Obviously, the least expensive part of feeding your goats is providing fresh, clean water for them to drink. A mature goat can consume as much as one and a half gallons of water a day. So it is critical that they have free and easy access to fresh, clean water at all times.

Goats require plenty of vitamins, protein, water and fiber to maintain good health and a good growth rate. The most economical way to ensure they receive the appropriate amount of food is to place them to pasture. The grass and other plants that they will graze on will provide the main source of the vitamins and minerals that they need and is high in protein as well.

Adding hay to their diet is done in the winter months when grass and other grazing plants are not available. Hay is available in a wide variety of vitamin and mineral content and the only way to know for sure what you are feeding them is to have the hay chemically analyzed. However, clover and alfalfa are high in protein at the first cut.

Grain is sometimes necessary as well. However, grain tends to provide a quick growth rate and this should be monitored closely so the goats do not become too heavy too quickly, resulting in a high fat content to their meat.

Once the kids (baby goats) are born they should be bottle raised and grain fed when they are weaned. The doe produces milk for you. Goat is a very lean meat and needs slow cooking to make it tender. But the adults are good for meat for stews and long cooking dishes. Feed them all a good quality grain and hay so you get quality products from them. A diet of weeds and brush will give a gamey tasting meat and milk.

You will have to do the numbers to see if this will save you money in the long run before you take it on as a project, if you are able to sell it to others will be a help in the expense end of things. Don’t forget to figure in vet bills too should you need a vet for the herd. There is a likelihood of needing them examined regularly since they are used for meat and milk. Do your research, maybe visit a commercial goat farm if there is one you can visit. You need to go into a venture like this with your eyes wide open.

In addition to raising goats to provide meat, goats are raised to provide milk which is made into cheese as well as used as just milk. Goat milk and cheese is a good alternative for those people that are lactose intolerant while goat meat is used to provide a fat free or low fat and cholesterol free red meat alternative.

Another option to consider when raising goats is to use the hair as well. Many types of goats can be harvested for their coats, but the Angora goat is the most popular for this use. There are many uses for goats as animals and they do not need to be raised simply to slaughter for their meat. Goats can be shaved to harvest their coats for use as angora and dairy goats are kept healthy and fit to produce milk which can be used to make cheeses.

Goat raising is also a very popular part of many 4H groups. The goats are purchased as babies, or kids, and raised by 4H members for show at fairs. Some of these goats are then sold at the fairs to dairy goat farmers and some to be butchered and the meat sold. With the growing demand for goat meat however, it seems that currently the best way to make money raising goats is to raise meat goats.

Generally goats are peaceful with their owners. Goats do have a tendency to fight with each other. When you are among your goats you need to always keep your eyes open as well as your ears. If you sense that a couple of goats are about to butt heads then immediately vacate the area. You do not want to be in between two angry goats set on fighting each other.

Male goats can be very dangerous to be around when they want to breed. If a male goat is in rut then leave him alone. Now is not the time to have children pose for a picture with that cute goat.

A common injury that occurs is when someone slips and falls down then gets trampled on by the goats. You need to be extremely cautious that you do not fall down around your goats. You will probably be Okay but there is the off-chance that a goat will jump on you and crack one of your ribs.

The best safety tip when working with goats is to use common sense and to always be aware of your surroundings. If you are in the pens or transporting your goats then basic common sense will help you remain out of harm’s way in most situations.

Goat milk and meat products are highly nutritious and tasteful as well. It just so happens that the milk from goats is wonderful for young children due to its composition. Thus making it easier to digest than dairy milk. Goat milk can be converted into different products as well. The milk can actually be used to make cheese just like dairy milk. You will find that taking care of and raising goats is a quite easy process. Especially when compared to taking care of other milking animals like dairy cattle.

Not only is goat milk wonderful, but meat from goats is full of benefits as well. The meat coming from these animals contains less fat than most meats available. It is a very healthy form of meat for a person to be consuming.

The benefits of raising goats are endless. It is therapeutic for people to be around animals, even goats. Also tending to these animals can teach a person various skills and also keep you active. Perhaps the best benefit is that it makes a person more self sufficient. In turn eating the food you raised will make you a healthier person because it contains none of the harsh chemicals other meats do.

First off, you should have about one or two acres to raise goats on. They need room to move around and grass to eat. Do not ever block a goat from receiving fresh water. Water is a necessity for its survival. Goats like to have somewhere to hide if the weather is bad or they are especially hot or cold. A little shelter would be a good idea to build whether it be a small shelter or a barn. It is good for them to have somewhere to be protected.

To keep a goat in its pasture you need to have a sturdy fence. It should be high enough for them to not be able to jump over and not so high off the ground to where they can crawl underneath it. The fence would probably need to be about 4 feet tall. The fencing also needs to be safe. You do not want nails or big pieces of wood or metal sticking out for the goats to get injured on.

To make a goat happy you should give it plenty of attention. Don’t skip out on petting it or giving it the occasional treats. Your goat will be very happy in return and you will get the most out of raising it.

Goat prices range from about $100 to $350, depending on the goat and the pedigree. Different breeds cost more than others. You’ll want to consider the current cost of hay and grain for feed. Currently, hay bales with alfalfa cost around $9 per bale and grain costs about $10 per 50 pound bag.

Tetanus shots cost about $2 per vial that will vaccinate three kids. Worming medication costs around$10 for up to 20 doses. Insecticide powder will cost in the neighborhood of $7. Hoof trimmers cost around $15. Some accessories that you may wish to purchase include a collar. The cost of a collar will vary depending on the type of collar and where you purchase it.

Let’s do the math now. We will estimate some average costs to come up with a round figure for the cost of raising goats. Purchasing a goat averages around $200, plus one bale of hay is $9 and a 50 pound bag of grain $10. That’s $219. Then the cost of tetanus shots, $2; worming medication $10; powder for insects $7; hoof trimmers $15. So, $219 plus another $34 is $253. The cost of food is a reoccurring cost, so you must increase for that. But for a ballpark figure of just starting out you end with $253 to start raising a goat.

Boer Goats are often times raised as meat producers. They are sturdy and robust and provide a higher meat content than many goats usually raised for milk. They are a low milk breed themselves, but they have very high quality flesh and are a popular bulk breed world wide.

Angora Goats have a thick wooly hair which resembles that of sheep, yet is finer and softer than sheeps wool. Mohair is a highly prized commercial commodity used for manufacturing clothing. When raising Angoras one must be alert to parasites which many infest the thick fur of the goat. They are slow to breed, and have higher than average nutritional needs.

Saanen Goats are a European breed of goat well known for their heavy milk production. These are quite possibly the largest milk goats in the world. With a calm and even temperament they make good animals for younger people to work with as they rarely bite or ram. For milk production they are unrivaled.

Spanish Goats are the well known common variety often found in the west. These goats are decent for both meat and milk, however excel at neither. They have low nutritional needs compared to many other types of goats, and can subsist well with relatively littler care when compared to many of the other breeds.

When choosing a variety of goat to raise make sure to take into account your ability to commit to that breeds needs.

Do you want to start with young goats or some adults that are already pregnant? It is easier with the older goats that are pregnant already. I would recommend you keep does (females) and castrate any males you get when they are born. Especially if you want them for meat or milk. Keeping an adult male (buck, billy) requires experience and they will make the meat of others and milk have a musky taste if they are in with the does. It is best to take your does to someone who has a buck they use for breeding than to have one on the farm.

Feeding is done with grain and hay to make most of their food, Picking on a field is for their entertainment, they need the extra food to produce milk and grow if you are using some of them for meat. You should research breeds to see which is better for your plans. Nubians are nice and docile most of the time and they are good producers too.

One type of shelter is a movable hutch. This is often used with cattle but works for goats also. These hutches will hold about 10 goats. They come with an air vent, side doors, feeders inside for feed and water. These are easily moved if needed.

There are other types of shelters that can be made for goats. They do not need to be anything fancy.

A shelter can be made from any type of wood, like cedar shingles. Just make sure to insulate the walls if using cedar shingles. You can use pallets with straw over top of them as the floor. It is a good idea to give the goats some straw for bedding. Remember if painting the wood, to make sure that the paint does not contain anything that can be harmful to the goats. Wood also can be expensive and some types tend to splinter. The goats may gnaw on the wood, so you don’t want any that is going to splinter.

Another thing that you can use to build a shelter is cinder blocks. An advantage to using cinder blocks is that you can run water to it by piping it in. Just put something on the floor for the goats to use as bedding. Concrete floors hold in moisture and also tire the goats feet out, which can cause arthritis. The roof can be made of tin.

There are many options that one can use to provide shelters to goats. The main thing is to keep them out of the weather so that the goats remain healthy.