how much does a milk goat cost?

[BeardedChick]

How much should I expect to pay for a decent quality milk goat suitable for a first time milker?

And should I bother with buying a purebred?

Just researching...

I have a empty run-in shed that could be enclosed some, and a well-fenced corral. What else could I possibly need????

Hahahaha, this is how the madness begins, isn't it??

ETA: I'm in rural Colorado.

 

[Emzyyy]

my neighbor got one for $40 bucks but ive seen some for $10

 

[justhatchin]

You wouldn't have to get a pure bred, it might help in resale or the selling of offspring though.

What you need to look for is a goat that handles well, fairly tame with a nice sized bag -not meaning huge, but rather 1/2 a basket ball, snug under the belly not hanging down too far.

Tits nice sized

(sorry) (you have to be able to get at least 3 fingers on it-if first time milker this would be acceptable they will develope- 4 would be better), but not so long you wonder where to put your hand. you should see a difference in the bag and the tit.

A older goat(4-6 yrs) might be best as she has experience and would be more patient while you learn to milk. Ask the owner to show you how and let you milk her before you buy.

As for cost- you can get a goat producing milk for $10.00, but I would be leary of how well she will stand. I would say $50 To $100 for a GOOD milk goat- one that wont make you wonder what you are doing freezing you hands off for spilled milk.

Any goat that has given birth can be milked it is just a question of how much milk you want and how much of a struggle you want to get it

.

You should have a milk stand, it really makes it easier, I have however milked one-who very much opposed- tied to the fence in the pen. If you are handy you can build one fairly easily.
Talk to the owners of the goat you choose , most people will be glad to guide you in getting started.

Hope these ramblings help you. Remember a tame goat!

 

[Chatychick]

They range form $10 to 500...just depends on what your looking for. I raise Nigerian Dwarfs and some of them have very small teats. They do produce lots of milk for their size. I also have La Manchas and Nubians and alpines and even a mini Alpine. Just because its a larger goats dont mean the teats will be larger. I have seen some larger goats that have teats smaller than my Migis.
You want a goats thats easy to catch and milk and not have to worry about catching her just to milk her. I dont chase anymore...not worth my time. I love handmilking and time with my does . They are very routine animals and you need to be consistant about milking also. Its a time I enjoy as my DH isnt all that good at milking so its up to me as to how many I milk and how they are trained. So if you are thinking about getting a doe and are new to it get 1 that has been milked before and is easy to do.
Also you want to have it tested for CL and CAE.

 

[kinnip]

One last thing, you will want to get two to start. One could be a wether, if you don't want to milk two. Goats just don't do well alone. She'll be loud and possibly destructive, if left alone. You also need to think about how you'll be freshening her. I hear that bucks were a big hassle and was going to tote the poor ladies around for freshening, then I met a buck. They're sweethearts, very smelly sweethearts. I'm so glad I decided to go the extra mile and have them here for easy breeding.

 

[PotterWatch]

I paid $450 for a mother/daughter pair of registered mini-lamanchas that were already bred.

 

[zatsdeb]

we got our purebred sanaan doe, bred, for $125.00 but got a discount cause my DH did all their plumbing for them, he is a plumber!!!!
they sell them anywhere from $100.00 - $500.00... sometimes more..
ours is a champion milker bloodline, and gives a lot of milk!
it depends on how much milk you want.. some give more than others.
and be prepared to milk twice a day
also you don't need a second goat if you get one bred, as the baby you can keep for her company.
that is what we did.
now we have 7 bred goats and one big billy goat!!!!
Look out spring!!!!

 

[greyfields]

I would expect to pay a minimum of $200 for a good dairy doe, purebred and registered.

 

[Chirpy]

What part of Colorado are you in? I'm on the Eastern plains and spent this last summer and fall looking for good quality milk does.

If you want a purebred you should expect to spend at least $200 unless someone has a 'fire' sale. (Meaning they have to get rid of their goats quickly for some reason.) The better does I saw were over $200, closer to the $300 mark around here. They were experienced milkers, which is what I was looking for since I'd never milked before. I also wanted younger does (between 2 & 4 yrs. old) so that raises the cost. As mentioned, getting an older doe (4 - 6) can be a great way to get started also. I just brought home a 6 yr. old Nubian doe that I'm milking and got for $100 because of family problems which forced them to sell quickly.

It also makes a difference if the purebred is registered. You get Blue papers with them. You pay more for those papers. You get Green papers for Grade or not purebred.) Again, it makes no difference except in selling the kids... you cannot get as much for an unregistered kid.

If you want a mixed doe you can find them for cheaper and they can be as good and sometimes better at milk production than purebreds. But, as mentioned, you cannot get as much money when selling their kids.

Depending on where you live I may be able to help you in Colorado and put you in touch with some people.

I highly suggest you go to several farms (whether they have one milker or 20) and get some hands on experience. You will also find that everyone does things a little different in their milking procedure and you can figure out what works best for you. I found that having the right size teats on the doe with a good orifice was essential to me when looking for my milkers. The right size teats for me was different than for my friend that was looking with me. You need hands on experience.


Edited: Thankfully ksacres is brilliant and watching to correct my errors! I'm not sure where my mind was when typing but the grade papers are Brown NOT green as I stated above. I wanted to make sure I corrected this post since I don't want to give incorrect info. Duh... just having one of those lifetimes I guess.

 

[Chatychick]

I agree with Chirpy there...hands on is the best...and dont settle on some goat your not sure of ...walk into the pen ...Is she friendly? you dont want to chase them every morning just to milk them...Kinda like buying a car...dont get what your not sure of...