All Things Goats

[Green Acres Farm]

In the wild the goats have space.

They all have space.

Space cures most ills.

In a captive environment there are lots of spots where one animal can get cornered or pinned down. That is where most problems occur.

I have also thought (I may be wrong about this) Nigerians were bred so they can breed year round whereas most goats are seasonal breeders. That would limit breeding to a point in wild goats. I would not house a buck and doe together indefinitely.

 

[OneFineAcre]

This is a great place to learn
You mention you are in NC?
We are too and have Nigerians
I know a lot of breeders throughout the state
Would be glad to help if I can
@Goat Whisperer is a great Nigerian breeder too

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I was going to say the same thing @Green Acres Farm

If they were seasonal breeders it would be better, but still not the best practice

The apron may work for some, but like I said I would never trust it. And they can still get caught in it. Maybe not strangle but anything around the body of a goat IMO can cause issues. It seems like one of those things where it's fine intil it's not. But that is just MHO

While the does are pregnant they release different hormones. Those hormones can cause the buck to think the doe is in heat and- sometimes causing the buck to chase the already pregnant doe- and causing her to abort. This actually happened to a member on this forum years ago…

You are also more likely to deal with behavioral problems. Nigies cycle every three weeks. If you are running the buck in with them full time but are using the apron you are going to have a very frustrated buck. When they are frustrated they cause problems (like being aggressive towards humans, goats). If they are always dealing with this stress they will not keep adequate body condition. We are all speaking out of experience here, we have these animals and have been breeding and raising them for years. Everyone here is trying to look out for you and your animals- no one wants to see anything bad happen and it seems like everyone is trying to warn you. You can take it or leave it but hopefully you are educated on the matter

Like OFA said- there are many many ND breeders here in NC. We do a lot of teaching on our farm. Last year our extension agency asked us to teach a class involving dairy goats in Greensboro. That same year they asked if they could bring about 20 youth learning about livestock to do a farm tour- not something we generally do but in this case we allowed it. We haven't done much with public classes this year (not enough time) so most everything is private classes.

We also have taught private classes on disbudding & tattooing, drawing blood, McMasters fecal analysis, proper hoof trimming, to name a few.

Working with your local extension agents might be beneficial.

 

[Eliya Sage]

Okay, Thanks guys!!! Really appreciate all your help! We're staying away from bucks. Hope i didn't stress non of ya'll out by persistently asking the same questions. (It still sounds slightly silly tbh.) But we're gonna play it safe. @Goat Whisperer, thats awesome! Sounds like your right around the corner! Will surely look into that! My mother is greatly concerned about getting too much milk, like we get too many eggs (we hand them out to our neighbors and at our church .) And we may even look into getting a pygmy doe, Just because, contrary to what most people say, They can milk. Some just have problems with cramps because of the small udders. I have very small hands though. Some pygmies have been recorded to produce 2 gallons of milk per day at the peek of their freshening. That seems like something worth looking further into, but i'm sure i can find some person who writes articles on it>>>>I really appreciate you guys!!!

 

[Southern by choice]

Some pygmies have been recorded to produce 2 gallons of milk per day at the peek of their freshening.

Sorry, that simply is just not true. Sadly far too many either exaggerate or flat out lie. I share this because I don't want you "taken".
Saanens are the largest goats out there (about 200 lbs) and they can do 2 gallons+ per day... a pygmy is not a dairy goat ... a good Nigerian which is a dairy breed isn't going to give that either.

 

[OneFineAcre]

No pygmy has ever given 2 gallons.
2 quarts maybe.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Also keep in mind, it is not just the amount of milk at the peak of lactation of a goat that makes it a good milker, you also want them to steadily keep on producing for you. You may find a pygmy that gives say, a quart at its peak, but I would also be wondering how long they could sustain that. If you are wanting milk, I would go with a dairy breed with the production numbers and lactation lengths you are looking for.

 

[Alaskan]

Truth.

I hear of people getting milk goats, even dairy breeds, but they are not careful enough to ask about how well mom milked etc....

Then they get 3 cups a day 4 months into lactation. Barf.

I wouldn't stand for that.