The New Girl

HomesteaderWife

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I FINALLY get to come and be a part of the goat threads after bringing home a little female goat this past SATURDAY! :D I am super excited to chat with everyone else here who owns goats, and just wanted to hear some tips and tricks for raising this little sweetie. She is about 3 months old.

The first day was rough- we had to end up crating her because she was so upset after being separated from her mother at the farm she was raised at, then taking a 45 minute car ride to our farm. "Linda," as we have named her, is doing very well as of today though. I've been handling her daily, not only "desensitizing" her to movement near her legs and stomach (for a future in milking, we hope) but also to wearing a small halter and being led.

As mentioned, I am just looking for some tips and tricks on how to raise this young goat and help her be on her best behavior. We are intending to breed her in the future and milk her, so that's mainly what I am looking for advice on (no specific questions at the moment).

Thank you so much BYH!:weee
 

Latestarter

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Congrats on your newest family addition! I concur with Baymule, she really should have another goat for companionship... They typically don't do well over time all by themselves... even with lots of human interaction... They "need" another goat. IMHO, you really should get TWO more to ease herd dynamics... You see, if you only get one more, and they "disagree", they'll have to go at each other. By adding a 3rd, there will be the opportunity to "spread out and diffuse" any animosity/disagreements so there'll be less strife. Perhaps another doe and a wether that you can butcher for meat later on and replace with a new buck to be the future baby daddy.
 

TAH

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Congrats on the new little one. I agree with Baymule on getting her a companion. You don't have to get another goat, you could get a lamb. What breed is she? I would get her totally okay with being handled before starting to much training. Defiantly keep it up with touching her all over. We got our first doe when she was 14 months old, and did not stanchion train her till she was in milk, that was an offal experiences. You will want to get her totally trained to walking on a lead.
 

Ponker

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The best advice has already been offered. You should get her a couple of friends. What I learned, is that with just a few herd animals, it is best to try to get them the same stature. Its definitely not necessary by any means, but I personally, will not get a large breed and a small breed unless I have a couple of each. I have made the mistake and the small one get bullied in little ways and the large animals can, without meaning to (and sometimes with clear intent) push a little too hard or lean too hard...

I am in this situation now and am in the process of changing it. I have decided to keep the small animals and sell the large ones. I have two large breed females with babies that will have to be sold. I'm keeping them separated because the disparity of the babies is even worse than the adults. And the females can be brutal to other babies when protecting their offspring.

Just something to consider when getting your goat a friend or two. Others have probably thrown all sorts of sized animals together without a problem. I'm simply sharing my personal experience and situation.

On the other hand, a docile older animal can teach the youngster and not be too big a threat if there is a size difference. Temperament can make all the difference in the world and can be hereditary.

I'm very happy for you and would love to see a photo of your new family member!
 

HomesteaderWife

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We are definitely looking into getting friends for our sweet little goat (need to get a little saved up to get another)- but for the time being, she has taken up with the chickens next door to her. :p The rooster stands up on one of their perches and crows next to her, and the hens rest up there too and they peek at each-other through the fence. We may get another female from the same farm, but our male will be purchased from somewhere else when the time comes. It's all kind of new to my husband and I...(even though as a kid my Grandmother raised herds of 30+ Nubians)...so we are trying to learn what we can to make raising goats a successful part of our growing little farm!
FullSizeRender (5).jpg
 

TAH

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Is she a Mini Nubian?
 

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