Hello from southeast Texas!

[KelsiNS]

Mu husband and i recently got into chicken raising (they are a gateway livestock).

Now we're considering goats. Milk goats specifically. They will be housed on a 1/2 acre area until he and i purchase pur own property (living with my mom until then.) The fencing will be 5' cyclone fencing, buried and cemented. I have been around goats my entite life, but have never personally owned any, so the dpecifics of care are lost on me.

So im curious:
What type of milk goats should i consider for the area (hot and humid 90% of the year)?
What can i expect to spend on feed if i purchase 3-4?
What breeds are the most friendly? (A friend had a buck named David. No idea what breed he was but i hated that goat. Black, longish hair with white legs and snout and HUGE horns that were spiralled. Hateful animal.)
How much space do they need if they are being fed? (I may end up having fruit trees in the same area so they may only get 1/4 acre).

Any other sage advice?

 

[junkprospector]

I totally agree on the chickens... it started as 4 chickens, then 6 the next year, then 8, now we're up to 16 + a turkey & the goats...

i think it depends on some factors... I'm new to goats but i'll just tell you what we thought about when we were deciding on what goats

Space was our biggest consideration... we live in the city, on a 1/2 acre lot... not a whole lotta open space
Feed/milk production -
temperament

for all of our needs and concerns Nigerian dwarfs met out needs. Since they're a mini breed, they fit in nicely with our spacial requirements. they have good feed/milk production. I think also with them being so small, they aren't very daunting as first time goat owners. My wife and kids aren't intimidated by them and their disposition is really nice so far. For feed expense i paid a bit much for my hay (i think) at $12 a bale, but with just 2 little goats i think the bale might last me 20 days, maybe a month? maybe... the last few days they seem to have been voracious eaters.

a bag of loose goat minerals was around $15 i think. so maybe $40 a month for feed? i haven't even had them 2 weeks yet, so i'm totally guessing. When the doe is in milk, we'll hope for 2 lb of milk per milking (around a quart)? x2 a day...

Maybe check out Storey's guide to raising Dairy Goats - there is a ton of info in there on breeds, choices, considerations, housing... all kinds of good stuff. As a new goat owner, i can't recommend the book highly enough!

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Welcome to BYH!!!!!!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I breed ND's so naturally I'm an advocate of the breed. But, in this case you have a small space, you should probably go with small goats.

Obviously, you have to have at least two goats since they are herd animals and you can't keep them alone. I usually recommend at least 3, just think it works better.

In your case I would start with no more than that. Give yourself some time to learn how to care for them. Goats are really easy if you don't over think things too much.

There is a reason why goats milk is the most consumed milk in the world.

 

[Moonshine]

Goats are really easy if you don't over think things too much.

This tends to be my problem! What town are you in? I'm in Jasper. I have a couple NDs and a pygmy and they did fine this summer. I'm more worried about them this winter cuz I hear its going to be a cold one.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Goats are really easy if you don't over think things too much.

This tends to be my problem! What town are you in? I'm in Jasper. I have a couple NDs and a pygmy and they did fine this summer. I'm more worried about them this winter cuz I hear its going to be a cold one.

I'm in North Carolina close to Raleigh. I wouldn't worry to much about the cold.

 

[KelsiNS]

Goats are really easy if you don't over think things too much.

This tends to be my problem! What town are you in? I'm in Jasper. I have a couple NDs and a pygmy and they did fine this summer. I'm more worried about them this winter cuz I hear its going to be a cold one.

Hi neighbor!

Im in Buna! Where did you purchase your goats?

 

[SkyWarrior]

I recommend LaManchas as being the most friendly of the milk goats. I love mine and find them really fun because their ears are so tiny. They are also the quietest compared to other breeds and have a decent milk yield. But it may depend on what is available in your area. Nigerians are small goats and don't necessarily produce as much milk. Nubians are great milkers, but they're noisy. Saanens are big and produce quite a bit of milk. All should do fine for your area.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I recommend LaManchas as being the most friendly of the milk goats. I love mine and find them really fun because their ears are so tiny. They are also the quietest compared to other breeds and have a decent milk yield. But it may depend on what is available in your area. Nigerians are small goats and don't necessarily produce as much milk. Nubians are great milkers, but they're noisy. Saanens are big and produce quite a bit of milk. All should do fine for your area.

Lamancha's are awesome. But, she only has 1/2 acre available. And, she needs at least two goats, preferably 3. Small space, small goats are best. And yes, while ND's produce less milk their feed conversion ratio (milk output to food input) is the best. If you get good ones, they can produce 2 quarts of milk per day. Plus, they have the highest butterfat which makes their milk very good for making cheese.

 

[Moonshine]

You won't believe this and its prolly the worst place to get goats but I got 2 of mine from Canton and the pygmy out of the Lufkin peddler (close to San Augustine). That's so awesome we live so close we can be goat buddies!! Yea!! There's a girl from Tyler here and I pick her brain a lot since the land is about the same. I'm so glad you're thinking about getting into dairy goats because it is really scarce around here!!