# Hello, my name is Tracy and I'm addicted to goats.



## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

I think I have a disease. I have 3 Kinder does, one Kinder whether that we are trying to sell to get into full sized goats. I bought one Alpine/Saanen cross doe that had just kidded two weeks before we brought her home. I have started separting the baby yesterday and today. Yesterday when I went down to milk, he got in with her before I got in there and I only got a little less than a quart of milk. This is her first freshinging. And I had only separted him for 8 to 9 hours. Our electric down there is messed up right now so I don't have any lights, so separate him during the day and milk before it gets dark. Will be fixing that soon, I hope. 

Then last Friday, I drove 2.5 hours to buy 2 bottle baby does and brought home 3. 1 looks like saanen but is creamy to white colored. Don't know what her dad is. The other two are Alpine-ish. The mothers are all full blooded, but they have several different breeds of bucks that they run with them. They are all dairy bucks, Alpine, LaMancha, Saanen, Nubian, Toggenburg. So I have been fighting to get these kids healthy because they had scours. I am happy to report that I am up to 8 oz per feeding 4 times a day and they have nice solid dark poops. Finally. I am very slowly increasing their amounts and will soon go to 3 times a day. They are between 1 1/2 weeks and 3 weeks old. 

So, I am friends with this terrible person on Facebook that keeps posting pictures of friends goats that are for sale. She is housing some right now for a friend because she had to move suddenly and wasn't able to sell all the animals before she moved. I am attaching a picture of a goat that I want to buy from her. It is a registered, full blooded Nubian bred to a registered full blooded Nubian buck. She says she has a small underbite, but has produced nice kids last year. I'm not sure what all an underbite will do or what problems it will cause. But what do you guys think about this goat? I'm just looking for backyard milk production and I know next year I will probably have to thin the herd a bit after I see who is doing what and how they treat babies. This one is a sweetheart I was told. I want to go look at her, but I'm afraid I will fall in love. Ugh. Don't know how to tell my husband that I'm looking at another goat. We just ordered $180 worth of honey bees last week too. Ack. 

Ok, so help me out here. (I know you guys really won't help me to decide not to get her). How does she look? What all will an underbite cause problems or what? I'm hoping she will have twins if I decide to take her. I really want to grab her now before she freshens because I'm afraid the price will only go up with kids on her. Ugh!!!  

Ok, tell me what to do. The price is $200.

tracy


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

she is pretty and for a family milker I see no problems with her as long as her udder is well attached ( which seems to be from pic) and teats are good : ) a Slight under bite is adorable and not a huge problem..it does not seem to keep her from eating well : ) .....I have a nubian with an underbite...I get a lot of smiles from her lol


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I love her coloring....she's a cutie


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## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

Well, decided to pass on the nubian. I really wanted her, but at this point it probably is not the wisest. She is getting ready to kid and I am going to be house sitting for my mother for over a week so I will not be home when I would need to be. I don't want to add too much more work for my husband to do when he is home enjoying his vacation away from everyone. LOL. And having the bottle babies will be enough extra work for him without being on goat watch for me. But she is staying at my friends house so I MAY be buying a baby from her because she is goign to have a bajillion babies here in about a month. LOL. So she might make me a really good deal. LOL. Well, off to feed my babies again. Am getting them onto 3 feedings a day instead of 4. Been a long week since last Friday when I brought them home with the scours. They are finally getting to eat the amounts closer to what they would have been before all this. 

Tracy


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

sounds like a wise decision....even the best goat deals can be too much when timing is not right : ) you will have plenty of time to gather more girls when things settle..


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

.
You have to go with your gut that is for sure.

 I am glad you did not get her personally. A under bite without seeing it can make it hard for them to eat unless it is always hay, they can have trouble out in the pasture, and it is passed on to their babies pretty easy. YES it can be bred out but. Really it does depend on how bad it was. When we judge them we score them a 1-5. 1 is not bad and 5 is wow how do they eat


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## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

Thanks guys. I don't think the underbite was that bad. She eats grain and hay and all that good stuff. If I was going to get her, I would have gotten her on Friday (if the roads were good enough) and I decided not to. She kidded to a single doe on Saturday. I'm glad I didnt' take her. That would have been stressful for her. I think I have dibs on if I want the doe or not. As a first freshener last year she milked about a quart a day. I'm curious to see what she milks this year. Just to see if I really want the doe I don't mind them not milking as much, but this is the reason I'm getting into the full sized goats instead of the Kinders. If I'm going to put the same amount of work into it, I would like to have a bit more milk. Does that make sense? I'm looking for goats close to a gallon a day. It doesn't have to be exact, but close is nice. I'm hoping my first freshener Alpine/Saanen this year gets a bit more output going. The few times I've milked her has been less than a 12 hour fill and giving a little less than a quart. I was wanting to have it set up that I could separate the baby more by this time, but I have been sick and not been able to rearrange stuff in the barn/shed. And getting hit by these snow storms is slowing me down a lot. 

Tracy


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## IrishRoots (Jan 7, 2013)

My name is Tracy and I'm addicted to goats too


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## julieq (Feb 25, 2013)

My name is Julie and had to check this thread in case someone was offering a twelve step program or something helpful for goat addiction. Not that I'm at that point personally. Currently I only have reservations on ONE buckling in March. I'm good, yep. 

Why'd you pass on that doe again?


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