In other words, equipment is something that you buy once (unless it gets lost or broken or you want more than one) and consumables are things that you use up and must buy again.
These are the top five items on my list of must-have consumables for goats.
My list might be different from yours; you might find that you use other items more often, and have never used one on my list.
My goal is to get you thinking, and if you are new, to give you a starting place in your goat-raising efforts.
So here, in no particular order, are my top five must-have-on-hand consumables for happy and healthy goats:
1. Goat minerals - I offer minerals free-choice to my goats. There are several brands available; use the brand your goats like best, because it won't help them if they don't eat it.
I strongly recommend loose minerals instead of a mineral block. It's too much work for goats to lick a block and they won't get enough to do them good. My feed store carries bagged loose minerals; I pour them into a cat litter bucket to store the minerals and keep them dry.
2. Herbal dewormer - There are also several sources of herbal dewormers such as Fir Meadow and Molly's Herbals; I use one from Hoegger Goat Supply. If you don't use an herbal dewormer, you will want to have commercial (chemical) dewormers on hand.
3. Molasses - I mix the herbal dewormer powder with molasses to make dewormer balls.
This post contains affiliate links.
You can read my full disclosure here.
You can read my full disclosure here.
So here, in no particular order, are my top five must-have-on-hand consumables for happy and healthy goats:
1. Goat minerals - I offer minerals free-choice to my goats. There are several brands available; use the brand your goats like best, because it won't help them if they don't eat it.
I strongly recommend loose minerals instead of a mineral block. It's too much work for goats to lick a block and they won't get enough to do them good. My feed store carries bagged loose minerals; I pour them into a cat litter bucket to store the minerals and keep them dry.
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Molasses mixed in warm water is a treat for a cold goat in the winter and provides energy to a tired doe that has just kidded.
4. Baking Soda is offered free choice to balance the pH in my goats' rumen, and to keep their digestive systems running smoothly. Like free-choice minerals, the goats will eat it if they need it. I use so much of this that I buy it in bulk bags.
5. Disposable syringes and needles in various sizes. My most-used size syringe for goats is 3cc with 1/2-inch 20-gauge needles. I have diabetic syringes and needles for goat kids.
Some of these items can be purchased from online sources such as Amazon, Hoegger Farmyard or Jeffer's Livestock, and you might find them at your local feed store or a farm store such as Tractor Supply. Others can be purchased at the grocery store.
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Related posts:
Ten Must-Have Items for Goat Keepers
How to Make Dosage Balls for Goats
20 Ways to Re-use Kitty Litter Buckets
The Best Goat Fencing
This post has been shared at some of my favorite blog hops.
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5. Disposable syringes and needles in various sizes. My most-used size syringe for goats is 3cc with 1/2-inch 20-gauge needles. I have diabetic syringes and needles for goat kids.
There are many items in my goat first-aid kit that I consider
pretty essential too.
pretty essential too.
Some of these items can be purchased from online sources such as Amazon, Hoegger Farmyard or Jeffer's Livestock, and you might find them at your local feed store or a farm store such as Tractor Supply. Others can be purchased at the grocery store.
This post contains affiliate links.
Read my full disclosure here.
Related posts:
Ten Must-Have Items for Goat Keepers
How to Make Dosage Balls for Goats
20 Ways to Re-use Kitty Litter Buckets
The Best Goat Fencing
~~~~~
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Great list Kathi, when we are milking I use the Hoeggers herbals too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandra. It's great that there is no milk withdrawal time with herbal wormers, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSadly, I can only read this and dream. I would love to have my own goats, but we have no place for another structure on our land, due the layout and location of the well and septic field. But I do love buying local goat products at farmers markets. BTW, my most recent post is on goat milk ice cream bases, if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteJanet, I'm sorry you can't have goats of your own, but hopefully you can visit some of those farms and get a "goat fix". Thank you for supporting your local goat farms and farmers market. I'm headed over to read your post.
ReplyDeleteI love it when the list is short and simple! I'm sure your goats are healthy and well-loved. Thanks for sharing this today on The Maple Hill Hop!
ReplyDeleteGood list! I've been reading up on goats lately since we hope to add some to our homestead later this year. I'll have to refer back to all your helpful goat posts as we get closer to bringing them home!
ReplyDeleteI'm a wonderful "goat enabler", Tammy, so if you have any questions I hope you'll ask!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your sharing this info. I'm considering getting goats but I have questions no one seems to answer.
ReplyDelete1) the goat de-wormer you shown says you'd be giving doses of it "weekly thereafter". Does that mean you are on a constant regimen with de-worming only because it's a natural not chemical de-wormer?
2) If you were going off grid, how would you replace these items? I know that people have kept goats for millenia (so to speak)in places without stores, and I don't want to get trapped in a feed-store-supplied cycle with goats.
(At this time I'm working to get off all store dependence with the chickens).
Thanks.
These are excellent questions, Illoura. I wish your comment had an email address so I could go into detail; I also visited your website but couldn't find contact info.
ReplyDeleteYes, the wormer must then be given once a week each week afterwards, so it would be an ongoing process. I've looked into planting those herbs in my goats' pasture as an alternative, and am working on that.
I think I'll talk about this in a future post!
I'd love to hear how you are moving your chickens away from feed store dependency!
If/When I get goats, I'll have to refer back to this. I made sure to add it to my "Goat" bookmarks folder. Thanks for taking the time to share this on The 104 Homestead Friday Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteIf/when you get goats, Jessica, please feel free to ask if you have any questions!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting my first goat this week and I didn't know that I needed to worm him each week.besides grass what do I need to start off with..
ReplyDeleteHi! Weekly worming is for an herbal wormer; if you want to use commercial wormers it's a different schedule. I don't use those so I'm not sure of the current recommendations.
DeleteGoats aren't necessarily crazy about grass, some like it more than others. They love weeds and brush. Mine will eat hay but don't care for grass.
Here is a list of the ten items I call my "must haves."
I recently bought oat hay for bedding thinking it was oat straw. I am told the difference is oat hay is cut and baled with seed intact. Straw is like wheat straw left over after wheat is harvest. My goats are eating it I can't tell if they are bloated or just eating a lot of it. Have you ever fed this.
ReplyDeleteI haven't fed oat hay to goats, only to horses. Yes, it contains the seed head. It might be a good idea to remove it and keep a close eye on the goats for a bit. That's what I would do.
DeleteWhat are the syringes for?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question and I see that I didn't list the purposes in my post. Syringes have many uses on my homestead. The obvious reason is for giving shots, but it's not the only use. #1 I give CDT shots to my goats each year. #2 Without needles, syringes are the best way to deliver medications and preparations by mouth. Remove the needle, draw up the correct amount and squirt the med in the back of the goat's mouth. I do this mainly with anti-coccidia medication for the goat kids, but if you need to give an adult goat (or a dog or cat) a liquid medication by mouth, a large, needle-less syringe is the easiest way. Thanks for asking!
Delete