Livestock Goat Question

[Satanta]

FL and I have talked about getting a Milk Goat or two. Not tomorrow, maybe by Spring. Here is the thing. I know a bit about taking care of and feeding. HOWEVER, I know next to nothing about getting them Milking and keeping them Milking. I do know how to Milk [[Cows anyway but I assume it is similar for Goats just lower to the ground]]

So. Assuming I need them Lactatifying. Need to Breed them correct?

Do they have to become pregnant to Milk or just get bred?

How many Goatlets do they drop and how long can they continue producing?

Assuming tw or three Goatlets when are those ready to eat?

How many years does a Milkl Goat Milk if a Milk Goat Milks?

How long before the Goaling is old enough to replace the ones who dried up? If I have three and they Milk and they dump two Goatlets on me how long before I need to determine which to keep to replace the old ones?

 

[Border Collie Dad]

Do they have to become pregnant to Milk or just get bred?

Yes

 

[Babs]

FL and I have talked about getting a Milk Goat or two. Not tomorrow, maybe by Spring. Here is the thing. I know a bit about taking care of and feeding. HOWEVER, I know next to nothing about getting them Milking and keeping them Milking. I do know how to Milk [[Cows anyway but I assume it is similar for Goats just lower to the ground]]

So. Assuming I need them Lactatifying. Need to Breed them correct?

Do they have to become pregnant to Milk or just get bred?

They need to actually "kid" (have the babies) in order to start milking the mother.

How many Goatlets do they drop and how long can they continue producing?

They typically have one or two kids. It depends on the goat. I've had does begin declining on milk production ( drying off) after 6 months, and I've had does that produced for a year. I bred mine every year so that I would be sure to be in milk all year long, and I would stagger the breeding to help with that. You must dry them off, by stopping milking, the last 2 months of their pregnancy.

In my opinion, you can continue breeding a doe safely for 5 years. After that, I would replace them. The older they get, the more susceptible to diseases etc., they become.

Assuming tw or three Goatlets when are those ready to eat?

If you're getting strictly dairy goats, they don't have much meat on them. Butcher time depends on you. How much do you want to spend to keep feeding them vs. how much meat is on them. If you "wether" (castrate) the male kids, they will get a little larger and get larger faster.

How many years does a Milkl Goat Milk if a Milk Goat Milks?

I think the oldest I ever bred a doe was 7 years...and that was old.

How long before the Goaling is old enough to replace the ones who dried up? If I have three and they Milk and they dump two Goatlets on me how long before I need to determine which to keep to replace the old ones?

You can breed a doeling as soon as her body is ready, but it's not healthy and her growing will likely be stunted. Some people wait until they are a year old. I usually waited until at least 18 months.

 

[Wildwood]

I kept dairy goats for years and I practiced what they call "milking through". I would milk mine three years straight, dry them up, give them several months to a year to rest and breed them again. If you are doing that, I recommend only once a day and feed them well, both in quality and quantity. I mixed my own feed.

Milking them straight through does not put near the wear and tear on their body that kidding and nursing will.

My girls were pets and it worried me sick to put them through kidding plus, it killed me to sell the kids not knowing how people would care for them. Keep in mind, my milk girls were big healthy nubians and the most parasite resistant line of goats I've ever dealt with. They aged well and lived to their early teens.

Bottom line, start with very healthy goats if you are going to be ingesting what their body makes. Don't go buy a fixer upper thinking you will get her healthy, breed her and get great tasting milk. It could happen but the chances are slim.

 

[lisa]

Also..make sure you like goat milk first. I didn't realize how much I dislike goat milk until trying it last year. I can handle goat cheese..but if you want to drink it or cook with it make sure you like it.

 

[Babs]

I'd like to add that I had a goat dairy with 100+ milking does at a time. So, my practices might be different than backyard dairy goat keepers.

 

[Wildwood]

Also..make sure you like goat milk first. I didn't realize how much I dislike goat milk until trying it last year. I can handle goat cheese..but if you want to drink it or cook with it make sure you like it.

I'll have to say, I loved my goat's milk but I don't always like other people's goat's milk. I had a routine that involved lots of hygiene and very careful handling of the milk. It can be very clean and still not handled the way I prefer and have an off taste. Also, if you don't like something a little richer and creamier than what you get at the store, you won't like it. It also depends on the breed. What I got was about halfway between half and half and whole milk. The health benefits are phenomenal.

 

[Wildwood]

I'd like to add that I had a goat dairy with 100+ milking does at a time. So, my practices might be different than backyard dairy goat keepers.

For sure...I was 100% backyard goat keeper. Four or five does at a time was what I kept and preferred to have two in milk at any given time. Just enough to make a little cheese, some soap and kefir plus some for drinking.

 

[Satanta]

I'll have to say, I loved my goat's milk but I don't always like other people's goat's milk. I had a routine that involved lots of hygiene and very careful handling of the milk. It can be very clean and still not handled the way I prefer and have an off taste. Also, if you don't like something a little richer and creamier than what you get at the store, you won't like it. It also depends on the breed. What I got was about halfway between half and half and whole milk. The health benefits are phenomenal.

FL drinks halfNhal because she hates Whole Milk. I prefer it or cream mysself. We have both drank Goat Milk and she grew up on Raw. Had raw as a kid visiting some folks in Oregon where I learned to Milk cows.

Almost fifty years ago.

 

[Wildwood]

FL drinks halfNhal because she hates Whole Milk. I prefer it or cream mysself. We have both drank Goat Milk and she grew up on Raw. Had raw as a kid visiting some folks in Oregon where I learned to Milk cows.

Almost fifty years ago.

Goat milk would be a perfect fit for y'all. Nubians have a higher than average fat content in their milk.

 

[Cardinal]

Might want to consider joining a goat forum, too. I found itvery helpful when I kept Nubians and Boers.

 

[kyrsyan]

If you want the kids for meat, look into TN Mountain goats. IIRC they are a Boer/Fainting goat cross. I don't see why the same cross wouldn't work with a Nubian but you'll want to check.

But the basics are breed them once a year. They are milked like cows. Make sure that your milkers are used to being handled. They're not hard to milk and the milk is good. When I was a kid, a friend's parents had them. I loved going and spending time with them.

Bucks stink and are escape artists. If ypu don't have the escape proof facilities, make arrangements with someone local for breeding. But that was for Boer, Nubian, and Saanen. I don't know about the bucks for the fainting goats.

Despite general opinion, we've always liked chevron/goat meat. If I could still get it, we'd still be eating it. But then, my son and I have eaten a lot of things that aren't in most grocery stores.

 

[Satanta]

Might want to consider joining a goat forum, too. I found itvery helpful when I kept Nubians and Boers.

I am already Part of an Old Goats forum. I mean there's Me, then Dennis then....

 

[Wildwood]

I am already Part of an Old Goats forum. I mean there's Me, then Dennis then....

Goats

www.homesteadingtoday.com

This was one of my favorite goat forums back in the day...I can't say how it is now. You will need to research goat care before you take the plunge. There were so many good ones and I think I still have a folder with more if you ever need them.

One thing to remember...goats are born trying to find a way to kill themselves.

That brings up another thought, you will need to decide if you want horns or not. I've had both and I don't see me ever wanting another that is not disbudded. That is the term for cauterizing the area where a horn would grow. It's kind of like branding and many folks consider it cruel but it prevents lots of potentially deadly accidents like them getting their head tangled up in a fence, etc. If you've ever had an accidental run in with a horn, that might also make you a fan of disbudding. You have a very short window of time to disbud once they are born...if the horn bud breaks the skin, you've pretty much waited too late. I cried when I got my first kid disbudded. I cried even more when I let too much time go by on another and couldn't disbud.

 

[Satanta]

I have no issues Debudding. I've dealt with goats a few times over the yearss-caretaking, building fences and shelters and so forth. Woman in Florida had herd or flock of the little bastages and they had honrs mixed in and I got butted more than once.

Learned to like them last few years taking care of some belonging to a friend-they are nice and act like weird-looking dogs and not beasts from hell trying to impale you

First one that butts me with it's horn get taken right out of then pen, shot between the eyes and cooked in front of the rest. Let that be a Lesson to my Future Goats.

Reminds me of something. The Dad and I were on a trip. Cattle country.

Every few minutes I would look out of the window and says something like "Boy that's a lot of cows." or "Check out the huge amount of cows there!"

Finally he says 'Herd."

Me 'Heard of what?'

"Herd of Cows." Now he's getting impatient-it's in his voice.

'Heard of Cow? Sure I've herd of Cows. Bunch of 'em right there!'

 

[Babs]

You might save your self some waste by simply taking the two legs opposite you and pulling the legs towards you in order to make the goat go down. Then throw your weight on top of him/her and sit there for a few minutes. As soon as it stops struggling, let it up. That has cured every case of aggression/assholery I've ever encountered in goats.

 

[Satanta]

You might save your self some waste by simply taking the two legs opposite you and pulling the legs towards you in order to make the goat go down. Then throw your weight on top of him/her and sit there for a few minutes. As soon as it stops struggling, let it up. That has cured every case of aggression/assholery I've ever encountered in goats.

Dominance trhing. Done it with dogs and people.

Dogs struggle till they give up and Accept.

People piss and moan as they struggle and it might take a couple of times but they usually Acceot as well. Making sure the entire endeavor has their face in my stinky armpit helps. Then all I have to do is raise my arm up and say "Want More?" and they settle right down.