What I Would Do Differently: Dairy Goats
Owning dairy goats has been a fabulous experience and I definitely wouldn’t change my decision in owning them, but I would go about things a little differently than I did. Some of those things I would start doing before any more breeding’s were to take place! If you’re thinking about getting involved with breeding goats than this post is going to help point out some speed bumps I’ve encountered and how I would navigate NOW having been with them for the last three years.
Keep reading…
C R E A T E K I D L I S T
When I was breeding protection GSD’s, we used to put together a breeding list or “puppy list”. This is a list of people interested in purchasing a puppy from a planned breeding. I was so ecstatic to breed for milking and have that experience that it didn’t even occur to me to do this!
I don’t leave my property often and I’m not the type of person to strike conversation when I’m out and about on errands, so word of mouth was not a strong point for me! I ended up getting stuck with the first pair of triplets from the first breeding and ended up with triplets again this second go round. Now if you are someone who actually loves goat meat, than ending up with kids you can’t sell isn’t a huge inconvenience. However, on the other hand you’ll want to do that list!
H e r e i s w h a t I w o u l d d o
I have two does currently. BEFORE any one else gets bred, I am going to create a announcement to post in my community and on my social platforms the date to future planned breedings so that I can start compiling my “kid list”. If folks are a serious inquiry and want to be placed down on the list, they will put down a 50% deposit on whatever the total price and will also fill out a vetting form. This form is a one I have created to ensure that I am feeling safe in handing over this baby to a new home. I want to know to the best of my ability what type of home and environment + purpose this little life will have.
INVESTIGATE BUCKS PREVIOUS LITTERS
So, this may seem like a no brainer for veteran goat owners, but I did not bother to ask the buckling to doeling ratio before taking in my purchased buck. The buck may have been “proven” (meaning that they are fertile and have offspring that have passed show or are also good producers) but what did they pass down? Other than good health genetics, you’re going to want a buck that has a good chance of helping produce doelings. Twice now I have ended up with triplet boys! The stats on that are like a 1% chance but, welcome to my life! Before you purchase, ask ALL the questions.
I do brush and baith my goats but, the males love to pee on their face to attract the ladies.
H O U S I N G W I T H S T A L L S
When this goat house was built we only had our two original babies. It was a dream house at the time, but now 11 goats later, I’ve come up with a list of things that I would do differently planning of future stock.
I would built a much larger house and add separate paddock / stalls. This will come in handy for A, when you’re whelping (doe is giving birth) to keep mama and babies separate form the other does, and B, so that everyone minds their manners should you have a bossy goat or two. Within the rest of the living space you can add your “hay stand” or alfalfa.
Lofting above stalls for supplies and food.
Something you may not be able to do right away especially if you only start off with does is building a separate shelter for your bucks and weened kids (depending on how you prefer to keep you set up. I would have built my buck shelter a bit further off than what I did if I could do it all over. You see, the more bucks you have and the closer they are could potentially throw your does into heat more often. While this may sound great, the smell, noise, attitude from the does and added stress it can cause the heard is unnecessary.
To me, goats are low maintenance, especially when you are doing rotational pastures (and as long as you can keep them from getting into everything) and the breed that I’ve chosen is perfect for the land we have + their milk is exquisite. There is no regrets, only learning experiences !
