We are Getting GOATS!

[Quail_Antwerp]

We have been talking about wanting goats for several weeks now, figured we wouldn't be able to get any until spring.

WE ARE GETTING THREE GOATS TOMORROW!! and the price, OMG the price was PERFECT! Basically getting 3 goats for the price of one! A nanny, a kid doe, and one billy.

The oldest female, named Nan, is a pure bred Nubian Milk goat (YES!!) and is most likely already expecting to drop a kid in the spring (or twins maybe?)
Elroy, the billy, is half Nubian and half Boer (YES YES YES MEAT BLOODLINES!)
The youngest, named Tuffy, is jut a little mix bred goat who has adopted Nan as her mama, so Tuffy is going to be our pet goat, and Elroy and Nan we are hoping to breed.

We are picking them up tomorrow morning so once we have them home I will get LOTS of pics! They are just beautiful!!

 

[Small Town Girl]

That is awesome!!!! Are you planning on raising goats for meat/milk or are they just going to be pets? My BF really wants to get some goats. We've talked about it and thought we'd like to try making goats milk soap. If you don't mind me asking, where did you find your goats? I still owe him a birthday present....

 

[dixie chicken]

Gosh I am jealous. You are getting exactly what I have been wanting BADLY! Waiting till it gets a bit cooler to bushwhack some weeds down and put up some fence panels behind the barn. Good Luck and send pics.

 

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

Quote:
I'm happy for you! I did hear that Billy's can make the milk taste funny, and it's that "off" taste that turns people away from goat milk. so if you want good milk, keep them away from the girls at milking time, and don't let them by milking equipment. Just a tid bit to pass on. I don't know from expirience, I only have my girl.

I also heard that Nubians are excellent milk suppliers, especially after their first kids.

Have you seen Fias Co Farm? They have a lot of goat info.

Send some pics of your goats when you get them!!

 

[Chirpy]

You will love your goats! They are soooo curious and obnoxious and into everything and personable and love to be loved on.

Just a couple of comments:

and is most likely already expecting to drop a kid in the spring (or twins maybe?)

If your doe is pregnant she won't be giving birth next spring it will be in the next 150ish days. (That's their gestation.) That means very probably in December or January depending on when she was bred. You need to find out, if possible, so you don't have kids born in a snowstorm and die from the cold and exposure. (Of course, that depends on where you live - I didn't notice.)

The correct term (in goat circles) for a 'billy' is a 'buck'. If you have a buck you will need a high fence that is made like Ft. Knox (actually, as people say- if the fence can't hold water... it can't hold goats), so make sure you already have a very secure fence set up.

You will most likely not want to keep your buck with your doe. You want to control their breeding so you can decide when to have kids (baby goats). That way, you aren't having kids in the middle of a snowstorm unless you have a warm barn for them to be born in.

Plus, as mentioned, bucks will make your milk taste "goaty" if he's anywhere near the milking area. Also, what your doe eats can change the taste of the milk. So, if she is on pasture and gets into certain weeds, your milk can taste different from one milking to the next.

Can't wait to see pictures.

I highly suggest getting involved with a good goat forum. One good one is "thegoatspot.net". Wonderful, helpful people on there.​

 

[needmorechickens!]

AAAhhhh, no way....I am just waiting to get a fence up to get goats!!!

I don't know anything about them, but would like to have one for milk!

Good luck with yours and please post pics!!!! I think we need a BackYardGoats forum!

~Rebecca

 

[Sebrightmom]

Congratulations on the new goats. I have two nubian does. Both of them are bred. I have no clue when they are due. One is pretty big. I bet she will kid within the next month of so. The other one isn't that big, but she has never had a kid before. So, who knows. Good luck with them. I hope you enjoy them like we do.

 

[tfpets]

It's like the perfect goat package! Congratulations!

I have pygmy's as pets. they're great!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Thank you thank you thank you for the helpful replies and advice!

I am really excited about these goats!
To answer a few questions,

We are getting them for Milk and Pets. I don't plan on trying to milk anytime soon as I want to learn about it as much as I can first. (like I didn't know about the buck making the milk taste funny!)

Chirpy, I didn't know the gestation of a goat. I was just going by what the previous owner told us. I told my husband what you said about the gestation and he said good thing we have a warm place then! I may get a farm vet to check her out to see if she really is expecting or not. I know her udder looks like it is sacked up with milk now, and my husband said he didn't think she would be sacked up if she was just recently bred.

Thank you too for the goat forum info. I will definitely check that out!

And yes, tomorrow I will have pics to share!!

 

[TeaLady]

Yay!

and congratulations.

Goats are the greatest. Do check out Fias Co Farms, ASAP. Molly provides really good and accessible information. http://fiascofarm.com/goats/index.htm

And get a copy of Goat Husbandry if you can, top of the list here: http://fiascofarm.com/books-etc.htm. It's a good read as well as good information.