# dairy goat herd?



## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

hi!
i am thinking forward a bit, but i am wondering how you get together a decent herd of dairy goats? are alpines the best? 
how would one get started?

since we are going to have tons of room among other things, i would like to do this because we all love goat milk here.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I don't think there are a "best" milking breed of goat. Each breed is different and some breeds fit the breeders liking, reasons, etc. better than another breed. I think Alpines, Nubians, Lamanchas, and some others have about equal milking ability. I think it really depends on the bloodlines and stuff in each breed not just the breed itself.

If you are wanting to start with the very best goats. I recommend doing A LOT of research on breeders. Check out websites, show wins, etc. try and visit the herds you're interested in. Also look at the dam's of the goats you are wanting for starting your herd. Make sure they have the type of udder you want or close to it. And make sure they are CAE, CL, and Johnes negative when buying.


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

thanks for the advice!
i just want an attractive goat that will give me a decent amount of milk..i am not too worried about an award winning girl, just one that can produce fairly well.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

No problem. :wink: 

Well...whatever breed appeals to your liking that's what i'd go for. If you like Alpines then i'd definately try to find a breeder to have a mentor and go from there.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

well you may not want the best of the best but do buy from a reputable breeder. One that you can see what kind of kids they are producing adn ask how well the mom milked. You want the doe you purchase to be a good milker as you have to feed them basically the same and you get less milk.

Find a breed you like that is marketable in your area -- find other breeders in your area and see how they do selling their kids or not. It really helps to have a network of people helping eachother.


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

oh definitely. i have learned a lot from just reading on here..i wouldve never known about all the different things you are supposed to look for in a goat.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

All very good advice. the only thing i feel that i need to add is get the best you can afford. You may not want show quality but a doe that is put together well (show) is going to hold up longer. even if youre not showing i feel papers are important, they can show milk recods and such of relitives. All useful tools when looking at production. no matter what breed you choose. If you do get show quality you can market the kids at show people.
beth


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

that is very good to know. i wouldn't have thought about that.
you learn something new every day i guess!

what do you look for when you are looking at their backgrounds? 

:dance:


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## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

There is no "best" breed of goat. But there is definatly a "best" for each person.

Here are some things to look at. 

Are appearances important to you? For instance, I like my goats to have ears, so I would never buy a Lamancha goat. 

Nubian goats milk is best for making butter and cheese because their butterfat is higher in their milk. 

Noise is an issue for me, I don't like nubians because I am sensitive to noise. Nubians can be very loud goats. I would rather have a quieter goat, so I chose alpines.

Alpines can be pushy and more aggressive than other goat breeds, especially durring feeding time.

Is size an issue, or do you only need a little milk? Miniature breeds such as scaled down versions of regular dairy goats might be for you. You could also do pygmy goats or maybe even nigerians.


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Saanens have a very high milk production. However they're all white - usually, unless you get a throw, which is called a Sable.

Nubians have a higher milk quality but a slightly lower production than Saanens.

I have a Saanen/Nubian cross - where the idea is to get the high milk production and the higher milk quality - I dont test my milk so I have no idea if it's true about the quality, but she is producing quite a lot.

I dont really know about other breeds as I only have Saanens and Nubians - but I wouldn't swap them for the world!

LW

PS I must say that my Saanens are "good" while my Snubian is "EVIL" =]


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

im looking for something cute, larger than my little mutts that will give decent milk..my family goes through it like water!


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I like LaManchas the best. They are cute, quiet, laid back, although they can be pushy with other goats. They have give good quantities of milk while still maintaining good butterfat and protein and have the ability to milk longer, more level lacations(meaning they'll milk the same amount for a long time, rather than peaking then dropping off)


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Have to do the "push" here for nigies :wink: 

Small, cute and give a surprising amount of milk.
Nigerians and pygmies have some of the sweetest tasting milk, they have a higher butterfat and can give up to 2 quarts a day.

Of course though, with any milk producing goat, the bloodlines as well as the care they get will influence the milk production :greengrin:


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

how much will nigerians give at their peak?
i am so glad to know that bloodlines are important after all! i thought that bloodlines were for looks only and not really relevant for anything else. 
there are a lot of smart ladies on here, thats for sure!

:stars:


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm going to have to agree with liz. Nigerians are adorable, make great pets, their babies sell probably easier than larger breed goats(not positive on this...no one jump on me!), easy to handle, eat less than big breed goats, while still producing a pretty decent amount of milk...some milking 2 quarts daily. You can get some that will milk more or less depending on good, fair, or bad milking genetics.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Once again, bloodlines play a part in milk production.....Binky at peak will give just under 2 quarts daily. If you decide to get a doeling and have her start milking for you as a FF, look at her mother's udder as well as her sires mom....those two things alone can tell you if your FF will be a capacious milker :wink: 

ND can give as little as 1 quart or less and as much as 2 1/2 to 3....but that is the exception AND some very well bred girls.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yep...totally agree with liz! :thumb:


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## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 3, 2009)

wonderful advice. what should i look for?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Look at breeders close to you, and please be sure to check the market in your area as far as the potential sale of kids( I learned a long time ago it just is not possible to keep every single kid!) Check to see which breeds are the most popular and the purpose, pets, 4H projects, beginning breeders etc. Check out the registries, ADGA, AGS, or for Nigerians, NDGA. You can get a list of members in your state as well as their websites if they have one. I myself am a small scale hobby breeder but I do try to breed up to get the best out of even my cross does. If I feel that the mom isn't a "good enough" milker I say so and those kids are preferred to be pets only.


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## Jenna (Jan 7, 2009)

Just thought I would add somethings about nigies milk production. I've seen a Nigerian doe that produced 3/4 of a gallon each day and that was a second freshener too!!
I've had first fresheners not in their full capacity produce 4 cups so some lines produce a very suprising amount of milk


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2009)

In your research it is also a good idea to see if the herd does DHIR milk testing. THis will have official milk amounts (quantity produced in lbs, butterfat in % and lbs and protien in % and lbs) that can be viewed. This can give you comparisons between animals/herds/bloodlines and well as proof over just the breeders word. It can also give you an idea of genetics and consistency in the animals.
Just one of the things I like to review when "shopping" 
Patina


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

A good start into the dairy goat world is to become an ADGA member, you can do it online and its cheap. ADGA will send you a membership directory, listing breeders by state. You can maybe find some local breeders of several different breeds. Visit some farms and see what kind of goats apeal to your family. Another thing to do is visit your local state fair. 4-Hers are just full of knowledge and usually happy to answer in questions you may have. take a look at what kinds of goats are popular in your area. see whats selling.
beth


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## farmgirl42 (Jan 3, 2010)

As has already been implied by others here, be sure to check out temperament - yours and the prospective breed. I don't like having to chase my goats around to get them on the milk stand or to handle them. You might not mind (give the children exercise  ). I want something comparatively "easy" to keep fenced in because our farm is set up for larger animals, and it is expensive to re-build a lot of fence for small livestock. I do most of the handling myself so I want something that is not overly large and fairly docile. Some breeds are naturally more hyper, better escape artists, too small to stay in your "big" fence, too noisy, too quiet, too "sneaky" :laugh: , besides considering milk and butterfat production.

Just some things that I evaluated before "taking the plunge" to establish my herd...


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

Jenna said:


> Just thought I would add somethings about nigies milk production. I've seen a Nigerian doe that produced 3/4 of a gallon each day and that was a second freshener too!!
> I've had first fresheners not in their full capacity produce 4 cups so some lines produce a very suprising amount of milk


my doe did that! she's medium sized for a nigerian but she milks like a cow


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## Herebegoats (Dec 30, 2009)

But how easy is it to milk those little Nigerian teats if you are hand milking?? :slapfloor: Seriously though I have never milked one so I can't say. 

But you sure do get color with those little goats....and blue eyes....and polled oftentimes!

The Lamanchas are what won my heart. I did have Nubians to start with but the LM personality and SMARTS won me over!  

Kelley


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## Idahodreamer (Sep 19, 2009)

Nigerians aren't really that hard to milk----they just need nice big orifices. I have tiny hands, I guess, so truthfully, it was easier to milk Nigerians than my Lamancha with her huge teats. I love both Nigerians and Lamanchas, and honestly if you asked me which breed was better I couldn't say.  They are equally my favorite.


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

none of my nigerian does are hard to milk.. several in fact, were easier to milk that our nubians when we had them.. and they milked about the same ( they were all around 1-2 freshenings) so we got rid of the nubians.. but if you select for orifices that are larger, you dont have issues with milking.. i can milk out a miniature or a standard by handmilking within 1-3 minutes


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

If you like smaller, sweet goats then Nigerians are the ones for you!
I like nigis because they are the perfect lap goats!


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## mistyblue (Nov 13, 2008)

Now lets not forget the Mini-Manchas, you have a smaller more compact LaMancha and still have that wonderfull personality. 

Last year my FF doe gave me a little over 1/2 gallon a day and I did not start milking her until her kid was weaned at 3 months. Right now she is feeding twins and giving me just a little more than 1 quart a day, with me milking only once a day.


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