My goat story...need help

[RockyToggRanch]

This past spring I adopted a female Toggenburg from a not so ideal situation. I'll just say that goats should not live at biker bars. So I heard about this goat needing a home and I said "hey, if it's not a stinky male and it can live with the horses, bring it out." I knew nothing about this goat (or goats in general) other than it needed a home. My vet just happened to be scheduled for the horses spring checkup the next day. Come to find out, she was in milk and hadn't been milked for the 4 days prior to coming to me. I learned how to milk a goat from the internet. The vet did a culture to be safe. So I fell in love with this creature who has long shaggy hair, 1/2 her ears lost to frostbite and scary looking horns. She gets along with my 2 geldings although they are crotchety old farts (in her opinion) and don't want to play. I let her out to play daily during summer, with my dog (who is a saint and a whole different rescue story) and they chase each other all over the yard. Jumping and teasing and having fun. No need to tie her, she stayed right in the yard. Then...I stopped milking her when she was only giving me a tiny bit each day. I assumed it was best for the winter months, to give us both a break.
Then I learned something...
Goats...that are no longer milking...go into heat! Oh my goatness! What a brat! Here is this precious little girl locked up with the horses all day and I came home to find her blatting at the top of her lungs. Like she was having a nervous breakdown. The worst sound I have ever heard in my life. I said "Roxanne, did you miss me that much today?" as I almost started to cry with her, "do you want to come out and play with Bear (the dog)? So I let her out and instead of her playful routine, she took off out to the field where she had seen deer eating apples frequently. (She wasn't after the apples). Those whitetail look a lot like her. (They were long gone.) She came back after 15 minutes or so and I wrangled her back into the paddock. That's when I realized that she wasn't blatting because she missed me.

Anyway..every freaking 3 weeks we go through the same thing. Any mom knows that hearing anything cry releases some sort of crazy hormone in her. A hormone that makes you go to any length to shut that kid up! I mean...comfort that baby.

As I tried to pick the stalls tonight, she insisted that her cheek be touching my hand, the entire time. So I sat down in a stall and rubbed her cheeks and between her horns and inside her 1/2 ears... and she explained to me that she has certain needs and that she doesn't mean to be such a brat, but I'm just not listening to her. (sounds like a teenager). She has politely requested a companion. Now how in the world can I say no to that?

So how do I go about finding a "service" for her? I would like to have milk again. And I guess she needs a female companion for long term. No stinky males though.

I had no intention of having goats. What happened?

 

[ibpboo]

I think that is a wonderful story! Goat two is definitely in your future.

 

[bheila]

Try Craigslist. What kind of goat are you looking for? Look up breeders in your state. You can find a lot with the internet.

 

[skirbo]

And if she has a male kid, you can always neuter and keep him as a whether. How sweet of you, I think it's just awesome.

Sarah

 

[hcammack]

I love toggs

Cherry glen farm down here in MD has amazing toggs and cheese! wish I could help you um I guess you could put an add out on craigslist and also do a search for dairy goat breeders in your area. Also post some pics of the girl their seems to be a diproportianit amount of ND's and pygmies here and these big goats are my favorites. Good luck on your search for a boyfriend and also a girl friend for her.

Henry

 

[Chirpy]

I'm not real familiar with Toggs so this might be wrong; but, I'm thinking that she won't come back into heat after possibly one more this month until next fall. At least most of the large dairy breeds only come into heat about August to January and thus can only be bred then. If I'm wrong someone please correct me on this.

Anyway, my point being that if you can listen to her maybe once more then you shouldn't have to listen to her again until next fall; unless, of course, I'm totally wrong on Toggs heat cycles. That will give you time to find a buck for her if you decide you still want to breed her.

Since goats are so social it would be really great if you could find her a goat pal sooner than later. Plus, you KNOW you want more goats!

If she does come back into heat this month and you want to breed her (sounds like you do) try putting a plea out on your local Craigslist, calling your local feedstores and asking about who has goats in your area, calling rural vets in your driving distance and ask them about goat clients also.

Good luck. She's so lucky to have gotten you.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I have no idea how this whole thing works. I watch craigs list daily, but even if I were to find a service...do they usually come to me? Or must I put Roxy into my company car and drive somewhere? How do you persuede a large goat (with horns), as sweet as she may be, into a blazer? And then what? OMG I drove my silkie terrier to the groomer in that bazer. That was challenging enough. LOL.

So, those of you who call upon a service... how does that work? Do they transport? Do you? How long? hours, overnight??? A week??

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
LOL usually you have to go to them

I hope guess you could um well I am really not sure I have no idea how to put a goat into a car

does she have a dairy collar if no you should get her one . Ummm I really have no idea I will ask my teacher who has alpines and nubians how she got her three to her farm and how she gets them out. I think she may want to breed hers sometime in the future also she has two does and a wether.

Henry

 

[helmstead]

That is some of the best writing I've seen in awhile!

AI would be a good choice - your state dairy goat association would have more info on that.

If you can fit a great dane size wire crate in your blazer - that's how you'd transport her. You can do a driveway breeding (take her when you KNOW she's ready) or leave her about 30 days (or until the buck brings her into heat and services her). Many breeders will send you a buck rag to help you determine heat cycles...altho it sounds like that's not an issue!!!

 

[Chatychick]

Well I have large dairy does and they are only in heat 6 mths of the year, unlike the Nigerians and Pygmy that cycle year round...If you transport her go buy some depends as they are large enough to cover the area needed and will keep the pee and poo of your seats or back of the blazer. I know mine stop cycling in Jan or Feb. so you dont have very long to get her either bred or for her to stop crying. Also just because your milking her dont mean she wont come into heat either. I milk mine till they have about 2 mths till delivery and then dry them off. Good luck