How I started my little farm-Journey to goats

[Wild Bug Ranch]

I've always wanted to have sheep, and goats. And so we began our journey. we started building the pen and we got supplies from Tractor Supply Co. After we built the fence, we made our move to the barn. After we finished working on the barn, we searched for goats for sale. My dads buddy had 2 wethers he was selling so we were like sure lets get some wethers. I wanted to do 4-H for the first time so we got a ND doe named Dixie. We live in a predator area so we had to get an LGD dog and my dads buddy(person who gave us the first set of wethers) had a dog who gave birth to Akbash/Great Pyrenees puppies! We had to get one! So what did we do next.....we got her, we named her Dallas! Then we wanted to get more goats. So we found the second pair of wethers. We now want a Nubian doe and a Boer doe. So that is were we are today. ISO 1 Nubian and 1 Boer doe!

If you have any questions about goats, chickens, training dogs, or LGDs! Ask away or PM me!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @Wild Bug Ranch,

Welcome to Backyard Herds! You will find a lot of smart and helpful folks on this forum. Quite a number of folks have goats. Here is a list of those that I remember, but I am sure there are a lot more:

+ Miss @B&B Happy goats in Florida
+ Miss @Duckfarmerpa1 in Pennsylvania,
+ Miss @rachels.haven in Massachusetts
+ Miss @chickens really in Alberta, CA (or maybe Saskatchewan, I can't remember)
+ Miss @drstratton in ???
+ Miss @Mini Horses in coastal Virginia

If I remember correctly, Miss @Larsen Poultry Ranch is not too far from where you reside.

So, again, welcome to Backyard Herds

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Mini Horses]

You sound busy! I will assume you are looking for reg stock? I raised Boers many years ago, in fact, brought first of them into VA -- from all accounts. At the time, they were only quarantined in TX. Couple trips later and we had a small herd of 25 reg ones. Now, they are found pretty much "everywhere".

At this time, I keep dairy goats. Saanen, SaanenxNubian...primarily. I wanted to add Boer this spring but with the pandemic crap, it's still in the looking stages. Between now & Spring. I'm a touch picky now, having had them before, so little slower move. Not stopping diary, just adding to farm. Plus, the does I have will be putting some BoerX kids out soon after buck arrives.

Of course you do not HAVE to breed a doe but, I assume you plan to raise kids? There ya go, more bucks. The dominos are falling!!

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Hi! Welcome to BYH! And welcome to the goat world! Hold on for the ride of your life! Wheh! I’ve got 10 now but we had 16, and with kidding season we have the potential for 21 kids..yikes! But I’m not keeping them! Maybe just a couple..you see we have a fulllll farm, and require a ton of work. I have dairy goats...miking on a 12 hour schedule...plus feeding calves on that same schedule...yikes....so, you’re going to breed Nubian to Boer? I see a lot of them up this way. Boer are toooo big for name..I’m a little person..so I need a 75 lb goat..max! I’ve got, Kinder..which are a cross between Alpine and Pygmy...they are awesome dairy goats..I get most of my milk from my herd leader, Busty..guess how she got that name?. Then I have mini oberhasli...also great milkers, then ND...milk tastes good but, IMO, a pain in the neck to milk...and Pygmy goats...which aren’t really dairy, but I actually got more milk from my FF Pygmy than I got from my FF ND this year! And she stood great from me, and not those tiny teats ... Next time, maybe you can post some pictures?

oh, forgot to mention, my blue eyed ND is due Aug 20..to my Blue eyed ND buck...hopefully their will be some tri color, moon spotted kids? Gotta read up on my kidding bible, getting a bit rusty..cob webs in my brain, from so many babies on the farm, so many species!!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Welcome! I'm just starting out with goats so I am probably not much help. I've been eyeing sheep but have to wait until we get more land. What kind of sheep were you looking into getting?

I have chickens, turkeys, quail, rabbits, and part-time goats. I'm in the Auburn/Lincoln area, so give me a holler if you need anything.

 

[Wild Bug Ranch]

We aren't looking at sheep anymore. Just goats. And I am trying to get a Nubian Doe and a Boer doe so I can raise kids and milk! I have 5 goats, 1 Nigerian Dwarf doe and 4 wethers. So looking for does. Not registered Nubian, only Boer so I can raise and do her kids for showing and selling!

 

[Wild Bug Ranch]

Hi! Welcome to BYH! And welcome to the goat world! Hold on for the ride of your life! Wheh! I’ve got 10 now but we had 16, and with kidding season we have the potential for 21 kids..yikes! But I’m not keeping them! Maybe just a couple..you see we have a fulllll farm, and require a ton of work. I have dairy goats...miking on a 12 hour schedule...plus feeding calves on that same schedule...yikes....so, you’re going to breed Nubian to Boer? I see a lot of them up this way. Boer are toooo big for name..I’m a little person..so I need a 75 lb goat..max! I’ve got, Kinder..which are a cross between Alpine and Pygmy...they are awesome dairy goats..I get most of my milk from my herd leader, Busty..guess how she got that name?. Then I have mini oberhasli...also great milkers, then ND...milk tastes good but, IMO, a pain in the neck to milk...and Pygmy goats...which aren’t really dairy, but I actually got more milk from my FF Pygmy than I got from my FF ND this year! And she stood great from me, and not those tiny teats ... Next time, maybe you can post some pictures?

oh, forgot to mention, my blue eyed ND is due Aug 20..to my Blue eyed ND buck...hopefully their will be some tri color, moon spotted kids? Gotta read up on my kidding bible, getting a bit rusty..cob webs in my brain, from so many babies on the farm, so many species!!

You will have to post pics on here of mother, father, and kids!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

We aren't looking at sheep anymore. Just goats. And I am trying to get a Nubian Doe and a Boer doe so I can raise kids and milk! I have 5 goats, 1 Nigerian Dwarf doe and 4 wethers. So looking for does. Not registered Nubian, only Boer so I can raise and do her kids for showing and selling!

You might want to talk to a family who did 4h or FFA then, if you are thinking of showing and selling. The goats we have now are a mix: three does we bought from a FFA family after they were shown and had their first kidding. They are beautiful and huge. I love that they like or at least tolerate being petted and they willingly run up to you especially if you have treats. The other 4 goats (2 does 2 wethers) are mixed breed mostly boer from the does we had previously. These are now well over a year old, and only one is close to the height of the FFA goats, definitely don't look as meaty.

Long story short, if you want a good Boer, definitely talk to an actual breeder or FFA/4H who breeds their animals to standard. Also you might look into the requirements for showing the Boers if they require horns. The three we bought still have horns but I recall most dairy breeds are polled or dehorned? I don't know how that might change your herd hierarchy of some have horns and others don't.

 

[Wild Bug Ranch]

Yeah, I of my wethers already has horns, but horns or no horns for Nubian it doesn't matter but yeah polled I need for Boer

 

[chickens really]

I will follow along as you build your herd of goats. Glad you started your journal..