Thinking about goat ( s)

[Vickie44]

Just in general, for southern NY , how much hay does a goat need per day in winter? How much milk do you get, approx ,on a daily basis .? Cow is not practical right now , goat might be, any advice would be appreciated ! Milked cows for years , I know nothing about goats Should I raise my own or buy grown and bred ?
Thanks , Vickie

[PotBellyPigs]

Originally Posted by Vickie44

Just in general, for southern NY , how much hay does a goat need per day in winter? How much milk do you get, approx ,on a daily basis .? Cow is not practical right now , goat might be, any advice would be appreciated ! Milked cows for years , I know nothing about goats Should I raise my own or buy grown and bred ?
Thanks , Vickie

Grown and bred more costly than kids, but the added value might be worth it.
You'll have milk NOW, plus 1-4 kids later(depending on breed).
You would want at least 2 goats, as they are social animals.
I'd guess that one 750 lb. bail of rolled hay(about $20-40 here) would probably feed to full sized goats all winter, and then some.
It wouldn't hurt to throw in some grain, too...
You could check craigslistings for prices on hay & exposed does.....
Saanens are my personal favorite, big, quiet, gentle, with large udders.
Greg Zeigler,
Alger, Ohio

[Natural Beauty Farm]

Well you ask broad questions so we can only give general info spiced with personal notes.

Originally Posted by Vickie44

Just in general, for southern NY , how much hay does a goat need per day in winter?

Depends on the quality of hay, whether you are feeding Alfalfa also, age of said goat, milking .....dry or pregnant

My girls have Alfalfa 24/7 and I put out 75-100 lbs a day for 50 of them.
Hay is also free choice and I use 1000 bales a year, with some going to two horses and the pigs get the waste hay

How much milk do you get, approx ,on a daily basis .?

Depends on breed, genetics, stage of lactation and the grain being fed.
We have nubians and require 8 lbs min avg. from each doe on her second lactation, most hit 12 or more.

Should I raise my own or buy grown and bred ?

To raise you will have 18+ months of feed into the animal, before you find out what she can do, what her teats are like, etc and you run the risk of her not growing out well and having to wait another 12 months or so. Better to buy a milker, maybe 2cd freshener if possible, that you can milk before you buy and try milk.

[Vickie44]

Thanks for quick responses . Do goats pasture ok with young ( 6 mo ) heifers ? Thinking maybe they would eat the brush the calves don't ? Have some hay but so so quality, also have corn silage. At what age can you breed and what is gestation ?. Would calves count as company or should it be another goat ?

[chewie]

i would say you need at least 2 goats. calves are calves, they are not goats. i think they would pasture ok together tho. i wouldn't feed corn silage, corn is not the best feed for goats. some ppl do well feeding a mostly oat mix, i find a dairy feed made for goats works best.

you can breed when they are ready. i know that wasnt' helpful but that is not a question with a firm anwser. when they are of the right age AND size--for full sized breed, that's no less than about 80lbs and 8months. gest. is around 150days.

if i were to start over, i think getting a pair, maybe one first or second freshener and one doeling, from a good breeder with CLEAR cae/cl papers (and papers in hand, that you can see, not jsut some 'oh yeah, they're fine' carp) would be the best route. i started with sale barn junk, had to cull some right away, had no milk after all that feeding, care, housing, etc. wound up costing me more than if i'd of just bought good stock from day one.

now i have a few better bred animals and its just easier all the way around. i get more milk with less effort from my more expensive animals than i did my el-cheapo's, therefore it makes them way more frugal!

how much milk are you wanting, and do you want richer, more cream milk, or 'lighter' milk? that will help you decide what type of goat for you to shop for. i also milked cows for years, and was exactly where you are myself 4-5 years ago. i am happy i went with goats. the only cow i could afford was a 3 teated gummer!! plus, if your one and only cow gets sick or something, your outta milk for maybe a year! with a few goats, you can raise a pig, some chickens, a calf, on all the extra, and if one gets sick or whatever, you at least have another for back up.

[Vickie44]

8 Mos/ 80 lbs is pretty quick ! I want cream in my coffee and like to make cheese , not a heavy milk user. I am glad to hear you are happy with your decision, I have these Heifers I am raising and I dont like the idea of life with out cows but it does not seem practical at this point when I just need a little milk

[Vickie44]

Oh, and what is CL/ CAE ? Nevermind , found the post

[PotBellyPigs]

Originally Posted by Vickie44

Thanks for quick responses . Do goats pasture ok with young ( 6 mo ) heifers ? Thinking maybe they would eat the brush the calves don't ? Have some hay but so so quality, also have corn silage. At what age can you breed and what is gestation ?. Would calves count as company or should it be another goat ?

Gestation is 145 days.
You can run goats and cattle together fine.
I've fed corn fodder to my goats, however, that is not their only feed.
The hay can NOT be moldy for goats.
The goats will eat brush the cattle do not eat.
Grass hay is fine, however.
Alfalfa is better, yet.
You can breed a goat at 6 months(if it has gained enough weight) to a year.
The goat MUST weigh at least 80 lbs(full sized goat) before mating.

[julieq]

We feed dairy grade alfalfa to our mini and nigerian dwarf goats. Three does in a pen will go through a small bale in about four days, as we feed fresh flakes three times per day. We also feed whole grain with molasses, just a handful twice a day to our does who aren't in milk. Our milkers get about a pound when they're on the milk stand twice a day. We get about a half gallon a day from one of our fresh mini size does. I'm sure if they were out eating brush or just had grass hay our little gals wouldn't milk as well.

[Natural Beauty Farm]

LOL well my goats go 155 days
Cows killed my first goats
corn silage is a question in mind

[KimM]

Originally Posted by Vickie44

Just in general, for southern NY , how much hay does a goat need per day in winter? How much milk do you get, approx ,on a daily basis .? Cow is not practical right now , goat might be, any advice would be appreciated ! Milked cows for years , I know nothing about goats Should I raise my own or buy grown and bred ?
Thanks , Vickie

Depends on which breed as to how much hay per day. Also how much browse they have access to. My NDs each get a flake of hay at night when browse is available and free choice (maybe 2-3 flakes each per day) hay morning and night when browse isn't availble. Also more hay when it's colder out.
My advice is to do some research about goat care before you buy your first goats and then you'll probably find you want to start with a couple bred adults.

Originally Posted by Vickie44

Thanks for quick responses . Do goats pasture ok with young ( 6 mo ) heifers ? Thinking maybe they would eat the brush the calves don't ? Have some hay but so so quality, also have corn silage. At what age can you breed and what is gestation ?. Would calves count as company or should it be another goat ?

I would not feed corn silage from what I've read and heard. The closest thing to silage I feed is Chaffhaye which is bagged, fermented alfalfa hay.
I personally would never breed a doe before she were 10 months to a year old again, no matter what the breed or weight.
Gestation is 145-150 days average. NDs lean more towards 145 days.
I had baby calves chase down and try to "play" (stomp and kick) with my goats so I will never pasture them together again.

[Vickie44]

Thanks All: Will keep you posted
Vickie