Buying First Goats...A Few Questions

TheNelsons · #1 10/12/05, 10:48 AM

Hi ALL

We have found a wonderful fellow homesteader very close by... She has many goats for us to choose from and we have narrowed it down to this..

1. A mother and daughter N. Dawarf pair both are breed and will kid in about 4 months.
OR
2. A N. Dawarf doe that will kid in about 3 weeks and a Boer doe that will kid in 4 months.

The mother and daughter team are 3 years and 1 year old. Never been milked, but have nice utters and have been messaged. Both have kidded in the past w/o problem. Both are a bit skiddish, but dont seem too scared.

The N.D and Boer combo are both young 1.5y and almost 1 year. The N.D is skiddish, but currious, never been milked, good utter. The Boer is friendly, was bottle fed, has had her utters messaged since birth, very nice utter.

QUESTION, can or does anyone milk a Boer doe? I would think you could milk any of them , but if someone knows different PLEASE tell us..

Any thoughts on which set would be better? (given the info here)?

Thanks for any and all help...

ozark_jewels · #2 10/12/05, 12:27 PM

Hi,
The mother and daughter package would be good for you as first time goat owners if you want milk. They have kidded in the past so you wouldn't be starting out with first-fresheners which is a plus at kidding time.
Now if you are considering milk AND meat, the Nigie and the Boer might be a better deal for you. And that the Boer is friendly is a plus. You can milk a Boer though they generally do not give as much milk as dairy goats. Is she full Boer or crossed with dairy goat?? I have a 1/2 Boer-1/2 Oberhasli that milks like a cow. I have milked her and the milk is very good.
I guess its just whichever set strikes your fancy. The first set is nice because they have already kidded before. The other set is nice because at least one is tame and if you want more meat, the Boer will have it.
Good luck!!=)

Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Boers, Nubians, Lamanchas and Alpines

Milking Mom · #3 10/12/05, 02:58 PM

How much milk are you wanting? The smaller breeds produce smaller amounts of milk. By being skiddish, do you mean they run from you? If that is the case, then you may be buying a headache if you have to chase the doe down in order to milk her. Hand raised, bottle fed does that are gentle is what I would look for. Before you purchase, make sure you can walk up to the doe, take her by the collar, lead her onto the milk stand and be seated and touch her udder without her running from you, jumping around on the milk stand or you will become frustrated with the whole thing. I say this with experience. Good luck in finding the right does for your needs.

p.s. Where are you located in Texas? In the spring after my does kid I will have some NICE does in milk for sale that are gentle, that have been milked and handled, well cared for, vaccinated, and tested for diseases. They will make excellent home milkers.

TheNelsons · #4 10/15/05, 02:13 PM

I am in Seguin TX right outside of San Marcos. Do You have any pictures of these does? Also what are they?

Thanks,
Steph

TheNelsons · #5 10/15/05, 02:43 PM

Also I have just found out that the Boar goat though friendly has 6 teets, this will make her hard to milk right ?

ozark_jewels · #6 10/15/05, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNelsons

Also I have just found out that the Boar goat though friendly has 6 teets, this will make her hard to milk right ?

Yes, I would think it would make her very hard to milk. I would try to find a tame milk goat............or at least a Boer with no more than two teats. If it is just a spur off of her main teat, you can still milk her easily. I have a few Boers like that.

Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Boers, Nubians, Lamanchas and Alpines

Milking Mom · #7 10/15/05, 07:19 PM

Steph,
Email me directly for more information. Christye9916@cs.com
I have Alpines. I have a couple of bred does for sale now. If you are wanting a goat for milk, then a boer really isn't what you need. I agree 6 teats is not a good thing. If you are wanting meat and milk then you can have a milking doe and breed her to a boer buck, then you would have good meat kids. There are pictures of my girls on my web site http://cottoneyeddoesdairygoats.com/Index.html

Joann · #8 10/15/05, 11:01 PM

I totally agree with Milking Mom. If your wanting a doe for milk a skiddish doe isnt good been there done that. It is not easy & usually impossible to tame a goat once its been raised that way. A bottle raised one is best there much more tame & so much easier to handle not to mention sweet as a puppy!

Milking Mom I took a look at your site you have some gorgeous girls!! Finesse is a real beauty!

Laura Workman · #9 10/16/05, 12:44 AM

Personally, I wouldn't worry about skittish goats. My does Selena and Sally were wild as March Hares when I got them. Now they're wonderful on the milkstand, and rather sweet off of it. They learned pretty quickly, too.

moonspinner · #10 10/16/05, 08:05 AM

I agree w/ Laura - skittish nigies are not really a problem and most calm down soon enough. On the milkstand it's generally just a matter of getting the does used to the routine. Hobbling a rear leg to the back of the stand will help a lot. If it were my choice I would not go for a teat defect. This could be passed down.

AnnaS · #11 10/16/05, 08:29 AM

I would agree with a lot of the above posters and recommend a milking doe who is tame and steady and knows the milking routine. Get some experience with goats & milking & then wrestle with the skittish ones. Milking takes a while to learn & train your hands to. It would be difficult to learn with a goat that has to be hog-tied.
Trying to milk an uncooperative animal is very frustrating. My sister was my relief milker UNTIL I bought a skittish doe. I got a phone call from Sue 2 hours after milking time- she was almost in tears. It took her an hour each milking to milk this doe. Now I have to hire a relief milker.

Sher · #12 10/17/05, 08:34 AM

I started out with a milk goat that already knew what was going on. I made some mistakes along the way...but "Grace" knew better than I what was supposed to be going on. She had patience with me and I never regretted my first choice. Still have her Daughter, granddaughter and two great great granddaughters.

Oh, she was a Saanen. But my second "milk girl" was a Nubian..still have her..Maggie....both of these girls were real "teachers" and not just with milking. When it was time to kid...they already knew what was going on.

Any how..just my two cents...and I KNOW it ain't worth much...LOL!! Good luck and I wish you and your "new best friends" much success!