Questions About Raising Dairy Goats...

[Sunny & the 5 egg layers]

So I was thinking about raising goats for their milk. I really like the Nigerian Dwarf Breed because of their size and I hear they produce a lot of milk compared to their size. My questions include:

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
6) How often should you worm your does?
7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.

That's all my questions for now, I am sure I may have more later though!

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

I'm new to Nigerian Dwarf raising also. But let me share what I've learned. I did not bottle raise, and my two girls are still very friendly. We spent lots of time with them by making bi-weekly trips to the breeder. We brought them home at 8 weeks. My girls are almost 5 months old and they get free choice hay, and grazing. I also give them about 1/2 cup of goat pellets twice a day. I chose not to disbud them, but we did not plan on showing them anyway. I am using a herbal formula from Fir Meadow for worming, and Kop Sel for extra copper and selenium. The only advice I wish someone had given me before bringing them home.......the tattoo ink comes off their ears......I had green streaks on my face for hours before someone finally told me. OH - one more thing. They love to eat poison ivy - and then come over and rub their little head on your leg. Keep the calamine lotion handy.

 

[freemotion]

So I was thinking about raising goats for their milk. I really like the Nigerian Dwarf Breed because of their size and I hear they produce a lot of milk compared to their size. My questions include:

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
6) How often should you worm your does?
7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.

That's all my questions for now, I am sure I may have more later though!

That is a lot of questions! The answer to all of them is "It depends....." No straight forward answers to any of them

A great site with lots of info is www.fiascofarm.com. And of course, this forum.

1. I give cd&t, get it at TSC for about $6 a bottle of ten doses, and also get the syringes/needles there. If you want milk goats, you'll be breeding them each year and you'll need to know how to give shots or go bankrupt with the vet.

2. Dunno, I have full size dairy goats. One mediocre dairy goat can give you 4-5 gallons a week, peaking at a gallon or more a day for a short time. We use up the 2 gallons a day we are getting from our four gals. We love cheese and I make it all summer and fall and freeze it. I also freeze milk for the dry period.

3. Nope, just spend lots of time with them.

4. Same as a big goat only less.

5. Go to www.realmilk.com and www.westonaprice.org to find out why it is FAR better to drink your milk raw and how your family will benefit in many ways by having access to real milk. I got goats specifically to get real milk from pastured animals. It has done wonders for our health and we LOVE it!

6. Worm as needed, not by a schedule. Resistance is a huge and deadly problem, so you'll need to learn how to determine when they needed. It may be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but it gets easier as you gain experience. Find out what your local vets charge to put poo under a microscope, or learn to do it yourself. I do.

7. I make sure the kids are well-started on the bottle and have their cd&t shots. I charge extra to bring them to weaning and band the boys. I spend some time with them and make sure they are very used to people and snuggly (a tough job but somebody has to do it) and are in good health. I don't deworm them unless they need it.

Keep in mind that it is more challenging to milk a short goat with small teats....see if you can get some milking experience in on different goats before making your decision. Especially if you have big mitts like I do.

 

[manybirds]

So I was thinking about raising goats for their milk. I really like the Nigerian Dwarf Breed because of their size and I hear they produce a lot of milk compared to their size. My questions include:

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
6) How often should you worm your does?
7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.

That's all my questions for now, I am sure I may have more later though!

ALWAY'S disbud (others may tell u different but this is my outlook. our first we left with horns and there has been extreme damage to fencing and he's picked up and thrown the babies on his horns and attacks the other goats. i have also nearly got my nose broke and nearly been gutted when the goat didn't mean to do it. he's not even particulry mean he's just a horned goat. this winter when bugs r down his horns r being filed and banded. all our goats since get disbudded) a standerd dairy goat will give an average of 1 gallons a day 2 if they r a good saanen. i think ND's give 1 or 2 quarts (so cute). when u get a pen make sure it at least 4 foot high and has no holes to large (goats can fit through suprisingly small holes). in the summer my 1 wether gets no grain in the winter 1 cup a day. my dairy doe gets......o i don't know exactly how much it is maybe 3-4 cups twice a day when she's in milk. the rest r not old enough to breed and get about 1 cup a day. always keep hay in there. goats NEED copper and selenium. just get a goat mineral block (not a goat/sheep mineral block because those don't have the copper in them). we worm once every 3 months with either ivermeck or safeguard (made for horses we just put it down to 100-150 ibs). Enjoy them!!!

 

[vegaburm]

I am in my first year with ND's and their kids. We are having great fun with them!

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
If you vaccinate, just CD&T. Cheap and available at Tractor supply. Kids usually get 3 shots. Easy to do.

2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
We are a family of 6, usually going through about 4-5 gallons of milk a week. My 2 girls are only being milked once a day right now, their kids are still getting the milk during the day. We get around a quart a day in that one milking. I would expect to at least double that when I go to twice a day milking. So I should get about 3 1/2 gallons of milk a week. We are planning to keep a doe from this bunch to have three, that way as we cycle through we'll have less periods without enough milk, and maybe some excess sometimes for cheesemaking. I might even consider a fourth next year. But then I DO have 4 children.

3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
We didn't. Our first bunch is crazy friendly. try to climb in your lap whenever you sit down. I don't think we paid as much attention to the second bunch as it was 100+ degrees every day the first two weeks after they were born. We need to work on them some more. the doe is coming along, but the buckling is pretty skittish. So I would say, no, you don' have to, but you do have to make the effort to spend time with them daily.

4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
Hay and grain. hay free choice here with 1 cup of grain a day when dry and considerably more when milking.

5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
We don't but that is a personal choice. You should read up on it and make an informed decision. Being able to drink it raw was a big factor in us getting our goats. Umm, tuberculosis....exceedingly rare in goats, almost unheard of, but transmission of TB was one of the biggest reasons for pastuerizing cow's milk. John's disease I think? Also very rare in goats, more common in cows. It can be tested for. Someone else can pipe in about these.

6) How often should you worm your does?
We use Molly's herbal wormer weekly. I prefer herbal methods to chemical, and herbals do not create resistant strains like chemicals do.

7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.
Again, wormer weekly, CDT vacc, disbudding when they are around a week old, and banding (altering) those sold as wethers. Hoof trimming once a month.

Goats are really fun! Good luck!

 

[kstaven]

So I was thinking about raising goats for their milk. I really like the Nigerian Dwarf Breed because of their size and I hear they produce a lot of milk compared to their size. My questions include:

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
6) How often should you worm your does?
7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.

That's all my questions for now, I am sure I may have more later though!

That is a lot of questions! The answer to all of them is "It depends....." No straight forward answers to any of them

A great site with lots of info is www.fiascofarm.com. And of course, this forum.

1. I give cd&t, get it at TSC for about $6 a bottle of ten doses, and also get the syringes/needles there. If you want milk goats, you'll be breeding them each year and you'll need to know how to give shots or go bankrupt with the vet.

2. Dunno, I have full size dairy goats. One mediocre dairy goat can give you 4-5 gallons a week, peaking at a gallon or more a day for a short time. We use up the 2 gallons a day we are getting from our four gals. We love cheese and I make it all summer and fall and freeze it. I also freeze milk for the dry period.

3. Nope, just spend lots of time with them.

4. Same as a big goat only less.

5. Go to www.realmilk.com and www.westonaprice.org to find out why it is FAR better to drink your milk raw and how your family will benefit in many ways by having access to real milk. I got goats specifically to get real milk from pastured animals. It has done wonders for our health and we LOVE it!

6. Worm as needed, not by a schedule. Resistance is a huge and deadly problem, so you'll need to learn how to determine when they needed. It may be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but it gets easier as you gain experience. Find out what your local vets charge to put poo under a microscope, or learn to do it yourself. I do.

7. I make sure the kids are well-started on the bottle and have their cd&t shots. I charge extra to bring them to weaning and band the boys. I spend some time with them and make sure they are very used to people and snuggly (a tough job but somebody has to do it) and are in good health. I don't deworm them unless they need it.

Keep in mind that it is more challenging to milk a short goat with small teats....see if you can get some milking experience in on different goats before making your decision. Especially if you have big mitts like I do.

 

[Mitransplant]

I am new to goats and thinking about getting a couple for pets and milk. I can't drink cows milk, tears up my stomach. I am thinking about either Nubian or Nigerian Dwarfs but don't know where to get them. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting some unregistered goats for pets here in Southwest Missouri. Would appreciate any help you can give. THANKS, Deb

 

[craftymama86]

So I was thinking about raising goats for their milk. I really like the Nigerian Dwarf Breed because of their size and I hear they produce a lot of milk compared to their size. My questions include:

1) What vaccines will the kids need?
2) How many Nigerian Dwarfs for a family of four? We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, and it would also be nice to have a little left over milk for making yogurt, ice cream ect.
3) Do you have to bottle feed the kids in order for them to be friendly?
4) What is the diet of a Nigerian Dwarf Doe?
5) Should you pasterize the milk that you eat? Is there anything that could be transmitted from goat to human through the milk?
6) How often should you worm your does?
7) What do you need to do to the kids before selling? Like do you have to worm them ect.

That's all my questions for now, I am sure I may have more later though!

ALWAY'S disbud (others may tell u different but this is my outlook. our first we left with horns and there has been extreme damage to fencing and he's picked up and thrown the babies on his horns and attacks the other goats. i have also nearly got my nose broke and nearly been gutted when the goat didn't mean to do it. he's not even particulry mean he's just a horned goat. this winter when bugs r down his horns r being filed and banded. all our goats since get disbudded) a standerd dairy goat will give an average of 1 gallons a day 2 if they r a good saanen. i think ND's give 1 or 2 quarts (so cute). when u get a pen make sure it at least 4 foot high and has no holes to large (goats can fit through suprisingly small holes). in the summer my 1 wether gets no grain in the winter 1 cup a day. my dairy doe gets......o i don't know exactly how much it is maybe 3-4 cups twice a day when she's in milk. the rest r not old enough to breed and get about 1 cup a day. always keep hay in there. goats NEED copper and selenium. just get a goat mineral block (not a goat/sheep mineral block because those don't have the copper in them). we worm once every 3 months with either ivermeck or safeguard (made for horses we just put it down to 100-150 ibs). Enjoy them!!!

WOW! We NEVER had a problem with our Pygmy buck. He had his horns. He would head butt during feeding time, sometimes, but nothing dangerous. Maybe you need a new buck?...

 

[nluoma]

I'm planning to get some goats. I'm thinking, based on all I've read here and elsewhere, to get Nigerian Dwarf goats. My question is, how do I determine if I'm buying a decent, healthy goat? I've had cats, dogs, horses, and even rats and know enough about them to know what I'm looking for. Do I need to get goats with papers? Or can I just shop Craigslist and find a few does?

 

[elevan]

I'm planning to get some goats. I'm thinking, based on all I've read here and elsewhere, to get Nigerian Dwarf goats. My question is, how do I determine if I'm buying a decent, healthy goat? I've had cats, dogs, horses, and even rats and know enough about them to know what I'm looking for. Do I need to get goats with papers? Or can I just shop Craigslist and find a few does?

You don't necessarily need papers to get a good goat.

Look at a goat's (some basics to start with)...
Coat - Is is nice, smooth and shiny without any scruffiness?
Tail - Does the tip of the tail form a < (fish tail)? That's a sign of mineral deficiency.
Udder - Does the goat have a nice udder with proper structure and easy to milk teats? (Look at dam or granddam too if you can)


When you take the goat home follow some basic quarantine procedures:
*Quarantine Drench to help avoid introducing drug resistant worms
--isolate animals to barn, dry lot or a sacrifice pasture not used for other goats
--use more than one dewormer class, one of which should be cydectin and the other
probably levamisole (Prohibit)
--manure sample worm egg counts should be negative prior to turnout with other animals
do sample 2-3 weeks after deworming
--release from quarantine onto YOUR INFECTED pastures
you want the animal to pick up your non selected worms