Finally!

[annanicole18]

today is the day...i'm going to pick up my own little dairy goat baby girl!!!! ahh! she is sight unseen but for 25 bucks what more can you expect. she is saanen alpine cross and 8 weeks old. i'm going to be bouncing of the walls until we arrive at 6 to pick her up. so my question is at 8 weeks how big should she be and how can i bring her home in a car on a 2.5 hour car ride? does anyone else have this kind of cross? do they tend to be colored or white like the saanen. what kind of feed should i get from the feed store? thanks

 

[Chirpy]

Congrats on your new little girl! I'm hoping you have another goat companion for her? Goats are very social and really need the company of another goat.

I'm assuming she's weaned? So, she should get a good quality grass or grass/alfalfa mix hay. She can have some grain or a goat feed but not a lot. She doesn't need grain/feed at this point but many people do give it... especially to does and especially to milk does.

Are you going to milk her in the future? Saanen/Alpine is a great cross for a milker but it will depend, also, on her genetics as to her udder/teat size and milk production.

As to bringing her home. Most people use a dog kennel to transport in a smaller vehicle. I've heard of people actually holding a kid on their lap but 2 1/2 hours seems like a long time for that. I have put a tarp down in the back of our mini van and covered it straw for a full size dairy goat.

Can't wait to see pictures of her.

 

[astylishgirl]

I want to hear how this goes. Is goat milk better for you than cows milk? I have always wanted a milk cow, but hear that they are a huge undertaking. A goat might be more doable.

 

[annanicole18]

i should be getting a baby mini donkey very soon to keep her company but if that doesn't work out i will be getting her a companion. i have lots of time to spend with her so i have heard that they do fine on just human interaction.
I do plan on milking her but even if she isn't the greatest producer it will be fine since its just me and my husband no little ones yet.

I have gotten a large dog crate from my parents the plastic kind with a solid floor to transport her home in. leaving to get her now yay.
oh and goats milk from the store tastes exactly the same as cows milk so try getting it at the grocery and see if you like it.

 

[Chirpy]

oh and goats milk from the store tastes exactly the same as cows milk so try getting it at the grocery and see if you like it.

Eeewwwww ... I have to totally disagree with that statement for me personally. I CANNOT stand store bought goats milk. I LOVE my fresh, raw goats milk. At least to me there is a huge difference in the taste between the two. You can get different tasting goats milk from different farms even. It depends on what the goat has eaten, how clean the equipment is and how quickly the milk is gotten really cold. (Also if their is a buck close - that will give your milk a goaty flavor.)

I still stand by my statement that a goat will be happier and healthier if she/he has a goat friend. I know others may disagree but I watch my goats with each other and can't imagine how lonely they'd be without a 24/7 companion.​

 

[sweetshoplady]

An 8 week old doe - Saanen Alpine cross should be about the size of a 4 month old lab puppy. I brought mine home in large cardboard boxes - opened at the top, so they could look out. With plastic lining and blankets that I was willing to just throw away after the long car ride that I went on. Also line the seats in case the box leaks. Puppy pads might help too. They will go potty on the way home. Mine fit just fine on the back seat of an SUV, I had a full sized doe in the very back part.

Please post pics. My buck is an alpine and this will give me an idea, a sneak peak at what the babies will look like.

Congrats on your new doeling!!!!

ETA: Quite possible will have some of the longer hair and coloring of the Alpine. Saanen white is pretty dominant or seems to be with a Nubian cross. I'll bet she's cute as a button and has some coloring.

 

[annanicole18]

well she is adoreable but is all white sadly lol i wanted some color but she is a sweetie i will post pictures tomorrow. she is already following me and my husband around. i found out that she needed a bottle at night and well yeah lets just say i haven't bottle fed anything in awhile and never have bottlefed something that wasn't going to bowl me over for the bottle she was a monster i guess my bottle was different but once she got it in her mouth she wanted to chug it. anyways my long wait is over and i'm estactic about my sight unseen 25 dollar baby