New from New Hampshire

[CrockpotGodess]

Newbie here, from Brookline NH. Been lurking a while reading everything I can gobble up. Been researching this for a year. Everything I started with said read, read, read. I waited to purchase until I was sure. Hubs and I are looking at La Manchas and alot of the family is hinting they want NDs. I have found a farm, breeder, nearby I want to reach out to and start a relationship with. Need to look into local hay and vets. Hoping to reserve a milking doe and a kid. So excited.

Our chicken addiction has us at 25 chicks. So I have learned to start slow. We have 5 acres of browse, forest, and a pasture. Need housing and fencing. Planning away at that now. Any NH or MA people have housing tips for our area. I have read a lot about fencing and am prepared to set up a great fence. Good vet recommendations or love a hay provider? I would love to hear from you. Anyone notice common predators in southern NH go after your goats?

I am all questions and excitement.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Welcome from Indiana

I like your screen name. We make lots of crock pot meals. I know @Bruce is up that neck of the woods, but VT I think, not NH. He might still be able to help out on housing recommendations.

Glad you've arrived. Settle in and have fun.

 

[Baymule]

Welcome from Texas!

@NH homesteader is in your neck of the woods!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome. Please make yourself at home & continue browsing at your leisure. Consider adding your location to your profile... If you ask for help, it has a huge bearing on recommendations (temp/humidity/altitude/etc). Old folks like myself will never remember from the title of this thread...

I own Lamanchas and can vouch for them as real sweethearts and their milk is outstanding. Very friendly, and quiet My youngest (Cap'n Crunch or CC) is my avatar. Before you settle on a specific breed, think about how much milk you want/need. Lamanchas are standard (full) sized dairy goats and a good milker will easily give a gallon+ of milk per day. Nigerian Dwarfs (Nigies) are about the smallest goats and may give a quart & 1/2 to 1/2 gallon a day. There are also "minis" which are typically a Nigie buck crossed with a "whatever breed" doe to create a 1/2 sized version. So, there are mini Lamanchas/Nubians/Alpines/Toggenburgs/etc. They are about 1/2 the sized of the full sized, eat much less than the full sized, but provide almost the same amount of milk.

For local hay, I suggest you look in Craig's List or contact other local livestock owners for recommendations. Glad to have you with us!

 

[Devonviolet]

Hello from another Texan (Baymule, Latestarter and I all live within visiting distance). In fact DH and I visited with Latestarter just this afternoon.

We also have LaMancha's - 2 does, that have recently been bred for Spring freshening (having kids "freshens" or renews the flow of milk).

We also have a 7-1/2 month old doeling, from our doe, Ruby, last April.we aren't planning to breed her until next fall, for a Spring kidding. I'm still not sure we will keep her. We may sell her as a yearling.

Latestarter have you some good info. It's a big decision to make. Do your research, make your decision on your best available data. But don't stress over it. Once you buy a goat or goats, if you decide that breed isn't for you, you can always sell it/them and buy different goats.

That being said, I love my goats! I milk once daily (in the AM). I get roughly 1/2 to 3/4 gallon per goat, depending on how far into the cycle the goat is. During the Summer, I was getting as much as one and a half gallons. Usually it was a goal on + a quart. As time to breed (usually in the fall) the quantity has decreased. This morning I got 3/4 of a gallon. The plan is to dry them off by one month prior to kidding.

I got my girls last February and they kidded in March and April. Since then, I have been learning to make cheese, and am really enjoying the Mozzarella and Kefir cheese. Next year, I want to build a cheese cave (from an old refrigerator) and start making cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses.

 

[CrockpotGodess]

Hello from another Texan (Baymule, Latestarter and I all live within visiting distance). In fact DH and I visited with Latestarter just this afternoon.

We also have LaMancha's - 2 does, that have recently been bred for Spring freshening (having kids "freshens" or renews the flow of milk).

We also have a 7-1/2 month old doeling, from our doe, Ruby, last April.we aren't planning to breed her until next fall, for a Spring kidding. I'm still not sure we will keep her. We may sell her as a yearling.

Latestarter have you some good info. It's a big decision to make. Do your research, make your decision on your best available data. But don't stress over it. Once you buy a goat or goats, if you decide that breed isn't for you, you can always sell it/them and buy different goats.

That being said, I love my goats! I milk once daily (in the AM). I get roughly 1/2 to 3/4 gallon per goat, depending on how far into the cycle the goat is. During the Summer, I was getting as much as one and a half gallons. Usually it was a goal on + a quart. As time to breed (usually in the fall) the quantity has decreased. This morning I got 3/4 of a gallon. The plan is to dry them off by one month prior to kidding.

I got my girls last February and they kidded in March and April. Since then, I have been learning to make cheese, and am really enjoying the Mozzarella and Kefir cheese. Next year, I want to build a cheese cave (from an old refrigerator) and start making cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses.

I want all the recipes you have for cheese. So far with all the reading I am partial to the LaMancha and Obers, though the hubs and kids want NDs. I like the minis but I do not see many who sell near here. Also they dont seem to offer any kind of stud service. So I would need to start bigger than I plan to get milk. I see some ship. Shipping goats seems a lot bigger than baby chicks. I found some local hay who deliver.

How do you guys store it. Tips for keeping it dry, clean, rodent free etc?

Anyone have things they learned they wish they had read about first?