Getting my first goat. I'm so excited!!!

[glenolam]

Welcome and congratulations!

I'd just like to throw out that you might want to consider banding or castrating the buckling since he can and will breed his mother if he's left in tact (unless he's already been wethered).

I think you're correct on the Saanan cross, but you might never really know for sure!

 

[cmjust0]

First of all...very cool.

Welcome and congratulations!

I'd just like to throw out that you might want to consider banding or castrating the buckling since he can and will breed his mother if he's left in tact (unless he's already been wethered).

I second this.. If he's 2mo old, he's old enough for it. Since there are only two of them and they're meant to eat brush, I'd probably just keep him as a pet wether so mama won't get lonely.

Something else I'd suggest is to start milking pretty much right away, and to freeze the milk. She's in peak lactation right about now and appears to have a good level of condition on her, plus the kid's pretty much weaning age. If you don't get your milk now, my concern would be that she'll start losing condition at precisely the *wrong* time of year on account of having to make a ton of milk for the kid, which would mean weaning him off just to keep mama's condition up...and the problem there is that there are only two of them, so weaning him traditionally by splitting them up wouldn't really work....which more or less means you'd have to tape her teats to deny him access and cause her to dry off...

And if you have to dry her up before you get your milk for soap, well...you won't have any milk for soap!

Just a thought.

 

[mordarlar]

Thank you glenolam and cmjust0

I am really torn about banding him. I had planned to band him as soon as we picked him up and let them settle for a few days. But last night i started thinking...

We have 50 acres that is pretty overgrown. We plan to move there in the spring and in the meantime we are renting. While renting we are limited on the animals we can keep. These two will be on their own through the winter and then will be joined by others.

In the spring we plan to get a few more goats and start a small herd. The breeds we've been interested in raising are Pygoras (manageability for shearing, nice fiber, brush eating machines and more hardy than Angoras) and increasingly Boers for their meat qualities, which will be increasingly important as we tiptoe toward self sufficiency, as well as their overall sturdiness.

The buckling is a Saanen(?), pygmy and Boer. I know that he could not be bred to a Pygora because he will probably be too large but what got me hesitating on the banding issue is the idea of breeding him to one or two older Angoras.

I am smart enough to know i cannot simply throw all the breeds i like into a pen and have them breed perfect little mixed multi purpose super kids but i do wonder if some of the diluted attributes of each breeds strengths might add help contribute to an easy to mange multi purpose little herd.

Moving along and slowly ideas are being replaced by action.

cmjust0, that is really good advice. Problem is that it might take me all winter just to learn *how* to milk her.

 

[cmjust0]

Question...

Are you absolutely sure that what's got you thinking about perhaps *not* banding him is the idea of using him as a multipurpose herdsire, or could you just be attempting to rationalize your way out of having to snap a rubber band around his lil' sack right off the bat?

Juuuuuuust wondering.

Also...do you have any predator-bait-type animals out there now, and if so, how are they fairing? I ask because...I gotta tell ya...leaving two goats out on 50 acres over the winter with no protection unnerves me more than just a little..

 

[mordarlar]

Question...

Are you absolutely sure that what's got you thinking about perhaps *not* banding him is the idea of using him as a multipurpose herdsire, or could you just be attempting to rationalize your way out of having to snap a rubber band around his lil' sack right off the bat?

Juuuuuuust wondering.

Also...do you have any predator-bait-type animals out there now, and if so, how are they fairing? I ask because...I gotta tell ya...leaving two goats out on 50 acres over the winter with no protection unnerves me more than just a little..

Alright, i'll admit it...YIKES!!!


They'll be staying where we rent through the winter. We currently are renting a small rural apt./inlaw suite. They won't be more than 40 ft from our door and only a few from the chickens. In the spring, the lot of us will move over to try and tame the 50.

 

[cmjust0]

Alright, i'll admit it...YIKES!!!

AHA! -- band him.

Or make someone else band him. Or take him to the vet to be 'cut.' He needs to be parted of his junk somehow or another -- and I'm saying that as a guy. Trust me when I tell you that I don't take stuff like that lightly.

They'll be staying where we rent through the winter. We currently are renting a small rural apt./inlaw suite. They won't be more than 40 ft from our door and only a few from the chickens. In the spring, the lot of us will move over to try and tame the 50.

Ok, that makes me feel a lot better.

 

[Dreaming Of Goats]

Yes... I would definitley "get rid of his junk" some how.... Milking isn't that hard to learn..... just bump the udder, squeeze the top and move your fingers down. I've only done it twice, though.... so I'm still not good You'll get the hang of it When are you picking it up? Make sure you get some pictures!!!!

 

[savingdogs]

Oh my goodness, have you SMELLED a mature buck? It is the most disgusting ripe ugly odor that permeates everything and your whole farm will smell. You do NOT want one. He would make all your goats stink BAAAAD. We just had one visit for a few months and the barn and the other goats still smell somewhat like him after a month, although it is improving. Normally your goats will smell good, without a buck, all earthy and like fresh hay and whatnot.

I think your idea of creating a herd is great but you don't really need a buck until you have quite a few does. Bucks are for people who are REALLY into goats because they might need to keep not only a buck but a friend goat for the buck to live with, off in a pen to themselves, far, far from human noses and the other goats.

We had a little pen set up for our visiting buck and found it was way, way, too close to the house.
And I don't have a sensitive nose.

 

[Dreaming Of Goats]

I know.... they smell TERRIBLE!!!!

 

[mordarlar]

Oh my goodness, have you SMELLED a mature buck? It is the most disgusting ripe ugly odor that permeates everything and your whole farm will smell. You do NOT want one. He would make all your goats stink BAAAAD. We just had one visit for a few months and the barn and the other goats still smell somewhat like him after a month, although it is improving. Normally your goats will smell good, without a buck, all earthy and like fresh hay and whatnot.

I think your idea of creating a herd is great but you don't really need a buck until you have quite a few does. Bucks are for people who are REALLY into goats because they might need to keep not only a buck but a friend goat for the buck to live with, off in a pen to themselves, far, far from human noses and the other goats.

We had a little pen set up for our visiting buck and found it was way, way, too close to the house.
And I don't have a sensitive nose.

I know.... they smell TERRIBLE!!!!

Ok, ok...understood.

Banding