How Big is the Herd?

[hoosierchick]

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

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

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]

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]

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

 

[ksalvagno]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.