Things You'll Need:
- Alfalfa or clover hay
- Dairy goat feed
- Mineral/salt mix
- Bucket(s) or trough
- Shelter (3 or 4-sided, roofed)
- Bedding material
- Fencing
- Rake
- Hoof trimmer
- Hoof file
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Step 1
Feed your Nubian goat on quality alfalfa or clover hay and concentrated dairy goat feed and allow it to forage in a pen or yard. This diet should be supplemented with a loose mineral/salt mix
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Step 2
Offer plenty of clean water in a clean container such as a trough or bucket. Goats will need to consume between two and five gallons each day, perhaps more if the weather is warm or the goat is particularly large.
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Step 3
Build a shelter for your goat. This shelter can be three-sided, but it must have a roof of some sort as goats do not like to get wet and can even suffer from hypothermia if left to stand outside in the rain.. Make sure that only non-toxic paint is used on this shelter, as goats have been known to chew.
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Step 4
Provide dry bedding for your goat, material that is capable of being raked. You may use wheat straw or kiln-dried wood shavings for goat bedding.
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Step 5
Fence your goat's area securely, both to prevent your goat from wandering off and to prevent predators such as coyotes from getting in. You should use fencing at least four feet high, on good solid posts.
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Step 6
Regularly rake your goat yard and shelter, and remove all manure and soiled bedding in order to keep your goat's living area clean and healthy. Manure piles tend to breed flies, which are often disease carriers. Goats can produce up to ten pounds of manure in one day, but at least the manure tends to be dry and makes excellent fertilizer
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Step 7
Trim your goat's hooves every three months to prevent foot rot. You can do this using a hoof trimmer and a hoof file or carpenter's rough sanding plane.
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Step 8
Vaccinate your goat yearly for tetanus and enterotoxemia (CDT). You'll also need to monitor your goat for signs of parasites like worms and lice.
