New Goats

[berryncherry]

Hello,

My family and I have decided that we wanted to raise some goats. Though this is a backyard chickens platform, I assumed that some of you just might have goats. I want to know which breeds of goats are the best for milk production and are friendly. It would also be helpful to have some tips on raising goats and maybe things that you would have wanted to know before getting goats.

 

[Katlyn]

I cant really help much but, I decided several months ago to get a few goats to raise. I opted for twins, weathered male and doe, and an unrelated billy. Just keep in mind Billys have a very very strong smell and they urinate all over their faces and chest, (and sometimes me, if im not paying attention) Also, they need to be kept seperately from any babies. That means 2 pens, 2 shelters, double everything. I absolutely adore all 3, and they are so fun, but had I known then I would have skipped the Billy, I am attached to him now and the smell doesn't bother me (only everyone else) so I've decided to keep him, but it's definitely more challenging.

 

[tribalacres]

We have Nigerian dwarf goats. Jack Jack, is super friendly. We didn’t raise him we bought him when he was 6 months old and another goat was three months old. She is not friendly at all. She is very skiddish. However, our baby goat, Punkin’, was bottle raised and she’s about four months and is super sweet and will follow you anywhere. We also have a “fainting” goat male, Lockwood and he’s very friendly and super old. We rescued him from a petting zoo. The females are supposed to be very good suppliers of milk. We will soon find out.

 

[berryncherry]

We have Nigerian dwarf goats. Jack Jack, is super friendly. We didn’t raise him we bought him when he was 6 months old and another goat was three months old. She is not friendly at all. She is very skiddish. However, our baby goat, Punkin’, was bottle raised and she’s about four months and is super sweet and will follow you anywhere. We also have a “fainting” goat male, Lockwood and he’s very friendly and super old. We rescued him from a petting zoo. The females are supposed to be very good suppliers of milk. We will soon find out.

Thank you. I'm excited to get started!

 

[tribalacres]

Thank you. I'm excited to get started!

I definitely would limit their feed intake. We’ve dealt with bloating twice. Keep baking soda and minerals in a free option dish. We do hay and 1/2 cup a day. They eat anything and everything , so keep things to a minimum and watch them carefully if they have free range, cause everything is feed to them. They are amazing animals.

 

[berryncherry]

Ok, I'll definitely make sure not to let any goats get random things.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Goats have a pretty big learning curve, especially if you are wanting to keep your goats "in milk". Their breeding window is VERY short so, if you're not going to keep a buck then, you'll need to transport them to a breeder within that window. There are MANY things that can go wrong during pregnancy and birth. And of course, there will be babies and not all of them will be girls so, you'll need to know wether you are comfortable eating them, selling them for meat or selling for pets etc. There's also quite the learning curve in understanding the kind of ruminant that they are, as well as hoof trimming, plants that are poisonous to them etc. But, hey!, that being said, I ADORE goats and all things in goat care. Nigerians might be a good place to start as they are "less" goat to handle and they have a good amount of butter fat in their milk. One caveat with the Nigerians is that their teats tend to be quite small so, if you have arthritis or large hands, it may be uncomfortable to hand milk them. I really enjoy Saanen/Nubian crosses for personality, climate adaptability and generally nice bags and teats. Purebred Saanens are nice too, as well as Toggenburgs. It would be in your best interest to find a breeder that is mindful of breeding does that have easy births, good bags and teats and reasonable personalities.

Good luck on your goat adventure

 

[berryncherry]

Goats have a pretty big learning curve, especially if you are wanting to keep your goats "in milk". Their breeding window is VERY short so, if you're not going to keep a buck then, you'll need to transport them to a breeder within that window. There are MANY things that can go wrong during pregnancy and birth. And of course, there will be babies and not all of them will be girls so, you'll need to know wether you are comfortable eating them, selling them for meat or selling for pets etc. There's also quite the learning curve in understanding the kind of ruminant that they are, as well as hoof trimming, plants that are poisonous to them etc. But, hey!, that being said, I ADORE goats and all things in goat care. Nigerians might be a good place to start as they are "less" goat to handle and they have a good amount of butter fat in their milk. One caveat with the Nigerians is that their teats tend to be quite small so, if you have arthritis or large hands, it may be uncomfortable to hand milk them. I really enjoy Saanen/Nubian crosses for personality, climate adaptability and generally nice bags and teats. Purebred Saanens are nice too, as well as Toggenburgs. It would be in your best interest to find a breeder that is mindful of breeding does that have easy births, good bags and teats and reasonable personalities.

Good luck on your goat adventure

Thank you, and is there any well known goat breeders that might have Nigerian goats?

 

[Texas Transplant]

Not sure where you are but, the following sites should help:

https://www.andda.org/
http://www.ndga.org/

 

[cassie]

Thank you, and is there any well known goat breeders that might have Nigerian goats?

Contact the American Dairy Goat Assn and ask for a list of breeders near you. the web site is adga.org