Whats the Best Goat Breed for Me?

[LissyB]

I'm in the middle of convincing my parents to let me get one or two goats. The reasons I would get these goats are...
1) To breed them and sell the babies
2) To sell milk and cheese
3) To show them in 4h
4) A buddy for my horse
I told my Dad that I would save up all the money for fencing etc... I was just wondering which breed would be best. I have 2 dogs a cat and a horse, so it needs to be able to get along with them. I think pygmies are just ADORABLE and would like a couple. I would start off with buying a pregnant doe and going from there to see if I would like to continue breeding her. I also thought of fainting goats because I think they are hilarious and they are bigger. (or at least look bigger) I am very responsible and I saved up enough money for one of my dogs.

P.S. I'm not spoiled, I understand that if my parents say we have enough animals then we have enough animals, I'm really trying to get a friend for my horse, the other stuff I thought would be a fun way to earn money, and I have the time cuz I'm home-schooled!

 

[miss heny]

pygmies are meat goats, and to show meat goats *shudders* you would have better chance with dairy to get something.

it really depends on what you want, if you get one goat you will need another one, they must always be in pairs or more!

we have 4 grade niggies (small dairy goats, cute little things) a alpine (super sweet for her breed) and a lamacha, all with their own likes and dislikes.

and with horses, not all of them like goats, ours are, eh, unsure about them (the big ones are, the minis are fine) not all horses will be okay with them.

and, if you get a buckling, will you be willing to (if he is not sold of course) send him to freezer camp?

oh if you are gonna show you will have to either A. get polled goats or b. disbud them, which is not pretty!

and that is just the top of the dirt, if i were you get books and read,read and read some more about goats and really think about what you are thinking of doing

 

[LissyB]

Thanks! I was planning to get books too! My horse loves everything, if she got a friend she would be so happy! And yes we would be willing to send him to freezer camp, if he wasn't to sweet! I would probably buy goats that didn't have horns, just because I wouldn't want any of my brothers or dogs getting hurt by a goat.

 

[miss heny]

well if you are gonna keep the buckling you are gonna have to weather him (like gelding a horse) do bands, it may take longer, but after having to hold the goat hill he got is stuff cut off (we couldnt give him any thing to make him not feel it with our fear he might never wake up) and after that, we will be doing bands

 

[LissyB]

OK, I probably won't keep him. Unless I used him for breeding purposes, then I would sell him or weather him. Or is there a certain age he should be to be weathered? (is that the term for gelding a goat?)

 

[miss heny]

yep that is) it depends, some says 2 weeks other say later, ask you vet, we did ours arounfd 8 weeks (after he got off the bottle pretty much, he was a bottle baby)

and if you get a doe from on sire, and breed the mother to a dif sire and a buck is born, you can do half sister to half brother breeding with out any probs (gross i know)

 

[miss heny]

or if you want the milk form mama you will have to either sell the babies as bottle babies or bottle feed them yourself (which is quite fun other then for awhile the midnight feedings

)

 

[LissyB]

That's interesting

I'm guessing a long-haired goat would do better in the cold than a short-haired one, right? Would breeding goats be a good project for a teen to try?

 

[miss heny]

we has a alpine that right now a cold front is coming thro and is doing okay, if need me you can turn a old sweater into a coat for them.

yes, it would, i myself am doing dairy goats for 4-h this year and is gonna keep on doing them til i am out of 4-h or we cant own them any more

make sure if you are gonna show get does that are from nice stocks and have nice big even teets. what might be the best idea is go to some shows and watch them being shown and ask the breeders abotu there breed and why they like them

BTW be ready to pay some money if you want a really good show goat (they can go up there, some was selling a alpine for 500, she was in milk and won a few legs *shows* 0-0)

 

[LissyB]

Quote:
I would sell the babies to people who i knew would take good care of them, unless they had unusual traits that I would like.