Lets talk about goats!

[waddles99]

Yup. Agreed. Those dairies are skinny and bony, I dont like the look, a good muscled boer looks so much better.

 

[FishMtFarm]

That's why I breed recorded grades. My dairy goats are built like a moose. I do t like skinny and bony either and a well bred dairy goat will be an easy keep with good body mass and capacity. I have boers too cause I like a solid goat but here is a dairy buck who sired a couple of our favorite does. He was a tank and throws that nice thick muscular body.

 

[waddles99]

That's why I breed recorded grades. My dairy goats are built like a moose. I do t like skinny and bony either and a well bred dairy goat will be an easy keep with good body mass and capacity. I have boers too cause I like a solid goat but here is a dairy buck who sired a couple of our favorite does. He was a tank and throws that nice thick muscular body.

Wow, Ive never seen a dairy goat that nice. Sorry for my assumption that they are all skinny and bony. All the ones Ive ever seen are

 

[potagergirl]

You know, thinking back, I did not select the breed of goat I own. We needed milk for a grandson and very badly!
Asking around I found Roy who owns dairy goats. During the summer I made at least two trips a week driving 25 minutes
each way to get enough milk to feed him plus freeze for the winter.
My first visit I flat out asked about seeing his goats. In my head I had to make sure they were healthy and well kept.
I should have kept my mouth shut =). After that first visit every time I went I had to see the girls, watch him do some care,
bottle feed a couple kids. Well you know what happened . The next summer Roy brought two dairy girls he selected from
his heard for me. I was determined and flat told hubby he was not going to talk me out of buying my girls. Instead of trying
he built a goat house, a milk stand, and a simple milker. Last year he built my really nice milk house.
I believe our goats were selected because of the quality of care and the caring person Roy is and not for the La Mancha breed.
I wouldn't trade them for the world though =)

 

[cassie]

They are skinny and bony if people don't give them enough feed. Happens a lot I'm sorry to say.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Yep, you are right. There are people that don't care for them properly, however, I think because of selective breeding to get a huge udder and pounds and pounds of milk from such a small animal, has lead to lower longevity and hard to maintain animals because they put so much of their nutritional intake into making milk and not supporting the health of their own bodies. I bought an alpine doe that gave me a gallon and a half a day. I had her on grass, fed grain, and alfalfa pellets. She still was very boney and ended up foundering. Never bred her again and switched my focus to bigger boned by mixing breeds and showing recorded grades who still have nice udders and capacity but some butt to back it up. No offense taken on you assuming all dairy goats are thin. Most are, but not mine. Mine are alpine/lamancha cross. Nubians are actually quite beefy and came about thru boer breeding.

 

[potagergirl]

I agree. we went to show with Roy last year and the skinny bony was a bit distressing for me. I wanted to bring them
all home to give them good feedings. Mine are on the plump side but not fat.

 

[FishMtFarm]

This isn't the best pic but it shows the body on my three dairy does. I can't stand to see a bone sticking out and they have nice thick legs and big feet on them. Very easy keepers too!

 

[politicalcenter]

This isn't the best pic but it shows the body on my three dairy does. I can't stand to see a bone sticking out and they have nice thick legs and big feet on them. Very easy keepers too!

Those are very nice goats. Yes....very nice.

 

[politicalcenter]

They are skinny and bony if people don't give them enough feed.  Happens a lot I'm sorry to say.

Worms can be a problem. Especially during wet weather. And some goats never recover fully after being sick.