Scottish Goatkeepers Federation

Rectal temperature- 102.5° F (39-40° C)

Heart Rate- 70- 80 per min.

Respiration Rate- 2-15 per min.

Rumen- 1-4 per min.

Oestrus Cycle- 18-23 days.

Length of Oestrus- 12-72 hours

Length of Gestation- 148- 152 days.

Kids Heart and Respiration Rate will be higher

Signs of Oestrous (being “in heat” or “in season”)

Goats will start cycling any time from the end of August until as late as January. An oestrus cycle is every 18-23 days (usually average 21days). A “season” can last from 12 hours to three days. An “in season” goat can display all or some of the following signs.

Puffiness and redness of the vulva

Mucous discharge

Constant tail wagging

Bleating “calling for the male”

Mounting and being mounted by other goats

Milk yield can be up, or more commonly, down

Less interested in food than usual.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

Goats need access to enough shelter all year round. Most goats should be housed at night all year round, and also always housed during bad weather/winter. Fibre goats are the only exception- they can be out all year round, but should still always have access to shelter. All goats suffer in windy, wet conditions and suffer equally as badly with hot sunshine and flies too. They are much less hardy to weather conditions than sheep or cattle, and are more likely to become ill from being outside in bad conditions.

A suitable “goathouse” should be well-lit, have adequate ventilation, but be free from draughts. The shed can be adapted from whatever outbuildings you already have, and can be of wood, stone, concrete or a mixture of these. It should be bedded with either straw, shavings or peat, to create a warm dry bed. Goats can be deep littered, with the bedding being topped up regularly then being mucked out properly every month or so, or they can be kept on shavings, and cleaned out each day. Every goat should have approx four by four feet of space allocated to it (less of course less is needed for very young kids). It is best to not house horned and hornless goats together, as a horned goat can do considerable damage to a hornless goat. Goats should not be tied or tethered when inside. Ideally a hayrack should be provided in the shed- high enough for hay not to become soiled, but not too high so that the goats have to stretch to reach the hay. Hayracks can be homemade from wood, or metal ones can be bought from smallholder supplies stockists. Drainage in your shed should be considered, to counteract any build up of dung and urine. Ideally the floors should be concrete and sloped, so they drain away from the goats bed. Also an earth floor can be used, sometimes with a cinder base to assist drainage.

Goats can be penned in a shed individually, or kept together in one larger pen. Goats like to see each other, even if penned separately, so provision needs to be made for this in the type of partitions/gates/hurdles used. Remember that individually penned goats will need a water bucket, hayrack and food bowl in each pen.

Make sure their food supply is kept securely away from the goats.

Contrary to popular belief, goats are very fussy about what they eat, and will not eat anything which has been on the floor or soiled. As they are experts at overturning food bowls, tossing hay onto the ground and soiling food/water they can be very wasteful. Fresh, clean water should always be provided for all goats. Some goats even prefer to have slightly warm water. Milking animals will consume more water than non-productive goats.

Food must be stored properly prior to feeding, to protect it from damp, contamination and vermin.

All types of goat kids need milk from the time they are born until they are a minimum of 3 months old, and ideally until they are four months, in addition to a gradually increasing amount of solid food. Kids must receive colostrum immediately after their birth as it contains important nutrients and antibodies for the new born kid.

Vitamins and minerals are important for goats, and although specially prepared goat & sheep feeds have these added, it is recommended that mineral/salt licks are available. You can also supplement their food with extra loose minerals bought from either your local feed merchant, or from a smallholder supplies store/website.

A fully grown non productive goat should manage on a pretty basic ration. Ad lib hay, plus a small concentrated food ration in summer (when they have access to grazing/browsing), and a larger concentrated ration in winter when grass/browsing has no food value. If kept with no access to grazing/browsing then extra bulk food should be fed, eg alfafa, vegetables, greens/branches, soaked sugar beet pulp (females only).

Different brands of concentrated food can be bought from most feed merchants. There are specially prepared goat mixes available such as Spillers and Allen & Page goat mix. Some brands even have mixes designed for the different types of goat, a dairy goat mix is commonly found, but a pygmy goat mix for example is also available from one manufacturer.

HAY/STRAW

Good hay is the most vital part of any goats diet. It should be available ad lib at all times of the year. Buy hay “with your nose”, it should smell like a summer meadow, sweet and pleasant. It should be a shade of green (not golden and bleached) and have a variety of herbage in it. Hay that has no odour, or a musty smell is a waste of money.

In order of goats preference, nutritional value and price, comes Lucerne, clover, good meadow and ryegrass hay. It is possible if you are looking to make your own hay, to get a specially made seed which will contain a nice variety of the things goats like.

The best hay is cut early in the year, the end of June or July. Hay cut later does not have as good nutritional value, despite how good it may smell. Ideally hay should be made with no rain falling on it during drying. Try to buy hay off the field and store it yourself, it will be cheaper, and will ensure it is not stored somewhere where it may get damp or ruined. Hay should be stored in a spacious, well ventilated building- poor storage can turn good hay into useless hay. Allow 25- 30 bales (of small rectangular) bales per adult goat per year.

Straw is generally ready to buy off the field, in August (sometimes September). Barley straw is generally considered to be the best as goats will be happy to eat it as well (although nutritional value of straw is low, it is good roughage). Next in value is wheat and oat straw. Again- avoid dusty or damp straw- it will not do you or your goats any good!

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