Goats

[izzyscout21]

Anyone have goats? How is that working out for you? We're going to be getting 2 goats, and it has been a LONG time since I've been had any livestock. Any special considerations for these buggers?

[Taz Baby]

we haven,t gotten any yet, when we do we are getting Nuibeians. They are hardy,great milk producers, good hefty for meat and have no horns. Where you are they should do really good. Check your town and see who has them and what kind. May I sugest getting things ready beforebuying? Like how to give meds, help in birthing, weatherizing them. They hate being cold and get sick if they get too wet. Spring
Babies do better than fall babies because of the cold. When I can I will send you all the researh links I have on them.

[Taz Baby]

download the pdf free like I did or buy the book. Raising goats for milk and meat by Rosalee Sinn.

[bacpacker]

I don't have any, yet! I have done some research on them as well. I agree with Taz, get your stuff together before you get the goats. I wish I had done that with my chickens.
One area to pay particular attention to is your fencing. Goats can and will get out of most anything if not well secured. Shelter is another major consideration, there not like a cow that can stay outside year round. You should also plan on 2 at a minimum as goats are pretty social animals. They don't do well by themselves.
I plan on getting either Saneen's or Kathadin's. Both are good milk producers and are pretty heavy, so there is a lot of meat.

[izzyscout21]

^^

Yeah, I plan on getting the shelter together first. Again, just like the rabbits, this one is being phased in baby steps. The wife wants 2 pygmy goats, I wanted something larger. Whatever. A goat is a goat. I'll eat the pygmy if I have to. Later down the road I'll get something bigger, but the pygmy's will give me a start. I'd like to get something that I can milk. I'm afraid a pygmy goat would shrivel up and die if we milked it. LOL

[LUNCHBOX]

Iz, once you get her the pygmies, you can get whatever you want. They'll think they're so cute....another concern is if you plan on eating them now or later. The kill/slaughter fee is to much for the size in my opinion. I can harvest most any game (my cuts won't be like a butcher but you won't starve) and learning to do if you can't would be a must unless your just looking for milk, that's different.

[izzyscout21]

I butchered a goat once while I was in Iraq to have a BBQ for the platoon. I've also butchered a whole cow before...........that was a chore. Not worried to much about that.

Unless I get a few more larger goats, I don't want to eat them unless I have to. With this small a number, I really dont want to harvest them unless I'm going hungry. I think milk would be a better use for them. I may have to talk her into 3 goats and just sneak a larger breed's kid into the group.

[realist]

Milk goats are very time consuming, you milk them twice a day. We had them for years. Taz Nubian have great personalities, we had them also. My brother-in-law has been raising some smaller goats, not sure the name, for the past couple of years. They will definitely clear out the under brush on a property in no time. I'm thinking about getting back into it but I doubt that the misses would go for eating them.