Not immediately (we've got our hands full with chickens!), we'd like to look into getting a boy and a girl goat so we can have a milk goat. We've got three one-acre paddocks, which are currently set up with fencing appropriate for cows or horses. We would obviously need to make some major changes to keep the goats contained and safe. The paddock we are thinking of is closest to the house (though still a small clip away). The barn makes up one side of the paddock and half can be closed off so they don't go into the next paddock (so the barn sits between two and you can split the barn in half).
Since I've had such rough luck with chickens, some of it due to my own inexperience, I'd like to get much better informed about keeping goats. Which are the best for milking, of them, which are hardiest, friendliest, etc.? What kind of fencing is best, and how high should it be? The chicken coop will also be in that field, but closed off from where the goats will be. Though...tell me, can they be mixed? Would a goat fence keep a chicken in? I would love to truly free-range the chickens in a big open space.
Is one acre enough for 2-3 goats? We'd likely sell the babies, though if we really enjoy raising them, we may fence the other paddocks and expand their grazing land.
Okay, so any advice will be awesome, but if you also have any links you can direct me to for reading up (or books you recommend), I'd really appreciate it. Thanks everyone!
Eileen
Goat Questions
I'm copying a post that I just made on another thread here, so hope you don't mind.
I'm experience has been with Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats.
I want to start out saying how thrilled I am to hear that you are considering NDDG. I used to have a herd of 50. I was making 1 pound aged raw milk cheddar cheese.
Our farm was 5 acres and my ND had 3 fenced acres that I did rotational grazing on. The reason I did this was I didn't want to have to worry about worming which means that milk from a doe that was wormed can not be used for a set about of time and I didn't want to give up their wonderful milk.
When I first got my herd I wormed them and that was it. Never had to do it again. I invested in a good microscope as I did all my own fecal checks. I did checks ever month to make sure.
My herd was negative for johnes, CAE, hoof rot. I was very careful about the folks that came to my farm as they were never allowed to wear their boot/shoes in with my herd and I made them wash their hands first as well. Each farm develops its own unique germs, if you will, and that is good as my goats were going to me my work and income, so their health and well being was the top priority for me.
I always hand bottled fed the babies as that tamed them and was so much easier when it was time to get them on the milking stand. Just for fun I liked to train my babies to shake hands and walk on a leash and sit... (I am an old collie breeder) so it was fun to teach them tricks...
I had blue eyed does, and even had one doe who always produced 6 babies in each litter and they always had blue eyes... She was my best milker, almost a gallon a day and for a ND that is wonderful. Her butter fat tested out at 11.4
I especially love the color patterns that the ND produce, you never know what you are going to get until they pop out.LOL
I chose this breed as I was the main one (not DH) and their size was very easy to manage on my own. My does were my pride and joy. Their individual personalities were so amazing. And the endless hours of watching my babies was time well spent in my book.
I can't say enough about this breed as I sure all the other owners have to say about the breeds they chose, but in my book, for everything they offer, and in a small size... it can't be beat.
If you are wanting to make cheese all the better as they have the highest butterfat to their milk. If you don't already have places that you are interested in purchasing from, please dm me and I'll sent some friends of mine contact information to ya. I did a ton of research on different lines for their milking abilities. But if you are wanting to get started this year you need to decide shortly as most of the choice ones are usually taken by this time of the year.
Another great thing about the ND is they can breed year round as oppose to what the larger breeds usually have one main, possibly two breedings a year. And when you can spread out the breeding to me that is a bonus as you don't get as sleep deprive during birthing time. LOL
So if you have specific questions please feel free to ask away I love talking and sharing what I've learn with my herd.
Sadly to say we ended up having to move to OH from KY and I contracted with guy to take care of my herd while we were making the move to then only have him steal all of my herd. I had a signed contract but the county attorney said I would have to get a lawyer and for the county that was involved three different lawyers said I would end up spending a ton of money and still now get my animals back... which I didn't have the money to fight then, This is one reason why I hate the law. Had I not had the contract then my registration papers would have allowed the sheriff to take me on their farm and collect my animals and all my pens, and farm equipment.
It was the most heart breaking thing to me.
One day, I'm in hopes of purchasing a few more just to have for the milk.
I also got into making my own goats milk soap and have not used commerical soap in 8 years. Now I get my goats milk from goat friends up here in Ohio.
So welcome to the wonderful world of Goat Ownership. They will wrap themselves around your heart strings faster than you would ever believe.
Janet
Hi Eileen,
Overall, first of all, Fiasco Farm has one of the best, most informative websites about goats that I am aware of. I highly recommend it. Especially the parts about kidding time!
http://fiascofarm.com/
Also, check out the "reference thread" at the top of the Poultry & Livestock forum links - about 4 posts down it has a section on goats with lots of useful links.
Which are the best for milking, of them, which are hardiest, friendliest, etc.?
Best for milking include the traditional dairy breeds such as Alpine, LaMancha, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen and Toggenburg. Nigerian dwarf goats also have great milk production for their size. It depends on the size of goat you want and the amount of milk you want. I'm not sure about the hardiness question - I am in freezing cold Iowa and all goats seem to do well here!
The friendliest goats are the ones who have been raised with a lot of handling, as is true with so many animals. My Nigerian dwarf goats are super friendly. Bucks can be cantankerous at certain times of year but my angora buck is still overall friendly. Meet with potential goats you want to consider purchasing. See if they will feed from your hand, let you touch them, etc. See if they are used to being milked. Buy from a reputable breeder, not an auction.
What kind of fencing is best, and how high should it be?
For our former Nubian goats (very large) and for our current pygmy, ND and angora goats, we use cattle panel fencing that is 4 feet high. We have not had escapes except for kids going through the panels. Chicken wire prevented that.
The chicken coop will also be in that field, but closed off from where the goats will be. Though...tell me, can they be mixed? Would a goat fence keep a chicken in?
Depends on the breed of chicken - flying chickens (some of the lighter weight, flighty breeds) can go over fences. Heavier breeds tend not to. Our goats and chickens mix freely. The chickens go through the cattle panel spaces. They are very compatible and do not bother each other. Sometimes the chickens sit on the goats when they are laying down. It's pretty cute. i think it keeps their feet warm in winter!
Is one acre enough for 2-3 goats?
Yes, generally speaking that should be fine. Obviously the bigger the goats, the more they eat (one reason we are sticking to smaller species). One acre is fine for 5-6 dwarf/pygmy goats, but good to rotate pasture to keep worm loads down.
Generally - see the links in the reference thread, but also check out this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Year-Goat-Miles-Perfect-Cheese/dp/1599210215/ref=pd_sim_b_1
(they spent a year traveling the country looking at different types of goat operations to decide what they wanted to do)
and also I really like:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Goats-Everything-Raise-Backyard/dp/159921492X/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266549110&sr=8-16
http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide-Raising-Dairy-Goats/dp/1580172598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266549110&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Goats-Raise/dp/076033157X/ref=pd_sim_b_5
Awesome responses - that's plenty for me to dive into. Oh, but wait! My chicken and gardening books came today and my mother-in-law scrounged up a book about guineas...the goats are going to have to take a seat on the back burner for the moment! LOL