Animal Care Instructions

At the end of the day – how, when, & where you feed the animals is up to you. As long as they get fed and watered, that’s all that matters. But that all said, we have our routines and I wanted to share them to try and make it (maybe) easier for you.

AT THE BARN

Mornings

We let Dixie out in the morning anywhere from 7am – 9am depending on when we get up. You do not need to rush and let her out first thing -- she is fine in her stall. We have had her off of the bridle because of her allergies but she was getting really fussy so I am trying to get her back into wearing it daily.

I always give her an apple & oat treat in the morning. It’s when she’s chewing the treat that I can usually put the bridle on her without too much trouble. I also give one to Lucky because Lucky ALWAYS follows me into Dixie’s stall. Sometimes I grab an extra treat and give one to Prisey because he’s one of my favorites. By no means do you have to give a treat to everyone – just Dixie and Lucky (cuz she’s so extra special).

Also in the morning I check all of the troughs and top off any that need it. With the weather this cool, this shouldn’t really be an issue. You can use the blue bucket hanging on the hook in the barn and there is a hose out at the barn.

Afternoons

We typically feed the animals between 3pm – 4pm however you can feed them whenever is convenient.

Feeding is kind of a dance but as I said – do what works best for you. The first thing to do is to get Dixie in her stall. Without a bridle, there is no way to grab her but she is generally inclined to go into her stall because she knows it is feeding time. If she won’t go – you can grab her food and hold it under her nose. She’ll follow you into the stall for sure. Lucky will likely follow you into Dixie’s stall and Nugget and Prisey will try to as well. Sometimes it’s easier than others to keep them out. Once you have Dixie alone in her stall, lock her in.

All of the feed is in the feed closet which is the first door on the left when you enter the barn. As with everything else, Lucky has special permission and at least with us, follows us into the closet. Dixie’s feed is in the large black barrel. It’s Bartlett brand and looks like small brown pellets. There is a 1-cup measuring cup in the bag of feed – Dixie gets anywhere from 6 – 8 ounces. We also add 5 – 6 Strongid pellets. The Srongid pellets are in a white bucket with a green lid on the “shelf” in the feed closet.”

To feed Dixie, you shouldn’t have to enter her stall. You should be able to pour her feed through the slats standing outside her stall into her feed trough. Check her water trough daily although it usually just needs a minor top off if anything at all.


After you’ve fed Dixie, return to the feed closet. There’s a red bucket in there as well as a scoop. The goats get ~ ½ scoop of corn (in the blue barrel) and 2 scoops of Goat Chow (in the silver trash can). Mix it all together in the red bucket and emerge from the feed closet ready to be bombarded.

I walk up to the troughs on the fence and start on the left. I put about 1/4 – 1/3 scoop of feed in each trough. The goats rarely stay at one trough and will follow you as you work your way down the line.

You should have feed leftover after hitting each trough because then I go back to the barn and Lucky follows. She eats in the second stall on the left – there are 2 black dishes in there. She gets a generous 1/3 scoop. Prisey will usually follow and eat in the same stall as her. If he does, put another 1/3 scoop in the other dish and then lock them in so no one can bother them.

Usually Nugget comes back to the barn too. She eats in the first stall on the left – the one that has the green plastic wheelbarrow and a white plastic dish. I give her a generous serving and lock her in as well.

Usually I have a little feed left and so I go back up to the troughs at the fence and distribute up there for Elvis, Ann-Margaret, Buster and Peanut.

After feeding, I check the water troughs and top them off. If the trough starts to look really dirty with lots of algae or dirt I change it out. Usually I change the water troughs every 3 days or so.

There’s a broom in the feed closet if the concrete in the barn starts to get too messy with droppings. I usually sweep it once a day.

Last but not least in the afternoons, I prep their evening treats. There’s a metal bucket in the barn right by the ladder that goes up to the hay loft. I keep it filled with apple and oat treats (which are in a bag in the black barrel where we keep Dixie’s feed.) It’s easier to have their treats prepped then to try and get them all in your hand when it is in fact treat time.

Don’t forget to let Dixie back out as well as Lucky (and Prisey and Nugget if they eat in the stalls).

As I said – feeding is kind of tricky and we have our routines. The most important thing in all of this is to make sure Lucky eats safely in a stall (she can be joined by Prisey but no one else).


Evenings

Now that it’s dark, I put Dixie up between 6pm - 6:30pm, although sometimes I let her stay out later. It just depends where we are, what we are doing, etc. She’s usually ready to go into her stall and doesn’t fuss too much. If she does fuss – she can be coaxed with a treat. If she’s really fussy – leave her out one night. It won’t kill her.

Once I get Dixie in her stall, I give her and all of the goats 1 apple and oat treat each. I just take them out of the bucket and try to go one at a time. Believe me – they will clamber around you and jump up and put their hooves on you so be prepared! If it’s too much – don’t worry about it. Just give Dixie a treat in her stall – either through the slats on the front or through the side door which swings open.

In general, we haven’t had the escaping goat problem but if one does get out you can usually tell because you will hear a lot of extra bleating and crying. Once out, they generally want to get back in – you just have to open the gate and they come eventually.


Dr. Mary is the vet for the goats and Dixie. Any problems call the office at (XXX) XXX-XXXX or call her cell directly at (XXX) XXX-XXX.