I want goats so bad

[hcammack]

I have wanted a goat or two for along time I don't have enough land (well my mom thinks) to have them. I just went on craigslist and there are baby MINI nigierians! close by me and another guy dispersing his champion oberhasile herd . Great deals on doelings. I wish I had two more acres then i would get two bred does or some bottle doelings or a doeling and a weather I am so tempted

right now! I want to see if my old middle shcool science teacher can take them I will help milk and build a fence and shed and all of that Or mabe I can just dump 3 of these hens on her and get my marans then i will have my farm fix for a little while!

support me please talk me out of wanting them.
Henry

 

[ilovemychickies]

You don't want the goats! You don't want the goats!


JUST KIDDING! Who doesn't want goats? I want one too. They are sooooo much fun!



(Am I helping?)

Honestly, goats are really very fun. How much land do you have? One of our friends has around 5 acres and 7 goats all happy and living on that land. I hope that you can get some!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Well how much land do you have? They don't take up much room at all...especially Nigerians (which are always mini

). Why do you want so many? A couple of goats is all you need for fun. Get a couple of bred Nigerians very good dairy breed, by the way, and you could very well end up with 8 goats in no time.

Nigerians commonly have triplets and can have as many as 5 kids!

Oh wait you wanted to be talked out of it...lol.

 

[hcammack]

oh I only want mabe one bred doe or a weather. My mom has put her foot down and said no my neighbors wouldent be to happy either. I know it isnt illegal to have them I have checked the zoning they are classified as pets. I don't know it would probably be good for me not to get them because I am going to college in two years and my mom doesnt want to have to take care of them. (sometimes I wish I were my cousins out on their farm) I would have a few goats and a ton of chickens they have around 40 acres. I already have a shed for milking and shelter and I would put them on a movable fenceing system (electric poultry mesh they have trouble with it)

Henry

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Oh well you have to get at least two. Why do you (or your mom) think your neighbors wouldn't be happy? Good fences make good neighbors and hopefully keeps the goats home.

As far as noise, whethers are pretty quite, especially when they have a buddy. Does can be a bit whiny, or at least my girl is, but she was a spoiled bottle baby so that probably makes a difference.

Smell, not at all IMO. Unless you have a stinky, stinky buck. Of course good maintenance of their area is always important to reduce flies and smell...just like chickens.


Okay...I'm not helping convincing you to not get goat.

 

[hcammack]

Would I be feasable to get a pre bred doe and either keep one daughter or weather a son and keep it or would she need a companion right of the bat. most of our land is co- owned with our neighbors and my mom is not a big fence person. I just don't know if it will work I wish it will. My mom would flip if I asked her.

Henry

 

[marie_martin]

There are many people who keep nigerians or pygmy goats on dry lots and just feed them grain and alfalfa pellets and hay. I have mine basically that way. The lots they are on have grass and they eat the grass and keep it pretty low but we still have to go in sometimes and cut the parts they don't eat. They are not like sheep, they wont graze the whole thing, just the parts they like. We also cut lots of forage for them, we don't have much of a winter here and always have green forage for them. We feed grain and alfalfa pellets (cant get alfalfa hay here) and all the fresh burmuda hay they want. They do great. I have the pens attached to the barn so that I can just run them inside for shots and so forth. I don't milk right now but with my milking stand, I could. The boys of course have their own pen. I make things for them to climb on too. They are very happy and my neighbors don't mind a bit. They are not really that loud. My rooster makes more noise. You will need more than one though, they are herding animals and don't like being alone. Good luck, hope you can talk your family into it.

Marie

 

[gila_dog]

Milk goats are super productive animals, but they take a real commitment. They are either producing milk, and needing to be milked, or producing babies. This goes on year after year, and it's impossible to get rid of all their kids every year. Some really melt your heart and you have to keep them. So milk goats are a lifestyle, not a short term hobby.

But after you're done with college and are starting a family they would be a great thing to have. All that good milk and meat will raise strong kids (the human kind). And they make great pets and 4H projects.

Wethers, on the other hand, are a lot like having dogs. They thrive on attention and affection, love to go out hiking, and are intelligent and friendly. Mine are packgoats, carrying camping gear and such. These fellows are the opposite of Nigerian dwarfs. They are Saanen x Oberhaslis and are big and athletic. They weigh about 180 lb now, and will be over 200 lb when they are full grown.

There's nothing cuter than baby goats! Here's a pic of 2 of my guys when they were 3 months old.

 

[hcammack]

Ahh I am thinking that I might even want to go into small scale goat cheese prodution with larger scale production of marans eggs.

Henry

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Hens does that mean that you are getting eggs now?? I havent been on lately, but I thought you had youngn's ???