# Thinkin bout gettin goats



## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

So now that we have our gardens and chickens established we think its time to think about dairy and even and additional meat source so were thinkin a goat or two. I dont really know much about em and Ive just started researching and figured were better to do a little research that here! 
We have @ 10,000 sg. ft. area we can designate just for the goats.

Is that enough area for two goats? (very green area)

There are several Black walnut trees there, are walnuts harmful to goats if eaten or will the goats eat the bark off the trees?

What would be a good dairy goat (breed) to purchase?

Thanks for the help.


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## HomegrownGal (Feb 11, 2013)

In April I purchased my first 2 goats--Nigerian Dwarf. They are small and easy to handle, (great for homesteads) friendly and their milk is high in butterfat for making cheese. So far they are easy keepers! Purebred Nigerians bring more money when selling kids. They are the breed other "mini" breeds are made from so more desirable.


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## GroovyMike (Feb 25, 2010)

goats will climb. Goats hate fences. Read up on them BEFORE you get them. I recommend the CountrySide and Small stock Journal or Jerome Bellenger's books.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Yes. Goats are better than Houdini at escaping. We used a 5' web wire fence with a strand of electric fence over the top and about 8" out and a foot up from the bottom when my dad raised them. That kept them pretty well contained. I'm no expert but I don't know of many things a goat can eat that will hurt it besides chemicals and such.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I'd say the Nigerian Dwarf too, I think. Small, easy keepers and I've heard great tasting milk, but if you need a gallon or more of milk per day I don't know that you'd get that from two Dwarf does. Saanen produces the largest volume, some will give 2 gallons a day! They're the largest breed, but docile and easy keepers. Nubians give pretty big volume, about a gallon a day or so at their peak and higher butterfat. I've had LaMancha too, they're the ear-less ones. Nice milk, easy milker, no complaints. Absolutely LOVE my new Alpine. Easy milker, friendly, sweet personality, gallon to a gallon and a half a day, not nearly as 'talkative' as the Nubians. I've never had, but I've heard Toggenburg has funny tasting milk, or "stronger" somehow. Makes for some good stronger tasting cheese. I don't know anything about the Oberhasli. Nobody around here has them and they're super hard to find. 

Don't buy them from an auction. There's a reason they're being sold there. Get them from somebody who also has them for milk for their family if you can find them. Unless you plan on taking them to the fair, I wouldn't worry about papers too much. It can help when you go to sell the babies, but it's certainly not required to make some money from them. Try to find a goat person or two in your area and try to strike up a conversation about their goats. Ask LOTS of questions. Don't worry, goat people LOVE to talk about their goats.  There's somewhat of a learning curve when you first get started. 

There's not a lot of fat or muscle mass on a dairy goat so you may not be happy with that if you're trying to get a dual purpose goat. You could get a meat (Boer) buck and a dairy breed doe and have multipurpose offspring. The Mexicans, Jews and Muslims like those mixed breed goats so you may even find a niche for selling the kids. 

I love my goats, even though my buck knocked me on my butt yesterday . 
Goats are fun and I think you will be happy you decided to get some.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

ETA lazydaisy67 posted at the same time, for the most part "What she said"

I am no expert on goats, of all the livestock we owned goats gave us the most problems with dying unexpectedly and also aborting and other issues Admittedly we never got into raising them to the same extent we did other animals due to these problems, and in contrast many people say they have had very positive results:dunno: I would certainly look for a hardy breed from a successful breeder or farm that will give you information about their herd. Try to find someone who has gotten the kinks worked out in your particular area if possible.

You really can't skimp on fence with goats, no way around it imo, but a good fence that will keep in goats should handle almost anything else that would likely use that pasture in the future.









10 000 square feet is just under 1/4acre, that should be enough area for a couple goats, but there are things to consider. Goats don't really prefer grass:nuts: unlike cows, sheep, and horses they are not made to survive on just grass, especially milk breeds (AFAIK). Almost everyone I know who raises goats supplements their feed, there are some who run them in bush areas with tons of space per goat and they do fine feed-wise but they have had big losses due to predators and random deaths. So I think with a pasture like you have goats could do fine with some supplemental feed but I am no expert. Others on here probably have more info. All I can really recommend is to find potential places to buy them and see how they are doing things, if you like what you see you are set, if not you may have to look for alternative breeds/methods/species.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

8thDayStranger said:


> Yes. Goats are better than Houdini at escaping. We used a 5' web wire fence with a strand of electric fence over the top and about 8" out and a foot up from the bottom when my dad raised them. That kept them pretty well contained. I'm no expert but I don't know of many things a goat can eat that will hurt it besides chemicals and such.


lol

Thanks for the smile ... You are correct on the fencing, we also went with the woven wire with electric on top. (and that kept most of them in)

We had Nubians/Alpines cross (the best of both worlds) for right at 30 years. I never had a problem with them and our walnuts but ours had 10 acres to pick from. I have also had grass goats and I have had brush goats, both are fine.

Some folks don't like to get a goat from auction ... but I have bought a few very fine animals from auction. Yes, there is a reason they are at the market but I found all are not for bad reasons. It helps to know a "Trader" vs "farmer" ... 

If you buy a "fresh goat" (one milking) ... try before you buy. Take a cup with you and taste the milk first. (no joke) A goat can give good milk as well as bad. Some folks will tell you it is what they are eating and I'm here to say sometimes it is the goat! 

Best of luck and any questions ... ask away.


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## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks for the great advice and humor! Ive always heard if a fence wont hold water it wont hold a goat 
Take a cup and taste test the goats, Great idea I cant wait to see the looks on peoples faces when I pull out a coffee cup and get a squirt or two!


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I totally grossed out the guy I bought my Alpine from. The look on his face was priceless when I tipped that cup up and took a slurg :rofl: BUT, we want to drink the stuff so it makes sense you'd taste it first, right?

The absolute best fencing I've ever seen was an old wire corn crib. The sheets come in about 5 x 16 and they guy laid them each on their sides secured to metal posts. The wire is super heavy gauge so it's incredibly sturdy and the holes are small enough that the babies can't climb through it. It's a little hard to find them around here anymore, but if you can get your hands on one or two of those you're SET!!


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Goats are cute.I had one that chased the car when we would leave when I was a kid myself.She had the run of 100 acres so if she ever left we did'nt know about it. She would head bunt the dogs,very jealous of them.


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

We raised Pygmy goats just for fun! You are either cursing them or laughing your head off. Not too much I between with them. They are still the only animal I have seen born! I personally thought they were worth the hassle. We also lived out far enough that we stopped worrying about fences. They loved to get on the bus with the kids in the am...now that was a little embarrassing!


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## carnut1100 (Oct 9, 2008)

Fencing....if there is ANY weak spot they will find it! 
They hate electric, probably the most effective. 
Mine get out all the time but I am halfway through electrifying and they don't get out through the bits I have done!

I'm biased but I say Saanen all the way. 
Alpines are great too and we had a cross that was wonderful. 

Certainly try the milk if you can, some goats do taste better than others, even if on the same feed. 
Rubbish feed = rubbish milk any way though. 
Complete horse feed (chaff/grain/pellet/molasses mix) is like goat heroin......outdone out and they will shove their head through electric to get to it!
Builds condition and gives lots of good milk too!

Get two or bank on spending lots of time as they are very social. When mine get out they generally set up camp right on my doorstep....


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## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

Hit the wrong dang blasted button.


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## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

carnut1100 said:


> Fencing....if there is ANY weak spot they will find it!
> They hate electric, probably the most effective.
> Mine get out all the time but I am halfway through electrifying and they don't get out through the bits I have done!


I was one of the "brains" lured into the Boer meat goat craze. No, I will NOT EVER have another Boer on the property.

We had 47 does and two registered Boer bucks in an 8 strand, high-tensile, fully electrified fence. It was fine, right up till my neighbor (a goat hater by the way) planted alfalfa right next to my pasture in a field where in 15 years there had been nothing but corn. I let my herd out one morning and in a straight line, all of them headed for that alfalfa. One by one they went through that fence, screamed when the juice hit, but not one stopped. We spent all morning fighting to get them back in. We checked the fence, made sure it was hot and grounded, and kept them in the barn the rest of the day. Next morning we fed them grain first and I opened the door. It was a full repeat of the day before. The next day they were loaded on a truck and headed to auction. The owner is responsible for any damage done by their livestock, even if it is a field of alfalfa planted just to cause trouble. I couldn't pay him the cost of his harvest if my goats ate it and destroyed it.

Now that said as a friendly need to know piece of information, we keep a couple of Nubians for milk, good milk with good richness, easy to make cheese with, and quiet mannered. We breed with Kiko meat bucks for meat kids but don't keep a buck ourselves at the moment. Another neighbor has a Nubian buck which we already have arranged to use for replacement does. We'll get the kids from one doe on either breeding and the stud owner gets the kids from the other. We never have too many to deal with, the one neighbors keep some fresh genetics in their herd and the other gets some extra meat kids. Works for us now that I have 2x4 fence with hot barb wire on top. That keeps the girls at home.


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