I want a goat

[dixygirl]

Ok i have decided to get a goat. I mainly want milk am am thinking about a saanen. Some questions,

If i get a young goat, what do I need to do to start preparing to get milk? I imagine i have to get her pregnant? How long before she can start producing? Should I just look for an older goat who has just given birth?

Should I get a male too or will she be content just keeping my horse company?

Can I just put welded wire around my wooden horse fence? What about a separte pen with t posts and welded wire?

Thanks for walking me through this

 

[helmstead]

Quote:
I would just work on finding a doe already in milk or bred and close to freshening that has been milked in the past. She will need a friend, either another doe or a wether. Yup, you'd have to line your horse fence with dog fence, and it would be a great idea to have an attached pen you can separate them into away from the horses for various reasons.

 

[sweetshoplady]

My goats and horses get along well. I separate them at feeding time then back together they go. I have been reinforcing my horse fencing with fencing that little heads can't get through. The goats do have places that they can go and get to that the horses cannot or have to go around a long distance to get to.

Saanens are lovely goats. I have one and she is a joy. As are my crosses, Saanen/Nubian crosses. The saanen tend to be more docile and quiet than the nubians.

A young goat you'll have to wait til she's mature enough to handle the birth. I got one who was just freshened and two kids from another person. Then got 2 does in milk. The milk is wonderful.

You'll want a nice comfortable place. Maybe part of your barn. As a place to milk. A stand is very helpful. When learning allow lots of extra time, til it gets easy and fast.

Just my 2 cents as a beginner. There are quite a few goat experts on here who really know their stuff and were a huge help to me getting started.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Well, you can try, but I'm betting that a male goat would have more luck....

I am SO SORRY--I could not pass that one up!

Belinda
feeling a little loopy tonight

 

[justsidney]

Haha! Good one!

I would also like goats someday, but I don't know what breed to get. Are there goats that can be used for milk AND wool? And I would need a breed that would also make a nice pet (everything is a pet to me!

). I know Tasha Tudor (so sad about her passing away) had nubians, but they have short hair don't they?

 

[newnanchic]

My goats have hair not wool ... Sorry but it is milk only from my goats ....

 

[Skyesrocket]

Angora goats have long hair. I don't know how they would be for milking...not sure about the teat size. I have a yearling angora that might be bred. So I should find out soon enough.
I just love her temperment. My granddaughter named her Whisper because she is quiet...and soft as a whisper.

 

[goatkeepers]

We raise Nubians and they are great milkers. I don't think Angoras would be good if you want a decent amount of milk. I think you will have to pick, milk or fleece.

 

[ninjapoodles]

I'm just curious about something, speaking of dairy goats. Obviously, the breeds more suited to our climate would be the sub-Saharan breeds like Nubians. But I'm wondering just how ill-suited the Swiss breeds are to hot, humid areas. Would they really suffer living somewhere hot? I see ads in the paper for Alpines, etc. all the time, and I've always wondered.

I'm already feeling sorry for my Orpingtons in the heat, and it's not even July yet! But I see several folks on here who live further south than me who have them, and they make it work, so I'm optimistic.

 

[gila_dog]

Here's my 2cents worth on goats...
- They are smart, cute, beautiful, affectionate, tidy, easy to keep healthy, and very productive.

- They are clever, ornery, can be noisy, hard to contain, and love to eat things you don't want them to eat.

- They need company, ie another goat. Don't think about getting "a" goat.

- Milk goats will tie you down. Unless you dry them up after they give birth, they will need to be milked daily. If you are already tied down with children, that's not so bad. Goats (and other critters) give you a good way to teach your kids about the realities of life (responsibility, love, birth, death, sex, etc).

If you want milk, get one of the common dairy breeds (Saanen, Alpine, Oberhasli, La Mancha, or Nubian). Get 2, maybe a mother and young daughter. You don't need a buck, but there needs to be one in your area that can come visit your girls once a year.

Goats multiply. Each spring a doe will have 2, 3, or more kids. Half will be bucks. What do you do with all these kids? If you want to expand your goat herd then you can keep the does. But what about the bucks? You shouldn't keep your own little bucks for breeding (inbreeding isn't a good idea... think Deliverance). Most bucks wind up on somebody's dinner table. But, if neutered (made into wethers) at 6 or 7 months, can be great pets and work animals. Some people use them to pull carts. Other people (like me) use them as pack animals, like burros or llamas.

Here are links to a couple of interesting discussion groups:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Cart_Wagon_Goats/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/packgoat/