Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Providing shelter and entertainment
• Part 2 of 3: Providing the right food
• Part 3 of 3: Maintaining your goat's health
• Warnings

If you are looking for a pet for the garden or a supplement for your farm, dwarf goats are a good option. They do have their own special grooming requirements, but once you understand what they need, grooming isn't difficult. In fact, they do well in the weather as long as they have suitable shelter. You also need to feed them the right food and take care of their health so that they can stay with you for years to come.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Providing shelter and entertainment

1. Determine how much shelter is needed. To determine this, you need to consider the weather in your area. In the case of moderate temperatures, your kids may not need as much shelter as elsewhere. At the very least, you need to provide a 3-wall structure that provides protection from the sun and wind. However, when the winter is harsh, you will need a full-fledged shed to protect your animals, although it can be a small one. You just need to provide protection from the elements.
2. Think about the size of the herd. The size of the shelter is determined by the size of the herd. In general, it is good to calculate 1.5-2 square meters per goat.
   • So if you only have 1 goat then the shed could be 1.5-2 square meters. In practice, this means a structure of approx. 1 x 1.5 m. If you have 5 goats, you need 7-9.5 square meters of space, which means that you have a structure of approx. 2.5 x 3 m. or 3 x 3 m.
   • In fact, you could use a large dog house for your dwarf goat if you are going to keep it in your backyard.
3. Make stables. If you have several animals, make several stables so that each animal has its own space. The ideal soil for goats is gravel covered with clay. It is easy to fertilize and you can put a fresh layer on the bottom every few years.
   • Hay provides sufficient bedding, and goats usually do not eat what is on the floor.
   • You will also need troughs or something similar to feed your goats.
4. Install a fence. The best fence for dwarf goats is wire mesh. To prevent your kids from jumping over it, your fence should be at least four feet high.
5. Create climbing areas. Goats love to climb, so you should give them the opportunity to do so. A picnic table, for example, is ideal for this. You can even just make hills out of sand; goats like that just as much. They also enjoy jumping on and off these things.
   • Old car tires are good toys for your pets.
6. Buy at least 2 goats. Goats are herd animals, making it best to have more than 1. They prefer to live in a social group.

Part 2 of 3: Providing the right food

1. Let your goats graze. Goats can eat grass, shrubs, and bushes, although they prefer the last 2 to grass. Rough weeds are weeds, such as dandelion and clover. In the summer, grazing is sometimes enough food for the goats, if you have enough pasture land. You need about 1000 square meters per goat.
   • If you have a herd of goats, you will need multiple pastures to meet the demands of your goats. It is also good to vary where the goats eat, so that the plants have time to grow back.
2. Try alfalfa hay. If you don't have enough pasture for your goat or goats, you can feed them alfalfa hay instead of grazing them.
   • Each goat needs about 0.5-1 kg of feed per day. However, if they are also fed grains, they will need less hay.
3. Supplement the diet with grains. Goats need more food in winter. Furthermore, young goats and goats that give a lot of milk also need additional cereals in the summer.
   • Suitable grains are corn, barley and oats.
4. Provide plenty of water. Like all animals, goats need water to survive. However, water is particularly important to goats as they are ruminants, meaning they need more water to digest their food than other animals. Always make sure they have regular access to clean, fresh water.
   • Make sure to regularly clean the container you are using and to change the water often.

Part 3 of 3: Maintaining your goat's health

1. Brush your goat daily. Use a stiff brush to brush off any visible debris from your goat. Then use a softer brush to comb out the goat's hair. While brushing, feel for any bumps on your goat as they could be a sign of infection or injury.
   • You probably don't need to trim your goat unless it is a show goat.
2. Only wash your goats if they have parasites. Brushing is usually sufficient for your goats. If you are going to wash the goat, warm the water slightly so that it is not cold. Then lubricate the goat with a shampoo for animals or especially for goats. Use a washcloth to speed up the process. Then rinse off the soap.
   • It is easier if your goat has a collar on, because it makes it easier to hold it.
3. Give your goats vitamin A. A dwarf goat needs vitamin A in its diet to stay healthy. They usually get this vitamin from green hay or through grazing. However, if you don't provide these foods, you can try adding corn to the diet.
4. Also provide vitamin D. Like humans, vitamin D helps goats absorb calcium, which helps keep bones healthy. If your goats are usually outside, they will absorb vitamin D from the sunlight. However, if your goats don't get much sunlight, it's okay to feed them sun-dried hay (not heat-dried) and irradiated yeast.
5. Add minerals to the diet of goats that graze. If your goats are grazing on their own (instead of being fed alfalfa hay and grains) then you will need to add a mixture of iodized salt, lime (ground) and animal bones (steamed and ground).
   • You can basically just put this mixture in a bucket and let the goat eat it as needed.
6. Inject selenium. Selenium is an essential nutrient, but is especially important if white muscle disease is common in the area where you live, as it protects against this disease. Newborn lambs should be injected with a supplement of this nutrient.
   • This disease calcifies the muscles, making them whitish. The disease owes its name to this.
7. Give vaccinations annually. At the very least, your goat should be vaccinated against enterotoxemia and tetanus. You can usually buy these vaccinations from local farm dealers and administer them yourself. You can also ask the vet if it is necessary to vaccinate against rabies.
   • It's also not bad to give a clostridial CD vaccination.
8. Schedule an annual check-up. To keep your goat in good health, it is best to get it checked annually. That way you can ensure that your goat is getting the right vaccinations and that it is in good health.
9. Trim your goats' hooves. Your goats' hooves will grow over time. If you don't cut them, you end up with goats that can't walk properly.
   • To trim the hooves, use gloves, a hoof clip, and a hoof knife.
   • Tie or hold the goat. You need someone to hold the goat in place while you trim the hooves.
   • Look for the growth rings. You should be able to see where the hooves have grown. Cut the hooves so that they are flush with the last growth ring.

Warnings

• If you have baby goats, you can decide to dehorn them. Do this when they are young so that they cannot attack each other with horns when they are older. You can dehorn from 2 weeks old.