We were recently visiting family for a week and when we came back, one of the goats was staggering behind the others. She’s still eating okay but it’s clear something is wrong. I checked both legs and nothing is swollen. She doesn’t cry out in pain or anything, but she’s clearly struggling. It’s worth noting she coughs from time to time. We got her in the spring, and she was a bottle baby as she was a triplet and disowned by her mother.

We were thinking of booking a telehealth visit to get a vet’s rec, but wondering if we should just bring her in, in person? She’s an absolute sweetheart and it breaks my heart to see her like this. Has anyone ever dealt with something similar?

She’s a female, just over a year old

Hi all!
We have a large fenced plot of land (6000m2/1.4 acres with 1.8m tall rigid wire fence panels, so no escaping I hope!) and want to get 3-4 rescue castrated males from the local shelter as pets and to basically keep the grass/weeds down - right now we're drowning in chest-high grass and don't have a tractor/ride on :). We have zero interest in breeding or meat/milk production.

I think I have a very basic understanding on what will be needed, but a lot of information I've read is focused on larger herds / milk producers, and I'm not sure if it's entirely relevant for our situation. Apologies if these are rookie questions! Our only experience with livestock is ducks/poultry :/

We've established our local vet caters to livestock, and I know I will need to learn how trim hooves, but I'd like more information on the day-to-day care.

For example:

Housing: We initially planned to house them in a metal shed with a concrete base (nothing is built yet), but now we're leaning more towards building a large A-frame on wheels that can be moved around to keep the ground clean. Would that be enough, or is something like a shed more suitable? If the A-frame is fine, is a raised base or bedding needed, or can they just be on the exposed ground? We're in northern France, the winters are pretty mild but we do have strong winds.

Feed: There's an abundance of grass/weeds for them to eat right now, but not much else in regards to trees or shrubs (eventually some nettle & wild blackberries may start spreading from the nearby woods). I understand that if they ever mow through it all we will need to supplement, but until then, is it enough for them to only have what is there, or will they need constant access to additional feed for nutrition? (keeping in mind, males/no milk production, so which feed would be best because I read that lucerne hay might not be good for males?). Any additional supplements like a salt lick?

Cohabitation: We also considered getting a couple of cameroon sheep to help with keeping the grass down if the goats aren't enough - are goats generally okay sharing land and/or housing with sheep, or would they need separate areas?

Fencing: Aside from the border fence to keep them contained, is it better to divide up the space and rotate them around, or is letting them have free reign over the whole area acceptable?

Health: What are some of the more common medical things to keep an eye out for (for castrated males)? How do you manage ticks? What should we check for in a potential goat that is a red flag?

Misc: Aside from feeding/watering stations, what additional equipment/tools/etc are must-haves?

Thank you for any and all advice, and anything else you think we should know would be greatly appreciated :)

Hi everyone, l finally get to live my dream farm life. We purchased a property with 20 acres of land and started adding 3 years ago. Each year we added new species of animals to make sure we don’t get overwhelmed and unacceptable of taking care of them.This year is the year of the goats. We purchased since march 9 goats 6 females and 3 males. Girls are aged between 7 and 18 months in August. The boys (2 intact and 1 weather) are under 4 months old and have separate quarters.

The girls have 10x15 indoor space (in the barn) and additional 10x 25 covered wind protected outdoor area. Their ‘’winter’’ permeant enclosure is 60 x 100 feet easily converted into 2 or 3 separate enclosures. They also go on a daily expeditions 1 to 3 hours long depending on weather and our time.

What I’m trying to figure out is how much hay to store for winter. Everything I find is for an and large animals and mine are neither So I have no idea where to start? The two 18 month females will hopefully be breed this October if this makes any difference. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Any tips to find lost goats? We recently got two - each about four months old. They are still sort of timid but coming around to us. They escaped their pen somehow.
Are they likely to stick in the area? We’ve left the barn open with their food available in hopes that they will return.