Getting a goat??

My boys are really wanting a goat. I don't think I mind, but I am clueless about them, other than they take only a little work and need to be wormed twice a year. Can anyone suggest a good goat bread that is child friendly? We are thinking of a milking goat over a meat goat, so who has the sweeter milk? I think that has to do with the butter milk content right? Any and all suggestions will be great!

Don't plan on a single goat. They are herd animals and it is cruel to keep them alone. A goat kept alone is a very stressed goat.

All breeds can be child friendly, as long as they are socialized. Bottle fed can make a very people oriented goat. But most dam raised kids are also incredibly friendly if the breeder handles them regularly.

Milk taste can depend on breed, but also on what the animal is fed. Toggs are known to have odd flavored milk. I've only tasted Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf milk, so I can't comment on what breed is best.

FYI, a goat may need wormed more than twice a year, or less than twice a year. It depends on how virulent the worms are in your area, what wormer you use, proper use of the wormer, and the condition of your pasture. An overgrazed area causes high worm loads, because the animals are forced to eat low on the ground where feces are, If there is a lot of high browse available (since goats are browsers and choose browse over grass) and/or pasture rotation, then there will be lower rates of infection. A fecal sample sent to the vet can determine if a round of worming with a proper method was successful.

Also, if you get goat kids, you need to beware of coccidiosis. It is a killer of kids and most new goat keepers don't know anything about it. Coccidia is different from worms. All goats carry coccidia in their gut. But in young kids, their immune systems cannot keep it in check. The same happens in a stressed or ill adult goat, btw. Most goat keepers with kids give kids a preventative treatment every 21 days (the lifecycle of coccidia) until the kids are older.
 
The sweeter goat milk can be found in a goat breed like a nigerian dwarf or a nubian goat. I have found the goats with the more "goaty" flavor can be found in breeds like saanen or toggenburg. Is property size an issue? The nigerian dwarves need a significantly smaller pen to run around in than a stardard size breed like the nubian. The nigerians are a miniature breed, thus easier to handle for young children.
 

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