What do I need before considering purchasing a goat?

There are a few regulations that need to be followed before purchasing goats. All goats, even those purchased as a pet, are considered livestock by government and council regulations. Therefore, you will need to check if you are able to obtain a Property Identification Code (PIC) - most suburan areas are not suitable. Please check with your local primary industries department. For South Australians, information on PICs can be found here: https://pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/animal_health/property_identification_code_pic

Always check that the goats that you intend to purchase are registered with an appropriate registry body and are tagged correctly (most will have a tag in their ear; some may have bands around their leg). Before the goats are moved from the breeder’s property, they should give you a form called ‘National Vendor Declaration’ along with a National Goat Health Declaration. This will let you know if the animals have been exposed to any serious diseases or illnesses and/or any treatments, including any withholding periods.

Here at Green Hills, we require all purchasers to have a PIC number before purchasing - as it is a legal requirement and needed to fill out the forms, this is non-negotiable.

Socially speaking, goats are herd animals and will not do well without at least one other goat for companionship. Some claim that goats bond just as well with humans or other animals; however, at the end of the day, goats needs another of their kind that understand ‘goat communication’ and can be with them all the time. Goats are indeed very affectionate but it is generally not possible for humans (or most other pets) to be with them at all times. If you do not have any other goats at your property, we will only see a minimum of two at a time.

Goats are a long-term investment much like any other animal. They can live approximately 10-12 years with some living longer if well-cared. You need to ensure that you are prepared financially for feed, any vet bills, and treatments. Also…be prepared! It is very hard to stop at just two…

Before bringing the goats home…

Before purchasing, there are practical requirements that need to be met. Firstly, a well-fenced area is a must. If fences are weak or not of adequete height, goats will escape! Once goats learn to escape, the habit becomes very difficult to stop even with improved fencing. We have had our paddocks professionally fenced with bluescope steel fencing (much better quality than galvanised fencing) with the total height (including barbed wire strands) being about 1.5m. We have found this to be adequete for minis. Our buck paddock also has a single strand of electric fencing as they can be more likely to destroy fences in attempts to reach the girls!

It is critical that goats have access to solid shelter structures that protects them from wind and rain. Goats strongly dislike rain and being exposed to the elements can cause them to become ill and even die if exposure is prolonged. We also have a couple of haybags in the main shed so that the goats always have dry hay to eat. Additionally, we have a covered hayrack in the paddock which serves the same purpose.

What do I feed my goats?

Goats are browsers rather than grazers - this means that they prefer to nibble and eat branches, weeds and woody shrubs rather than simply grass. In nature or on large scale farms, goats can travel up to 7km a day forgaging for plants and trees to meet their needs. Goats have different nutriotional requirements compared to other ruminants and will instinctively eat the best quality plant material that they can. Given that our paddocks do not allow them to roam far and wide searching for the tastiest shrubs, it is important that we provide them with a range of feed that will help them stay happy and healthy.

Goats need 1-2kg or approximately 3-4% of their bodyweight in roughage a day for their rumens to function effectively. All our goats have access to oaten hay with our girls (particularly those in kid or the milkers) also having access to lucerne hay. Lucerne hay is much higher in protein which pregnant or lactacting does need more amounts of than compared to does not pregant or producing milk, bucks and wethers. It is very important that lactating does keep condition (minimum of 14% protein across all feeds per day) otherwise milk production will drastically drop and the doe’s health will decline. We also ensure we don’t over stock our paddocks to ensure that quality browse remains available -our paddocks are filled with blackberry, spanish broome and some gorse - all of which our goats adore!

We do supplement feed particularly during wet periods when the goats may be unable to browse as often. We use a range of products, but the most common our goats are fed are soaked beet pulp (high in protein), goat grain mix, loose mineral supplement, sunflower seeds, and Bioworma, a natural product that kills roundworm larvae in the goats’ manure. Other products we use from time to time include dolomite, molasses and seaweed meal. We also add a mix of garlic and apple cider vingear (with the ‘mother’ in it) to their drinking water. The majority of these products are available from your local livestock store.

Before offering additional supplements such as copper boluses, it is important to have a soil analysis of your property conducted. This ensures you know what levels of minerals are present in your soil. It is crucial to know this as over-supplementation can be as much of an issue as nutritional deficiencies.

Health

Goats can become infected with a range of different diseases and pests; it is important to be aware of some of the more common and more serious ones.

Johne’s Disease (JD) is caused by a certain bacteria that leads to the wasting of the animal (both goats and sheep). The intenstine walls thicken meaning that the animal cannot absorb food and nutrients. The animal then uses its muscle and fat storages leading to wasting and eventually, death. The disease is not curable. It is transmitted via fecal matter and can lay dormant for years and present itself later in life for the animal. It is important when purchasing goats that they are bought from a JD-free herd. Our herd undergoes annual testing to ensure that our biosecurity measures are working. Additionally, all our stock animals are vaccinated with the Gudair vaccine which offers protection for life against JD. In South Australia, and some other states, JD is a declarable disease.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is caused by a virus and symptoms include: chronic peri-arthritis, leg deformities, chronic mastitis (hardening of the udder), wasting and encephalitis (majority displayed in kids). It is spread via bodily secretions meaning that infection occurs immediately after birth with the ingestion of colostrum from an infected dam. The disease is not curable and often very painful for the infected animal. For this reason, as part of our biosecurity measures to protect our animals against CAE, we follow the majority of recommendations outlined in the National Kid Rearing plan. It is is important to ensure that goats are purchased from a CAE-negative tested herd. As with JD testing, we test our herd annually for CAE.

Day-to-day health issues include worms and lice. Goats are suspectible to a range of worms including Barber’s pole worm, the brown stomach worm, the black scour worm, small bowel worm, threadworms and large-mouthed bowel worm. The ones of particular concern are the first three listed. Over many years, goats adapted their feeding behaviour as browsers rather than grazing grass (where the worm larvae live); however, domesticated and pet goats are fenced in limiting their natural range of procuring bush vegetation. It is important not to give your goats drenches marked for the use of other livestock including sheep without veterninary prescription as goats’ livers metabolise at very different rates. Giving your goats unauthorised drenches is likely to not kill the worms and will instead increase resistance to the worms without a proper dosage (which a vet can advise for your particular herd). Drenching is not usually advised with conducting a facel test first to see whether or not your goats have worms and what type. wormboss.com.au contains listings of authorised labratories able to conduct facael tests for worm burdens.

Further Information

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has a number of modules regarding goats containing detailed information very helpful for all levels of goat owners - https://www.mla.com.au/extension-training-and-tools/going-into-goats/the-going-into-goats-guide/

For information pertaining to worms and worm control, Worm Boss has much valuable information - http://wormboss.com.au/

Dr Sandra Baxendall is veternarian specialising in the care of goats. Her webite contains useful information; she also has a Facebook page and a YouTube channel - https://goatvetoz.com.au/

Information regarding the diseases of goats: this resource is a quick guide to the many diseases and illnesses a goat can contract along with some basic health information - https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/news-and-events/documents/21-00248_lw_report_goatdiseaseguide_web_v3.pdf%C2%A0%C2%A0

Information regarding biosecurity measures and the GoatMAP program - https://animalhealthaustralia.com.au/new-revamped-market-assurance-program-for-goats-released/

Goat Associations:

Miniature Goats Australia (MGA) - https://www.miniaturegoatsaustralia.com/