THE Goat Thread (merged)

[CarlinsDarlin]

Shanny,
I don't know how I missed that picture you posted of your baby in September. Gorgeous!

As for milking in the morning, you will get more milk. that's the reason I chose to do it that way as well. Since the babies don't nurse at night, even when they're with the does, you'll get more. And separating them at night, you get everything.

Your does will adjust their milking - probably start making a bit more. They'll hold back some for the babies even in the morning, but they'll produce all day long as the babies need it - especially if they know the babies will be separated at night. Those babies will start taking a good long drink in the afternoon and early evening, knowing they'll be separated.

Glad to hear your girls are doing well. I've started using my Maggidan's milker on Cinnamon regularly now. Still occasionally we get a clog, but it has saved my wrists so much that I LOVE it now.
K

[RedStateGreen]

Shanny wanted me to say something about cooking goat meat ... we were concerned about the goat she just slaughtered because it had been running around and acting stressed, but the meat tasted just fine to us. (lol but then I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like!)

I made a leg roast. I marinated it overnight in lemon juice, wine, garlic and onion (from a recipe I found online), and roasted it in a low oven (275F) for a couple hours after broiling it for five minutes on each side. I got it to a medium well, which was good. I wouldn't have wanted to cook it any more, the shank was more done and it was a bit chewy.

It was difficult to taste the meat over the marinade (too lemony), and I think I'm going to try cooking the other leg like I cook lamb (rub with garlic, pepper and thyme then sear and roast at a low temp. But there are TONS of goat recipes online. I'm going to make a meat pie tomorrow with the leftover meat.

[rattleshirt]

My folks are looking to get a livestockguard dog. Some people here mentioned having Meramma(sic) and Anatolian dogs. Could whoever that was contact me?

[Ludi]

Congrats on your successes and sympathy for your losses, Shanny.

[wisconsin_cur]

Two kids born last night:



This makes four healthy kids, if I count the kids born three days after I sold the nanny to a neighbor. Only one doe is left and she is the one who had problems last year.

Tomorrow I get to start teaching mama how to stand in a stanchion (just to get fed for starters).

[Ludi]

Those babies are adorable .

[wisconsin_cur]

They are cute and the boys had a lot of fun going out to hold them today.

One doeling and one buckling. The one with the white top on his head is the buckling.

[wisconsin_cur]

1. has anyone improvised a strainer that is cheaper than those you can buy (~$45)

2. Shanny, at what age were the kids when you started seperating them at night. I am going to do the same but for me it will be 12 hours from seperation 'til reunion.

3. I am about ready to stop trying to milk one of the two nannies. She seems to produce ok but so little comes from each squirt compared to the other doe that I am beginning to think that it is hardly worth the hassle. It would take a long, long time to milk out that doe... my hand would fall off first.

[wisconsin_cur]

Close to a month into it and the milking is going much better (1 quart a day from one doe and 2 quarts a day from the other). Paradoxically, the one who gave birth to twins gives me more milk and milks so much easier. Human family is adapted to drinking goat milk and am able to save a little bit for future cheese making. Still waiting for things to green up to let them out to graze. I will probably need to wait later this year as I seeded one hillside (had been 100% wooded) in some pasture mix as some of the undergrowth has been removed by the goats and want to give it time to take hold before they walk on it too much.

[Ludi]

How cute! The mama is beautiful.

[Ludi]

Does anyone here use herbal wormers on their sheep and/or goats?

I'm looking into using garlic, but not sure about the dosage.

[wisconsin_cur]

Traded a kid for a lamb. I am feeding it directly from the goats whenever I am milking in the morning and a special time in the evening. I am not a big fan of sheep but need something that will help balance out the pasture and will leave more brush for the adult goats.

I tried to explain to the kids that it was going to be butchered in the fall but they are not going for it. Hopefully as it ages and looks less cute their attachment level will fall.

[Ayoob]

I'm thinking about what kind of goats to raise, and I'm curious what you guys think about raising goats for their wool. I saw some numbers today that goats might be good for 2-3 pounds of wool twice a year. How much do you have to feed them to come up with 2-3 pounds of wool?

How many pounds of wool to make a thick warm sweater that will last a couple years?

Or is it better to raise other breeds for milk and meat, and trade for clothing?

I would like to think we'd raise fiber goats and use the wool to make some of our own clothing, but I'm not sure it would be worth it in the end.

I saw some blankets woven out of goat wool today. Everything done by hand, from feeding the goats to selling the blankets. They wanted about $150 for a medium sized blanket. That's a lot of money for one blanket. If it's gonna be like that, I would be willing to blow $1000 on well-made military surplus wool blankets and pack them in airtight containers with oxygen eaters and sit on a lifetime supply of them rather than spend $3000 on goats, $2000 on feed every year and wind up with 1-2 medium sized blankets out of the ordeal.

[SeaGypsy]

A very old man once said:

"When I 1st saw those car contraptions I was suspicious. When I bought the only God Damned tractor I ever owned I realized why. There weren't no way you could put 2 together to make 3! Suckers! Imagine buying something which cain't replace itself! How stupid!"

[Homesteader]

raise sheep.

[oxj]

My goat cost $15. Being vegetarians, we can feed him table scraps instead of grain, he particularly likes banana peels, bread, rice, and squash, and dislikes tomatoes. He mows our yard for us, which is a benefit because I never have to mow, just move him around among the various stakes we have.

He does dig up the yard a bit and likes to eat lilacs and other ornamentals.

If it were warm year-round, I'd never have to pay anything for him except for the water and the occasional worming treat.

He has turned out to be a better companion than the dog we used to own. We even take him for walks.

On the other side, he makes little fibre. It's hardly worth it to shear him but I do it in the spring because he sheds so badly anyway.

Personally, I'd buy some pregnant Shetland sheep if you want fibre. Get pregnant ones because the offspring are much more docile towards you than the parents would be. Their wool's worth an aweful lot of money, some $30-$100 per pound, they are light and easy to shear and make wonderful wool that is a joy to spin. Keeping sheep is also quite cheap. Our Shetlands cost about $80 last year. Avoid extra genetic tricks like "the valuable white sock Shetlands." Whatever. You won't use that wool, anyway, and they're really not so valuable.

What you will spend money on is fencing, unless you picket them like we do.

But the thing to remember is that when you are paying $300 for a blanket, the money is going to the tools- to the shears, the wheel and the loom, and to the labor, not to the cost of raising and keeping the animal.

[Pops]

[quote="oxjBut the thing to remember is that when you are paying $300 for a blanket, the money is going to the tools- to the shears, the wheel and the loom, and to the labor, not to the cost of raising and keeping the animal.[/quote]
Personally I don't think we'll run out of "store bought" textiles any time soon - I hate to think about wearing "homespun" clothing!
I agree with ox, if you think this is a viable sideline, if it's the best use or a good companion to your land or if it just sounds interesting then go for it!

[DomusAlbion]

Goats are cute, curious and smart but they're very destructive. They'll ruin your garden in an afternoon and kill your trees.

Get some nice docile sheep. The only thing to worry about with sheep is the new and strange ways they end up killing themselves. They're not too bright.

[biofuel13]

Is it worth it to raise goats for the fiber?

Probably not, but they are high in protein. For fiber I'd suggest oats.

[mos6507]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned fertilizer. A goat certainly makes fertilizer faster than my worm or compost bin ever could.