I live on four and a half wooded acres. I am looking to get goats next spring and I will spend the winter and early spring preparing for them. Problem is, the woods. I am also on a hill. Now I understand that goats can do fine in the woods and on a hill. I'm just wondering a few things.

1. How many goats do I need for a family of five? I'm thinking of possibly two does and one or two whethers.

2. How much land do I need for them?

3. How do I protect the rest of my forest from the goats? I realize that wherever I put them, they will not be exactly good for my forest eco-system, but if I can keep them contained, then at least the rest of the woods will be ok.

I do have a bit of a semi cleared area but it is on a rather steep slope.

4. What breeds would be best and how to find out about the different breeds?

5. Anyone have book reccomendations?

I live in the midwest, garden zone five or six.

Jo

1. depends on what you need them for

2. it depends on whether you want them only to browse or if you are going to provide grain and hay....if you allow them full access to the 4 1/2 acres, 2 does and 2 wethers are fine.

3. fence whatever you don't want them to eat...that includes forest, yard, houseplants, trees...everything

4. I like all breeds, they come in all sizes and purposes, type in breeds of goats on google, you'll find numerous resources

5. there are several books, but none off the top of my head

 

I found that my goats would erode steep slopes as they leaned against the bank and pushed with their hooves so you may want to consider that in your fencing plans.

Next year I will not house them on a slope because of it.

 

I live on four and a half wooded acres. I am looking to get goats next spring and I will spend the winter and early spring preparing for them. Problem is, the woods. I am also on a hill. Now I understand that goats can do fine in the woods and on a hill. I'm just wondering a few things.

1. How many goats do I need for a family of five? I'm thinking of possibly two does and one or two whethers.

It depends on how much milk your family drinks if you want them for milk, or how much meat you eat, if you want them for meat. Two does would be a good start -- you'd probably get plenty of milk from two, can stagger freshening dates, and can raise some more does from them if you find you need more milk (or meat).

2. How much land do I need for them?

I keep my goats in 16' square cattle panel pens (with indoor pens attached). It's not ideal, wish I could give them more space (and I do take them out to graze supervised when I can), but it's working just fine. More is better, obviously.

3. How do I protect the rest of my forest from the goats? I realize that wherever I put them, they will not be exactly good for my forest eco-system, but if I can keep them contained, then at least the rest of the woods will be ok.

If you keep them in small pens like I do, and take them out for frequent walks, varying your route, they won't harm your forest eco-system. They browse like deer, a bite here and a bite there, and you'll hardly notice they've been there. If you want to pasture them in the woods, you'd need to wrap all the tree trunks (and anything else you want to save) in wire up as high as the goats can reach (at least five or six feet).

I do have a bit of a semi cleared area but it is on a rather steep slope.

Goats LOVE steep slopes, especially if they are also rocky. However, if you keep them on it full-time and they eat all the vegetation, it will erode badly.

4. What breeds would be best and how to find out about the different breeds?

Here the question is, best for what? Best flavored milk? I highly recommend Kinder goats or one of the mini-breeds (especially the mini-Nubians). Best for meat? Look into Boers and Kikos, and their crosses. Best for having a buck of the same breed available locally, so you don't have to keep a buck? Do some research on what's being raised in your area, and buy does from a breeder who is close enough for you to take your does back to her buck at breeding time. Otherwise you will need to buy a buck, as well as the two does.

5. Anyone have book reccomendations?

There are a number of good books about goats -- Pat Coleby's Natural Goat Care is worth buying, as are a couple of the others.

I live in the midwest, garden zone five or six.

Jo

What do you have for shelter, and for a place to milk?


Kathleen

 

I would not waste time, money and feed on wethers, un;ess you plan to butcher them. Really, i wouldn't. You might want to reconsider that.

here are some links:

www.adga.org ameican dairy goat assoc....describes breeds

www.fiascofarm.com click on "site map"

www.tennesseemeatgoats.com...has some good management stuff

 

Sorry, I left out information. I only want them for milk.

I wasn't going to give them full access to my land because I worry about messing up my forest. We have some flatter space in front of our house. The property line there is shared by us and the state forest, so I'd have to see exactly how much space we are talking about. I also plan on building a nice structure for them, I just figure I need to figure out where first.

I thought the wethers would be good as companions for the does and pets for my kids. I am going to rethink that. I could just get three does and then I could use the excess milk in cheese and yogurt and such. Plus, I won't have to keep them all in milk (freshened, is that the word?) at once.

We plan on having more children so I will plan on space for more goats than I might get at first.

Jo

 

if you want milk then just get does, Weathers are for meat, they just are an extra mouth to feed other wise,

also if you are wanting good solid milk produceing does they you need to keep them produceing, dont let them dry up and not be bred back, they will get fat and you wont get the kind of milk production you need,
best to have too much milk and be able to make cheese and/or sell some than not have enough and have to still buy store bought milk,.

as to harming your forest they will only clear the under brush if you let them OVER graze, actually goats browsing on underbrush is a good thing in alot of areas as it keeps Fire hazzard down to a minimum, as well as allows fresh growth of other spiecies that are being blocked by the already established, even if you over graze a mature forest only the under brush will be cut back, mature trees bark is too thick for goats to eat, unless its a thin bark tree like Apples and Aspin.

i would fence in your cleard area for them and then take them on walks through the forest to let them brows and get excersize, that way all bennifit and you dont have any fire hazzard or over grazing

 

It's also tempting to get more goats than you need at first. remember, goats generally have twins and often triplets. You will want to keep the little girls (doelings) as you get really attached to the adorable things and before you know it, three adult does, each having twins, for instance, that first spring could produce a number of doelings. You could double your herd in the first year. Those doelings would be old enough to breed that fall along with their mothers. In fact, you want to breed young does at that age so they don't get fat (breed at 7 months and/or 70 lbs) so the numbers esculate rapidly. if you also have those extra wethers for pets, you will have a huge herd before you know it.

 

Oh don't I know it Diane!!! I want to stay with 6 does because I feel comfortable with that many but I'm at 7 right now (sold a doe with twin doelings) with 3 kids that I kept from this year. :doh: So, I have one doe that I decided to sell but now that she has been wormed the right amount and weaned her kid, she is starting to look nicer then I thought she would. No, no, she is going... I decided...

I have only woods and a little pasture where my septic is. I have to cut the grass but the woods are really sparse... you can tell where the fence line is. It's really funny watching them trying to get those leaves right above their heads. Now they are eating the leaves that are dropping off.

 

Ok I'm going to more likely step on my tongue here but here goes

If going to have milk for the family I would have more than 4 does.

If got young ones which I mean childern a wether would be nice. I have a few wethers at my house right now because of my DD and they are so friendly and keep my does company.

Plus you need to have shelter for them and make sure have plenty of feed to keep for the goats alone with meds because if they get sick you need to have something on hand just incase. Make sure you have a VET that knows goats not a VET that only knows cows, horses, cats and dogs. You need a VET that knows what he or she is doing. Also find a great goat breeder that may can help you out at rough times because believe me you will need them ..

Next if going to have lots of goats to milk make sure you have something to milk them with. What I mean again you need a milking stand because if going to milk over 2 goats I would get a milking stand because it hard not having one.

I can not remember but if you want to keep breeding your does at certain times get a buck and have a wether to keep him company because it be good to have him a buddy. Some people lets their bucks run with the does but I do not believe in that. But that is opionion on that. Everyone has different out looks on stuff.

Good Luck on your goats..

 

First off, living next to a forest, you're going to need some way to keep the coyotes and other predators away from your goats. You probably already have a plan for that, though.

Two decent standard dairy goats should give you all the milk your family currently needs. The milk supply will fluctuate, of course, so in the lean times when you have only one doe fresh and she's in late lactation, you may get only a quart or two per day. More pancakes and eggs for breakfast, less cereal. Plus, the last month or so before you dry off the first doe bred, you can freeze milk so you have more to work with when your last doe is getting close to being dried off. When both does are in full production nearing peak, you should get pretty close to two gallons per day, probably more. That's the time to make cheese, pudding, ice cream, etc. If you find two are not enough, you'll have the opportunity to keep on of your own doelings. (FUN!)

 

We have our does in the woods and it works out very well. Now our woods have LOTS of underbrush, poison ivy, multiflora roses, etc. So they have plenty of browse to eat. There are some areas that are more clear and have some grass growing. They don't eat much from those areas. They have yet to go after any of the trees. I suppose if you had no underbrush, and they were in a reall small area, they might go at the bark, but ours don't. The bucks will chew on the bark of a downed tree in their pasture though.

How much milk does your family drink? We get about an average of a gallon a day per goat from the time they kid until about mid-fall (give or take). Then it drops down significantly until we dry them up before kidding again. So two does would give you a lot of milk. I can't imagine the average family going through 2 gallons of milk a day. We freeze quite a bit during the highest production to get us through the dry period.

Think about how you will get them bred. Last year, we had to take them to a breeder with a buck. This year, we have our own buck and it's nice to not have to worry about driving them somewhere. If you decide to keep a buck, you'll want a wether to keep him company. Otherwise, I wouldn't waste space and feed on a wether. Your does will be plenty friendly enough for your kids to spend time with. Plus they'll have the kids (goat kids that is) to entertain them in the spring.

If I were you, I would fence in at least an acre for them to start. You can subdivide that again to rotate pasture, maybe in quarters. That will also help with keeping your woods in good shape.

We use 6 strands of electric for the does and it works perfectly. We use field fencing for the bucks. Electric won't keep them in when there are does nearby in heat.

Breeds: We like Lamanchas, but everyone has their favorite. Find out what breeders around you have.

Books: Storey's Guide is ok. The Fiasco Farms website is great. Read through all the archives here and at dairygoatsplus.com. Ask lots of questions. Try to find someone locally to mentor you.

Hope that helps. Good luck.