Boer goat babies

[Possom]

Wasn't sure where to put this so I stuck it under general discussion. I guess it could fall under food as well lol.

We have our first set of babies on the ground for this breeding season. Triplets. All 3 males. This doe decided she didn't want to carry full term and had them about 5 days before I was expecting them. Doesn't hurt the babies just caught me a little off guard and unprepared. She picked a cold rainy day to drop them out in the pasture under an old lean to that grandpa built back in the 50s. She apparently couldn't come up to the nice new barn.

These guys are 100% full blood boer bucks. They are sell stock which pays for the rest of the herd. It's amazing to me that people will pay $500 to $1000 a piece for these little guys at 3 months old. Then again if I figure in what I have invested in their momma and daddy it's not that surprising.

Who else on here keeps livestock as part of your prep? My family and I feed out a goat or two a year, a beef a year, and whatever deer I kill as our meat for the year. We no longer buy meat at the store at all.

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz87/cox-adam/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps973e7e30.jpg (http://s816.photobucket.com/user/cox-adam/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps973e7e30.jpg.html)

[helomech]

That is great, they all look healthy.

We raise chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and tilapia. Hoping to get goats eventually, but fencing is going to be costly.

[Possom]

That's for sure on the fencing. I will tell you how to build a fence that will keep a goat in.

Build your fence how you see fit, get a bucket of water, throw the water at the fence. If a drop of water goes through the fence anywhere, tear the fence down and build another one.

Goats are a pain to keep in. I use 4 foot goat and sheep wire. Don't try to get by cheap with welded wire they will just break it and go through it. One thing that helps a lot though, goats don't like electricity. A good electric fence wire on your fencing will save a lot of problems.

[helomech]

Yes it will be electric for sure.

[bacpacker]

They look great Possum. Surprising they will bring that kind of money. I need to look into that in this area and see what the market looks like.
We have chickens right now. At some point we intend to get either pigs or goats next, then the other one. We don't have space for cattle although that is what I have the most experience with. Like Helo, fencing is my main issue. I also need to put up some type of shed, which will depend on what we decide to go with.

IMO livestock could be a critical prep (depending on what the scenario is). We garden a lot also, but meat is highly important over a long term. Plus you can get eggs, or milk from them.

[Possom]

A market goat weening age goes for about $75 here. Only reason these will sell so high is their bloodlines. people buy them to compete and See who can raise the best meat goat. I keep a few registered in my herd and always keep a registered billy with the bloodlines I want because they produce the best babies.

Most of my does have a little milk goat mixed in them. I shoot for about 85% boer 15% Nubian. Full blood boer have trouble putting out enough milk to feed their kids.

My wife and I lead a 4H group here and our kids show goats in the livestock competition at the fair. I normally have a few more of our goats in the fair as well. "Sell" them to kids for $1 and they raise them from weening age to show age (9 month old). Then after the fair I get my goat back and they keep the money from the premium auction in the fair.

Last year we had 9 of our goats in the fair. It is good for the kids in the community and we enjoy raising them. They don't take up a lot of space. I normally keep between 15 and 20 head on a 5 acre pasture. They have a lot more of a personality then the cattle do. To put it bluntly cattle are stupid and goats aren't.

[helomech]

Just remember you can get more meat from 2 rabbits than you can from a cow and a bull over a years time.