Thoughts on this goat breeder

[cassie]

Just some comments. Unless the breeder wants wild goats they bottle feed. You can have tame goats that are dam raised but the breeder has to spend a LOT of time with them. They will never be as tame as bottle raised kids. Boer breeders dam raise their kids. These animals are bred for meat and used for brush clearing. They are calmer than the dairy breeds anyway. Toggs are fine as long as they are bottle fed and not dam raised. Alpines get along just fine with other goats but they do tend to push other goats around whether they are Alpines or not. Nubians can be loud but not all Nubians are noisy. When I had my dairy I had a mixed herd of Alpines, Toggs, Nubians, and LaManchas. The breed you should get is the one you like the most. As I said, my favorite breed was the Alpine but I had some very fine Toggs before I had to sell my herd because of other obligations.

 

[cassie]

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.

I always thought it would be fun to have some Boer goats and some Dorper sheep. Some Dorpers have the same color pattern as the Boers. I never had many sheep but I did have a few. I never had any wild and hysterical ones like your friend did. Mine weren't hair sheep though.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just some comments. Unless the breeder wants wild goats they bottle feed. You can have tame goats that are dam raised but the breeder has to spend a LOT of time with them. They will never be as tame as bottle raised kids. Boer breeders dam raise their kids. These animals are bred for meat and used for brush clearing. They are calmer than the dairy breeds anyway. Toggs are fine as long as they are bottle fed and not dam raised. Alpines get along just fine with other goats but they do tend to push other goats around whether they are Alpines or not. Nubians can be loud but not all Nubians are noisy. When I had my dairy I had a mixed herd of Alpines, Toggs, Nubians, and LaManchas. The breed you should get is the one you like the most. As I said, my favorite breed was the Alpine but I had some very fine Toggs before I had to sell my herd because of other obligations.

Well I've seen some say they ar edamn raised but that they and their kids spend a lot of time with them so they're friendly.

We have close neighbors in the back so seems like Nubians could be a risk.

I think if I get goats, it seems like Nigerians, Alpines, or Boers are the choice, if I can find reasonably priced Boers.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Do Boers eat a lot more?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I always thought it would be fun to have some Boer goats and some Dorper sheep. Some Dorpers have the same color pattern as the Boers. I never had many sheep but I did have a few. I never had any wild and hysterical ones like your friend did. Mine weren't hair sheep though.

Sheep can't have copper right? So how does feeding minerals work? But I think it'd be fun to have sheep

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

To me sheep seem dumber and definitely more wild unless you can find some bottle babies, than they are like dogs. Otherwise sheep can be highly reactive in my experiences with the few I had. I much prefer goat. Both have different mineral requirements so I personally wouldn't mix them.

All goats can be loud, especially when fed grains and rations. They will stand around demanding feed. I think the miniature are a bit less noisy.

I would just find what you can at the price you can afford.

Goats have a sensitive digestive system, and are prone to problems with worms if over crowded. There are also lots of chronic wasting diseases in goats too, so finding a tested clean herd could help to avoid those problems.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yeah sheep definitely seem dumber and kinda simple, goats seem to have more personality, but sheep are definitely adorable!! Wonder if I could have different pens but let them range together?

And that's true. I wouldn't feed grain past like a year or however long the babies need it for growth.

Thanks, that's a good point

 

[townchicks]

What ever you decide, remember we want pics!

 

[ShrekDawg]

What ever you decide, remember we want pics!

There will definitely be lots of pics!!

 

[JaeG]

You could look into Damara Sheep. They are more goat like in their personality and like to browse everything rather than favouring grass. They are pretty too and are a hair sheep so don't need shearing. Our friend has some because they are easier than goats to keep fenced.

Another hair sheep is the Wiltshire but make sure the breeder is selecting for sheep that fully shed their wool. They get really big so that's why I'm less keen on them.

I'd love a couple of Nubian goats to supply us with milk one day but we've got to get to our bit of land first!

You can't confuse a sheep - scientists have tried. They are very good with faces too.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170418-sheep-are-not-stupid-and-they-are-not-helpless-either

Definitely want photos.