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- #21
MamaMage
Chillin' with the herd
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- Feb 28, 2017
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Thanks so much for your reply! That's such a great idea trying to find a mom with kids for sale! I would LOVE that! Are there breeders on this board that sell their kids on here? I'm not too sure about where to look for goats when I'm ready to buy!Greetings and welcome to BYH! As stated, lots of great goat folks here who will help in any way they can if you have questions or a problem. Quite a few are close by to you as well. I'm also in East TX and will be getting my bred Lamancha does (x3) here in a month or so. I have my 1st LGD (Mel in my avatar). I believe most standard sized goats (full size) are seasonal breeders, coming into heat generally from ~August through January to February... Much depends on how far north or south they're located. It's a fall thing... And most bucks will go into rut in the fall regardless of breed. While the smaller/dwarf breeds (Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy, etc) tend to be year round breeders coming into heat about every 21 days. Crosses between the two could go either way depending on what DNA/genes they inherit.
Since many folks breed to have their kids in the spring, weather getting warmer, but not as many bug problems and not too hot, there should be lots of kids available right through till summer. This will be more true if you don't want to bottle feed, and want weaned kids. Typically the kids will get weaned anywhere from 8-16 weeks after birth. So even if the kid was born in March, it won't be weaned till May-July some time. You'll want to get a deposit on the kid though so it isn't sold long before being weaned.. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a seller willing to sell a doe with kid(s) at her side so you'll be able to milk right away as well as have the babies to cuddle and raise.
You can always start very basic with a "dry lot" area initially to keep them in while you're fencing in a larger pasture (or more than one) area for them. Just a basic 50-60 square feet per animal would be sufficient as a holding area for them until they get comfortable with you so you know they'll come to you when you rattle a can of grain at them. That way you'll be able to call them back to their night time safe holding area to protect them from predators.
Whatever you decide, glad to have you with us! Make yourself at home and browse around the threads. There's a wealth of info and experience/knowledge shared for your perusal. Hope you'll update us as you progress and share some pics when the time comes!