What kind of goat should I get?

[chickengirl1230]

Hi, I'm wanting to get a few milk goats and I was wondering what kind of goat you think would do good on a small farm and would not hurt my chickens and small dogs. I am wanting to know what kind of goat you think is best for milk and is calm.
Thanks

 

[chooks4life]

Depends how much milk you want, really, and how much space you have. Calmness cannot be guaranteed in any breed, only to some extent in individual family lines provided the breeders have been careful enough in selection for calmness.

You can get pygmy milkers too, supposedly they do quite well, but the teats are pretty tiny. Still, they may be worth looking into for your situation to see if they're a fit.

Best wishes.

 

[CityFarmer202]

Nigerian Dwarf Goats are really good milkers, and are half the size of an adult goat. A good milker can give around a half gallon a day, with fair milkers topping in at around 3 or 4 cups a day. Despite being the same size as the pygmy goat, the were bred to have bigger teats for easier milking, though they are still harder to milk than a full sized goat. If you like raw cow milk, you will love their milk, because it is a 8-10% butterfat, making it sweet and creamy. Most other goats give 2-6% butterfat, so theirs is the sweetest. Calmness depends on the goat and how it is raised. Another plus for them is they come in may different colors, and most are de-horned when they come home from the breeder. Good luck!!

 

[H Diamond]

Hi, I'm wanting to get a few milk goats and I was wondering what kind of goat you think would do good on a small farm and would not hurt my chickens and small dogs. I am wanting to know what kind of goat you think is best for milk and is calm.
Thanks

How much milk will you need for your family per day/week? Are you wanting to do extra things with it like make cheese or soap?
To have milk, you have to breed your goats, so are you wanting to use an outside buck, or keep one on property? When your doe has babies, you will want to keep the babies, so plan in advance what you are going to do with them. Also, for the same reason, start with a small number of animals... goats math works about like chicken math.

As for which breed, I wrote up a blog post on that topic recently. It lists most of the dairy goat breeds and pros and cons of each breed.
http://faithfamilyandwheatfields.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/the-goat-series-part-1-types-of-goat/ I'm not claiming to be an expert on the subject, I just don't want to type it all out again, lol.

Personally, I wouldn't get Nigerians... they can be loud (but all goats can), the main reason though is because the majority have small handles (again, not all of them, but alot of them). If you plan on having anyone else ever milk your goats, I would HIGHLY suggest you get a goat with big enough teats anyone can milk. I would suggest getting something like a Saanen/Sable, LaMancha, Alpine, or Nubian. IMO, and this is my opinion, over all the Saanens/Sables and LaManchas are the sweetest goats. Nubians can also get loud and/or be a little dingy, lol.

At any rate, we really need a little more info if you want a more tailored recommendation.

 

[CityFarmer202]

i didn't add this in my post, but to cope with the small teats, This little device is quite handy. Very helpful when people are watching your goats.

http://www.henrymilker.com