The document summarizes presentations from Grey Bruce Farmer's Week 2015 about goat farming operations. Kevin Weaver discussed his dairy goat farm with 300 Alpine goats that produces high quality milk. Peter and Amy Vingerhoeds transitioned their hobby meat goat farm to a commercial operation with an emphasis on labour efficiency. Their new barn facilities include natural ventilation, separate feeding areas, and bulk storage to reduce costs and waste. Through improved facilities and management, they increased their herd from 20-30 goats to 80 productive does.

1. Grey Bruce Farmer’s Week 2015
Elmwood Community Centre
Goat Day Panel – Friday January 9, 2015
 Kevin Weaver – Weaver Farms
 Peter & Amy Vingerhoeds
 Moderated by Leo Losereit
Participants:

2. Weaver Farms
Virtual Farm Tour

3. Who We Are
•Family owned and
operated dairy
goat farming
business

4. What We Do •Specializing in
producing high quality
milk, breeding and
marketing elite Alpine
genetics.

5. Facilities

6. Milking Barn

7. New Barn

8. Milking Parlour

9. Milking Parlour

10. Bulk Tank

11. Feeding
• Dry Hay
• Currently 1.70 kg of hay
• Grain
• Work with feed company to
develop custom grain ration
• Currently 1.70 kg of grain
• Mineral
• Water

12. Pasture

13. Kids

14. Goats
•300 Purebred
Alpines
•150 milking
•3.2 kg/doe/day
•965 kg Milk
•31 kg Fat
•28 kg Protein

15. Weavers L’Avenir Sunshine
•Excellent 91 2E
• 4th Lactation
•3rd Lactation
•1240 kg Milk
•41 kg Fat
•35 kg Protein
•Sons going in AI

16. Breeding

17. Exports

18. Record Keeping

19. Record Keeping

20. Breed Improvement
•Registration
•Milk Recording
•Type Classification
•The Canadian Goat
Improvement Program
•You can not improve
what you do not
measure!
•Select the parents of
the next generation

21. Other Stuff

23. Challenges
•Rising input costs
•Price paid on product
•Unchanged
•Not keeping up with rising input
•Production limits
•Since May 2009 avg % used in blended price 22%
•Support Programs
•Education
•Marketing

24. The Future

25. Thank You

26. Transitioning from
Hobby Herd
to
Commercial Meat Goat
Herd
Peter & Amy Vingerhoeds
Hensall, ON

27. Started as FAMILY HOBBY

28. Ran 20-30 does in old barn for 10 years
•Raised 50 to 75
market kids per year
•Bred Commercial
Dairy/Boer Crosses
•Full Time Animal
Nutrition Business &
Part Time Farmers

29. MARKET KIDS
RAISED ON MOTHERS MILK
•Wean at selling
(100 – 120 days)
•Test for CAE and
Q-Fever

30. OLD BARNS HAVE LIMITATIONS:
•Cold and drafty and
dark in winter;
hot and stuffy in summer
•Watering, feeding and
cleaning pens can be
labour intensive
•Pen set up not easy for
moving and shipping
animals

31. WASTED FEED an ISSUE
Hay and forage is
largest expense
•Lower intake when
hay is dirty
•Expensive bedding
•Repeated cleaning
out of feeders

32. WHAT DOES WASTED FEED
COST ?
• 30 doe herd – feed 1000 to 1200 bales a year
.... if even 20% of that hay is wasted
.20 x 1100 bales = 220 bales at $4.50 per bale
Easily $1000 or more

33. COLD WINTERS were a CHALLENGE

34. We made decision to build in 2012.

35. HERD EXPANSION GOALS
1.LABOUR EFFICIENCY
2. Eliminate feed wastage
3. Better barn environment
4. Improve production performance
5. Gradually increase herd to 100 - 150
with own stock

36. Two years in new barn

37. Current System:
•80 (+20 replacements) high percentage Boer does
•Specialize in Non-traditional and Paint Boers
•8 month breeding cycle, breed continuously
•Total confinement
*keep same goats together in same social groupings
•3+ hours of chores/day split between 2 people
•Cash crop 76 acres, purchase all dry hay
•Own limited equipment: loader tractor and hammer mill

38. Natural Ventilation
•Temperature sensors
control automatic
solid window panels
•Air is fresh, barn is
bright,
no condensation
•Winter temperatures
5-7 degrees C

39. Single Entry
•Heated room for
utilities
•Change barn
boots & clothes
•Cabinet for
medications &
supplies
•Designated place
for record keeping

40. View from Front of Barn
•Six 14 x 28 foot
pens on each
side of 12 foot
feed alley
•Swing Gates
allow for flexible
pen configuration
& stocking

41. Feeding Hay
Bring in 2 bundles x
21 bales
once/week
less labour
less equipment less
wasted hay
cleaner floors

42. No Feed Waste
•Floor feed twice daily
•Free access to hay for
most of day
•SWEEP OFTEN,
redistribute hay until eaten
•Tombstone gates reduce
feed waste to almost 0%

43. SIMPLE FEEDING SYSTEM
•Rolling carts carry 2
to 3 days feed
•Hand feed each
pen exactly what
they require
•Requires no
machinery

44. BULK PELLET BIN
•Open slide and
dump directly into
feed cart
•Fast
•No bags
•No equipment
•Less hay to handle

45. CUSTOM PELLET RATION
•Balanced with mineral,
coccidiostat and various
fibre sources
•Allows us to feed less
hay when forage is
expensive
•Provides a method of
minimizing cocci in herd

46. SHIPPING ALLEY/ Creep Feeding
•Market kids are creep
fed with pellet
•Alley is swept often to
keep pellets fresh

47. BULK STORAGE for GRAIN
•Grind ration every
2-3 weeks
•Stored in bulk tote

48. •Canola meal, corn &
vitamin mineral premix,
coarse grind
•ALWAYS feed grain after
goats have had 1-2 hours
to eat hay and rumen is
working.
•Use one ration, but
manipulate amounts
according to stage of
lactation / gestation
GRAIN RATION

49. 1. Maintain excellent body condition on does
2. Does able to nurse 2 or 3 kids through first half of
gestation.
3. Can achieve 3 to 3.5 kiddings in 2 years
Benefits
of good
feeding
program

50. Managing Feed Costs
DRY HAY IS OUR BIGGEST COST:
Feeding high fibre custom pellet reduces hay fed
(also more labour efficient)
Feed best quality hay to late gestation does and nursing
does, and growing kids
Feed less expensive, coarser hay to dry goats with lower
nutritional requirements. Feed clean straw.
DON’T LET GOATS WASTE FEED:
Feed what goats can eat up relatively quickly
Tombstone headgates (waste reduced from 20-30% to <1%)
MIX OWN FEED RATIONS ON FARM

51. How we move goats

52. Cleaning out manure pack

53. Manure is composted

54. Still use old barn for isolation &
hay storage

55. TOP DOE Lavender
Born 2009
Photo taken at 3 years
(2012)
4th lactation
raised 7 kids
Photo at 5 years age
(2014)
8th pregnancy
(kidded Nov.27, 2014)
* 16 kids in 8 gestations
4 kids/year

56. Invest in Good Stock
•CAE negative
•CL free
•Structurally sound
•LOOK HEALTHY
•BUY BEST BUCKS YOU CAN

57. TOP
TOOLS

58. Silvalure
FLY TAPE

59. Kid out in Lambing Pens

60. SCALE
Knowing weights
allows us to market
the heavier animals
for a higher price
per head.
Target 70 pounds.

61. •Scours in kids at 6-8 weeks
•Coccidiosis control
•Hoof maintenance in total
confinement
•Udder health with later weaning
Main Production Challenges

62. What we love to see !!