# small dairy goats



## akane (May 26, 2009)

I've been wanting nigerian dwarf goats but they are rather pricy and somewhat hard to find so I'm looking for other suggestions.  I don't use much milk at all so quantity is not a big deal.  I want the smallest breeds that produce quality milk and have easy going personalities or make good pets.


----------



## Chirpy (May 26, 2009)

What about a mini Nubian or mini LaMancha?


----------



## pattyjean73 (May 26, 2009)

I personally like the nubians and alpines.  The nubians can get to be a pretty good size but I'm not sure about the alpines.  It seems to me it also depends on what kind of milk you want.  Nubians produce less milk but more milkfat (similar to whole milk) to where alpines produce more milk with less milkfat (similar to 1%).  I don't know much about any other breeds.  The alpines are quite the lookers though!

It's also less expensive if you buy a cross instead of purebred.  If all you're wanting is milk I see no reason to pay the extra expense for purebred.  Also, you'd have to wait a bit, but it's also less expensive to buy a doeling instead of a full grown already freshened nanny.  Things to consider.


----------



## D Bar J Acres (May 27, 2009)

A lot of people sell grade nigerians or even registered nigerians that just don't make the cut for showing due to a fault that are priced "cheap".  I'm figuring $150 here.

Where are you located and what is your price limit?


----------



## pattyjean73 (May 28, 2009)

Watch craigslist.  Every once in awhile you can find a doe or two owned by 4-H kids that are now wanting to get out of 4-H selling cheap just to get rid of the responsibility (for whatever reason).   I found 2 really NICE high % boer doelings (7 months) for $125 through a 4-H'er.  It doesn't happen often but it does happen if you're patient.

Also, if you're just wanting a milking goat for home, consider a cross breed.  Those usually sell at a reasonable price. 

Sometimes people are moving and can't take their goats with them and you can get them pretty "cheap" too. 

It takes patience.  But you can find good goats that fit your needs/purpose for a reasonable price.  Post an ad yourself on craigslist.


----------



## earthnut (May 28, 2009)

Nigerians are crossed with all the milk breeds, making mini versions. I've heard lots of good things about the temperament of Mini-Manchas.


----------



## akane (May 31, 2009)

What type of milk I don't really know.  It's been years since I drank anything but soy or rice milk.  I'm lactose intollerant.  I can drink some goat milk but the store bought stuff tends to not be good quality.  People also said fresh raw milk is less likely to cause problems than processed stuff.  So I'd really like to try having some fresh goat milk.  Probably the thicker and richer the better since my biggest complaint on rice milk is how weak and watery it is.  Back when I did use milk I generally bought whole cow milk but I hated the taste of all store bought cow milk even when I was a kid so I only used it to cook or put on cereal even before my lactose intollerance started to get bad.

My 2nd purpose is mostly just to have cute little goats and kids every year.  Then it would be nice if they kept the backyard trimmed.  There's a fenced dog yard of about 1000' ft perimeter that the dogs don't use a whole lot since they are generally only outside when we are and we take them everywhere with us.  It also can't be mowed because of rough ground and a steep hillside so it's a wall of brush except a path we cut from the doorway out a little.  I need some cute little milk producing self powered brush mowers. 

I was planning to get 2 registered nigerian dwarf doelings, raise them, and then see if someone near by would let me do stud service once a year.  There are a couple I found with flocks but they wanted more like $500 a doe.  I'm located in eastern Iowa.  If anyone can find me something in the $100-$200 range (maybe $300 for one if the other is cheaper since I want at least 2) then I'd probably take it.  I don't want to show but I really would like something that the kids will sell well and I know what I'm getting which is why I was wanting registered pure stock instead of the random mixes I can find.  I could get a few of those for free but sometimes people don't even know what they are much less temperament, adult size, or possible milk production.


----------



## kstaven (May 31, 2009)

Akane ... You will find that many people who are lactose intolerant can easily drink fresh milk that hasn't been pasteurized. This is because the heat in pasteurizing kills the lactase that naturally breaks down lactose. 

I can drink a gallon a day of our own milk and yet will be sicker than a dog from pasteurized store bought milk. So I can relate this from personal experience.


----------



## sillystunt (May 31, 2009)

we just picked up 2 that needed to be rehomed. Found them on graigslist for the both $80. They are not registered but for us that is OK. They are smaller then our rott/shepard mix. They are a smaller milking breed but we looked into nubiens(my favorite) and they got way toooo big for our pen!!! Sometimes people post in the pet section (forum) and livestock.


----------



## ksalvagno (Jun 1, 2009)

I think you have to decide what you want the goats for and what the market is in your area to get the kids sold quickly. I just purchased 2 Nigerian Dwarf doelings that are 8 and 9 weeks old. They are registered. While I'm not looking to show, they do have to have kids every year for milk production. My feeling was that I would be better able to sell registered goats and get a better price. At least with registered goats, some of those bucks could actually sell as bucks and not everything as whethers.

After being in the alpaca business for 12 years, I learned that it is best to buy the best quality you can afford so you have the best opportunity of selling everything you want and selling at a good price.

I was looking for milking goats that didn't give us too much milk and also easy to handle. It is actually a benefit that there are fewer Nigerian Dwarf goats around. If you are the only game in town, then you can really promote your "special" breed and get your kids sold asap. I'm in Ohio and there are Nigerian Dwarf goat farms around but definitely not as many as other dairy goat breeds. While it has been harder for me to find the goats, when it come time to sell mine, I know I will be able to sell them quicker since fewer Nigerians are around. I can't build a big herd of goats and need to be able to sell quickly.


----------



## sillystunt (Jun 1, 2009)

me likey nigerian dwarfs....

but i pulled up the la Mancha's pic's and they are cute!!!


----------



## akane (Jun 2, 2009)

I found a few older does for sale.  They are 8hours away though.  I'm not entirely sure the average lifespan and productive years of a goat but I like the last one listed.  What do you guys think?
http://www.rudugastsideal.com/goats/GoatForSale.htm

Then there is someone closer to me with a la mancha  x nigerian dwarf listing in their kidding schedule for june and want $100 for the kids.  I was thinking of emailing them and reserving a doeling if they end up having one and noone has reserved yet.

Then in another year or 2 when I have a little more money hopefully I will get a registered nigerian buck and doe and have mostly nigerians with one la mancha cross.  I may be looking for someone to provide stud service on the 2 does I buy this year for the next year or 2 though.


----------



## GrassFarmerGalloway (Jun 3, 2009)

A small dairy goat?  You can milk a pygmy.  They aren't considered dairy goats, but you can.  That's just my two cents.


----------



## sillystunt (Jun 4, 2009)

100 for the lamancha x nigerian sounds good! I bet they are cute. i would go with that! 8 hours is a long trip for a goat. But that's totally your call. Keep us posted


----------



## Griffin's Ark (Jun 4, 2009)

You are too far away for me, to bad.  We could get you set up with a starter flock for a lot less than most.  That is only because we are not going to stay with the small milkers.  We are loving the Oberhasli breed and are getting lots of milk.  We have multiple Nigerians, one registered doe, the rest are unregisterd.  We have not advertised them yet because we are not sure who we want to sell them to.  The Nigerian breed is good for small quantities of milk, but it takes me the same amout of time to get 6 oz from a Nigerian as it does to get 32 oz from an Ober. (about 15 min.)

Good luck with your goat hunt!
Chris


----------



## goatdude95 (Jun 4, 2009)

If you want little milk and would like them as pets I like my pygmy goats people say you can't get much milk from them but I do, of course we use a human breast pump works quite well actually


----------



## username taken (Jun 12, 2009)

dont want to offend you, but you are not going to get registered, show quality goats of any breed for $100 - 200. Crossbreds yes. 

$500 is a very reasonable price to pay for a reg'd show quality goat. 

My most recent purchase was $800 ... and she is cheap compared to some others who have ranged between $1000 and $1500. And I know people who regularly sell does for $2K


----------



## akane (Jun 16, 2009)

What goats are you buying?  I've found lots of pure registered nigerian kids listed for $300-$400.  Retired or extra does slightly less.  I'm not looking for something that much cheaper just on the very cheap end of registered stock.  Also many of the registered mini dairy breeds that are a cross between nigerians and other dairy breeds that I've found are slightly cheaper than pure nigerians.  Unfortunately none seem to be near me and the person with the first generation crosses never responded. 

I'm not the least bit interested in show quality of any kind.  Having shown horses and then dogs for many years the show ring and practices surrounding it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Most of the best animals I've known and the best breeders and trainers of any animal never saw a show ring.  Many of the worst animals and worst breeders, trainers, and handlers I've known won in the show ring.


----------



## mully (Jun 17, 2009)

Don't know how far these people are from you but the price is right and they look healthy ...they did not say if they were does. Worth investigating

http://www.iowastatesuperads.com/livestock_Classifieds/C465A108650P1/pygm_goats_for_sale.aspx.


----------



## username taken (Jun 17, 2009)

my mistake I thought you wanted does that you could show. 

if you are just looking for reg'd does I would plan to spend around $300 for a good registered doe, in kid or in milk or both.


----------

