Dairy Goat Questions?
Question by GardenerGal: Dairy Goat Questions?
I’m looking into getting a few dairy goats, and I am bursting with questions. I have been researching all the breeds and such, and of course, all he breeds have their pros and cons. I was wondering if there are any “experts” out there who have a personal preference, and why? And how many do you think I should start with? And should I start with a couple of kids, or should I hit the ground running, by purchasing a lactating doe?
Thanks.
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4 Responses to Dairy Goat Questions?
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Thanks for the 2 points! I’ll be on my way now. 🙂
Noah D
October 20, 2012 at 4:21 pm
lmao he said Thanks for the 2 points! I’ll be on my way now. 🙂 lol he funny
Diona G
October 20, 2012 at 5:15 pm
I raised a few dairy goats for several years until I was forced to move to the city :(. They are wonderful creatures! I love Nubians and Toggeburgs myself so I mostly had those. If you live in a cold climate (like I do) raising Nubians is a little harder because they are an African breed.
I started with one kid, but then got an adult doe and two whethers. The doe wasn’t milking at the time, so that fall I bred her and got babies in the spring (best thing ever btw, as does will often wait to kid until you’re around). If you do get a doe pregnant make sure you have all the supplies for when the baby comes like a De-horning kit (which I highly recommend) and a band castrater (sp) (what I used) if you don’t want a ton of bucks running around heh. Also be prepared to learn how to give injections etc.
Make sure you have good fences and pend. Goats are real escape artists and can get out of just about anywhere. 🙂
Any more questions feel free to contact me.
Julian Greystoke
October 20, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I have been raising Saanens for over 28 years and we’ve had Toggenburgs for almost 20. I like my big white girls and my little brown toggs. The Saanens milk well, will milk through if I need them too, are very laid back and are interesting to try to improve the next generation. The Toggs are smaller, eat less and have more distinct personalities. We had Nubians for a number of years. I loved the babies but wasn’t so fond of the adults.
My suggestion is to buy what is most easy to find. That way you’ll have someone near you to mentor you and it will be easy to find bucks to breed to. Later, when you know you want to stay with goats and are getting serious about breeding them go find what you most like looking at. It’s frustrating to have only poor examples of your chosen breed to choose from or to find a goat but not be able to find a buck to breed her to.
Start with a milker or two or a milker and a kid or two. It’s hard enough to learn to milk without also trying to teach a first freshener who may not want to be milked or may have very tiny teats that are hard to milk. (don’t worry, they grow.) You’ll also want to taste the milk of the doe you plan on buying. Each goat’s milk tastes a bit different and you’ll want to make sure you like the taste.
You want to start with no fewer than 2 but probably no more than 4. They reproduce fast enough.
Now is the time to start looking. It’s the start of kidding season and many breeders will be culling their herds this time of year and will have milking does for sale. At other times it can be hard to find a breeder with milkers that they don’t want.
Everbely
October 20, 2012 at 5:55 pm