I may have messed up

I am going to wean the buck at 10-12 weeks old and not milk her, someone suggested (can't remember who, maybe it was me) putting the kid up at night even if I didn't milk her to help stretch her bag. Would you guys suggest I start doing that in a few days after she gets used to being here a little bit? It makes sense to me.

All our does kid at 12 to 14 months old. Yes they are smaller, but not smaller than dry does their same age. Make changes in her diet very carefully and slowly, fattening her up is not what you want to do. Her diet should be alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets, with enough grain and a high enough protein in the grain for her to grow and milk. Yes wean the kid at 12 weeks, but milk her. There isn't a reason in the world to dry her up. Certainly you didn't buy a milking doe to let her dry up 12 weeks into her lactation. In 12 weeks you will have had wormed her a couple of times, Cydectin hopefully, trimmed up her feet and have her on a better diet. LaManchas can be a small breed with some bloodlines...75 pounds as a just fresh doe is small for a Nubian but isn't but 10 to 15 pounds small for a LaMancha. Look at appraisal scores on even good quailtiy LaMancha they always swing in the low numbers for stature, she is a young doe.

It's an old wives tail that she can not grow while bred or milking...no they don't grow if they have parasites, if they are bred and or milking and not getting the feed they need.

She is fine, it's a good price, test her for yourself and be happy with what you purchased. From now on take someone who knows more about goats with you when you make purchases or previous to going to a farm, email some of us privately with who what when and where...it's a very small world. Vicki

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Vicki McGaugh
Nubian Soaps
North of Houston TX
www.etsy.com/shop/nubiansoaps

A 3 decade dairy goat farm homestead that is now a retail/wholesale soap company and construction business.

You know, I never considered this for even a second. Why in the world didn't I ask about this person before I even went there????

Thanks for your advice, it is hard when more than one person you respect gives differing advice--what to do???

You take all the advice and talk it over with your mentor...or you take a deep breath, make a decision and go with it, but then don't sit around and lament over it or second guess yourself, or blame others for a bad choice you made with our advice All of use have different goals for our farm, I can tell you what I would do, but it's what your goal is that is important. Vicki

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Vicki McGaugh
Nubian Soaps
North of Houston TX
www.etsy.com/shop/nubiansoaps

A 3 decade dairy goat farm homestead that is now a retail/wholesale soap company and construction business.

I agree with Vicki!

One thing I always try to remember, when standing at the gate looking at something I think is a lot poorer than what I was expecting, is that it nearly always costs more to feed up poor stock than it does to start with good stock. I say nearly because some places have tons of free forage and browse, and it is cheaper for them to feed "train wrecks." Also, if you get the skinny goats just dirt cheap or free, that is a factor. But if you are buying hay and feed, and paying the going rate, it's cheaper to buy well-fed stock.

That said, as Vicki and others say, be happy with your purchase, and it was a decent price. Also be happy with yourself for not being the rube he evidently thought you'd be, and for making him back down to a price in the realm of the real world for what you got. I think that shows well for you in the future.

There's a LOT of huckerism in goat land. A LOT. And ESPECIALLY ONLINE. So many folks are out to find that newbie to stick it to, and then run to the bank...and they KNOW the locals won't pay what they are asking...so online they go! Trust your own eyes.

I think you did fine, but for future reference it is a real good practice to never say "yes" if there is a "no" in you somewhere. That is how you develop a discerning eye and standards for what you will have on your own place -- and what you WON'T. If you do this, believe me, you will reach a place where as a buyer, no will come more easily from your lips than yes. Yes will only be said if it is exactly what you want or better, and the price you expect. When you get there, you may regret with hindsight that you didn't buy something, but you will never regret that you did.

I think she could probably raise and wean the kid with great supplementation and genuine goat minerals. It's good advice given here to early wean if you can. Or if you feel you must take the kid off right away, that won't hurt things and may help as long as you can handle bottle feeding, or sell it off. Follow the excellent advice here and it'll work out. Also, please be really attuned to her worm load and other potential problems like cocci that can strike hard in thin goats.

This is how we all have learned. Trust yourself, and know that the next time you peek over the fence at another goat, you will be the wiser for this one having come your way.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

Oh yeah, let me just add that I focused on the mama -- the kid looks great. You'll be all right, just feed her up.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates