Recommendations + Resources

Care Recommendation's

For new and experienced goat owners alike:

1. Provide clean, fresh water at all times.

2. Offer hay free choice at all times. We recommended Coastal Bermuda Hay.

3. If you choose to feed grain, feed a grain with ammonium chloride, especially for bucks and wethers.

4. Each goat is different; choose your feeding amount based on BCS, age, life stage, & activity level.

5. Introduce new food slowly over 7-10 days.

6. Provide loose mineral and baking soda free choice at all times. DO NOT COMBINE, PROVIDE THEM IN

THEIR OWN CONTAINERS. We recommend Sweetlix Meat Maker.

7. Provide at least a three-sided shelter that protects from the elements & stays dry.

8. We recommend annual CDT vaccines and hoof trims every 4-6 weeks.

9. Observe your new goat daily for changes in attitude, appetite, and stool.

10. Make sure you monitor introductions and allow your new goat a safe space to relax, eat/drink, and

sleep while they adjust to their new environment and herd.

11. Goats should never be kept alone; they are herd animals. They need at least one other goat friend.

12. We recommend feeding medicated goat feed for 30-60 days during home transitions because stress

can cause increased parasite load.

13. We recommend feeding kids twice daily OR creep feeding until 6 months old & then transitioning to

once daily (first to twice daily, then once daily if creep feeding) by slowly decreasing one meal &

equally increasing the other. This change should be slow.

14. Bedding: In the summertime, we use pine shavings (the white bag from TSC) for bedding. It is cooler than straw but still absorbent and easy to clean. In winter, we utilize deep litter with straw. While spring cleaning is a PITA, it is the most effective at keeping your herd warm.

15. Have more than two goats in your barn, individualized feeding plans, and tired of being a rugby referee every day? CLIP YOUR GOATS! I wish I had learned this trick sooner; it is also great practice for tying out at shows! Shoutout Crooked Oak Farm for this tip! You can see what we use on our Amazon list!

16. This one sounds silly I know, if you have a doe who is terrible at cleaning her kids, use lanolin ointment. This is a double trick because not only does it help keep the sticky colostrum poo from sticking to kid's rears, for whatever reason, it really encourages mom to do her job. 

South Carolina Veterinarians

Countryside Companion

Veterinary Services

(803) 496-5037

Holly HIll, SC

SEWEE Veterinary Services

(843) 749-5537

Mobile

What We Feed 

What we feed our DOES:

Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Goat Feed, Unbeetables ORIGINAL + Black Oil Sunflower

Seeds (6lb BOSS to 50lb Unbeetables ORIGINAL) & Coastal Bermuda Hay.

What we feed our BUCKS:

Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Goat feed & Coastal Bermuda Hay.

**BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) can be mixed w/alfalfa/unbeetables OR grain OR be used as a topper. Not to exceed 1/4c daily. BOSS is ideal for does in milk, but does help w/ coat health. Do not give to goats under 12 months old. BOSS IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BUCKS & WETHERS**

MDGA Registration + Showing

MDGA Registration Processing: 

If your goat is eligible for registration with the

Miniature Dairy Goat Association

(MDGA), please note that the

registration process typically takes 2

to 6 weeks once submitted.

Showing Requirements: 

If you plan to show your goat in MDGA-sanctioned

shows (which we hope you do), please

be aware that the goat must be fully

registered in your name, and you must

be an active MDGA member to

participate.

Our Amazon Fav's

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Feeding/Watering:

• Hay Feeder - This hay feeder has been a game changer and a wonderful barn upgrade. We were previously using modified ICB totes, which are great but do leave a lot of waste and take up a lot of room. These are great for smaller barns and paddocks.

• Locking Carabiners - These are great for clipping at meal times and tying out at shows. 

• Tethers - ^ what she said.

• Creep Feeder - This is a great, affordable creep feeder for kids. Throw together some palettes with a 12” L x 6” W opening, and you have a cheap creep feeder.

• Mineral Feeder - We have 3 of these, and they have held up nicely. 

• Water bucket hooks - I can never seem to find them at TSC. These come in a 2- or 4-pack. 

• Feeding buckets - Nice and deep!

• Feeding buckets - These are wider than they are deep.

• Baking soda - This gallon lasts forever! 

• Stainless Steel Water Buckets - These are great for kidding pens, show pens, and traveling.

Grooming:

• Hoof Pick - I LOVE THIS TOOL

• Hoof Trimmers - The serrated trimmers are SO MUCH better at trimming and gripping than the smooth trimmers.

• Body Clippers - I have used many brands of clippers, and these are by far my favorite.

• Udder Clippers - These are great for udders, dogs, cats, etc.

• Hoof Powder - I apply this after every trim, especially during periods of heavy rain. 

• Hoof rasp - Great size and easy to hold and control. 

• Body brush - The goats love this one! 

• Kwik Stop - For hoof trims.

• Hoof Boss - This thing is a lifesaver but not a requirement.

Pregnancy + Kidding:

• Outdoor Cameras - Great images, I love these cameras. Great for above kidding stalls and regular security. 

• Chuck pads - These are great, but the ones from Dollar Tree work just fine.

• Gloves - Everyone needs some fun gloves. 

• Newborn Scale - This kit includes the sling. Cheaper than buying both separately at other stores. 

• OB Lube - Can never have enough. 

• Bulb Syringes - Different sizes in this kit for suction. 

• Iodine - For umbilical dipping. 

• Sauce Cups - For umbilical dipping. 

• Lamb puller - Better to have and never use it than to need it and not have it. 

• Tums - I always give my does 4-5 tablets after kidding to help prevent milk fever if they will take it. 

• Dextrose Powder - Great to add to their post-kidding water with Molasses. 

• Nutri Drench - This is preferred for kids needing a quick boost, and you can't get the injection. 

• Propylene Glycol - Treatment for pregnancy toxemia. Make sure it is USP food-grade. 

• CMPK/Calcium Gluconate - For milk fever

• Molasses - After kidding boost. 

• Headlamps - Even if you have lights in your barn, those does like to shove themselves into corners during kidding.

  1. 1. 1. • • Blood Ketone Reader - If you are comfortable drawing blood, this is more accurate than the strips and can tell you just how in ketosis a doe is, unlike the strips. 

             • Thermometers - No words necessary. 

             • Scissors - For cutting umbilical cords. DON'T FORGET YOUR FLOSS OR STRING.

             • Ketone Strips - Checking for pregnancy toxemia.

             • Stethoscope - Best way to get accurate heart and respiration rates.

Milking + Milk Testing:

• Hobbles - These are great for training first fresheners on the milk stand. Especially if you have a kicker. 

• Teat Tape - This stuff comes off beautifully and stays on better than any other brand I have tried. 

• Fight Bac - This is great for post-milking. Easy to spray and doesn’t spray too much. 

• Milking stand - Great price, really sturdy and easy to put together. The height is adjustable on both the legs and the headpiece. The bowl is great for travel, but I did end up getting a rubber one from TSC for it instead. 

• Milk Jug - For collection and milk testing. 

• Scale - For milk testing. 

• Milk Filters - For collection and testing. 

• Mastitis testing - Great for testing at home. 

• Funnel - For storing. 

• 2G Milk Jug - For collection.

Medical Supplies + OTC Medications/Supplements

• Needles - These needles are great and affordable. Leur lock needles and syringes are so important to avoid any accidents during injections. I typically recommend 20g for the majority of injections, but also recommend having 22g and 18g on hand. The 22g are great for kids, and 18g are necessary for thick injections. 

• Microscope - This is great for at-home fecals. 

• McMasters Fecal kit - Everything you need, along with educational pieces. 

• ToltraMax - For coccidosis prevention and deworming.

• 3mL Syringes - Great for vaccines, again always Leur Lock, there's nothing worse than your needle coming loose.

• 5mL Syringes - 

• Syringe caps - I send home Vitamin B paste (from TSC) with my goat kids for the next day; these keep it from leaking. Great for carrying pre-dosed syringes to the barn too. 

• BlueLight Electrolytes - Great for hot and travel days. 

• Adult Scale - Way better than weighing yourself and then picking up an 80# goat and doing math. 

• 20mL Oral Syringes - For drenching adults 

• Vitamin B - This is the oral drench for newborns or really down goats. I like the paste for healthy kids and adults. 

• Probiotics - I like to give before and after stressful events like travel or kidding. 

• Selenium - Helps treat things like white muscle disease. Always good to have on hand. 

• SafeGuard - Always good to have on hand for hookworms and other intestinal parasites. 

Barn goodies + Cameras:

• Solar panels for cameras - These are great if you already have cameras but are tired of having to bring them in to charge every 2 days. 

• 360 Solar Cameras - Awesome cameras for covering large areas at an affordable price.

• Fly Traps - These things are much larger than the ones you can get at HD or Lowes. 

• Outdoor Cameras - Great images, I love these cameras. 

• Security lights - Great for late-night and early-morning chores when other lights won't work. 

• 360 Panoramic Cameras - These are great for places where you can put them high. We have one and can see ¾ of our property from the corner of our house. 

• Locks - Perfect for gates and trailers. We’ve had these for about 2 years and no rust yet!

• Goat scratchers - The goats and pigs love them! They have held up nicely, too.

• First Saturday Lime - Perfect for bug control in the barn. 

• Rake - WORKS GREAT ON THE COCO PUFFS in the barn! 

• Coolaroo beds - For spoiled goats.

Records + Registration:

• Tattoo Kit - I wish I had found this before I bought the gun, numbers and letters all separately! But now I have 2, which is great. 

• Goat Record Book - I still like putting pen to paper.