How time consuming is raising dairy goats?

[goatkind]

Hey, everybody I am thinking about getting a milk goat or two but had a few questions about how time consuming it is, like how long does it take on average to milk a goat and what do you do if you want to go on vacation?

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

Well you HAVE to own 2 goats. No single goats, otherwise a doe will be VERY lonely.

Well, time consuming? Add in time to water, feed, make sure they have minereals (free choice, loose, ), and milking. Milking the does themselves isn't time consuming. If you go on a vacation, simply teach a friend how to milk and pay them / ask for a favor to milk every day. However if your biggest worry is 'well they'll be time consuming'.... and your not gonna worry about housing, healthcare, wormings, etc. then don't worry, money is gonna be more of a problem, LOL. Because you need a shelter to keep them warm or cool, depending where you live (maybe both), and you will need a minereal feeder (Straw hat kikos has a about $5 mineral feeder, so that isn't much), some grain, and of course worming when they need it. They also will need to be bred to be put back into milk, of course,

 

[Roll farms]

Milking 2 does (You really should have 2, not only will they be happier, but you can breed / kid them at different times to have milk longer) only takes about 10 minutes once you get the hang of it.

Like CBL said, you can find someone to milk for you or plan your vacations around their dried off times. Fall is my favorite time of year so we have no does in milk or babies to bottle feed right now.

Shelter clean out weekly - depends on how big your pen is / what equipment you use.
Annual vaccinations, periodic hoof trims, other routine maintenance....

 

[DonnaBelle]

Like everything else in life that requires maintenance it depends on what kind of attitude you take towards doing it.

If you rush, are sloppy, don't like "chores" or can "blow stuff off" easily you don't need goats.

We have 15 does in their own barn, and 3 boys in their own barn. It takes us about 30-40 minutes to milk, clean, and feed each evening. However, we are retired, and goats are our hobby.

DH built the barns, neither are huge and made out of recycled materials (he's a tight old German, well tight and German anyway, LOL) But have windows, lots of high up ventilation, and nanny poops are cleaned out once a day.

Animals are a responsibility and must be fed, kept clean, watered and you must devote some time to getting knowledge of how to properly take care of them.

And like CBL said, you have to have at least 2. You can start with two does, if you want milk, one of the dairy breeds. Get them about 4 months old, raise them till they are 95 lbs and are at least a year old, then breed them.


DonnaBelle

 

[pdpo222]

Goats depeneding on what you consider acceptable for how clean the barn is, worming dates, hoof trims, taking to the buck for breeding, the vet charges when there is an ooppss, all play an important part in goat raising. If you are going to cut corners then you can cut time. Don't forget the hay and feed expense. Remember you chose to take these goats on, they didn't choose you. So if you can't find a pet sitting service or a friend that you can trust to take care of them if you go away, you are better off without them. Plus goats just need people time. Time with their owners. I take mine on walks in the field where we just hang out. But they do take time. So make sure you have or want to devout the time they will take. If you're not sure, or just thought owning a couple of goats would be fun, maybe you should re think.

 

[ksalvagno]

Initially, milking is going to take some time. It takes time for you and the goat to get used to milking. So for milking 2 goats, I would expect to take about 30 minutes each initially with going down to about 10-15 minutes per goat once you are used to it. Then you have to strain your milk and clean your equipment. So there is more to it than just milking the goat. Not to mention what everyone else has said.

Animals are time consuming and goats have to be milked whether you want to go on vacation or not. So before you get any goats, see if you can find someone ahead of time who will faithfully come over twice a day to milk for you. If you are not home much or vacation often, milking goats may be something for down the line when you are home more.

 

[goatkind]

Thanks everyone,
I do have a shelter and everything and I am home pretty much all the time so that wouldn't be an issue, I can also think of a few friends that would come over and milk for me if I do go on vacation, and I will get two goats instead of one.

 

[Southern by choice]

Goatkind- goats are really fun, you will definitely enjoy them! Take your time in selecting your breed, visit different farms that have large dairy and small (Nigerian Dwarfs) dairy. Read, read, and read! You will save yourself $ and heartache. This is a great place to ask questions! Having an understanding of a goats nutritional requirements, how their rumen works, intestinal worms that goats are prone to, general care( hoof trimming,body codition, eye assessment etc.) are all very important before you ever purchase a goat.

You may already know all these things or you may not. If you do disreguard, if you don't then I hope this is helpful.

I would also recommend finding a goat vet beforehand!

We chose Nigerian Dwarfs (but on the larger side) for our milk goats, I just added a full size Lamancha (on the smaller side).
I love all of our goats but I prefer ND, the smaller goats eat way less! and at least on my farm they are generally easier. My farm partner has meat goats-Kiko's they are big and a lot to handle sometimes and they EAT!

I don't think they are necessarily "better " goats they just work for me.

Hope you get back to us with some good "goat" news!

 

[Catahoula]

I don't have any does in milking but have milked one twice for my neighbors when they went on an overnight camping trip. First day, I was afraid of doing something wrong or hurting the doe but once I got the rhythm and hang of doing it, I find it very soothing and therapeutic in some ways. If you have friends who love goat milk, it could be their incentive to come milk for you. You could even set up a schedule and have a day or two off from milking.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I ended up dropping my milking down to only once a day in the mornings to accommodate our babysitters. We planned way ahead of time so that worked for us. Once I got back from our vacation, I switched to once a day nights because that is what is easier for me....I did 2x a day between the switch so my girls weren't miserable.... It is very doable, even more if you have someone that could keep closely to your schedule.

It took me 1/2 hour of frustration at first with tantrummy first time milkers until I got the hang of milking...then even when they were a little cranky I could still milk in about 10-15 minutes.....now I am at about 6-7 minutes per goat give or take a little and depending on how moody we are today!

As far as daily care, feeding and watering and just taking 10 minutes to make sure everyone is safe and healthy, goes a long way. Nights I have more time I like just hanging out with and petting everyone, or walking around out back while they weedeat for me. Weekends we catch up on any maintenance issues, hooves, cleaning, anything else.....Ocassionally you will have to add items like worming, giving antibiotics, or changing bandages to your daily chore list too.

PS G.A.S. is contagious and highly recommended.... (Goat Addiction Syndrome)