# Beginners Supplies



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

I should have my little goat barn completed within about 2 weeks, and I have my Alpines ready and waiting to come to their new home. Besides minor details like -- I need to learn how to milk -- I want to be ready when the goats get here. 

You guys have helped me so much already.....I am hoping you can give me some advice on what sort of medical supplies I should have to start with - I sort of the beginners supply kit. Also, is there a type of milking stand that you prefer? Anything that you use and couldn't do without?

Where do you get goat cage things to put in the back of pickup. I would carry them on my lap but the husband says "not in HIS truck".


----------



## hyamiranda (Jul 24, 2009)

You can use a dog kennel/crate to transport goats in the back of the truck, it just needs to be large enough to give them room. Congratulations on getting things ready before you get your goats. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.


----------



## Lazy J Dairy (Nov 3, 2009)

Unless you just want to get one of the truck totes, wich by the way TSC sells, there is nothing wrong with a large dog crate/kennel. That is what we use and have never had a problem with it.

We got our milkstand from Blue Heron farms on the north side of Houston, I do not know if they will make them anymore but here is her website http://blueherontexas.com , you can e-mail her from there and ask them. We had a good experience with them, they had us measure the goats, we could pick what color we wanted our stand, they were a very friendly couple as well when we meet them.


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Linda, 

line up a vet that is willing to sell you meds or a local goat breeder that can share in emergencies. Here everything can wait until Jeffers order gets here excpet for Rx meds. 

I always keep in stock:

Benamine Rx
BoSe Rx
lactated ringers - from vet or hoeggers
Cydectin pour on 
DiMethox 40

Recommended supplies 

Equipment:

hoof trimmers
milk equipment - bucket or pail, jars, strainer, filters, baby wipes
milk stand
water trough
weight tape
thermometer (cheap one from Walmart will do)
metal snippers to cut bales of hay
syringers and needles

Dewormers"

Cydectin
Ivermectin Plus

Drawing blank on rest here, maybe others can fill in


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks - that helps a lot. I did talk to my local vet who says he "knows" goats. I hope so. I was hanging out in the local Tractor Supply last week and came across a guy who shows boer goats for the last 10 years. He seemed pretty knowledgeable and is close enough for some advice. Other than that, I think I'll have to pack up any ailing goats and head to Vicki's - she does accept emergency visits, right? 

Jana, sorry to hear about your pneumonia outbreak. You know I know nothing to help but I am sending prayers and good thoughts.


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

Order your syringes and needles from Jeffers--so much cheaper than buying them bit by bit at the feed store. I made my milkstand off the Fias Co Farm website plans. 

to add to the list: a post-milking teat dip or spray of some sort (chlorhexideen or iodine based)


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Linda, 

appreciate the prayers. So far the battle has been successful but I can't take credit for it. I have been so blessed with this forum and all the knowledge here. 

Glad you are finding some local goat folks, good to have in case you have a complicated labor, etc. a boer doe delivers just like a dairy doe, for other things call Vicki  Take one or two goats to your vet to maybe draw their blood to send in for CAE testing, establish that relationship - as established client I am able to call in the meds I need and have hubby pick them up for me. 

Jana


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Good point about the dip, was thinking about that when I was driving home today. We use home made pre and post dip, that way I never ran out. No mastitis so far.


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Who or what is Jeffers? I know Hoeggers, but I've never heard of Jeffers...goat supplies?


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

www.jefferslivestock.com


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks Billie. This looks like a good website to know.


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Linda,

they also have free shipping for most things. Vaccines, etc. require ice packs and there is a shipping charge. Some large items have surcharge also but most things ship free. Order away  Another website is www.caprinesupply.com , mostly I buy milking supplies from them.


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

Valley Vet is another one, though most thing I get, Jeffers is cheaper. Also, Hamby Dairy Supply is a good one to know, too.


----------



## kuwaha (Aug 22, 2009)

making a milk stand is pretty easy - I made mine in a couple hours or less, and I am not that handy with tools! Just make sure you use plywood or solid wood not particle board as I did - dh had to strengthened that part after a while


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Karen, Did you use the plans that Billie was talking about from Fias Co Farm? Do you like a wooden stand vs metal? Is it hard to keep clean?


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Not Karen, but metal milk stand is always an upgrade from wooden ones, you can't really clean wood well but it will work to start with, I think most of us started that way. I got mine from a guy who builds them here for $75, compared to a $200 or $300 metal milk stand , budget WAS the deciding factor. 

Jana


----------



## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi Linda!
I'm a newbie, too. I'm not sure how many goats you have, but my vet is more than happy to share her Cydectin Pour-On with me. I only have 4 goats so it is so nice to go to her and get $3.00 worth of wormer versus spending $100 on my own. Ask your vet if they would do the same!


----------



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Linda you can make a pickup cage from livestock panels and nye-tyes. Its the easiest and least expensive. Measure the truck bed, cut panels for best fit and to fit around the wheelwells, attach four to five nye-tyes on each connecting panel Easy Peasy! Something hubby will probably be able to do in minimal time. 
Another thing is if you do not have a hay feeder built yet you can use t-posts along a fence line, pounded in at an angle, attach range wire and whalah, temporary hay feeder. Tam


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up about the Vet, Carli. I don't have any goats yet - just trying to get ready for them. I will only have 3 to start with (hopefully 1 or 2 will be pregnant). I will definitely ask the vet about the worming.


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Tam, appreciate the goat carrier info. Easy Peasy is not in my husband's vocabulary, but I think we might be able to manage it. I posted a want ad on Craigslist for one but haven't had any replies yet. If I don't hear anything, we will build our own. Thanks again.


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Linda, 

just careful about vet's advice on worming, many do not do goats and Cydectin pour on is extra label dosage not approved for goats, it's a cattle wormer. You may be recommended wormer like Safeguard or Stongid that is not effective. If you can find a vet that will work with you, is willing to learn and able to sell you what you need, you have it made. Our 4H vet recommend Cydectin and Ivermectin for worming. The Cydectin bottle really is a good investment and something to have on hand, especially since the new stock should be wormed 3x 10 days apart and then you have kidding season. 

Carli is right that it's very helpful to be able to buy a little at a time when that's all you need but Jeffers has decent prices 
and I would still recommend the investment in getting a bottle of the pour on. 

I remember being so confused when I started and having to write things down. Went to the feed store and they had Cydectin drench and pour or, Ivermectin drench, pour on and injectable, I remembered that one was supposed to be pour on and one injectable but had no idea which one so I ended up not buying any. It does get easier. 
Both Cydectin Pour on and Ivermectin Plus Injectable are good to have on hand and both are given orally. 

I get lute, Naxcell, etc. like this from vet, a dose or two at a time. 

Jana


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

I will be upgrading from a wood to metal milkstand... or may keep both, for now until I can get two metal stands, but the wood has served me well thus far. After using a barrier teat dip and wiping what drips down on the stand off, I wound up taking the thing outside, hosing it down, and scrubbing with a wire brush this summer and letting it dry in the sun... almost as good as new... but metal will be nicer. Thankfully, you don't drink milk off the stand anyhow.  I do sweep it off before and after every milking session. When I am able to get two metal ones, my wood one may go outside for hoof trimming and milking my buck (yep, got one of *those* now!) with a headgate modification for him. If you make the wood one off those plans, I would make it longer if doing it again. I had short bodied goats when I started and it was fine for them, but those I have now are long bodied and it's a tad too short.

I also started out getting wormer from my vet, and taking fecal samples to her each month, too, so I knew what I was dealing with and would get what would work on the parasites I had. She is good w/goats, though, and never gave me Safeguard (well, for giardia, but not worms). After a year, when I gained some confidence and had the money to stock a medicine cabinet, I went ahead and bought Cydectin, Valbazen, and Ivermectin Plus and use them according to the 101 article From Birth Till Kidding.


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

I just spent the last 90 minutes on Jeffers, Caprine Supply, Hoegger, Vet Valley websites looking up all of the "beginner supplies" - I'm exhausted. You are right, Jana, how confusing. I have pencil and paper at the computer and started taking notes, differences, prices, sizes, etc. I can see that I will need to visit with our vet again - he just hired on a recent Texas A&M graduate to come into his practice....maybe he and I can learn together. I'm going to go see him and see if he's up for the challenge. 

Billie, thanks for the mention of making the stand longer. I was pretty set on a metal stand until I saw the $$. I think wood will do just fine for now. What I am finding is that my goats are the least expensive part of the start up costs.


----------



## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Linda, 

lol, so much for the vision of fresh goat milk "for free" huh?? Goats are expensive little suckers to maintain, ha ! It does get easier once you get some things, they last a long time after you fork out the initial cost. Make your wish list from the top priorities to the "would like to have" items and work through it. 

Don't get sidetracked by folks here who are old timers have a fancy set up, etc. There was a recent post about how many of us got started, including Vicki and we all had some improvising to do and it worked. I milked into a plastic bucket for a while when the milk was just for us and strained through a cloth diaper we laundered after each straining. Wooden milk stand is just fine to start with and often fine for a long time. You can't milk a doe any easier on the metal one so it's really just fancier, more professional, easier to clean, etc. but not a need. 

Network with folks around you (in goats 1 hour or even 2 hours is reasonable distance for me), between a friend and myself we kept different things stocked up to borrow from each other. Right now you are just starting out but as you grow your herd and sell kids and go to shows, you will meet or "make" new goat owners and you can network with them. 
When I started I thought no one in our area had goats, now I am aware of pretty much every Nubian herd in OK, no matter how small. Join some local lists, even homesteading lists, etc. just filter the info you get there through here. 

Jeffers is by far the cheapest for meds, supplies, etc. plus the free shipping. Hoegges are cheaper on the milking supplies but you really don't need to start fancy. If the milk is just for you, any stainless container or even glass container from Walmart will do. I milked for a year into a stainless container for $3 that was originally a utensil holder in kitchen isle in Walmart on clearance. I bought two and they worked great as milk pails. You don't need $30 milk pail to get started.
WE kept our milk in pastic jars from Walmart in the fridge, a pitcher type container and it worked fine until we saved up for something better. Now we store milk in canning containers with plastic lids. For fancy milking equipment Hoegges was cheaper than Caprine Supply. 

You can improvise quite a bit by using what you have or what is cheap to get started. It will leave you more $$$ for quality hay in the winter and a vet bill should you need to take them. 

You really don't NEED everything all of us have, just access to some meds or if it's an emergency I would absolutely drive to Vicki's. Find a way to transport your goats, a camper shell on a pick up worked great for us, friends had a box built from plywood with holes in it and the front can be either a plywood gate or a cattle panel gate, you can swap them around. I will take a picture for you of that. I like it, because it's cozier and offers draft protection in the winter but can be more ventilated in the summer. Honestly, many here transported their goat in a mini van or station wagon, including myself, ha !!
The hay guy looked at me as if I just fell of the tree when he saw me pull into his barn with my Montana mini van , hehe. 

I guess what I am saying, it does NOT have to be expensive to start with. Also, may goat owners do not last for decades, it's something they enjoy for a few seasons, years, then for different reasons (job, moving, illness in family) need to quit
and here you are with all your equipment that doesn't hold its equity value anymore. I woudl get what I absolutely need and add slowly each year as I find what my goal with goats is and if I am going to stick with it or not. There are dealt to be found also, people do sell used milk stands, equipment, etc. cheaper so you can save $$$. Find if there is a county fair coming up that has goats, any goats even boers, talk to folks who could disbud for you next year, tatoo, etc. 


and have fun with it 

Jana


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

Yep, Tractor Supply has stainless steel buckets that are just as nice looking as what I got from Caprine Supply. For straining, I'd get the small strainer that fits into any canning jar and not buy the big cumbersome one again. I also just improvised a hay feeder for a couple bucklings I needed to separate... I took about 4 feet of fencing, looped it around and suspended it by chains from the rafters. chains, 4 clips, leftover fencing (all of it was leftover, because the chains used to hang chicken waterers, which was a waste of time, energy, and money!) and Voila! I stuff hay in from the sides and the bucklings are thrilled.  Goats are the cheap part of it all; the infrastructure and supplies are what's expensive. I wish I knew more when I started about what I would need and want... instead, I followed dumb advise and bought a bunch of useless cr*p like scour halt and nutridrench and hadn't a clue that I needed coccida and worm medications! At least you're starting from a better vantage point!  And there are folks that just clip their does to the fence and plop down on the ground and milk on the ground. Milkstands sure make it a lot more enjoyable, though.  I use the bucket that holds doggie treats as my milking stool. Gamma seal lids for my buckets of doggie treats, cat food, baking soda, and minerals are sure nice! I think I still spent about $50 on my wooden stand because of the bolt, eye clip, and I bought nice poplar boards for the platform, but the rest of it is left over lumber from building the barn.


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Jana & Billie, Thanks for the inside scoop on good substitutes. With all of the forum help, I think I am getting good basics and not going overboard on everything (okay, maybe a little overboard on some things). I just want my goats to be happy and healthy and provide me with all the milk I need for sales, cheese and soaps/lotions. I really don't have any plans for showing. I called the lady I am getting my Alpines from today to see if I could come and spend a day or two learning milking, hoof trimming, etc. She said yes, I could trim as many goat hooves as I wanted! lol I'm very excited to be a goat keeper. 

Billie, a milkstool and stand are a must - in my younger days I might plop down on the ground, but now I'd never get back up! Priorities dicate that I have a milkstand and stool. I'm anxious to start building my stand. Your plan for a hay feeder sounds perfect for my setup.


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

Knowing goats, they will figure out a way to hang themselves on that type of hay feeder if it's not high enough. So far so good here. If it were permanent, I'd do something else, but it's not, and I needed it fast, as the little guys were starting to take interest in the does and not the ones I want them bred to!


----------



## Squires (Jul 23, 2010)

A handy device -- not absolutely necessary, but very handy - -is the hand-held digital scale for weighing newborns. I also use it for measuring grain (to train my eye as to how much of a particular grain or supplement weighs per scoop) and poultry (captive in a bucket or grain bag) or just about anything. Even roasts that I took out of the freezer. 

The reason I wanted one is so I could keep accurate track of newborn and later weights as animals grow. Typical digital scale has a plastic handle on top, a hook on the bottom, and can be "tared" to a particular bucket or sling. Premier has a new digital scale for $42 that records up to nine kids/lambs weights, so you can go around a room and record all the newborn weights as you go, and take the scale back in the house to figure your records out and write down the weights. They have a lot of nifty stuff, and free shipping if you buy $100 or more on-line. <http://www.premier1supplies.com/c/equipment/lambing_and_kidding_supplies/.>

BTW, with my digital scale and a bucket, I weigh grain, lambs/kids/chickens, supplements and frozen roasts and larger amounts of produce or fruit for my kitchen use. Very handy little device to have around. 

My very favorite gadget, though, is a Miscellaneous item from Tractor Supply that they used to have in the store (they may or may not have it around -- depends what the warehouse sends them) - a titanium steel shears or scissors. It cuts tin, meat, umbilical cords, lamb tails, wire and hay twine. Also useful in the garden. Very handy. Not too sharp, but sturdy and don't get blunt fast.

Chris


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Because of where you live your first purchase has to be a wormer, it is going to be the first thing that happens if the girls stress from the move. Cydectin cattle pour on, and a 10 cc nylon syringe to use to give it orally. I would be happy to help, you could especially run by Boer goat information you receive and also vet info, to double check it's accuracy for dairy goats. Sharing where you purchased will also help, you can do it privately since there is little secret in the dairy goat industry, we all know each other in the end. Hopefully you have a good breeder who is sending you home with grain and hay they are used to, has recently copper bolused them for you and send you home with wormer to give them the weekend after they are home.

Hopefully also you did not pay more for goats presumed bred, especially Alpines this early in the season, and paperwork? IF they are registered make sure you come home with the papers and service memos for each one with the buck they were in with and presumably bred to.

Ask what they worm with, what worms they fight in their herd, what do the vaccinate for? It can give you an inkling of the problems you are going to go home with by looking at her older stock. Don't wait for problems to arise after they get there, prevent them.

Your first order of business is to get their blood pulled about 30 days after they get to your farm, send the blood into biotracking.com for CAE but also for blood testing for pregnancy, that way if they are not bred you aren't guessing anymore and can find a buck to use on them the next month. Vicki


----------



## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I found cloths at Dollar General. They are called Reusable Wipes, by Chore Savers.
You get two in a package for 1.00. They are white. I find they scrub up nice after use, and I bleach them big time, so far they have worked great! They aren't too large, nor too small.
I take two small plastic tubs with me, one for clean wipes, which I have wet, and one for the soiled ones. When done, I just carry them back inside and wash them out, bleach them, and I am good to go. I now have a collection of them! You know, when you find something that you can't live without, it always gets discontinued. So, I figure when they do that, I will have a lifetime supply. So far, they have lasted well over a dozen bleachings etc. In fact, I haven't worn one out yet. And they are gentle on the teats. And since that is all that I use these for, it is easy to keep up with them.


----------



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Ozark Lady said:


> You know, when you find something that you can't live without, it always gets discontinued.


No truer words were ever spoken! It's why I have multiples of some stuff in my house. This is great, and I love the dollar stores. Thanks!


----------



## Jen1204ca (May 25, 2010)

I have seen a c0uple 0f the livest0ck truck racks f0r sale, used, in the Bargain Hunter recently. If I were y0u I'd check the used classified ads.


----------

