# Five Year Plan



## MachoCabrío (Feb 4, 2009)

Hello, folks!

I've been thinking a lot about farm growth lately. With the high of the "new arrivals" landing this month, and my slightly rabid obsession with NDG websites across the county...I'm in need of a little perspective.

What is your 5 year plan with the goats on your farm? What are your priorities?

Or, for nearsighted folks, what is your plan for the next 12 months? 

Mucho thanks!
Hecky from WA


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## Coraxfeather (Oct 9, 2008)

I am planning to rent some land from my boss with in the next year. Going to get some goats that I have had my eye on. A small herd to start off with. A buck and about 4 does. Breed these San Clement Island goats and start a small herd of my own up here to try and get them in this area. 

Going to try and breed Mini fainters. That is if Dude results come back good he will stay a buck if not there is a small Mini fainter of my boss's I am planning on breeding to my new NDs does. 

Love and spoil every one of my goats.

Hopefully get a farm of my own and raises my babies on it.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

My plan is to eventually have a show quality herd of Nigis that are of supreme health, great milking ability, and nice confirmation.

I started off 1 1/2 years ago in a completely different perspective, have critiqued and changed a few times - and I think I am where I want to be now.

(Need some reg nigis???)


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

I want to continue building up a quality, healthy herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. 

Hope to get a buck (or two) and maybe a doe shipped in next year and improve some more on some of my animals. Looking at Twin Creeks farm in TX and Old Mountain Farm in MA. 

Would love to start some of my does on DHI testing but really need to research that some more. . .

I love the overall conformation of just about all of my does but want to improve on some of their udders a bit more.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

well I love making plans but goats love to change them :roll: 

I like Kelebek had one goal at first and have changed that.

I want to be a small breeder of real nice nigerian dwarf goats. I love to show and I hope to go to as many as I can this year and in the years to come.

Short term goals are to: kid out my pregnant does ( 2 left to go) and I want to keep a doe kid from one. Then I pick up my new doe from TN and with my friends help we plan to do breedings of all our does in the fall. We are getting two really nice bucks and I am already planning breedings  

My long term goals are quite varried as I am not totaly sure what my life will be like even in a year. I am only 23 and live at home so life can change real quickly.

But if I stay here at home for the next 5 years I plan to just breed teh goats I have - keeping a few doelings and working to improve what I have. If I happend to get married then that will change quite a bit


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

My plan is to build up a herd of all NPGA reg pygmies that are all awesome kidders and can win show ribbons. And have nice pedigrees.

And to just have fun with goats and the breed and the basic goals. :greengrin:


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

5 year plan?... more like a 15 year plan


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

Plans?

We're supposed to have plans? :shocked:


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## MachoCabrío (Feb 4, 2009)

HA! Yeah, I'm not the best for working with out at least a rough sketch. 

One thing is for certain...I definitely need more udder edumacation.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Well, I just happened to pick up a doe several months ago who happened to be pregnant. We went through that entire experience, I learned about care, worming, vaccinating, hoof care, kidding, etc (I have done horses my whole life, so its quite similar stuff). Now I'm going to pick up a buck in half an hour, and I'm talking to a breeder on the coast about reserve a kid from two of her does so I'll have some nice, registered stock.

As a beginner, I just want to breed some goats, sell some nice pet stock and figure out how good the market really is for them here, and see if I can get a good eye for conformation and picking out replacements and then move up from there. I raised and judged lambs for awhile, but I know the conformation is a whole new ball game here.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

BBBG = Breed Better Boer Goats...most FB boer goats in alaska are about 3 yrs behind the lower 48's..slow growth, poor conformation, and not as hardy as you'd think. So my 5 year plan is to bring up the best buck, and 4-5 great does from all over lower 48. 
Also to get a show up here..ABGA or USBGA.

although some of that may interfere with high school...and eventually college.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I will add to my 5 year plan and say this:


MOVE TO TENN!!!!


What a gorgeous place and such nice people.


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## Lawanda (Jun 11, 2009)

As a Sagittarius I am not big on planning ANYthing...  so, I don't know that I have an actual 5 year plan... but I do want to breed my goats and see if I can get some good milkers eventually (who knows, Hope and Bella might turn out to be good milkers themselves!)  

I am not big on registering animals, but I hope I can have some nice grade animals that give me enough milk for my fam  And possibly some meat as well, but that is entirely up to my dh, as I am also not big on wanting to try goat meat, but he is!

:greengrin:


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## citylights (Jul 3, 2009)

Who can plan?!? My life is "subject to change without notice." Especially goaties!  As always, improve my herd, educate people who want to learn, and vcreate more goat addicts! Stacey, why no pygmies? You have to shave and show nigis in milk! Too much work for some of us!


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

I have a plan now!

I want our property to be fenced with shelter and fully goat habitable by mid next year. I want to increase my herd size to an average of 8 permanent does and 2 bucks. This can increase of course. :greengrin: 

I want to add registered stock to the herd (already in progress!) and produce TAME happy healthy babies. Apparently people friendly goats are extremely difficult to find out here. 

I also want to produce enough kids to keep up with demand, which I'm failing at right now. (Which is a good thing sort of!)

I never want to buy milk at the store again.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

There is a demand for goats here as well that can't be kept up with! Before I got my doe, I went to look at some kids this lady had. They were ND/Lamancha cross. That morning she had seven kids and had just posted the add on Craigslist. When I got there around 3pm to look at them she only had one left! There are "Goat Wanted" ads on craigslist all the time, and they all want small, "cute" goats. They don't generally want larger dairy breeds. 

To update to my plans, I want to breed our new buck, Dante, to Spirit in October for March babies (its plenty warm here by then.) Then, cross him on Gypsy when she is mature enough.


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## Lawanda (Jun 11, 2009)

> I never want to buy milk at the store again.


Ditto!!

Although that may not work for me. I have a feeling I will mess it all up somehow! :GAAH:


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

Aw, don't say that!

There have been several times when I didn't have to buy milk from the store. Now I just have to figure out how to schedule that all year long and I'm good to go.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Firelight27: I just realized we're both in Oregon! Well, maybe I knew that already but forgot. (Bad memory :roll: ) Oh, well, good to see a fellow Oregonian on here!


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Loved what Stacey said about goats changing your plans!
We keep changing ours, after all goats make us liars. We have a plan but they always throw a goatie wrench in the planning machine. :roll: 
The first few yrs into it hubby ask me about future plans..."hey its all I can do right now to just get through this season" when I was & still am on a learning curve. 
I have plans but the goats always seem to mess it up. 
Last year I had a family buying milk then they disappeared into the woodwork, which was fine cause I wanted to make cheese. 
You never know where goats will take you. This yr the local FFA bought five & I expect they will be back next year. The student that turned them onto us had purchased in the past. He gets a discount for refferals.
Make plans, but be prepared to go with the flow.


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## redsticker (May 7, 2009)

I'm a bit late on this thread but I can actually chime in so I'm going to... lol.

My hubby and I are only just about to take the plunge into goatdom so these are more like hopes than plans.  But we hope to find 2-4 nice senior, hopefully already bred, foundation does to build our herd upon. We'll keep the does that we like the most, and maybe one buck. We want to try to show a couple of the older, experienced does to get a feel for it, not necessarily to win titles (though that would be an awesome plus), then try it out with the youngins.

Build up a rapport with other breeders and bring in some outside lines for the next batch. And each time, try to improve upon our foundation does in dairy qualities, conformation, health, personality, etc. Eventually, we hope to have a few wins, some nice dairy records that we can brag about and some lovely, happy, healthy animals that improve with each kidding. 

A girl can dream, right?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Hmmm......a plan?

Never had one to begin with!
9 years ago, with the expanse of hillside property, my plan was to have a pair of pygmy does to help clear it off......but then 8 years ago I figured that I'd like to be able to milk those girls, so I got a buck and after those kids came I realized that there was a demand for cute little mini goats! It was then after ALOT of research that I realized my first "pygmy" doe was actually a nigi cross so I enjoyed the milk and the kids, and did a repeat breeding, kept a doeling , sold the buck and had a year to find a pygmy buck...which I did and those 3 girls gave me another year of milk and short stubby kids.......I added my first registered nigi, my very own mini dairy goat 2 years ago and she surpassed the usual quart a day from my pygmy girls! I'm hooked! I will be adding another registered nigi doe to my little herd here in a few days and since my girls were pets first, my foundation is still here and I have built up from them. Will continue to build up and hope to provide the dainty little nigi's that I fell for with decent udders and tons of capacity.

I pretty much decided that the girls that are no longer producing will be here as hayburners til I have to dig a hole, they deserve to have a loving home after they have given me their best. Keeping my retiree's helps ensure that I don't go overboard with "new" goaties


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## Lawanda (Jun 11, 2009)

You know, I was just thinking tonight... I do not think I will be able to part with my goats. So if I keep having babies, so I can have milk, WHAT am I going to do with all the goats I have in 5 years?

I guess I will be able to part with some of them some day... maybe?

And as far as eating them... wellllll... I don't see me being able to do it!! Which is weird, cuz I have no problem with the cows and pigs and chickens! lol

Do you get to a point where it is not like losing a baby to get rid of them????


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

> Do you get to a point where it is not like losing a baby to get rid of them????


I still cry when my kids leave, but I know that I did my best to find them the absolute best loving homes.


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