okay goat people, what do we get?

[lorihadams]

We have a side yard on our property about 1/4 to 1/2 acre and we are considering fencing it in and building a small barn for goats. Problem is that hubby wants meat goats and I want dairy goats. We also have a 4 yr old and 2 yr old so we need something calm. We had considered myotonics, boers, nubians, or a dwarf or pygmy breed. What do we do? We don't want a lot of goats to start with...maybe 3 or 4. We just want to get our feet wet! If we went with a nigerian dwarf I know we could get some milk from them but as far as meat goes....

 

[enjoy the ride]

If you truly have the time and want to milk, why not do both. Get a dairy goat and breed to a meat breed. Then you can have milk and a use for the kids later.
I have boers so can't say about milkers but I've hear that Lamancha's are very good tempermented dairy goats.
You could also compromise right away with kinders.
My boers are very laid back. But my two older girls run to 160-180 lbs. A smaller breed like Nigerian can produce lots of milk I've heard.
Re: kids (human kind) just make sure you disbud as even the gentlest goat can give quite a hit with horns evne accidentally.

You coul also get a boer crss that has a good bit of dairy who could milk for you- one of mine is an 88% who has a huge udder- also meat goats can be milked if suitable- they just don't generally stay in milk like real dairy types.

PS I just got my first kids of the year about an hours ago-
Two doelings............

 

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

Around here boers are what everyone uses for meat. Most use Nubians (sp?) for milk. I am not sure what kind I will get this summer probally some mutts to see if I like goats then I hope to get some from 4-H kids when they are through with thiers for the year. They usually sell them pretty reasonable and have great records for thier animals. Good luck on what ever you choose!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Nubians are considered a dual purpose breed. they are good for milk,--breed with a a boer, use the kid for meat. nubians are cute with their floppy ears, and have a good personality. I had two--but need to get better fences before or if I get more.

 

[freemotion]

My Boer-cross is turning out to be quite the goat! The other part is maybe Togg or Alpine or a bit of each. A major sweetie-pie, too.

As with all species of animals, there are generalities and there are individuals. I am far from an experienced goat owner, other than the pets I've had for a few years and the milk/meat goats my family had when I was growing up (goat meat is wonderful!), so this is my first personal experience with a goat....who earns her keep. There is a learning curve. Get an experienced milker if you have no experience. Especially if you don't have mentors really close by to help you out.

You can learn to milk by reading....with the help of an experienced goat who suddenly cooperates in those brief moments when you get it right....then cooperates for longer and longer times as you become more proficient....then gets a bit cranky when you start to get cocky and puts you in your place....and expects kisses and caresses and treats and a song or two as well....

My milking experience is quite extensive....about three weeks now!

 

[lupinfarm]

We're going to look at boer-nubian cross doelings this week, the farm we're going to breeds the cross only and usually for meat but she has some that are more nubian and less to the meat side of the scale (first generation crosses... a lot of inconsistency). We have the same situation as far as space too, we have a valley and side yard we don't use at all except for a small manure pile at one end.

 

[Sebrightmom]

I love my Nubians. They are great milking goats. I get a gallon a day from one of them and the other is nursing two kids that aren't a week old yet and I get over a half gallon from her.

I use to raise Nubian/Boer crosses years ago. They would of been great meat goats. I would say go with Nubians or a Nubian/Boer cross like someone else said. Good Luck!!!

 

[freemotion]

If you have brush (non-poisonous, of course!) the goats are fantastic at improving the land! My two first pet goats, aquired only to keep my retired horse happy when she moved home, earned their keep immediately by clearing lots of brush from the fenceline, actually increased my usable pasture area by quite a bit. I would help by cutting some stuff and tossing it in for them, and also by grubbing out the roots of brush that they'd killed for me. Amazing. If they weren't pets, they would be prime eatin' without spending any $$$ on their feed!

 

[FarmerChick]

We have a side yard on our property about 1/4 to 1/2 acre and we are considering fencing it in and building a small barn for goats. Problem is that hubby wants meat goats and I want dairy goats. We also have a 4 yr old and 2 yr old so we need something calm. We had considered myotonics, boers, nubians, or a dwarf or pygmy breed. What do we do? We don't want a lot of goats to start with...maybe 3 or 4. We just want to get our feet wet! If we went with a nigerian dwarf I know we could get some milk from them but as far as meat goes....

All goats are kinda laid back. It is the bucks you must watch out for, like any male, they can harm you "just doing their thing".

Think hard on the purpose.

If you do not want to have meat from them, then get dairy goats. If milk is priority, purchase the animal for the job. If you are going to sell meat and eat it, get the meat breeds.

But all goats can be eaten and milked...LOL....so take your time and think what you want.

COOL you are getting a few....they are fun animals, but so sneaky..HA HA HA