GOAT ADDICTS ANONYMOUS

[babsbag]

OK, I thought I was doing so well reducing the number of goats I own and have two real reasons to do so. One is a legal thing and since I am going to be a licensed dairy with no real written formal approval from the county (wineries are ok, dairies are not mentioned), I don't want to give any potential neighbors a legal complaint. I need to stay at 30 or below. The second reason is that I am only keeping friendly easy to handle goats and I am selling my brats.

The kids that I am keeping this year are friendly. Many of them are minis and that being said I don't want to sell off all of my cantankerous old goats that make a lot of milk until I have replacements to fill in behind them that are producing well, and that is usually not going to be on a first freshening. So some old goats have to stay.

I have too many goats. I am selling 4 more tomorrow, I have sold 7 this year not counting kids, but after counting them I am still at 39 keepers.

So if I built a dairy to justify all my goats do I now need to buy more land to make them legal?

 

[Latestarter]

I thought you had mentioned thinking about or trying to buy some land abutting yours... What happened with that? 39 isn't THAT much more than 30... at least it's not into the next set of ten (40+)...

 

[babsbag]

I still want to buy the land. There are two pieces for sale but the problem is financing them as I don't have the cash. The banks either want me to put a house on the land (not) or I could possibly get a loan with a balloon payment in 5 years (not). The really viable option is to have the USDA finance the land but they would like to see two years of operating income before loaning the money. Also one piece has a seasonal creek on it and I was advised by the USDA to not even try and finance that one; too much red tape.

I am thinking of asking the owner of the other piece if I can do a two year lease with an option to buy. I won't do any improvements to the land other than some fencing and probably not even all of that. It is 16 acres so a lot of fence and a lot of small ravines so tough fencing. I would just use it for the goats, it is very wooded, perfect goat land.

The property with the seasonal creek is 8 acres, half of it in the creek bed. They want way to much money for it but it is the better piece for stuff like hay storage, access to our land, and a place to discharge water from the dairy. While both pieces adjoin mine this one is more readily accessible. The goats would like the other one better, but I would like this one better. This one is pretty level, mostly fenced, and has a well. But I can't find any financing that I am willing to stick my neck out for. So I sit and wait and think...and collect goats.

 

[Mini Horses]

Possibly the owner of the one you want will lease to you, as you suggest, with a contingency to vacate with a 30 /60 day notice should the property go under contract....first right of refusal to buy sooner, if contract comes & close finance approved, etc., along those lines. May be all you need for now. Maybe (?).

The seasonal creek would worry ME. Any "dry gulch" is a problem for flash flooding, etc. Of course, if you are on really high side....good.

 

[babsbag]

4 acres of the land is on the high side of the creek, the front 50' of the 4 acres might get flooded but for what I want to do seasonal flooding doesn't bother me. There used to be an old mobile home but it and the occupants were lost in a fire a few years back But the home had been there so long that there is no septic system permit on file and to put one in under permit may be a problem because of the stream. But none of that matters to me as I am not building but I do have to (or should) think about the land and the resale down the road. Someday either me or my kids will want to sell it. The other 4 acres of the parcel is in the stream bed and has potential for most of the top soil to be washed away each year. Pretty useless land and if we bought it I would just scatter wildflower seeds and make it bee habitat. The owner was willing to carry papers for us but we never go any farther than that because at the time the property was in probate and the Realtor said it was just too complicated. I got fed up with a lazy Realtor and just walked away in frustration. It is not in probate any longer and I should talk to the owner again and see what he is willing to do as far as terms.

The 16 acres is nice but almost overwhelming...I would need more dogs. The land seems so much more "wild" when you can't see all 4 corners.

 

[SteveElms]

I think it's safe to say that I remain a goat addict. We did sell 2 adults (one of the toggs and our boer buck) but we are retaining all the kids (9) except for 2 bucklings. We are also looking for a different boer buck for this years breeding. I'm now milking our one togg and 3 Nigerians that we weaned the kids from today. Maybe after tonight's milking I'll rethink this goat thing. Probably not.

 

[SteveElms]

I went back and re-read all the posts. I think the goat math formula is off. Nigerians should only count as 1/3 and minis as 1/2. I milked our 3 Nigerians this morning and tonight and got a quart each time, same as our togg. To me the 1/3 makes sense and that helps me justify the numbers we have and in fact, we have room for another. I have a feeling this fall after my wife is fully recovered we are going to get another full sized doe. I'm not good with the teat size on the Nigerians after having the togg. But we can't get rid of the Nigerians since they are cute, quiet and give great tasting milk, albeit not very much.

 

[babsbag]

I am buying a goat... OH OH!!!

My son suggested that I own one of each breed for milk tasting in the dairy and I think it sounds like good marketing for farm days...soooo

I am buying a Togg and maybe an Oberhasli. That leaves a Saanen, a Nubian, and a nigi. If I want them in milk next year I need to buy them this year.

 

[Southern by choice]

I am buying a goat... OH OH!!!

My son suggested that I own one of each breed from milk tasting in the dairy and I think it sounds like good marketing for farm days...soooo

I am buying a Togg and maybe an Oberhasli. That leaves a Saanen, a Nubian, and a nigi. If I want them in milk next year I need to buy them this year.

As your friend you need me to do a virtual smack.
Do I need to come out there and do an intervention?

 

[Southern by choice]

I sold a buck.

That's it. I SOLD A BUCK!

No, I did not buy anther goat or two to replace him.

Sadly I lost a buck last week... so that doesn't really count.

BUT that is 2 LESS goats for me.

I am proud of myself.