The Modern Dairy Goat
(Page 5 of 7)
March/April 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors
O ur goat stalls are built of wood, on a wooden platform 8 inches off the floor. Each stall is 24" wide and 35" long and divided from the next by a partition 32" high. In front of all the stalls runs a long feed manger. Stalls are separated from the feed rack by slats or solid walling with keyhole opening .for goats' heads - this keeps them from wasting hay. A feature we developed to keep a milking goat clean is a removable individual stall floor, the front solid, the rear slatted. Manure falls through the slats into the gutter and also doesn't get tramped down so it's hard to remove. Each stall's floor can be lifted out, cleaned easily and dried in the sun.
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The goat barn should open directly to the pasture enclosed by a sturdy wire fence 4' high - goats are agile jumpers. Goats may be tethered on chains or ropes with swivels at both ends to prevent tangling - but tethering takes too much time.
Feed and Health
It costs about 10¢ a day to feed a producing doe when you buy all the feed. Goats relish stale bread and other kitchen scraps providing these are clean and free from mold. Contrary to popular opinion, we found goats meticulous in their food habits - they won't touch food dropped on the floor or contaminated in any way. And they dote on variety - my wife says they take after me (or vice versa).
During the winter a milking doe should have about 2 lbs. of alfalfa or clover hay (750 pounds yearly which you can raise on 1/4 of an acre), 1 1/2 lbs., when possible, of corn 'silage or roots (turnips, carrots, etc.) and 1 to 2 lbs. of grain ration. When on pasture, we feed less grain, only a little hay, no 'silage. The mixing of grains is too complicated for us - it's best to buy a prepared ration sold by a reputable hay and feed dealer. Clean warm water should be supplied at least in the morning and night and goats encouraged to drink (a few drops of molasses in the water makes it appealing.) Salt bricks should be accessible at all times.
Goats are naturally healthy, hardy animals and if they are well cared for you should have no trouble. They rarely get tuberculosis (as cows do) or Bang's disease, one cause of undulant fever in humans. We are following the rule required of dairies - having a veterinarian test the goats twice a year.
As a final precaution, you can pasteurize your milk by heating it to 142° F and holding it at this temperature or slightly higher for 30 minutes - or raise to 160°F for 15 seconds. In either case milk should be cooled rapidly by putting container in ice water. Also, we suggest you have a vet the first time your goat kids - just for your peace of mind, as goats seldom have any trouble giving birth. You can expect 2 kids at the second kidding and you may get 3.
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