# How Big is the Herd?



## FarmerChick (Dec 4, 2009)

How big is your herd?

Curious for those on the board?


I was up to 120 Boer does...breeding for meat over the years as an actual working farm business.

Was going to increase but realized I was getting older and more tired of hard farm work so instead went to downgrading.

Down to 70 for a long time and then currently I am about 30.

The 30 herd is so much easier than the 120 herd...HAHAHA



So how many do you have and why do you have them?


----------



## freemotion (Dec 4, 2009)

OK, y'all know this but I'll start!

I have 5 goats, my little homestead herd.  The first two were only for company for my horse when she retired and moved home with us to the 'burbs.

Goats are like potato chips....you can't only have....2.

The next one was for milk, in my search for health, raw milk was on my list and I simply could not find it here unless I wanted to pay $16 per gallon.  Even then it was rarely available.  One local goat farm only sold to families with infants who needed it because the list was so long.  

Then a second doeling to raise as another dairy animal, now of course I needed a buck!

So who knows how many I will have by spring...


----------



## ksalvagno (Dec 4, 2009)

I have 3 males and 6 females for a total of 9. Four of the females are pregnant so I will have some little ones in the spring.

We wanted to be more self sufficient and wanted our own milk. So my goats are all dairy. I got the smaller goats due to size of property and knowing I would want more than a few. Went with Nigerian Dwarfs.


----------



## dkluzier (Dec 4, 2009)

We have 3 males and 7 females.  1 purebred pygmy billy, 1 pygmy/nubian cross billy, 1 nigi wether, 2 nubian/pygmy cross does. 2 saanen/nubian cross does, and 3 purebred nubian does.  Looking at starting a kinder line in March with the pygmy buck and nubian does.

4 of our does are bred for Spring so we'll be adding more to the mix.

Luv the raw goat milk and am hoping to start selling it next Spring if we can get the milking room set up.


----------



## ()relics (Dec 4, 2009)

Way too many....No really 12 grade boer does, I call them grade does but they are really percentages,  I usually don't register their doe kids and the billy kids all get wethered...This is my money making line. I sell the wethers as percentage show prospects and the does are replacement animals that I either add to my own herd or sell to other producers...And 5 fullblood does...These are my show lines and my money pit....Again the billys are wethered or sold as herd sires and the does likewise, replacements...Except the select few that we keep to show ourselves...And 2 fullblood billys, sold my past herd sire this fall because he had run his route...In with the new out with the old, blood that is....So that would be 24 boers.
.....And I guess I'll admit that my daughter has 3 purebred NPGA does and 1 Billy(NPGA)...Just don't tell any of my friends....So that is it total 28 which is way too many...And I have 2 newborns on the ground and MANY more due soon...I don't like to count them yet plenty can go wrong before I want to claim them in my herd numbers....No more pygmys for me..editted to update


----------



## jlbpooh (Dec 4, 2009)

I have a huge herd of 2 Nigerian Dwarf wethers for pets....at least for now, lol. That number could possibly expand in the future. The only way I could convince my husband to let me get some is if they weren't reproducible, now he is hooked though. It is cute seeing a 300 pound man playing with 2 little Nigis, lol.


----------



## Roll farms (Dec 4, 2009)

30 something...27 are pregnant....so 30+ and counting....

I do it b/c I love goats, I love baby goats, and I love breeding GOOD goats, seeing what I can improve, who fixes what, and breeding to create dual-purpose meat & milk goats.


----------



## lupinfarm (Dec 4, 2009)

I have 2 Pygmy does  Adding a Pygmy billy and Nigerian Dwarf Wether in the spring.

We also have 2 horses, 19 chickens, and 3 ducks.


----------



## ohiofarmgirl (Dec 5, 2009)

not really a 'herd' more like a couple o' goats.

we had 4 this summer, sold one, and now one is at the breeder for winter... so that leaves just two. 

got em originally to keep the brush down.. but then tried the dairy thing and i'm sold. now that everyone is dry we HATE buying dairy products - and we use the milk to complete the barnyard circle of life - goats feed the hens and hogs, hens lay eggs for the hogs, hogs feed me. everyone is very very happy. 

however, i am not a goat 'lover' more like a goat 'liker' - i still think i'm a repressed cow person.
;-)


----------



## goat lady (Dec 5, 2009)

1 adult male and a 7 month old male. 3 adult does breed to my adult male, and a 5 month old doe, but she seems lonely by herself and I am talking hubby into looking into two does that I found not far from our place that about the same age.


----------



## hoosierchick (Dec 6, 2009)

4 Pygmys and yes, they are like potato chips you cant have just one.


----------



## Mini-M Ranch (Dec 6, 2009)

5 Mini-Nubians.  4 does, 1 buck.  He has been doing his "thang" lately, so I am sure we will have kids on the ground in the spring, F3s and F4s (anybody interested?  lol)

We are hoping to keep one wether to hang out with the buck and sell the rest. We just have a homestead herd and want to provide raw, hormone free milk and cheese for our family.  I will probably get into soaping, too, as it sounds fun.

Just one question...how DO you sell raw milk if you want to?  I don't think we can in WV.


----------



## JerseyXGirl (Dec 6, 2009)

Started out with just wanting two pygmy does...which I got.  Then I got two Nigerian buck bottle babies.  Then I got another pygmy doe and just recently acquired a pregnant Nigerian doe.  So a grand total of 6.5.

My little pygmy girls may be bred as well for babies in the Spring


----------



## Roll farms (Dec 7, 2009)

I'd think you'd get a better response in "Everything else goats" or the "milking" section to the raw milk question.


----------



## ksalvagno (Dec 7, 2009)

You would have to find out what the laws are in your state before considering selling raw milk. Here in Ohio you can't.


----------



## cmjust0 (Dec 7, 2009)

We're down to 14, and there are actually 2 more I'd like to get shed of pretty quick.  

Eventually, I'd like to have somewhere on the order of 50+ does, primarily F1 boer/nubi crosses....which, of course, could mean >150 goats on the ground at certain times.

Why?  Well because I'm apparently a masochist.


----------



## FarmerChick (Dec 7, 2009)

I had about 120 does in my main herd.

But I staggered the breeding by 1-2 mos.   That way I had almost 2 month old kids when the next 60 does blew.  Believe me it was a blessing those kids were older and I only had to deal with 100 or so kids at one time.


----------



## Griffin's Ark (Dec 9, 2009)

We are living with 35 goats right now, 10 sheep, 2 donkeys and 2 cows...  two in the living room right now!

A little note on selling raw goat milk - most states don't have laws on getting goat milk and drinking it from a goat you own.  Hence goat and cow shares.  We sell a share of the goat and the monthly upkeep and that entitles you to milk.  Getting a contract going is the hardest part, but there is a group in VA that sets that up, but it is around $100 a year service.

http://www.farmtoconsumerfoundation.org/ftcldf.php

Check this website for more information.

Chris


----------



## ksalvagno (Dec 9, 2009)

Depending on your state, you have to be careful about the goat or cow shares. Two people in Ohio were convicted of selling raw cow milk unlawfully and they were doing the cow shares. Ohio is extremely strict with that stuff.


----------



## farmin'chick (Dec 11, 2009)

We have 4 Fainting Goat crosses (NG and Boer, 2 each) 1 Fainting Goat Buck, 1 Boer Buck, 40 Boer and Boer %age does, 9 new or nearly new babies, 2 Nigerian Dwarf does and a buck.  

We started the goats to give us something constructive to do and to utilize the farm instead of leasing it.

This year's crop should yield goats to sell.


----------



## FarmerChick (Dec 11, 2009)

Love your user name...LOL


----------



## chandasue (Dec 11, 2009)

2 Does, one is hopefully bred. 

Edit: forgot to add why I have them! We got them for pets and the milk.


----------



## Goatzilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I have 2 spoiled rotten Alpine does that are primarily used as cordless weedwhackers.


----------



## FarmerChick (Dec 11, 2009)

problem with my weedwhackers, they never seem to eat exactly the weeds I want, they seem to hit onto the good shrubs and trees also! 


Note to all--never let a ton of goats in your backyard.  They don't eat the grass, but they eat absolutely everything else that is planted..hahaha


----------



## cmjust0 (Dec 11, 2009)

A goatkeeping friend of mine had a whole tobacco wagon of started plants for his vegetable garden...a market garden, at that...which he'd rolled out into the sun in the early spring last year to harden them off before planting..

Wanna guess what happened?


----------



## KinderKorner (Dec 17, 2009)

I currently have three bucks. 

And nine does.

Eight of those does are going to kid this spring. One next week. So I'm expecting lots of herd growing soon.

I am buying more to add to my herd all thet time. I actually drove 14 hours and picked up two yesterday.


----------



## FarmerChick (Dec 17, 2009)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> A goatkeeping friend of mine had a whole tobacco wagon of started plants for his vegetable garden...a market garden, at that...which he'd rolled out into the sun in the early spring last year to harden them off before planting..
> 
> Wanna guess what happened?





BUFFET!!


----------



## Wild Wind Farm (Dec 17, 2009)

My herd is 5 horses, 11 Nigerians, 6 does (5 bred I hope), 5 bucks (2 for sale), 3 dogs and 4 cats.

We do competitive trail and 4-H with the horses, lots of fun.  We milk and show the goats, I can't wait for babies this spring.  The first are due March 3rd.  I just can't get enough!


----------



## TigerLilly (Aug 6, 2010)

I know this is an old post, but I started out looking for something else & stumbled across it...thought it might be fun to get it going again since I'm sure I'm not the only  newbie on here. And maybe those that answered previously might like to update their herd status?

I currently have 1 bottle baby ND buck (soon to be wether), 1 possibly preggers ND doe (5 yrs)--bought her that way, but not because of that--Buckley needed a 'friend. Then I found a young ND buck that was just gorgeous, so I had to have him...
and it all started because I lost my favorite dog (RIP Roscoe) but have NEVER been without animals.
Did my research and decided on Nigerian Dwarfs because I like mini critters. That, and I need lawn mowers that dont break down all the time, I'm lactose intolerant and I want to try my hand at making soap one day!


----------



## KinderKorner (Aug 7, 2010)

Sure I'll post.

I have 18 total right now.

4 Reg Kinder Bucks

1 Reg Nubian Buckling

10 Reg Kinder Does

2 Unreg Kinder Does

1 Reg Nubian Doeling

The Nubians, and one of the kinder bucklings are going sometime.

And the other 12 does will be kidding this fall and spring. So I should have around 50 goats in the spring.


----------



## lilhill (Aug 7, 2010)

Currently we have 22 does, 2 bucks owned solely by us and 2 bucks that are co-owned with a fellow Nigi breeder.  Numbers keep changing (like, going up) so this is what I had last week.


----------



## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 7, 2010)

We are down to 5 + a nubian kid who's already sold and will go home Aug 22nd when he's weaned.  2 NMGA Nigi does are bred with another ADGA/AGS/NDGA FF breeding planned for late September/early October.  We plan to retain if she gives us a doe from this breeding.


----------



## chubbydog811 (Aug 7, 2010)

I cut back since last spring, but now I have:

My milkers:
Saanan, Saanan/Alpine, Lamancha/Saanan/Nubian.

My "babies" (who are actually 7 months old):
2 Lamancha/Nubians (1/2 siblings, buck and doe), Nubian/Saanan, Lamancha/Alpine.

And the "kids" (6 weeks old):
Nubian/Alpine, and Nubian/Saanan.

Total of 9....for now! Planning on being at 15 or so by next summer


----------



## Beekissed (Aug 8, 2010)

Currently have 5 sheeples but am selling one, 33 chickens...but I guess that would be a flock and not a herd... 

Well...if you really think about it, both of my species could be considered flocks.


----------



## stano40 (Aug 8, 2010)

My wife and I have 10 goats.  1 alpine wether, 1 pygmy wether, 1 saanen X boer doe, 1 saanen/boer/pygmy mix wether, 3 saanen X boer doelings & 3 nubian X alpine doelings.

bob


----------



## Calliopia (Aug 8, 2010)

Right now...  3 ADGA Nubians, 1 Nubian/Boer? (the prev owner said Alpine but I think that is bs)  1 tub o' lard inherited scrub goat that we're working on conditioning. 

Earlier this week we had a sweet ND cross doe that just found a home yesterday (rescue).  And earlier in the month we had a Nubian/Boer doe that came w/ the scrub but she went to be a companion to a doe who was going to be separated from her bucklings soon.  She was not the terrible fatty bo batty that the scrub is. 


 All of my ladies are of a more mature  or completely unknown age.  Some come from not so great backgrounds but have all made great improvements since I've had them.  I probably could have bought a champion Kastedemur something or other with what I've spent rehabbing these guys but it is somehow more rewarding to see them blossom.  

My not so little guy is the only one I bought for his breeding capabilities but my thoughts on herd improvement tend to run towards spending more money on the buck and letting him do the improving work for me on the does.   His recently discovered medication sensitivity means I may be doing some hard culls this year after we see if it transfers or not. 


And I like my Nubians big and traditional with looong ears.  Unfortunately it means we're working on breading out the old pendulous udders that can come w/ that build.  In good health my 2 girls are about 150/160 each.  


I'm down from 7 to five though and my yard is looking empty.  It was very tempting at the fair to bring home a beautiful Boer doe but I have to remember I will have babies in um.. about a month or so we think.


----------



## RockyToggRanch (Aug 8, 2010)

I have 4 does, 3 in milk. My yr old buck and 3 bucklings, one of which is staying and 2 are headed to butcher soon.

All are toggenburgs.  Milk for soap and cheese


----------



## Hykue (Aug 8, 2010)

Just two, an eight-year old Alpine doe and a yearling Lamancha doe.  I bought them to milk, but they're both dry right now.  I wanted to get used to goat care before I tried to get used to milking too!  I'm going to get them both bred (probably to the same buck, a Lamancha) this winter.  I'm hoping to get two doelings, one from each, to keep.  If not next year, then hopefully by the year after.  Four seems like a good number of does to keep, right?  We'll see.


----------



## Ariel301 (Aug 9, 2010)

Nine, right now.

Three purebred LaMancha does, two LaMancha bucklings--one keeper, one for sale.

One Nupine doe.

One Mini-Nupine (we think?) doeling.

One LaMancha/Alpine wether, going to be Passover dinner next spring.

One Alpine buck, going to be goat burgers next week because he is vicious. 

Breeding starts soon, (tomorrow hopefully for the first doe, she spent all of milking time flapping her tongue at me, time to run her down the street to the buck she is lined up for!) and I'll be breeding all five does, so that's 5+ kids coming in the spring. Females will be staying in our herd, purebred males sold, crossbred males become dinner. We are retiring our two senior LaManchas after next milking season, so their daughters will be replacing them to keep us at a doe herd of about 6-8 milkers to keep us busy with milk, cheese, butter, and soap.


----------



## Roll farms (Aug 9, 2010)

Currently down to less than 20 does and 4 bucks / bucklings.
Hope to get back to around 25 does and 3 bucks after kidding season.

(I sold some does that I really hadn't intended to....the good news is I get to keep more kids next year.)


----------



## jodief100 (Aug 9, 2010)

23. As of right now  

1 Boer Buck 
3 % boer wethers who will be sold soon
1 Boer Doe
1 Spanish/Savanna Doe
4 Kiko Does
4 % Kiko Does
1 Spanish/Kiko doeling
7 % Boer Does
1 LaMancha Doe

3 Does are pregnant, kids should be here soon.
6 Does are in with the buck right now for January babies


----------



## cmjust0 (Aug 9, 2010)

23?

I think that's right..


----------



## glenolam (Aug 9, 2010)

9....but my 2 wethers will *hopefully* be at a new home early next month assuming the people come through and build their fence.  I'm not in a rush to get them out, but my other half is!

Next spring we'll have 3 bred does, so up and up it goes!


----------



## jodief100 (Aug 10, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> 23?
> 
> I think that's right..


I had to sit here and count them on my fingers.  I kept getting to 22 and thinking who am I forgetting?  It was Jasmine, the LaMancha.


----------



## farmin'chick (Aug 29, 2010)

Okay -- this year, 75 or 85 or something -- whatever!  LOL well, the truth is we're kidding or about to in several different places and so don't have a count but...

1 Boer buck in waiting
2 bucklings due to be wethered
4 grown wethers
1 young wether (my bottle baby this year)
56 Boer, Boer/Kiko and Boer/Fainter does
3 miniature fainters
Another doeling just brought home today (Boer paint)
3 Nigerian Dwarf VERY pregnant does
1 dairy doeling in waiting (Alpine/nubian)
2 adult Alpines (one in milk) 
1 Toggenburg in milk
1 Boer in milk 
1 Saanen in milk
2 dry Nubians
1 nubian doeling
1 Saanen/alpine/kiko doeling

One of the Nigis is dropping her mucous plug tonight; One has babies moving around like mad but is not in labor yet; The other has a couple weeks to go, we think.

Griffin's Ark's dairy does (not included in this list) are getting ready to drop kids soon.  The Boers are getting ready to drop kids soon.


----------



## mabeane (Aug 29, 2010)

I'm older and wiser...lol!
1 buck
2 older does both bred for winter babies
2  6 month old does

all Nigerian Dwarf !


----------



## Araylee (Sep 2, 2010)

2!  We just got our very first goats in June. 2 purebred LaMancha doelings! It's been fun so far. Just spent a bit of time cleaning out their shed, giving them their water and grain, and letting them out to browse on our landscaping. (read: weeds!) I'm excited for the springtime and new babies!


----------



## Jupiter (Sep 7, 2010)

2 here too  Our girls came home last weekend. I'm loving them. Trying to get the milking routine down because I thought they were dry, but after getting them, no "she can be dried if you want". Oops. My error, it's a good thing Pandora knows what she's doing.


----------



## freemotion (Sep 7, 2010)

Pretty!


----------



## lilhill (Sep 8, 2010)

lilhill said:
			
		

> Currently we have 22 does, 2 bucks owned solely by us and 2 bucks that are co-owned with a fellow Nigi breeder.  Numbers keep changing (like, going up) so this is what I had last week.


Oops!  Just went up to 25 does and 5 bucks.    Now I'm just going to stop counting.


----------



## Jupiter (Sep 8, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Pretty!


Thank you


----------



## PattySh (Sep 10, 2010)

I  have 3 young adult does, 2 young does born  last winter that I will breed later this year, 2 doelings born in May, One (now stinky)buck, 2 wethers, oh yeah my daughters pet old  nygerian doe that I will never breed again as she wouldn't let you milk her  if her life depended on it! Had a terrible bout of mastitis (but a beautiful doeling!). So thats 11 altogether. Numbers to increase next spring .


----------



## greenfamilyfarms (Sep 10, 2010)

We have Boers:
1 Traditional Buck
1 Red Doe
1 Paint Doe
4 Traditional Does
Total: 7

Pictures: greenfamilyfarms.webs.com


----------



## Griffin's Ark (Sep 11, 2010)

I didn't know we were supposed to keep track!  The other day we counted 11 bucklings in one pasture, but added four more rescues the next day...  There are only supposed to be 10 girls in the dairy pasture, but somewhere that went all wrong and there is about 12 in there now.  The small goat paddock can be anywhere from 4 to 25 depending on the time of day and who may have come to visit us on that particular day!


----------

