We built our first little goat barn with about four goats in mind.  It is constructed of ship-lapped cedar siding and has little “Dutch” doors (front and back) and a single window with sliding shutters built into a track.  We chose cedar, because we didn't want to have to paint or stain.  The dimensions are 8 X 12 and the interior includes a high shelf for hay storage and is lined with plywood to help reduce drafts.  If we were to change anything, we would have added an overhang on the front, but other than that, this little barn has worked out very well.  We have now completed our second little barn and this one has the overhang and is a bit larger, 12 X 16, to accommodate more goats. This first little barn is now used as our buck barn and the second barn is now used as "our nursery". We have since added another larger cedar barn with overhangs on the front and back as well as a hay storage and tack area.
      After soliciting advice from a number of breeders of tiny goats, we decided that this fence design offered the ultimate in security for our goats.  As you can see, this is 3 board fencing, but the spacing of the boards is not traditional.  The board running close to ground level is to keep the outside “critters” from squeezing under and babies from squeezing out.  The middle board is attached at just about scratching height.  The overall height is 50 – 52 inches and the interior is lined with “non-climb” woven horse wire.  We later added a solar charged electric wire running along the top to deter those uninvited guests that might go over instead of under.


Lucky Springs Run goats on their new "playground" at CenterStream Farm
(Photo courtesy of Sandy Middlebrook)

Playthings are very important for happy goats. In the photo above, taken at CenterStream Farm, a series of wood platforms provides hours of entertainment and fun. Wooden cable spools, which can often be obtained for free also make for good fun. There are small holes in the top of these spools, so covering them with plywood is a good idea to prevent tiny hooves from getting caught. Playthings don't have to be elaborate either. The simple bench (below) provides a great leaping platform to the adjacent cinder block “mountain”.
 
  Convenience Items Although our herd is small, we are firm believers in investing in equipment and items that reduce work and make our goat hobby more enjoyable.  

After picking up spilled mineral containers several times and losing those expensive loose minerals, we purchased a wall mounted mineral feeder with a flow control and haven't had a problem since.  Both Caprine Supply and Hoegger’s sell this type of feeder.

We purchased a metal milk stand from Caprine Supply, which we painted with rust-proof enamel paint.  It's not only great for learning to milk, but it's also a real "back-saver" when trimming hooves and grooming for a show.

As we added more goats, we decided it would be nice to have another stand that we could keep in the pen to be used specifically for hoof trimming and giving injections.  So, Janet's father built a wonderful little wooden stand which serves those purposes perfectly.  Spoolie Mae also thinks it's great for reaching those hard to get leaves. The left part of the stanchion is hinged and held in place with a block of wood.

During the winter we use heated water buckets to give our goats free access to non-frozen water during the day.  The buckets do not actually make the water warm, but elevate the temperature just enough to prevent the water from freezing.   It works great in combination with the additional buckets of warm water we give them morning and night.

  Routine Maintenance Feeding

We feed our goats Purina goat chow mixed with black oil sunflower seed and alfalfa pellets(about 6 parts goat chow to 2 parts alfalfa pellets to 1 part sunflower seed). Sunflower seed provides a good source of Vitamin E and is thought to reduce the risk of enterotoxemia. The amount of grain we offer varies, depending on age, body condition and whether or not a doe is in milk.

Our goats are also offered free choice orchard grass or an orchard grass/alfalfa mix, depending on what is available at the time. We no longer feed straight alfalfa as our goats tend to put on too much weight with the high levels of protein found in alfalfa hay. We use a loose mineral mix that is specifically formulated for goats. We also provide free choice baking soda to help buffer the rumen.

 

Janet's father built several hay feeders (adapted from a drawing in the book Raising Milk Goats the Modern Way by Jerry Belanger).   The only real alteration he made was to shorten the legs a little for our small goats.
 

Preventive Health Care & Testing
We routinely immunize with C, D & T for prevention of enterotoxemia and tetanus.  We administer C,D&T to pregnant does one month before freshening to provide passive immunity to babies and then again, to the babies, at 6 to 8 weeks of age with a booster at 10 to 12 weeks.  After that everyone gets an annual booster.

Our herd is test negative for CAE and Johne’s disease (last test date - November 2010). Since Virginia is classified as a TB and Brucellosis free State, we no longer test for those diseases unless transport to another State requires it. We do not test for Caseous Lymphadinitis (CL) since we have never had a contagious abscess in our herd.

When we first got goats, we started out worming every two to three months, as a preventive measure, despite negative fecal exams.  Since then, however, at the advice of our vet and as the result of reading various studies on parasite resistance to drugs, we have changed our approach to worming only new goats brought in and worming only those goats who require it. To determine which animals to worm, we examine the inner eyelid for color using the FAMACHA method in combination with fecal exams. We also worm immediately after a doe kids, since her body is more susceptible to worms during that period. For some excellent information on parasite resistance, please read this article by Ray Kaplan, DVM, PhD.

To keep hooves and feet healthy, we trim hooves every six to eight weeks using a great little pair of hoof trimmers that look like pruning shears, (available from Caprine Supply, Hoeggers and Tractor Supply) and finish with a Stanley surform (a small plane) for a smooth surface.

Part of preventive health care for our goats includes eliminating or preventing access to toxic substances.   After doing some research, we discovered several varieties of poisonous plants on our property. (See poisonous plants web sites on Links page.)   The scariest are the chokecherry trees, because the highly toxic wilted leaves have a sweet taste that is appealing to goats and just a handful of wilted leaves can prove fatal.  We took down quite a few of these trees that were in close proximity to the goat pens.  We also have wooded areas with lots of Mountain Laurel and Bracken Fern, both poisonous.  Our goats are not allowed to roam unsupervised in these areas.  Fortunately, these plants do not seem to appeal to our goats, so we can go on hikes together in the woods as long as we keep a watchful eye.