Dairy Goats. Tell me what I need to know!

[ChickenWisperer]

We're seriously thinking about getting dairy goats.

Now, I know I'm a newbie, so don't laugh - but I don't understand the process of how and when a goat has milk, and when they don't.

How many times a day should I milk?

How much/what kind of food do YOU guys suggest?

We are going to fence them in with cattle panels. Does this sound good?

What breeds do you suggest? We are thinking La manchas, nubians, and oberhasli. (Want something that will be more friendly)

 

[ChickenToes]

Here's a link to a site that will tell you everything you need to know. It can be a bit overwhelming, but this woman knows her stuff.

http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/index.htm

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Quote:
Thank you!

 

[shadowpaints]

we have dairy does. we have a registered alpine ( due to freshen anyday) and a nubian/alpine cross. we always feed our does horse quality hay ( 2nd crop alfalfa) and when they get close to their kidding date we start giving them a sweet feed made specially for goats . they get 1/2 lb 2x a day. we also milk 2 times a day 3 days after kids are born if we leave them on their mom. make sure that you get them from a reputable person. so you (hopefully) dont have to deal with unhealthy goats.

i hope this helps a bit!

 

[Cara]

Cattle panels are great for fencing in goats.

I wouldn't recommend Nubians. They tend to be loud and not the most cooperative goats in the world. They can have somewhat of a 'drama queen' personality. LaManchas, Oberhaslis, Saanens, Sables, or Alpines are a good choice (or a good Experimental).

Ours eat alfalfa hay and either sweet feed or corn/barley/oats mix. They each have 2lbs of sweet feed twice a day, and about two flakes of hay each.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Right now, I'm only milking once a day.

When kids were 2 weeks old, their Mom, Clover, went into a separate stall at night. I would milk her first thing in the morning and put her back with Bear and Sable, the kids. At 6 weeks old, the kids are getting big and lifting Clover off her feet when nursing, so we'll be weaning them to a bottle/pan soon.

You can milk once a day for awhile at least.

I have LaManchas and they are very sweet but they are the "weird looking earless" goats that some people san't stand to look at. But once you look at it everyday, you get used to it.

This is Clover. Another bonus of LaManchas is that they can come in any color and pattern while most other full-size dairy goats are restricted to just one color or a few patterns.

My neighbor has Saanens (white Swiss-type) and Toggenburgs (brown Swiss-type w/ white markings). Saanens are like labradors they are so friendly--they will also charge over to get petted. Toggenburgs are friendly, but more polite about it.

Go to TSC or go on Amazon and get a book on raising goats. "How to Raise Goats" has wonderful pictures in it too.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

what a cutie!!!

I just love the La Manchas, but mom doesn't so much. She want's nubians.

So, do goats have to be pregnant to milk them - their not like dairy cattle?

 

[Cara]

All animals have to give birth in order to lactate.

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
Is that really true? I know that a woman who has not given birth is able to breastfeed. She just needs to continually nurse a baby and after a week she can bring in a full milk supply. That's how in some countries grandmothers are able to breastfeed their grandbabies while mama is working. This is good knowledge for a woman looking to adopt an infant.
So, couldn't this be the same with any mammal?

 

[michickenwrangler]

She probably had some kind of hormone therapy. Not sure about "other" countries but in many 3rd world (for lack of a better word) nations, mothers give birth young in most generations, so Grandma may only be about 30 years old and still in child-bearing years. They also nurse longer than we do, sometimes up to 7 years. If Mom has a daughter at age 15, another baby at age 20 and another at age 25, she would probably still be nursing Baby 3 when Daughter 1 has hers and could nurse Grandchild occasionally if Daughter 1 needed help.

The body won't produce milk until the placenta passes, triggering hormones for milk production.

Some dairy goats will "milk-through" and keep producing for a year or two without re-breeding.