You've GOAT to be KIDding me

[Magnolia Ducks]

Check out Nigerian dwarf goats for milk and if you live in a warm climate, hair sheep. No wool to deal with.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Found a great site:
https://www.weedemandreap.com/raising-goats-milking-goats/
So the verdict is you do have to keep them pregnant...but not that often. This lady says that they will produce milk for up to 1 year after pregnancy. It also looks like you can make a decent profit from selling the babies! I like the idea of having a goat that will produce wool as well. I want a goat now...

 

[cassie]

My SO and I are trying to make the slow transition into a self sufficient homestead. Ive noticed that of our groceries we eat a lot of cheese. So Im toying around with possibly rearing goats in the future as our land is too small for a cow. However im completely ignorant as to anything about goats. Do you need to keep them pregnant like cows to produce milk? Do they poop as much as my chickens do? What sort of enclosure do they need? What should i provide them for feed? Are they edible?
Needless to say I have a lot more research to do before we even consider getting them. If anyone has any links to information on how to successfully rear goats i would really appreciate it. Also if you can answer the few questions i asked above that would be very helpful.

Buy a book. The Storey Guide to Raising Milk Goats may be a good first step. Go to www.caprinesupply.com and ask for their catalog. Along with listing books and supplies it is full of good information. Get goats only because you want to and would enjoy having them. They are unlikely to save you any money but they can give you a lot of pleasure.

 

[Kris5902]

Okay I'm gonna jump on this bandwagon as I've both worked with dairy cattle and researched dairy goats for years.

First: Yes goats are edible. But a fullblood dairy goat won't give you much meat UNLESS you're talking about crossing two dairy breeds and raising the males for meat. I.E Nigerian x Nubian is the best example.
Second: You don't have to keep neither a cow nor goat constantly pregnant for the female to produce milk. In fact, you shouldn't. Cows are bred about 60days after calving because cows are pregnant for 9 months and start drying up about 9 months after freshening (giving birth) so they get 2mo off to produce fresh milk, calve, milk for 60days, get bred, get dried up at 7mo gestation and repeat.
Goats are pregnant for 5 months and can milk for up to 2 years in the case of some Nubians. The general rule of thumb is to breed a doe about 3months into her lactation cycle and dry her up when she has 2months of gestation remaining.
Third: If you want to make cheese you need A LOT of milk so your best breed of choice is Saanan (basically the Holstein of goats). To make the kids worth more, breed her to a Boer buck.
Fourth: Goats are escape artists and not for people completely new to livestock. They take very strong and secure fencing to contain and lots of mental stimulation.
Fifth: Goats are foragers, not grazers. That means they can't just eat grass. Hay is a must and branches are a great addition to their diet.
Sixth: Goats do poop a lot and their poop is harder to clean than with cattle. Goats are also picky eaters and drinkers, so if hay is soiled or water is dirty, they will not eat or drink it.

Any other questions? Feel free to ask

Very much sums it up! We have feral goats here, dairy and meat breeds that have been crossing naturally for about 100 years... they produce decent amounts of meat, but the milk quantity is more variable... yes there are some people working on catching and re-domesticating them. Goats are picky but voracious eaters.

If you’re going to eat the kids you will have to castrate them, Billies are an “acquired taste” I just can’t acquire! Father-in-law catches and castrates them, paints their horns to identify age and edibility, and releases them to hunt later. We do have some friends that hunt the uncastrated Billies as they prefer the taste... it reminds them of the goat they had “growing up back home” and they swear it’s superior in flavor... so maybe there’s a niche market there?

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

returning to the original motivation, have you thought about making your own cheese from bought cow's milk? It's not self sufficient, but it is a step on the way to it

Never thought about it actually. Ill have to give it a try. At least then ill get some practice

 

[Cyprus]

I was under the impression that most cheeses (especially hard ones) need Raw milk to make? I could be completely wrong...

Actually, most cheeses are made with pasteurized milk.

 

[Cyprus]

Probably very true, just not the ones I buy... Never tried to make anything other than cottage cheese myself (and boy did I screw that up!). I’m still annoyed my former employer no longer gets in many of my favorite cheeses, after getting me addicted to them. I now have a cheese problem, it’s so tasty, but so bad for me.

I tend to buy really old, hard cheeses like aged gruyere and cloth-bound cheddars, mimmolet, and such because I’m very, very lactose intolerant. The cheese mites (yes they are real... and that’s why I can’t get my favorite cheese anymore!) and bacterial cultures digest the milk sugars so I’m able to eat those without “issues”. I can tolerate Goat cheese easily, but I’m not a fan of the flavor of goat milk... I just don’t drink milk at all.

I think it’s really amazing that people make their own cheese. One of my former co-workers made yogurt and keifir, and that impressed me to no end. I traded her my kombucha for yogurt, and I really miss it now that I’m living on the farm. I’d love to hear how it turns out!

Even though you live in Canada, you sound like us Wisconsinnites We love our cheese!! I would die for a good goat cheese! Especially the soft cheeses! And sheep cheese makes me

 

[Kris5902]

Even though you live in Canada, you sound like us Wisconsinnites We love our cheese!! I would die for a good goat cheese! Especially the soft cheeses! And sheep cheese makes me

The cruel twist of fate that I am so lactose intolerant... I was completely dairy free for five years before I went to work at that evil grocery store, and within one year they had me hooked on cheeses with their “samples” and knowledgeable staff... but I met my husband there, so I can’t complain too much!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

There are alot of knowledgeable goat owners on Backyardherds.com. Id go there for advice and information. I think you will find alot of good articles to read on goat care, too.

Thanks ill have to check it out. Raising sheep might be a possibility as well but I think sheep require more land to graze so im unsure. I like the idea of sheep because of wool, food and milk. Just not sure if we could sustain them on our plot.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

There is quite a bit of knowledge to be gained from that site! Ive already learned a lot. Still havent figured out if you need to keep them pregnant like cows though...maybe its a dumb question. I didnt know you had to keep cows pregnant until we went to Fair Oaks Farms and toured their facility. I always thought they just...made milk. Ignorant...i know (irony?) But we all have to learn some way. Our society doesnt let this type of information come easily since everything can simply be purchased.