Thinking of buying a goat. Need opinions!

[MommyRhoades]

I have never owned a goat so I don't know much about them.. I found a Nubian goat in milk for $150 delivered. But she is tapering off and is only producing 1/2 a quart a day. He said the most she has produced is a quart and a half. One of her udders is much smaller than the other one. I have read good Nubians should produce 3-4 quarts a day. But he has been inconsistent in milking her and only does it once a day. I'm wondering if she is a poor milker or if it's his fault? She had twins in the end of January. Should I get her or not?? Help!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I don't know what to tell you, other than you should not get one goat. They are herd animals and they will be lonely by themselves.

If he is only milking her once per day, that will greatly reduce her production.

She only has one udder with two sides. If she dam raised kids their udder can get lopsided and would straighten out when they freshen again. It usually happens if they have a single, but it can happen with two if one is larger (a buckling) and pulls one side harder. But, there is the possibility that it could be some other things as well like she had bad mastitis on one side. A doe can essentially lose one side of her udder.

How old is she?

Based on what you have said, I would probably pass myself.

 

[MommyRhoades]

She's 3 years old. She had twins in January. We also found 5 goats for sale for $350 but the 2 does come with 3 bucklings and I'm not sure I want the bucklings.

 

[MommyRhoades]

That's what I was thinking about the udders too! Aren't they called teats? He kept telling me one of her udders is smaller so I just went with it. Lol

 

[Bedste]

Nubians have the sweet little faces with the floppy ears and are great producers of MILK. I especially like their temperaments. I have Nubians and Lamanchas and the Nubians are chilled out and low maintenance and the Lamanchas are IN YO FACE..... me me me... and very demanding. Just my personal observations.

 

[sawfish99]

I would pass. We usually dry up our goats when their production drops to that point. Since you are new, I would recommend finding a reputable breeder near you that is willing to teach you a little about the goats and help set you up with a reasonable quality milker or 2.
Yes, you need at least 2 (and I think 3 is a better minimum) goats.

 

[AshleyFishy]

3 is a great number to start with. Since you're just starting out and have alot to learn maybe going with dry experienced milkers would be a good option.

Milking can be very hard work and alot of problems can pop up. With dry goats you can learn how to take care of worming, cleaning and feeding before the hard stuff smacks you upside the head.