,500 was bio security testing to make sure that I'm maintaining a "clean" herd. I am trying to lessen this expense. I'm going to teach myself how to take blood samples and I will mail the samples to the lab myself. That should cut this expense. This is a necessary expense as I do test my herd yearly. This testing is the responsible thing to do for any breeder.) This doesn't include the things I bought on Amazon (you can see from this page that the list of things I get from Amazon is extensive) or the hay we buy from The big feed store. I am not making a profit. This is NOT a good business model.
What you can do yourself you should do yourself.
If you have one goat it might be worth it to you to go to the vet for everything instead of taking the time to learn but with the number of goats I have, it doesn't make sense for us.
As a side note, this is ALSO why vets should have a farm vs pet fee. I should get a discount when I have 40 animals to visit instead of 1. Not extra charges. Vets in other states do this. In Southern California they don't.
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CDT is $13.99 for 10 doses at Tractor Supply (Times 4 for 40 goats) is $55.96 (not including tax)
It's $30 for a box of 100 needles on Amazon. It takes me about 2-3 hours to wrangle all the goats and give them shots.
$3,000 vs $100 and a couple hours. It just makes sense to take the time to learn how to give shots.
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This also is a small part of why the goats I sell are not $100 goats.
The real and responsible care of a goat takes a big investment of your time and money.
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There are people who sell $100 backyard goats. In general, these are poor quality goats who live poor lives. Likely they are inbred if they don't separate the males from the females and they likely have parasites, which they are not testing for. They probably are not trimming their hooves so the goat will develop leg issues, living in constant pain when they walk. This can lead to hoof rot and other infections that can eventually kill a goat.
This goat will not have a happy life and will die early in addition to the fact that some diseases that we test for can live IN THE GROUND. If you bring one infected goat to your home, it can infect and kill all of the other goats that you have. Then, if you buy more, the disease can still be there in the ground if you house them in the same area.
These sellers will not take the time to help educate you on how to properly care for a goat because they aren't doing it themselves.
Obviously there are times when a $100 goat is a rescue or someone just needs to get rid of it quickly for personal reasons. It might be the only goat they own so they do take care of it. There are exceptions to generalities. I'm sure people will have anecdotal examples to share where this is not the case (especially if you live outside California) BUT, most of the time you get what you pay for.
If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. This is why you SHOULD be able to talk to any breeder, ask questions, visit the goat before purchase if you can and ask for proof of testing.
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Syringes without needles - to administer liquids, vitamins, supplements, milk if a baby won't take a bottle, etc.
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Hair clippers - if you are going to show your goats, you'll need to shave them. There are probably better more professional recommendations out there but this is what we have used and they worked fine. This is one thing I have not researched much yet.
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Kidding (The birthing process for goats)
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Bluelite - I give this, in warm water, to does after they give birth. They get dehydrated and need electrolytes. Also good if a goat is dehydrated for other reasons. It's supposed to taste good. All my goats like it.
Emasculatome - to neuter bucklings using the Burdizzo method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1EptS0zVYc
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Balloon Mouth Expander - to neuter bucklings by banding them.
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There are pros and cons to both methods. I've used both without issues in either method. Some people believe one or the other is more humane. I recommend doing research to see which method works best for you. There are specific reasons why it is good to neuter males and it's usually encouraged.
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Milking
Milk filters - Necessary to filter milk before storing it.
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Glass jars for milk - these jars are less convenient then the ones with pour spouts but the lids on these are better and will not rust. These are also definitely air tight.
Plain old Mason jars work too. Sometimes you can find bunches of them at yard sales. It just depends how much you are milking and what your container needs are. Glass is better than plastic.
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Making Cheese/Yogurt
Apple cider vinegar - I use this to make Queso Fresco/Farmers Cheese
Lemon juice - instead of apple cider vinegar you can use this to make Farmers Cheese. Lately the vinegar has been too much for me personally, so I've just been using the lemon juice. It's just a taste preference.
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Cheese cloth - One option when making cheese
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Soap Making
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Waste of Money
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Parasites
Microscope - I'm teaching myself how to read fecal samples to see if/when it is time to deworm. Parasites happen but you don't want to deworm if you don't have to because you don't want the parasites to become resistant to the dewormers. Even healthy goats can get worms. There are a variety of ways that this can happen. Having the vet send off samples to a lab gets expensive. Just shipping the sample to the lab is $50. That's not even the cost of the test.
To do this yourself is educational but also cheaper in the long run.
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Microscope slides - to view fecal samples with the microscope.
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Insecticide for lice - Unfortunately it happens. Lice are a normal part of the outdoors. They love goat bedding, especially in the winter and spring. Check your goats frequently because if they do get lice and it isn't taken care of, they can become anemic, lose hair, have skin issues, get scabs, have issues with pregnancy and labor, etc. The signs should be obvious fairly quickly if you are monitoring your goats.
Research the different types of lice/mites/parasites because there are specific treatments depending on what type they have.
Baby goats are especially susceptible to parasites, even lice or mites because as babies, they don't have strong immune systems yet.
Keep in mind, this costs money.
After all our years of having goats (since 2018), it finally happened to us. This is the first year I ever had a baby have issues with mites. We went on vacation for 12 days, we had a house sitter and when we got back, the mites had gone to town on this poor baby. She was the runt of the litter, smallest out of 3 kids so her immune system was the weakest.
It cost $507 when I took her to the vet. I sold her for $400. Obviously I care about the well being of my goats over the goal of profit.
After all the tests were run, there was nothing conclusive about what mite it could be. Skin scrapings were done but sometimes the parasites dig so deep you can't get them from a skin scraping. This is common too apparently. In fact, many times you go to the vet and their expensive tests are not conclusive of anything.
In the end, just 1 shot of Ivermectin from the vet cleared her right up. It costs $.30 for the needle and $50 for 50ml of the Ivermectin at tractor supply. She only needed 1ml. Much cheaper than $507 if we had caught it before our vacation or if the house sitter had been paying attention to our goats and told us.
Check your goats on a regular basis.
Don't trust anyone else to be diligent with your goats. They mean more to you then they do to anyone else.
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Ivermectin: Reasons for this are above. It works to deworm and it works on mites.
Feed and supplements
Healthy Coat - a supplement for skin, coat, hooves, etc.
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Vitamin B paste https://amzn.to/48hJbHD
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Blackstrap Molasses - Good for many things; A treat, a boost of energy, helping lethargic kids by rubbing it on their gums, getting them to eat something else. Some breeders feed molasses water to the does after labor.
Some interesting articles on Molasses Here and Here
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Goat Mineral - This is sold at Tractor Supply too but is WAY cheaper on Amazon, especially if you sign up for a subscription.
Mini goats have to have loose mineral and should not be given a salt block. Sweetlix is also a brand that many people recommend.
Goats must have access to minerals at all times. They will self regulate when eating it. In general you don't have to worry about them eating too much.
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Copper bolus - a supplement that goats need. They CAN overdose. Learn the signs of copper deficiency and overdose. You don't want to have to go to the vet and have them check the minerals in your goats if you don't have to. For ONE goat this year I had the vet do a trace mineral panel. It cost $100 for the test and $50 to mail the sample to the lab. Vet bills add up quickly.
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Selenium and Vitamin E - very important for pregnant does, new kids and if you live in a selenium deficient area where the goats main source of food is grazing. Goats can also overdose on this. It had been two years since I gave my goats Selenium and when the vet ran the mineral panel she said that my goat had it in a high range. Not overdose amount but she didn't need any additional supplements of it.
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Feed Container - Very helpful in deterring mice and other pests. Good/handy storage that is water proof.
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Stackable Feed Containers - These containers are smaller and stackable.
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Heavy duty feeders - goats are hard on EVERYTHING. Make sure everything you buy is heavy duty. You can chain these to a fence so the goats don't knock them over. We use them to feed mineral, pellets, baking soda, etc.
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Automatic feeder - I got this for when we have to leave for a day or two and don't want to hire a house sitter. It works well for our chickens too. Make sure it is VERY far out of your goats reach unless you want it broken and for your goats to over eat grain/pellets, which can kill them.
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Misc./Fun Stuff
Collars - cute ones with bells.
Large Lock Box - to keep goat supplies in the barn, garage, etc. Mouse, goat and people proof.
https://amzn.to/3H3bFsH
Water storage - We're on a well, not on city water. If the power goes out we don't have water but your animals must have access to clean water at all times. This is a good long term storage system in case of emergency. Better than having to go to Walmart to buy a TON of water like we had to do the first time our electricity went out in the middle of 100 degree weather.
Be prepared for the safety and health of your animals, even in an emergency.
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"Goats require approximately 1 to 3 gallons of water per day and drink about 4
times more during the day than the night. If the goat is deprived of water, it will loose 1.5% of its
body weight over a 4 day period." - https://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/197793.pdf
Be prepared. This includes making sure you have transportation for your animals and a place to take them, for example, if there is a wild fire.
We had to evacuate the entire farm in 2022 during the Fairview Fire. We didn't have a trailer yet. We used our jeep to transport our goats to a family members house who luckily had a huge backyard with a secure fence and didn't care about their plants being eaten.
We found out EXACTLY how many goats will fit in our Jeep. It took us 3 trips with everyone squished in. Their house was 30 minutes away from us. It took us over 6 hours to evacuate due to the driving time. Thank goodness we have mini goats!
We have a trailer now but if we had been in the direct path of that fire, we wouldn't have been able to save everyone.
The point is, be prepared for an emergency.
Goat ramp - Helps in transporting goats if you don't want to have to pick them up. This helped a LOT when we were evacuating.
Goat collar for training - with prongs - some people like these for difficult to train animals. I have this one but I haven't actually used it. This is for training a goat to a leash for show or just cuse you want to walk your goats on a leash.
Goat collar for training - without prongs - his is for training a goat to a leash for show or just cuse you want to walk your goats
Long disposable gloves - Some things that goats get are Zoonotic. Zoonotic diseases are infections that are spread between people and animals. If you see sores, scabs, lost hair, are helping a doe give birth, etc. gloves are extremely important for the animal's safety as well as your own. It's not often (I think) that goats pass things on to humans but its ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.
Fun baby goat stickers - I use these on my calendar when my does are due to have kids. It's just fun.
Adult goat stickers - I use these for adult goat reminders like yearly CDT shots. Also, it's just fun to have cute goat stickers.
https://amzn.to/3tJJf3W
A common issue with goats, pink eye. This will treat it without having to go to the vet:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/vetericyn-pink-eye-spray
Navel Care, Umbilical Cord Dry-Out Solution for after you cut a babies cord. There is also a spray by the same brand.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/vetericyn-super-7-ultra-navel-care-umbilical-cord-dry-out-solution
nutri drench - very good to have on hand for newborns who seem lethargic. It's in my goat labor kit
https://amzn.to/47nbQdp
udder wipes - sanitation is EXTREMELY important if you are drinking raw goat milk. This starts from the moment you touch the bucket. Wash your hands and the does udder. Keeping a healthy udder is imperative to the health of your animal and the quality/quantity of milk.
https://amzn.to/3RMMFex
goat log book - I would be lost without this. It helps me organize and keep track of vaccines, medicines, birthing, etc. Some people use spread sheets, apps, etc. but for me this is a quick reference, for example, if I'm on the phone with the vet and they need to know the last time I gave supplements, what I gave and the dosage.
https://amzn.to/48I8DpT
automatic feeder battery charger - to go with the automatic feeder
https://amzn.to/3RRHjia
battery - for the automatic feeder
https://amzn.to/3S2N2mh
hydrogen peroxide - can be used to sterilize if you don't have alcohol and obviously for wound treatment. Goats will always find a way. Troublemakers.
https://amzn.to/48jvwQm
hoof clippers - Their hooves must be trimmed regularly. This is imperative for the comfort and health of your goats. You don't want them to get hoof rot or to be in so much pain that they can't walk.
https://amzn.to/3RNevaa
Also useful in keeping health hooves when trimming: or you can just hired a farrier. The last one I used cost $500 to trim 30 some goats. You can pay someone or, take the time to do it yourself cheaper and it's a chance to examine your goat.
Hoof file https://amzn.to/3TJm3NW
extension cables for cameras - we have cameras on our goats for a couple reasons, 1 so we can check on them if we are out of town. 2. to see how in the hell they did what they did or got out of their pen or got in to other trouble, 3. To watch the pregnant does for signs of labor so we can assist if needed
https://amzn.to/4aBjTWN
ac plug adapters - for the cameras
https://amzn.to/48HfEqX
goat treats - only should be given to adult goats, not too many unless you want fat goats. Mine LOVE these. They sell it at Tractor Supply but it's cheaper on Amazon. Not everything is cheaper on Amazon. Definitely price check before buying anything, unless it's an emergency.
https://amzn.to/48ytBb7
wound seal powder - good when trimming hooves. Even when we don't mean to, sometimes we cut too far. Hooves can bleed a LOT even with a tiny cut, this will help stop the bleeding
https://amzn.to/48GEqqT
lot of cheese cloth - it's cheaper to buy it in bulk but how much are you actually going to make? Budget accordingly
https://amzn.to/3RMi6Fy
after 3 years the lids rusted - these were great for a couple years. Easier for my human children to get milk out of since the glass jars can be heavy and awkward. With these, we just open the fridge and get what we need. HOWEVER, if you get this type of jar make sure that it's a rust resistant lid. After 3 years the lids rusted on mine. That's why I bought the other ones even though they are less convenient.
https://amzn.to/3TJ6R3m
solar lights - If you can't get electricity out to your goats, eventually it's going to be dark when you want to milk either at night or in the morning. These are helpful if you don't want extension cords all over the place.
https://amzn.to/48kuweV
mini goat milk pail - it is hard to find a good pail that will fit under mini goats. You also want to make sure there are no seams in the bucket because it is harder to keep clean/sterile. If you are milking bigger goats you will need a bigger pail but this is perfect for mini goats
https://amzn.to/4aEUE5T
thermometer for cheese making - it's a candy thermometer but the temperature is EXTREMELY important when making cheese or yogurt. It must get to boiling to kill any potential bacteria or your product will be bad
https://amzn.to/3S7L704
baby weighing scale - when breeding goats it is extremely important to keep an eye on the babies weight. Babies gain weight extremely fast but also lose it very fast if something is wrong. In the first few weeks they should be gaining weight EVERY day. If they don't, it needs to be investigated. Is mom rejecting? Are there multiples and mom can't produce enough milk for all of them? Is it just weaker so doesn't get the opportunity to drink? Is there something wrong with the baby? This is the best/easiest way to keep an eye on the health of new babies. Also, many medicines depend on the weight of the animal. This will weigh adult goats too.
https://amzn.to/48kuJ1H
sling for the scale to make it easier to weigh the goats. Some people use these slings when trimming hooves too if the goat is particularly difficult
https://amzn.to/3S3tgXO
massage brush - To groom your goat.
https://amzn.to/3NQcwku
personalized collar - we use these on our permanent residents so that if they get out or we have to let them out due to a forest fire, they can be easily identified and have our phone number.
https://amzn.to/3S1ksSq
bath kit - goats, especially boy goats are dirty and gross. Sometimes they need a bath. If it's cold inside sometimes I just bring them inside and use dawn soap but this is also an option.
https://amzn.to/3tNYbhs
livestock shampoo if you don't want to use dawn soap
https://amzn.to/3H0KDm1
camping sink - goats are dirty. especially when giving birth. This has come in handy to have by the goat pens instead of trying to open the front door without getting gunk on it.
https://amzn.to/3vjeyTM
chevre - this culture can be used if you want to make traditional goat cheese. It's a step up from the extremely easy farmer's cheese but isn't hard.
https://amzn.to/3S2Ort3
yogurt glasses - extras that we needed in a good single serving size that we just put in the fridge
https://amzn.to/3H5BB7d
goat hobble - this didn't work for me. I have it but the Nigerians can get out of it. It's only needed if you have issues with a goat that kicks or hasn't been trained to a milking stand yet. For us, we haven't had many difficult milkers. If we do, David helps but as long as you put food out for them while milking, most of them don't care what you're doing.
https://amzn.to/3TN6vZI
goat cameras - important for us but not everyone. This was a good system that was easy to set up
https://amzn.to/3NKQXle
helps when milking at night - sometimes you need a lot of light to see what's going on. This is what we use.
https://amzn.to/48gutRp
dehorner - I have this but I just can't make myself use it. Research this. I may have to try it because the vet now charges me $175 to disbudd one goat! It's just not cost effective. If you are showing dairy goats, they cannot have horns. There are MANY pros and cons to disbudding goats. It has to be done when they are 1-3 weeks old. Do your research on this one. You don't want to boil their baby brains in their skulls or burn so deep that you've put a hole straight through their skull!
https://amzn.to/3NQFZL3
Funnel filter - Helpful to filter milk of particles like hair and dust
Book - I bought these before I got my first 2 little doelings. It has good information for a basic foundation
Cheese making book - if you want to experiment with higher level cheeses. I don't have the temp control or time for a lot of these but it's a good book.
Milking pail - Another good milking pail for minis. I have both.
Candy thermometer - I have both. I'm always losing one so I have backups.
Kid colostrum - in case there is an issue during labor and the baby cannot get it's mothers colostrum or the mom isn't producing it. Only to be used if needed.
Iodine teat dip - another way to clean the teats
For tube feeding?
Teat dip cup - If you're not using wipes then this helps. I graduated to wipes but whatever works for you
Book - Another good resource. It should NOT be your only resource
Naval spray - there is the other option if this is out of stock
Ice cube tray - these are silicone trays that are way easier to get frozen milk out of. There are many reasons why you want to keep frozen milk. 1. So you have it on hand in case other does are not in milk and a baby can't get milk from it's mom for any reason. I've used it for kids whose dams rejected them. Way better than replacement or cows milk.
2. If you want to make soap. Once you start researching you'll know why it's better frozen plus this is an easier way to monitor the amount of milk that you're adding when it's in smaller cubes. Once I freeze the milk I use a food saver to vacuum seal the cubes so they last longer in the freezer.
Soap making book - What it says but there are many good goat milk soap making groups on Facebook
Betadine - in your goat first aid kit
Whitening shampoo - to make your white goats pretty
Bucket scrubbers - It is very important that goats always have access to fresh, clean water. Standing water grows algae. These are good to help clean the water buckets. We clean ours twice a week.
Yogurt/cheese strainer - if you don't want to use cheese cloth this is great and reusable. I've graduated to this. Can also be used to make greek yogurt.
Yogurt strainer - for a specific yogurt maker. Does the same as the one above but better for batches of yogurt since they are smaller
Zinc supplement - the only time I have experienced mineral deficiency in a goat she was a little low on zinc after the vet ran mineral tests. The signs were flaking skin and hair loss. It just took a couple weeks with this supplement and she was much better.
Goat ball - we have one. My human children were really excited to get it. The goats didn't show any interest at all.
Fly traps - you WILL have flies in the summer. The goats and you will be more comfortable with these. These work very well but you have to check them and empty them when they fill up, then add more stinky stuff. Should ONLY be used outdoors.
Bucket lid - in case you have 5 gallon buckets and don't want to spend the money on other types of containers
Teat wipes - another option to be clean
Tattoo ink - if you are registering your goats you will have to tattoo them. Green ink shown up better on dark colored goats instead of the black ink
Vitamin b paste
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XL Dog House - Goats don't need anything fancy. You don't have to build a barn unless you want to. They are perfectly happy in dog houses. Just know that the goats WILL jump on top of them. That's why we have the igloos. The roof is stronger and multiple goats can't get on it at a time. The adult male goats have still broken 1 or 2.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/petmate-dog-house-with-microban-extra-large-90-lb-to-125lb
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Goat tattoo - needed to make tattoos
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-tattoo-standard-3-8-in-outfit
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Tattoo letter set: in case you need extra letters
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-3-8-in-tattoo-letter-set-a-z
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sweet feed - these are the pellets I feed my goats. NEVER GIVE BABIES PELLETS. Their stomachs cannot metabolize it yet and it CAN kill them. Some people won't give their goats sweet feed. There is a LOT of debate over what to feed goats. This is what I feed mine. They are still alive and healthy.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-goat-sweet-feed-50-lb
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beet shreds: a good supplement to add to goat food that helps with milk production.
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fencing - this is NOT the cheapest option. However, we both work and have human kids and busy lives. I would love to make a pallet fence but that hasn't happened. Hiring someone to build a goat proof fence is EXPENSIVE. This was the easiest, strongest, quickest goat proof fence that we could put up. It's basically modular so as our heard grows, so does the fence. You can buy single pannels but it's cheaper not to. We use rebar that we pound into the ground and then slide the pannels over the rebar. It hasn't failed us yet but the boys have figured out how to kick open the doors so we use a chain on theirs and we create "air locks" to prevent goats from slipping out behind us. They are sneaky.
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Tarp for fencing - This is specifically for the fencing above. Wind/dust can be harmful to little goats. While they don't need a barn, they do need to be sheltered if there is a lot of wind and they do need shade. You can use tarps, sun sails, etc. These are another quick and easy thing to put up. Again, not the cheapest option but an easy one.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/retriever-all-weather-panel-kennel-sold-separately
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Keep in mind. For everything that I do or say to do, there IS going to be someone else with a healthy, successful herd that will tell you what I'm doing is wrong or they will tell you to do the complete opposite or they will tell you they have an all-natural/holistic way to treat your goats that's better than toxic chemicals.
Do what makes sense to you and what works best for you.
Always listen to your vet first over me and over what anyone else with goats might say.
Yes, I know sometimes the vets get it wrong too. They are human just like we are BUT they have more education and training than we do. Hopefully more experience too.
Vets also have access to medicines/antibiotics that we can't buy over the counter.
In some areas you can develop a good relationship with a vet who will work with you and trust you so you can just call and ask them to write a prescription. If so, you're lucky! In our area of Southern California, there are no such vets that I have found. They require an exam and tests before they will prescribe anything. This makes the cost of keeping your goat higher, though it is more responsible. However, it just feels like a waste of money if you already know what the issue is.
If you have just two goats (because you should NEVER have just one) it will probably be worth it.
For someone wanting to have more than 2 goats, it adds up VERY quickly.
If you join the goat vet groups on Facebook you will read stories of people who have spent thousands on their goats, trying to figure out what might be wrong with it and the vet can't tell them.
This often happens when people buy goats at auctions. You can sink SO much money into a goat and they can still die. Sometimes quickly. Sometimes slowly.
I have never lost an adult goat but it will happen some day. It's the reality of owning and caring for animals. When it happens you will be sad and angry. Some people want to find someone to blame but the reality is, these things happen and there isn't always someone to blame. You might feel guilty, especially if you have human children close to your goat. But there isn't always a person at fault. It's likely not your fault if you have educated yourself, done your research and have worked with a vet.
There was an unfortunate loss recently from someone who bought baby goats from us this year. She had owned adult goats before but never baby goats. She thought she knew what they ate because she had successfully had adult goats before. She never asked what to feed them. She fed them pellets like she would give to adult goats. They went into metabolic acidosis. After the first baby died she texted me. After some questions I told her to take the surviving baby to the vet. She made an emergency appointment that day and was able to save the second baby. It's devastating to lose a baby. Obviously this was an accident. She didn't know not to give babies pellets and didn't research it because she thought she knew. Sometimes we learn things the hard way and that's just how it is.
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After this happened I immediately texted other people who had bought babies from me this year to make sure they were not feeding them pellets. I usually have this discussion with everyone I sell babies to.
One person I messaged said, yes we talked about it and we're not feeding them pellets, just alfalfa pellets. They did not realize that it's the same thing so it's lucky that I texted them! They had JUST started feeding them the alfalfa pellets that day so they were able to stop before it harmed the babies.
You don't know what you don't know.
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Goats typically live 12-15 years in good care so, you will eventually suffer a loss one way or the other. It's hard and we want to blame someone or your family/friends get mad for you and insist, it's not your fault! because they hate seeing you in pain. Then THEY shove the blame on someone or they know someone who knows someone who owns goats and their advice is completely different from what a breeder or the vet told you. This friend of your sister's brother-in-law's neighbors son wasn't there. They didn't see the goat. Their opinion after the fact doesn't help anything. You learn what you can and move on. That's life.
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You don't have to do what I do. I'm obsessive.
I read articles. I buy books. Every day I go to the goat vet groups and learn about something new and I research it.
I find conflicting advice EVERYWHERE.
For example, some breeders say to never feed wethers pellets or alfalfa because the higher protein (or actually an in-balance of phosphorus) can cause urinary calculi that blocks the urinary tract of the goat, which can kill them because they can't eliminate their pee on top of it being very painful. Other people say they have given their wethers pellets every day of their life and never had an issue.
This is true. Not EVERY wether that is fed pellets will develop this condition. Just like everyone who smokes doesn't get lung cancer. But, to lower your chances, you don't smoke. So, as a precaution I advise not to give wethers pellets because I have seen both arguments. But I've also looked at the science.
I read articles from universities from their ag departments but I didn't know this the first year I had goats. I didn't have wethers then so it wasn't something I paid attention to.
With experience we learn. With research we learn. By seeing other examples we learn.
We also all makes mistakes out of ignorance until we learn better. This is why I advise doing the research yourself. See what makes sense for you and then be kind to yourself if you do make a mistake because you're human.
(For more information on Urinary Calculi in goats, here is a good article from one of the goat vet groups I belong to Goat Vet Corner â„ -- Only Veterinarians Comment
https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/2012079542371784/)
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There is a big difference between a mistake an irresponsible breeder or a person too prideful to admit a mistake. Those people will never learn even with experience. They will double down and tell you with more confidence than anyone that they know what to do and it's the only way to do it.
Be wary of those people because usually, there are multiple ways to do something with one way not being the only way. Maybe not even the best way. If a breeder or goat owner can't admit that then be wary. Do your own research. If someone can't admit that they were wrong or that they don't actually know something, it can have consequences that you suffer because you listen to them.
I don't believe that any one person can know everything. I know that I don't know everything.
I trust people with experience but I also trust science. A person might be right in their advice but for the wrong reasons because they don't understand the science. That's ok if it's still good advice but do your own research and listen to your vet.