new to goats what breed should i get

[jimmythegoat]

we have a good amount of room on our farm with alot of open brush area.so the kids want to get a pair of goats they want a smaller breed they want to breed there pair so they want 1 boy an1or 2 girls we are looking for very friendly goats that love people.i will be putting up eltric goat netting an a little shelter for them to get out of the rain an wind.any suggestions on housing or breeds will help i know the can not breed till older so i will either buy a pair of older goats or 2 baby females an buy a male next year.thanks alot jim.

 

[Chirpy]

Jim - Welcome to BYH!

It's great that you are doing your homework before bringing home goats. The smaller breeds are generally the Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmys and Fainters (there are others but they are often harder to find).

If you want to attempt to milk your doe someday then you'd want to go with the Nigis. You need to research and find a good milk line of goats... their teats are so small that you want the best advantage to start out with so find dams with good udders and good size teats with large orifices.

If you don't care about ever milking then any of the above breeds would be great goats for pets.

I would highly suggest you do not get a buck, even next year, as they become incredibly stinking (they actually pee on themselves) during breeding season --- oh, that's all year round with the small breeds! They can also sometimes become more aggressive when around in season does. If you do decide to get a buck you will need really good, tall sturdy fencing and he will need a friend (a wether makes a great companion for bucks - although if the buck gets aggressive at times you need to be able to move the wether out for a while for his safety. If you don't get a buck and you really do want to breed your doe(s) then you will want to make sure you have access to a buck at the time of year you decide you want to breed. In certain areas of the country it's hard to find good bucks of certain breeds so do that research before you make your purchase also. Of course, if you just want to breed for a cross then you don't have to have a buck that's the same breed as your doe.

The smaller breeds do just fine with smaller housing... a large dog house works as long as it can't rain inside and the wind can't blow through it.

My personal opinion is to never breed a smaller breed goat until she's 18 months old or older. Other people go by the weight of the doe to breed.

 

[KinderKorner]

Kinder Goats!

They are a small breed for milk, meat, or pets.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3482

Some older pictures of mine.

I would love to answer any questions you have.