how much does a milk goat cost?

[BeardedChick]

I'm going to go look at her goats, try to get some pictures, and will post back for a consultation.

She said the sheep start having their babies a month after the goats kid, so the baby goats would be with their mamas for a month.

Egads.

 

[Chirpy]

I started last spring with 2 baby ND's as my first goats. I'm so glad I did. The biggest reason is because they captured my hubbies heart (he didn't want me to get goats but said yes because he loves me!

) plus it gave me a good start on getting to know goats.

By this summer I was ready to move onto adult goats that I could immediately start to milk. My husband was fine with that since he loves our first goats so much.

I had always thought that I couldn't possibly love an adult goat that someone else raised as much as I love the two little twits that I raised from 8 weeks old. I found out that I was wrong... I am as attached to my older goats as my babies.

I think you'll be really happy that you get a couple of kids to raise.

 

[BeardedChick]

Thanks - I just can't imagine being disappointed with baby goats. Good point about it being a way to suck DH into the equation.

 

[winniegirl]

I have 2 does I will sell you. One 3 yr old doe and one 1 yr old doe. $175 for both. The older one milks 1.5 gallons + per day.

1.5 gallons a day??? Holy Cow!

I had no idea!! I was hoping to get 1 doe in the spring, but even with 3 kids (on two legs) I don't know what we'd do with all that milk!!!

maybe just a pet wether for us, hmmm

 

[Chick_a_dee]

It allll depends, you can get a meat x milk cross around here for $80, but everyone is different.

 

[sweetshoplady]

What to do with the milk is a valid point. I milk 2 does now. And I set aside some for me, my chickens get milk, my dogs get milk. I've made cheese and ice cream. But, there are a lot of uses for that milk, not to mention to use it in cooking.

The milk is amazing. I love the Saanens too. I have one and she's a big sweetheart. My others are crosses.

 

[kstaven]

Quote:
1.5 gallons a day??? Holy Cow!

I had no idea!! I was hoping to get 1 doe in the spring, but even with 3 kids (on two legs) I don't know what we'd do with all that milk!!!

maybe just a pet wether for us, hmmm

There is always the option of a smaller milking breed.

 

[ksacres]

start having their babies a month after the goats kid, so the baby goats would be with their mamas for a month.

4 weeks is WAY too early to wean. I would suggest you ask them to bottle feed for you then you can switch them to replacer when you get them and continue to feed them. It is *extremely* hard to get a baby on a bottle after it's been on momma that long unless they've already had a bottle. We wean our whethers no earlier than 8 weeks and our doe kids no earlier than 12 weeks.

Dam raised kids tend to be WILD unless you handle them daily-make sure you ask about handling. That's definitely something you don't want to deal with-wild goats are NO FUN.​

 

[buck-wild-chick]

Just make sure she is used to haveing her teats touched, or you will be in for along ride !!

 

[Chirpy]

1.5 gallons a day???

We were getting 2 glns. a day this summer and that wasn't enough to keep us in milk. I have eight children and we all drink lots of milk. We easily go through up to 20 glns. per milk.

So, I think the answer to your problem of having too much milk is to quickly have many more children!

I did want to add that you don't want to wean a kid before they are 8 weeks old. If you have to take them from their momma before that then they need to be bottle raised from birth.​