Raising Goats For Dummies. Cheryl K. Smith

over from one end of pieces J and I to the center and mark the centerline with a pencil.

      4 Measure ½ inch over from the center and mark again.

      5 With piece L lined up correctly and the pieces clamped (or with a helper holding them in place), drill through pieces I, L, and G with the -inch drill bit.

      6 Drop a bolt into the drilled hole, and add the hex nut to the other side to hold it in place.

      7 Add a support block (M) to each end of piece H, making sure that the side and top align.

      8 Use your 1⁄8-inch drill bit to drill starter holes, and then screw them together with 1-inch deck screws.

      Adding the feeder attachment

      To add the feeder attachment, place piece N across the center of the upper M piece, with the ends aligned and flush with the top of piece M. Predrill holes and use 2½-inch deck screws to attach. You can add a plastic feeder in the front of this.

      Attaching the stanchion to the base

      Sand any rough surfaces of your structure until they’re smooth and the corners are rounded.

      Attach the stanchion to the base, with the feeder attachment on the outside and with the bottom aligned with the bottom of piece I, sitting on the edge of the base. Predrill holes and attach with 2-inch deck screws through pieces E and F and K.

      

Don’t put a screw through piece L. It has to move freely so your goats can get their heads in and out.

      Prepare the O brace by following these steps:

      1 Measure 2 inches and mark from the left corner of one end.

      2 Draw a line from the right corner of the same end diagonally to the 2-inch mark.

      3 Measure 11 inches up from that right corner and mark.

      4 Measure across the other end from the same side 1¾ inches and mark.

      5 Draw a diagonal line from the 11-inch mark to the 1¾-inch mark.

      6 Then measure 10 inches from the original left corner and mark.

      7 Draw a diagonal line to the 1¾-inch mark.

      8 Saw on these lines.

      9 Use the cut O piece as a pattern to draw and cut the second O piece.

      Attach braces O with 1-inch screws on each side to the bottom end of the stanchion and flush with the bottom of the side piece of the base.

      Making final adjustments

      Add a hook-and-eye latch to the inside top of the neck assembly (above the cutout). For bucks or goats with thicker necks that may not fit, you can use a bungee cord wrapped around the neck assembly to hold it together.

      

To make it easier to keep the milk stand clean, you can attach an inexpensive piece of flooring vinyl to the top of the platform with metal edging if you like.

Part 2

      Bringing Your Goats Home

IN THIS PART …

      Give your goats a comfortable place to sleep.

      Decide what and how to feed your goats.

      Choose your goats, buy them, and bring them home safely.

      Understand and shape your goats’ behavior and stimulate your goats’ minds.

      Care for your goats with everything from basic grooming to disbudding kids to castrating bucklings and more.