What do we need to raise dairy goats?

[FDaniels]

We recently got 5-1 yr old Buff Orpington hens (named them Pecka, Chixee, Nutmeg, Nugget & Truffles). We are wanting to start a more self-sustained life. We are fixing to start building a greenhouse so we can grow our own food and the chickens provide us with eggs-wonderful eggs! We're also going to build a solar cob house do that we can eliminate power eventually and we're going to either dig a well or use filtered rain water as our water supply so that we can eliminate a water bill. We're vegetarians but we buy almond milk right now & vegan cheese to avoid buying food that comes from those poor factory farmed animals. We would love to have goats so that we can have our dairy products & know that they come from well cared for & loved animals. We live on an acre of land & can fence in about 1/2 an acre for 2 goats. Is this ok? What all do we need to know so that we can start planning their housing & looking for goats? We're thinking about getting a wether for one of the goats instead of 2 does since it's just the 2 of us & we wouldn't need a ton of milk. Is this a good idea? What breeds would you recommend for first time owners? All advice welcomed! Thanks guys! I joined a FB group for alabama dairy goats so are there certain questions I need to ask to weed out the bad breeders from the good? What would be an average up-front cost for the goats as far as the goats themselves & all basic supplies? Thanks!! We live in Oneonta, Alabama.

 

[FDaniels]

And can someone give us advice for how to find homes for her kids where they won't be killed for meat? Is there a way to sell them as pets/breeders/milking only? Can we insert a clause in the contract that states the kids can not be killed? We want goats but we also realize we need to find homes for the kids or else we'll end up with 100 goats but we don't want them to be killed for meat. Thanks!

 

[cassie]

There are far worse things than going for meat. Most pet homes for example. When I had my dairy I got so I flatly refused to sell any kids for pets. Most, but not all, pet goats end up with a miserable existence. On the other hand, people do not buy registered doe kids for meat. Too expensive. They buy them for milk. As for the buck kids, the dinner table is their fate. There simply are not enough pet homes for them, and a good pet home is very rare indeed.

 

[FDaniels]

Is there any way to possibly raise dairy goats & find non killing homes for the kids? the bucks especially or is this just impossible?

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

It's not impossible, but it will be difficult. You could always try marketing to people looking for companion animals or lawn ornaments. It also helps if you castrate the babies or even bottle raise them to get them extra friendly. My family bought two young bucklings as companions for our horse, so there are good pet homes out there. I do agree with the other poster that meat is not always such a bad thing

 

[FDaniels]

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.

 

[nickers]

I love goat milk! and Yuck!...why would any one eat goat meet!!!

I would rather have them for milk and pets, thank you .

 

[FDaniels]

Oh & our 1/2 acre is 90% grass but what would be the best brand of feed to buy to feed them everyday? And how much a day should we feed each goat? Are there any supplements we need to give them? Should we breed the doe with a buck or do AI?

 

[Stacykins]

I love goat milk! and Yuck!...why would any one eat goat meet!!!

I would rather have them for milk and pets, thank you .

Goat is consumed widely all of the world as a staple meat. Americans are for some reason obsessed with beef cattle, it is very unusual for the rest of the world. I've had goats put in the freezer, it really isn't a big deal, and it is quite delicious.

 

[cassie]

Oh & our 1/2 acre is 90% grass but what would be the best brand of feed to buy to feed them everyday? And how much a day should we feed each goat? Are there any supplements we need to give them? Should we breed the doe with a buck or do AI?

To start off, you would be better off to use a buck. AI is a skill and it is much harder to AI a goat than it is to AI a cow. I have done quite a bit of AI myself. You would need a tank and a place to buy liquid nitrogen or find a way to have the tank serviced. Buy a book on the care of dairy goats and that will answer most of your questons.