What do we need to raise dairy goats?

[cafarmgirl]

Well with being vegetarians there's no way we could rehome a kid where s/he would be killed for food. But I love the idea of castrating them so that they will all be rehomed as wethers. Is 1/2 an acre ok for 2 goats? It's mainly loaded with trees though so would we need to clear all the trees first or no? How much would it cost to have all the trees cleared or is there a way to have it done for free? How much sqaure footage is recommended per goat in the pen & house? And how high to keep them from jumping out especially since we work during the day & wouldn't be home to make sure they didn't jump out.

Wether's are frequently raised for meat as well so it's no guarantee they won't be slaughtered. You may be successful in rehoming a few babies here and there as pets but I don't know how easy it will be to find good pet homes for kids year after year with people who know goats and are willing to take on pets. Goats can live a long time and finding a pet home that is willing to make that long term commitment can be hard. My last two goats just turned 10 years old and are going strong. I agree with the other posts who said that often times a "pet" home does not turn out very well for the goat.

1/2 an acre is fine for two goats. You don't need to clear out the tree's.

As far as fencing...goats are more prone to find ways to squeeze out or push a fence down if it's flimsy rather then jump over. If there is the slightest opening or weak spot they WILL find it and they can squeeze through ridiculously small spaces. We use 48" field fence with 4x4 holes and we run a hot wire around the inside about a foot off the ground to keep the goats off the fence. Otherwise they love nothing more then flinging their bodies against it with all their weight and scratching themselves as they walk along, they'll also stand on it with their front feet to look or reach over. They are very, very hard on a fence if you don't keep them off it.

As Cassie mentioned I'd suggest getting a good book and reading up on everything. There's just a lot involved in breeding, kidding and keeping up with a milking doe as well as routine goat care.

 

[FDaniels]

Thanks everyone! Can anyone recommend a great book about dairy goats?

 

[danisgoat]

We have three Nigerian dwarfs right now, but I have owned goats my entire life.

I do not breed anymore because it was just too hard to find homes for the kids that I could guarantee they would not be eaten or given away later on down the line. So, my goats are simply just my pets for right now.

They are difficult to keep in a fence. They can get out of almost anything, and if they can't figure a way out, they will work on it until they can. My goats do not wonder when they do get out, they mostly just come up to the house and hang out and eat all the flowers I don't want them to eat, lol.

 

[FDaniels]

lol what do you do for milk or do you just use store bought? we're wanting to stay away from products that come from factory farm animals to avoid contributing to their suffering.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Not all dairy animals suffer. In our line of work my husband is on dairies every day, some are mediocre others are very fancy outfits, a few are not great. But overall the cows are maintained very well and live a comfortable life. One of our customers also has a goat dairy. Those goats live in spacious, comfortable barns with large paddocks. There are always bad apples of course but I think in general most diary farmers want to take the best care they can of the animals that produce their income.

 

[FDaniels]

Do you think we'd be able to sell the kids to a dairy farm with the condition that they not be killed or sold for meat?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Do you think we'd be able to sell the kids to a dairy farm with the condition that they not be killed or sold for meat?

I do not know if a goat dairy would be willing to take outside kids due to biosecurity/disease issues, all you could do I guess is see if there's one near you and ask but I highly doubt it. Even if they were willing to take them it's very unlikely they will buy or take any kids sold with a do-not-slaughter clause. They aren't in the business to keep pets and if a doe doesn't or isn't able to breed for some reason or has any other problems that affect her ability to produce she will not be kept.

Unfortunately there really are no easy answers as to how to dispose of the kids without them either going into production or raised for meat. To be honest, in most cases I'd rather see them go to someone knowledgeable who will treat them humanely and either use them for dairy animals or raise them for meat then I would to see them go to most pet homes. I've seen so many pet goats that live in poor conditions, their hooves are not kept up, they are not dewormed, not fed correctly, etc. etc. simply because their owners just wanted a pet, thought they were cute and really have no clue how to maintain a goat. I am not saying there are not good homes out there for pet goats, just that they may be hard to find, especially year after year.

If you have registered animals you could sell the kids for 4-H projects but there again, they are either going to go into dairy production or for meat.

 

[cassie]

Do you think we'd be able to sell the kids to a dairy farm with the condition that they not be killed or sold for meat?

Most goat dairies produce enough kids. And as for never being sold for meat, what do you think the dairy does with old goats, or animals that are culled for low production, poor health, or breeding problems? They go for meat. No one can afford to keep these animals once they are no longer productive.

 

[cassie]

Thanks everyone! Can anyone recommend a great book about dairy goats?

Go to the Caprine Supply web site. They offer a variety of books for everyone from a novice to an experienced goat keeper.

 

[FDaniels]

Thanks!