How many keep just pet goats?

[AshleyFishy]

I'm playing around with the idea of no longer breeding my goats. I no longer have the time to milk them and hate selling of the babies every year.

So I'm thinking of wethering or selling my buck and just keeping the most friendly goats. I could always breed the girls to another buck later on if I wanted.

How many out there keep goats as just pets? Should I bother wethering the buck or just sell him? He is a very friendly guy and loves everything on the property.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Our first goats, Jane and Joey, were just pets for a few years. We liked them so much that now I am up to 17 goats, milking and hopefully having meat babies on the ground for food in the next year or 2. But they are basically "pets with benefits." I wouldn't be able to justify so many if I wasn't feeding my family with them and if they didn't cover some of their expenses. But having them for pets, I don't have to stress as much that I decided to retire Jane or if someone needs something that "real" producers wouldn't justify whether for cost reasons or making decisions based on emotion. Part of farming the way I do is to cut myself a little slack in the emotion department. Pets with benefits is working for me. Some animals will just stay here forever as pets even when they aren't able to give me back much in the way of monetary or product gains. Not all the farm animals get that, but keeping the favorites and passing on some that aren't is OK with me.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Id like a few. They will be in a 1/2 acre section. I was hoping to keep 3 or 4 Spanish Goats

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

I'm playing around with the idea of no longer breeding my goats. I no longer have the time to milk them and hate selling of the babies every year.

So I'm thinking of wethering or selling my buck and just keeping the most friendly goats. I could always breed the girls to another buck later on if I wanted.

How many out there keep goats as just pets? Should I bother wethering the buck or just sell him? He is a very friendly guy and loves everything on the property.

My goats are for milking purposes, so they've gotta work to earn their keep. (Though, that doesn't stop my folks from lovin' on and having favorites ). I know some folks who breed their goats every other year. In this way, they won't have to deal with kids every year and your does can still be working. You could go to once a day milking if that'd suit you better; you might not get as much milk as you'd like, but it'd be something. As far as your buck goes, IMHO, I'd sell him only if he were registered and was coming from and / or passing down good milking lines (assuming he's a dairy breed); being friendly is great, but you've got to take the other things into consideration. I don't know anything about fiber or meat goats, so can't help you there if he's one of those. Would wethering or selling him bring you regrets? If so, you might just want to hold on to him. Wether and keep him if he doesn't pass down the milking/ udder traits you'd like, but has a great personality otherwise. Or, if he does, just keep him as is.

 

[Egg_Newton]

"pets with benefits" I like it.