Rural Gardening: Dairy goat, 1 by CajuninKy

CajuninKy wrote:
I'm going to check out those links tomorrow.

My goats are pygmies. I wanted pygmies for several reasons. There are only 2 of us so we don't need a lot of milk. They are small and easier for me to handle. Their milk is sweetest with the highest butterfat content so it is closest to cow's milk.

I have 2 does. I don't want a billy of my own because they stink and you have to keep them away from the does during lactation or the milk will tatse bad. I only need a billy a couple times a year and I know friends who have them I can borrow so it's silly to feed one all year. My does are in with a borrowed billy now. He has been here for 2 weeks and I may keep him another 2 weeks just to be on the safe side.

I traded off my oldest doe because she kept at one of the younger does and kept running her through the fence.

My youngest was a bottle baby so she is tame to the point of being a pest. The other 2 had not been handled. I tamed them a bit but still need to do a lot of work with the one. They responded well to almonds. Just love them and will come to me for them. Then I rub the sides of their faces. They like that. I don't have a stanchion yet but while they eat from the trough I rub all over them.

Please tell me more about the elasticizing. Can it be done on a full grown goat with no ill effects?

This is a pic of the 3 goats I had. I traded the agouti colored one in the front. Her name was Marble because her coat reminded me of a marble countertop. I still have the other 2, Mollie and Dusty.