Getting some goats! I have a few questions…

[cassie]

One thing I forgot to mention. Go to caprinesupply.com and order a catalog. Caprine Supply offers a lot of goat supplies and books. Their catalog is chock full of good information. I am sure you will find it helpful.

 

[lomine]

1. I've had a herd of ND for a few years now. Their milk is awesome. The amount you get will depend on the genetics. I started out my herd with a couple of doelings from a good source but not the best milking lines. One of them only gives about 3 cups per milking. Over the years I have added better milking genetics into the herd. So when you are looking for your first goats get the best you can afford. I suggest looking at info on how to spot a good vs bad udder and the like. I didn't know much about it before my first (though I did tons of research) so I didn't know what a good udder looked like. Though I did luck out that all mine have fairly good udders if not the best capacity.

2. I'm sure they'll love being in a forest, just remember that they will also eat the bark off trees and kill them. You'll want to make sure there is enough other browse for them or protect anything you don't want them eating.

3. As much space as you can give. The biggest thing about space is parasites. A herd will happily cram into a stall together at night, but if they are out on pasture you want to make sure they aren't constantly eating where there is a lot of manure (cause that's where they will pick up the parasites.

4A. The big one for goats is CD/T. You can pick it up at many feed stores and you can administer it yourself. I would also suggest you have Vit B complex on hand. It comes in handy for a lot of things.

4B. Not really a vaccine but make sure you buy only from tested herds. Ask for the proof of the results. I annually test my herd but only the adults. If they don't test or aren't willing to share the results, walk away. No matter how great the goat may seem or if it looks like a good deal, it's not worth it.

5. I feed all of mine alfalfa and a grass hay. While they do like to eat the grass hay now and then. the bulk of their diet is alfalfa. It's important for pregnant and milking does to have enough protein and calcium in their diet. Milking does and growing kids get grain on the stand/at night. The bucks don't get any grain. Don't give too much grain to pregnant does as it can cause the kids to get too big and makes kidding harder. It's also important to provide a good loose mineral at all times. Many issues/problems can be traced back to mineral deficiency so it's important they get it. Do some research on your local area to see if your area is low in copper and/or selenium. You may have to provide selenium or copper bolus periodically if needed. But they can be toxic in high doses so talk to a local vet or trusted breeder first.

6. Most of my does have kidded without complications or assistance. But I have also had to help a couple out. I did have one kid that died because its head was twisted the wrong way and it got stuck. Luckly I was able to get to out and mama and the other two kids were okay. Though it was a difficult experience for both me and mama goat. Most important thing in these situations is to remain call. You'll also want to have a good relationship with your vet beforehand. Mine will often give help over the phone in emergencies without charging anything.

7. There is so much more but it just wouldn't fit in one post. I suggest joining a couple FB groups for goats. I've learned so much from the different groups I found on milking, conformation, color genetics, etc. Depends on how deep you want to go down the rabbit hole.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

I was raised on pygmy goats and now I have two NDG girls who are due in June but I will give you advice on what I know

yes they will do good in forestry areas but if you have harsh weather you may need to bring them in our neighbor had a goat get trapped under a fallen tree and we had to go up and saw the tree apart

they also do good in lots of overgrowth they are practically lawnmowers

they might need a little bit of help the first time they birth but after that its pretty easy watch "weed em and reap" on YouTube they do really good with NDGs