Which Breed of Goat to Get???

[Goat LOVER]

I believe the left one is SD and the right one is Dam. I don't see how you can if they didn't make that much just of those picature(we don't even know what freshen that was) but It's true they haven't been milk tested.

 

[lomine]

If you are just looking for a milker I do like the doeling. Heaven's Hollow overall has great goats. You could ask for an updated picature of her. She's a nice age to breed. Not sure where you are located but you may want to consider a kid(s) from Heaven's Hollow they are kidding soon and are a really good price for the quality you get and they do milk tests so you can see how much they make. I have a doeling for Edge of Love and she is wonderful.
I don't like the second option as much... cheap price tag and horned buckling. But if you want you could ask for a picature of her udder full. Make sure to ask if they are tested for at least CAE.

I agree with all of this. I'd ask to see updated pictures from different angles on the doeling. It's important to look at her confirmation and make sure there aren't any glaring issues. Keep in mind that when people talk about the confirmation (ie the proportions of the body and udder) it's not about beauty. The standards for how a goat should be "built" are based on creating a goat with good long-term health, fewer pregnancy/kidding issues, and better udder health. Even if you never plan to do any showing or testing of any kind (I don't) it's helpful to learn what a "good" goat should look like.

For example, I don't like the teat placement on those udders. If you are hand milking it would be harder to milk with teats like that. Also, the teats are touching the legs, so there is a higher chance for injuries (from rubbing) or infections (like mastitis).

I would pass on the doe and kid altogether. That low price makes me wonder what's wrong with them that they are that cheap. Horns are also a no go for me (personal preference). I want to point out that there are people that don't know the different between polled and disbudded. I was once at a swap and overheard a lady telling people that the goat kid she was selling was polled and then went on to explain how they burned the horn buds shortly after birth. There is a chance the doe was disbudded and isn't genetically polled, so be careful with that.

Some other things to keep in mind... A single kid will sometimes prefer one side of the udder, which makes for a lopsided udder. Sometimes this can cause a permanently lopsided udder for future freshenings. The stress from moving almost always causes the doe to start producing less milk. Might even stop producing altogether. Sometimes you can get them back up in production by milking multiple times a day, but that doesn't always work.

If you do decide you want to check them out, make sure you can try to milk her and taste her milk. Having to fight a doe every day on the milk stand gets old really fast. Most goats probably won't like a stranger milking them, but they shouldn't be kicking or trying to sit. You also want to make sure you like the taste of the milk.

 

[Goat LOVER]

All of this is why I would only get one from a reputable breeder who knows what they're doing not someone breeding for the "cuteness factor or for flash".

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I vote for laMancha. I only have males, but they are very docile and read they are good milkers.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you... how much do they produce in a day?

A gallon or more a day.

 

[cassie]

Thank you... how much do they produce in a day?

Depends on the goat. I would expect a minimum of three quarts from a yearling first freshener and upwards of a gallon a day from a mature doe.

 

[cassie]

If you are just looking for a milker I do like the doeling. Heaven's Hollow overall has great goats. You could ask for an updated picature of her. She's a nice age to breed. Not sure where you are located but you may want to consider a kid(s) from Heaven's Hollow they are kidding soon and are a really good price for the quality you get and they do milk tests so you can see how much they make. I have a doeling for Edge of Love and she is wonderful.
I don't like the second option as much... cheap price tag and horned buckling. But if you want you could ask for a picature of her udder full. Make sure to ask if they are tested for at least CAE.

I suggest no one EVER buy a goat without a negative CAE test. CL and Johnes are manageable. CAE really isn't.

 

[Goat LOVER]

I suggest no one EVER buy a goat without a negative CAE test. CL and Johnes are manageable. CAE really isn't.

I wouldn't say manageable. Both are HIGHLY contagious. CL is Zoonotic. CAE isn't contagious unless by unpasteurized milk and can't be spread to humans. Blood tests for Cl and Johnes aren't great but CAE tests are almost always right. Agree to never buy from a untested herd

 

[cassie]

I wouldn't say manageable. Both are HIGHLY contagious. CL is Zoonotic. CAE isn't contagious unless by unpasteurized milk and can't be spread to humans. Blood tests for Cl and Johnes aren't great but CAE tests are almost always right. Agree to never buy from a untested herd

I had a commercial goat dairy for a number of years. Through no fault of my own, I have had a LOT of experience with Johnes, CL, and CAE. I was able to eradicate both Johnes and CL from my herd without too much trouble. While I greatly reduced the rate of infection of CAE, I was never able to totally eliminate it.

Unpasteurized milk is not the only way CAE can be transmitted from one goat to another. Does can infect their newborn kids by cleaning them off after birth. Nose to nose contact between animals can spread it. If negative animals are exposed to the after-kidding discharges of a positive doe they can become infected. If you have both positive and negative animals, it is suggested they be housed separately and there be an alley of at least four feet between the positive and negative herds. In case you think I am nuts, for several years I participated in a clinical study of CAE conducted by UC Davis.

As for CL, it is not nearly as dire and hard to get rid of as people, including medical professionals, tell you it is. When I first started raising goats in the late 1960's it was very common. A lot of herds, including mine were infected with it. We all managed to eliminate it from our herds. If anyone is interested, just PM me and I can send you a paper telling you how we did it. It must have worked because we all managed to get rid of CL and it never came back. We did not find it necessary to cull positive animals either.

 

[Goat LOVER]

I had a commercial goat dairy for a number of years. Through no fault of my own, I have had a LOT of experience with Johnes, CL, and CAE. I was able to eradicate both Johnes and CL from my herd without too much trouble. While I greatly reduced the rate of infection of CAE, I was never able to totally eliminate it.

Unpasteurized milk is not the only way CAE can be transmitted from one goat to another. Does can infect their newborn kids by cleaning them off after birth. Nose to nose contact between animals can spread it. If negative animals are exposed to the after-kidding discharges of a positive doe they can become infected. If you have both positive and negative animals, it is suggested they be housed separately and there be an alley of at least four feet between the positive and negative herds. In case you think I am nuts, for several years I participated in a clinical study of CAE conducted by UC Davis.

As for CL, it is not nearly as dire and hard to get rid of as people, including medical professionals, tell you it is. When I first started raising goats in the late 1960's it was very common. A lot of herds, including mine were infected with it. We all managed to eliminate it from our herds. If anyone is interested, just PM me and I can send you a paper telling you how we did it. It must have worked because we all managed to get rid of CL and it never came back. We did not find it necessary to cull positive animals either.

I know how they all work. I was saying you shouldn't say manageable because a new goat owner, may think it's not a big deal. From what I've seen in other herds they have been able to clean out CAE with pasteurized milk including colostum and it's much less common for it to spread in other ways. Either way, I didn't want an agreement.