Thoughts on this goat breeder

[ShrekDawg]

Thoughts on these goats? Kind of tempted to get on the waiting list haha

https://www.birchridgefarm.com/index.html

https://www.birchridgefarm.com/sale.html

https://www.birchridgefarm.com/2018kids.html

https://www.birchridgefarm.com/Breeding-Chart2019.html

Thinking of getting some Alpine wethers but have thought of Nigerian Dwarfs too, they have both but I don't think they can be kept together? Also considering Oberhasli, Toggenburg, or Boer. Brush clearing and pets. These ones seem like good ones.

 

[ShrekDawg]

??

 

[ShrekDawg]

Also how much room does each goat need? I've seen various things from 20 sq ft per goat for sleeping and resting and another 30 sq ft for exercise (preferably outside) to 200 sq ft should be fine for a dwarf goat. So I'm a bit conflicted. I guess 20 or even 50 is pretty small per goat considering my chicken coop is 32 sq ft (4x8) but still. Idk. I was thinking 25x25 or 50x50 pen? With walks and/or being taking to overgrown spots to clear on our property and brother's. And only 2-4 goats

 

[cassie]

Thoughts on these goats? Kind of tempted to get on the waiting list haha

Thinking of getting some Alpine wethers but have thought of Nigerian Dwarfs too, they have both but I don't think they can be kept together? Also considering Oberhasli, Toggenburg, or Boer. Brush clearing and pets. These ones seem like good ones.

If you just want pets, a mini goat such as a Nigerian or a Pygmy might be your best bet. If you get a Togg make sure it was bottle raised. Mother raised Toggs are akin to deer. Ask me how I know this. Alpines are my favorite breed of goat, but they really like to bully other goats. Boers are calmer and easier to keep in than dairy goats. They are a bit like sheep.

I don't have an opinion on the breeder you gave a link to. I have been out of the goat business for so many years that I am no longer privy to the grapevine. They seem to have decent goats and the fact that they test for diseases is a good sign. They have a nice web site and they offer some good suggestions. They need a proofreader though. It's a little thing but the spelling and punctuation errors make me cringe. That's a quirk of mine.

I would make an appointment and see them and their stock in person before I plunked down a deposit. That should be the case with any breeder of any class of livestock.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My experiences is the minis are sometimes harder to keep in a fence. They can be monkeys. The dairy breeds can make nice pets, especially the wethers. Some of mine are pushy. I don't care for my sable saanan, they are too big, and pushy. I agree with @cassie that toggenburgs can be wild. My two doe raised are just plain dangerous. I have always enjoyed alpine and Nubian, they are nice. If you can handle the no ears la mancha are nice little goats too.

Bottle raised make the best pets. In spring there's always extra dairy boys for sale. Here they can be found for 5-30 dollars each, and it cost me about 70 dollars in milk replacer to raise each one. Dam raised kids are always a bit more standoffish. I prefer bottle raising them.

 

[townchicks]

I don't have goats, but I have a friend that raises Nigerian Dwarfs. She always bottle feeds her babies.They are adorable and super friendly.I think they are great for pets. I looked at the website, I like that she poses the questions to prospective buyers, and she does testing. I'm with Cassie, make an appointment and go talk to the breeder. They can advise you on space requirements and housing. You can see the different breeds that they have, and get a better sense of what appeals to you. If space is a concern, then it seems like smaller breeds would be better for you. Good luck, what ever you decide, just don't rush into it.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks for all the input everyone!!

If you just want pets, a mini goat such as a Nigerian or a Pygmy might be your best bet. If you get a Togg make sure it was bottle raised. Mother raised Toggs are akin to deer. Ask me how I know this. Alpines are my favorite breed of goat, but they really like to bully other goats. Boers are calmer and easier to keep in than dairy goats. They are a bit like sheep.

I don't have an opinion on the breeder you gave a link to. I have been out of the goat business for so many years that I am no longer privy to the grapevine. They seem to have decent goats and the fact that they test for diseases is a good sign. They have a nice web site and they offer some good suggestions. They need a proofreader though. It's a little thing but the spelling and punctuation errors make me cringe. That's a quirk of mine.

I would make an appointment and see them and their stock in person before I plunked down a deposit. That should be the case with any breeder of any class of livestock.

I really do love Nigerians and they seem to have such fun personalities but I guess I was a little worried they wouldnt be able to clear much brush because of their size? And do you think if I only had Alpines they'd be okay with each other? Most of the boers around here are really high quality and expensive but maybe I can find cheaper ones. Toggs seem like I should avoid aha bottle raised may be better like you said but they are pretty rare here anyway.

But yeah, the spelling kind of bugged me too but other than that they seem pretty good.

I think I'll definitely try to make an appointment

My experiences is the minis are sometimes harder to keep in a fence. They can be monkeys. The dairy breeds can make nice pets, especially the wethers. Some of mine are pushy. I don't care for my sable saanan, they are too big, and pushy. I agree with @cassie that toggenburgs can be wild. My two doe raised are just plain dangerous. I have always enjoyed alpine and Nubian, they are nice. If you can handle the no ears la mancha are nice little goats too.

Bottle raised make the best pets. In spring there's always extra dairy boys for sale. Here they can be found for 5-30 dollars each, and it cost me about 70 dollars in milk replacer to raise each one. Dam raised kids are always a bit more standoffish. I prefer bottle raising them.

Thanks for replying! I never really liked Saanan anyway so I'll stay away and sounds like a good plan to stay away from Toggs too!! Wow! Dangerous!? Are Nubians loud? I've heard they can be which is why I was iffy on them. And lamancha, I have heard they are very nice goats but I just can't get past the ear thing. I tried but they just look like aliens lol

Maybe I could find a bottle fed goat. Hard cause a lot of the more known or reputable breeders don't do bottle fed. But some might.

I don't have goats, but I have a friend that raises Nigerian Dwarfs. She always bottle feeds her babies.They are adorable and super friendly.I think they are great for pets. I looked at the website, I like that she poses the questions to prospective buyers, and she does testing. I'm with Cassie, make an appointment and go talk to the breeder. They can advise you on space requirements and housing. You can see the different breeds that they have, and get a better sense of what appeals to you. If space is a concern, then it seems like smaller breeds would be better for you. Good luck, what ever you decide, just don't rush into it.

They sound awesome!! I think you guys are right and an appointment is a good idea.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Also I just realized, while I love the bigger goats and would love more brush clearing abilities, Nigerians are just so cute and FUN and for my family who doesn't really like goats (my mom is still convinced they have deadly diseases that kill children), they may be better than a big huge dairy goat who I think is cute but they may think is ugly or pushy or whatever. The Nigerians are just adorable. And eat less food. Theoretically. Only issue is the dog. I think he would be fine though but being smaller could be hurt more easily. But I think he'd be fine.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Also speaking of sheep, do you think sheep might be a better option? My mom is on board with sheep and thinks they are cute. But they both think goats are ugly. But I think they're more fun. They can't be raised together, right?

It's just that we have A LOT of grass and I know goats don't really eat grass. But we also have lots of woods too so idk.

Here are some pictures from last fall.

 

[townchicks]

Oh, that looks lovely, I'm jealous. I have a friend that kept boar goats and sheep together, but she hated the sheep. They were the haired kind, they got them so they didn't have to shear them, but they were wild and extremely flighty, one died because it ran into the fence running away from them. The goats weren't really friendly either, but they were raising them for meat, so she didn't want to get too attached to them.