Dairy discards

[rileyjo]

I'm hoping some of the more experienced goat people could steer me in the right direction.

One of the local goat dairy farmers is offering $10 saanan bucklings. They are between 1 day and 1 week old. All have had their colostrum. I am thinking of getting 2 or 3 and wethering them. I plan to keep one as a companion for my buckling (6mos old) who cannot be in with my does again until about Nov.
I plan to put the other one(s) in the freezer. I'd like to try goat meat before I go harder into meat goats. I also can always use more dogfood as my crew eats a lot of natural food, rather than kibble.

A local Ayrshire dairy would drop off their baby bulls, I'd feed them to weaning and then we'd throw them out on pasture for a summer or 2. Then we'd either sell them or eat them. So, I have some experience with raising bottle calves and lambs too.

Milk replacer is expensive. Are these babies worth the bother or should I look at spending the same money in total buy a fibre breed wether instead?
Fibre has its own challenges and it would be work to maintain it in this climate and environment but I wouldnt have the commitment of raising bottle kids. I'm not sure that there's much of an existing market for fibre but I have a chance to buy some Angoras from someone who is retiring.

Can anyone help me see the advantages of buying bottle bucklings?

[Cannon_Farms]

sometimes you can talk with the dairy and the milk they can not use, like colostrum or from does that have been treated for mastitis and are on milk withdrawal times you can get.
I would advise to use whole cows milk over MR, but all in all I have never came out ahead in the wallet by doing that, but not much different.
Also, band the boys asap so that you dont get a yucky bucky taste to the meat, they will also gain weight faster. Coccidia is your other problem.

Would I do it, yes, as long as the herd is clean.

[Alice In TX/MO]

You don't need to buy replacer. Just get whole milk from the store and use that. Less likely to cause diarrhea in kids.

But.... is they are Saanens, keep in mind that they will need a LOT of milk. I have a Saanen cross buckling that was drinking 4 20 ounce bottles per day for a while. (Of course, they start with less.) That's basically a gallon a day of milk to grow out something you intend to butcher and will yield only about 50% of its live weight in meat.

Then, you have vaccinations, supplements, vet bills, etc.

Unless you have an existing supply of milk from a goat herd or dairy cow, plus the time to spend in the pen feeding and tending them, I'm not sure it's economical.

Someone with more experience will chime in.

[CaliannG]

I can think of disadvantages right away.

You said "Milk Replacer is Expensive". Whole milk from the store is even more expensive and if you want those bottle bucklings to live more than a week or two, you won't be feeding them milk replacer.

Milk replacer contains high levels of bacterium that have severe and detrimental affects on goat kids. That is why you will often see experienced goat people saying "Milk Replacer kills".


So unless you are willing to invest the money to buy whole cows milk, or you have a contact to get whole cows or goats milk fresh for cheap, I'd swear off of these.

SOME people, or some goats, manage to flourish on milk replacer...and do fine. I am not saying that milk replacer is instant death. Simply that a lot of kid deaths can be attributed to bacterium in milk replacers, and that is why most dairies do not use it. They use the milk they get from their does for the kids they keep...while meat people keep kids on their dams.

For goats, especially, milk replacer contains animals fats that coat the kid's system, making nutrient uptake more difficult. Some kids are more susceptible to this that onter kids.... but I have seen kid goats being fed 40-50 ounces of milk replacer a day slowly starve to death.

Please keep that in mind when you are making your decision.

[Cannon_Farms]

its vital to use milk replacer made from whole milk proteins and no soy or animal products if you are to use one, otherwise above will hold more to be true.

[LoneStrChic23]

I look at bottle kids as "Goats on a payment plan"

I bought my Alpine buck as part of a "soaking wet buckling sale" and he had to be picked up within X amount of days of his birth.

Yes, his purchase price was less, but after all the milk I poured into him until weaning age & coccodia prevention, he ended up costing full price Granted I bought him as registered breeding stock, so he was more than $10.

[Alice In TX/MO]

The *reason* there's not a demand for those bucklings and the dairy calves is the high death rate. If it were easy to grow them out, they wouldn't be giving them away.

[rileyjo]

I made assumptions that MR was used for goats. Thank you for setting me straight.
Store bought milk is an insane price here. Having our own milk is what led me to getting goats in the first place. I make soap for the farmers market and I'm dabbling in cheese-making. I dont have milk to spare so I'll have to rethink buying these bucklings.

[CaliannG]

Glad we caught you then!

I still have four kids on bottles, and I have next to NO milk, so I understand where you are coming from. My two little mini girls are pumping out over a gallon a day generally, and I am SO getting tired of not having ANY for me! ~pout, sniffle, grumble, complain~

But, I want them big and strong and overfed so they will be ready to breed THIS fall, so I have to make sacrifices now. But I'll bet that NEXT year, when all these big girls are producing, I'll be SWIMMING in milk.

[pookshollow]

Now, I'm the other way around. I bought four bottle brats about a month ago because I have way too much milk! It's working out really well - if I need a little bit extra milk, I have several does whose kids I can pull for the night, and milk them out in the morning. I've been rotating those does, just to keep an eye on their production, as they are mostly my show string.

It's nice to have some space in the fridge.

[teyze]

I have successfully raised kids on milk repacer. It can be expensive. I would ask the dairy (as was mentioned earlier) for any excess to help defray the cost. You may also find a family with excess cows milk they might let go for a good price. They will be on hay and feed before too long. My concern would be putting a young wether in with a breeding age buck and having him get beat up on a regular basis.

[billooo2]

I cannot say that I have sat down and "run" the numbers, but my "gut" feeling is that you would be better off (if using MR) buy the dairy calves.....they usually figure one bag of MR/calf........throw him out on pasture.

Unless you have a "hot" market in your area for goat meat, you will probably be further ahead sending the weaned calf to auction than a couple of wethers. And I think that the calves do better on MR than the goats.

The last calf I raised was a Holstein. He wieghed about 700# when I sent him to the butcher. I now have a freezer full of VERY lean meat!!!

Around here the auction seems fickle about goats. The last 2 goats I sent........a week old buck kid sold for $40. A dry 2 year old doe that weighed about 140# (bred, but did not settle) sold for $85.

[Creamers]

If you had a cheap source of milk, it would be worth it - having to buy whole milk from the store - no worth it.