goat costs

sherekin1261 · #1 03/25/10, 10:10 PM

Hi all,

Im looking for data that will help us make a good decision. We are looking for Dairy animals. A cow would provide beef also which we love... but we dont really have the space. 2 Dairy goatie girls would do the trick and we do have space but I need to be able to tell hubby how much to expect grain wise. ( hay etc)
We do buy our feed from a Mill vrs the local feed store and that saves alot I know. Example an 18% protein ration costs me 14.00 per hundred weight.

Can anyone please email me some figures to crossmanfarms@live.com? I would really appreciate it.

We are in upstate NY too so we have access to good timothy, orchard grass and alfalfa hay at a decent....well for the moment anyway, price.

Thanks

Shere

Wags · #2 03/25/10, 10:24 PM

How much milk do you need? If you don't need tons of it, then one of the smaller breeds would be more cost effective. A good milking Nigerian should be doing around 4-5# of milk a day. (Which is about a 1/2 gallon.)

For 16 Nigerians I go through ton of alfalfa pellets a year. And about 8-10 75lb bales of grass hay. (I only feed hay when it is icy.) I don't do any other purchased feed.

Total feed costs for me in 2009 was $450. Since you have colder weather you will need to feed more grass and/or alfalfa hay.

steff bugielski · #3 03/26/10, 05:55 AM

My dairy girls, Nubian/Alpine/Boer crosses, eat about 3-4 lbs a day of 20% feed. I feed Blue Seal premium Dairy goat pellet. That costs $10.95 a 50lb bag at my feed store. They also get hay 24/7 I buy large round bales for $50 each. They run between 16-20% protein. I figure I spend about $2 a week per animal on hay. When I figure in all the extras, paper towels , Worming herbs, Minerals, cleaning solutions, sanitizers and such, it brings it up to $2 a day per goat. Most of mine milk well over a gallon a day.

sherekin1261 · #4 03/26/10, 07:58 AM

We use about 3 gallons a week. Plus I want milk for yogurt cheese etc.

I have tried the Nigerians before. No offence please but I wasnt impressed. The teats were SO small and the goats so low ( even up on my table) that I had a very hard time getting anything from them. Plus the Nigies were mean compared to my nubians

I would prefer nubian or Nubian Saanen cross.

Shere

Patty0315 · #5 03/26/10, 03:01 PM

Hi there I am in Jefferson county NY . 2 good Saanens could give you year round milk for the table and cheese. I have some FF giving over 1 gallon a day and some older gals peaking over 2 gallons. You are welcome to take a road trip up to see the girls and talk goat .

Make sure you get cae & cl free goats from good milk lines . Extra milk can also be fed to your birds , dogs cats etc.

Patty

nubiansinny · #6 03/26/10, 03:53 PM

You need some mini nubians

Nice in between size and you still get the ears and a decent amount of milk!
I've got 7 goats, 2 full size the rest mini's and go through a bale a day and little grain if there not milking.I have found different goats need more or less grain when milking.Their all different.
Do some searches on the web...lots of info out there