Sister Michelle
Administrator
I must keep my eyes on Jesus my Saviour
Posts: 1,065
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Post by Sister Michelle on Feb 23, 2006 20:28:59 GMT -5
Dear Sisters, My DH and I want to get goats but I need some info on them. If anyone knows about goats please elt me know. These would be for milking only.
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Post by robinva on Feb 23, 2006 21:34:06 GMT -5
I am not sure how much I KNOW about goats, but we have had our dairy goats for several years now. what questions do you have specifically?
Robin
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Sister Michelle
Administrator
I must keep my eyes on Jesus my Saviour
Posts: 1,065
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Post by Sister Michelle on Feb 24, 2006 8:08:23 GMT -5
I want know what all do I really need to start out with. Also I am looking into dwarf nigerian goats. I might try neubians as their is a family close that raises them. Who much should a kid cost. And how long until she can be milked. If I think of anymore questions I will let you know.
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Post by robinva on Feb 24, 2006 15:08:22 GMT -5
I paid $25 for my first doe kid when she was around 8 weeks old. This is pretty cheap, even in this area. She was a Nubian cross. I bred her the following fall, so I had milk 2 years after the purchase. I also bought a Alpine cross doe and her doeling for $60, cheap again. My Nubian gave 2 quarts of milk a day and my Alpine gave as much as a 3 quarts a day. We also have a very rocky (boulders) area that was grown up so the goats were twofold, milk and clean up. If you are limited on space you may just want to get one doe with a good milk line. I believe some will give up to 4 quarts a milk a day. Of course, buying a goat from a good breeding line will definitely cost more, but it should make up for it in milk production. Hope this helps.
Robin
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Sister Michelle
Administrator
I must keep my eyes on Jesus my Saviour
Posts: 1,065
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Post by Sister Michelle on Feb 26, 2006 5:27:23 GMT -5
What do I need for shelter? And how much do they eat. What do I do for them over the winter.
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Post by robinva on Feb 28, 2006 10:53:38 GMT -5
When we had only one goat we used a huge overturned plastic tub with a doorway cut into one side. It is really kind of hard to explain a plastic tub being this big. It was approximately 4 1/2 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet square. (It came from a poultry processing plant) If you are planning on just one goat and of the dwarf variety think something like a big dog house with out the bottom. You will use less bedding and she should keep warmer in a smaller area. You also can tip it over to clean and replace the bedding. My friend's son put two wheels on the back of theirs and picks it up and moves it around the yard. They also have a eyehook on the goat house to keep her tethered to. I have learned from experience it is not wise or easy to tether a goat in brushy areas. You spend half the day untangling the rope.
If you have access to an overgrown field you shouldn't need much additional feed. Goats really thive on brush. A square bale of hay would probably last a small goat 5 to 7 days. We mostly don't need to add hay to their diet until winter. We always give our goats each a scoop of sweet feed year round, but this isn't necessary. Lactating does are the exception and they usually get 2 scoops of feed a day, one for morning milking and one for evening. We also like to use a mineral supplement since our area in low in selenium.
Robin
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