Questions about milk & cream

[SageHill]

As I wrangle a hog panel in my barn aisle, the thought occurred that you may want to consider dimensions with the thought in mind that in the future you may want to use hog or cattle panels at some point for whatever reason (I’m just making temporary chutes). Just a thought. Sure they can be cut down if needed, but that’s another step before using them.

 

[Alaskan]

ALSO...is there a reason I should be thinking now about how to divide this space into two? Like is there a reason I might be needing two pastures and divide the barn in half so two groups of goats can't access each other? All I can think of is maybe if larger goats are bullying the youngin's.

I don't see why. Especially with a tiny herd, make sure that your 2 or 3 does like each other. If they do not... then sell whichever one or ones is causing trouble. You want does that get along.

If the does get along, then the only time you will pen is right when a doe is kidding. And, keep her locked up with her kids for maybe 2 weeks... I liked locking them up so everyone can see and smell each other through a fence. I didn't want to cause issues when they were all joined back up together. It is nice to keep mom and kids locked together until the kids are a bit sturdier, and you know that the kids are nursing well and mom and kids are properly bonded. And also that mom is properly taking care of the kids.

As I said before my baby sis uses little pens for kidding. But... some of her does have low mothering instincts, and need to be right up on the kids for a few days to get everything to work as it should.

Eventhough I locked up my does after kidding, I NEVER locked them up before they kidded... when they were in labor, or if I missed that, after kids showed up, I would lock them in their own pen. They would get my entire goat pen, mom and kids. So, 10x20, more or less. Mom never lost her kids. I did, a couple of times, have to set up a warming box for the kids... but then, it is really cold where I live.

Also, I know you do probably get more milk if you pen up the kids away from the does at night... but I had no interest in the extra work, and I liked my herd together as much as possible, since that is warmer.

I did, with 2 does in milk, with kids kept on, get over a gallon a day (yes, yes, supposed to weigh, not measure by volume, whatever, the milk got poured into jars...). So, enough milk for our needs, and way less work than penning up kids.

It is important to have high production does. And, schedule! They get trained to let down at the milking times. If you milk a half hour off, you will get less milk.

I castrated the kids at about a month old, with a knife (my highly preferred method), so, no separation needed due to sex. And... I sold them young.

So... I am actually not sure why you have those stalls in your plan. Stalls are for race horses (in my mind) everything else is in a herd.

Stalls for goats are a temporary need.
I think my baby sis uses her tiny stalls for only three days. Since I only had the one big stall, and since my herd had a LARGE grazing area I kept mine locked up longer, 2 weeks, a month max. But that was mostly because I wanted to make sure mom wouldn't wander too far away from the kids. There ARE does that will headbutt and kill the kids of other does. But, if that happens... I would sell the problematic doe. A smoothly functioning herd is golden.

But also, my needs were low, because my herd was ONLY to produce milk for my human children. So... I never kept a buck, my max herd size was 3 does.

Breeding for show, for fancy stuff... totally different needs. I bred my does so that they would produce milk.

50 feet by 50 feet large enough for the main attached pasture (where the barn will be)?

That is a fine size for an exercise yard. It will become bare pretty soon.

BUT, a nice small yard means you can make sure the fence is excellent and keeps goats in and dogs out.

 

[Mini Horses]

In all honesty we are all snickering at your plans of only 2-3 goats. We know better.

RFLOL.....but, we love it, too

 

[rachels.haven]

Just chiming in here. 8x8 stalls are easier to put in because a piece of 4' by 8' plywood is 8 feet long. Less cutting.

 

[Ridgetop]

Most hog panels are 16' long. Plywood 4'x8'. 8' x '8' will be good because both the hog panels and the plywood are in multiples of 4'.

Eventhough I locked up my does after kidding, I NEVER locked them up before they kidded... when they were in labor, or if I missed that, after kids showed up, I would lock them in their own pen.

We locked our kidding does 2 or 3 to a 6' x 12' stall BUT that is because we are on such steep ground. If they try to kid on the slope the kids can fall/roll downhill, be injured or die, and the doe may not find them. Also, we always pulled the babies from the mother immediately since we did not let them nurse. With the sheep we have had them lamb on level areas out with the flock, or in lambing jugs. It just depends on what makes you feel more in control and what is easier for your style.

 

[dairydreams]

I don't know that I can write "Thank you" enough times, but you can at least add one more to the total. I am just so appreciative of y'alls help and advice.

Ok first of all, I was hit hard with "duck math" when we got our first ducks (we started with 50 and ended up somewhere around 80+)...and when we finally got chickens, "chicken math" was also a thing...we didn't go crazy but 2 became about 12 (though I mostly blame my oldest kiddo who got REALLY into chickens for a bit). That said, I am extremely aware that "goat math" is probably also going to come into play eventually but I will be trying hard to keep that number in check. But I am not ignorant enough to say I'll "only" have 2-3 and that won't change

Anywho...I've been looking over the property a lot and thinking more...

I was sure the stanchion was definitely going to be in the garage for ease of cleaning and to get to the kitchen quickly with any milk...so it makes sense that all medical/grooming supplies would also probably be stored there. Easy enough.

But now I'm wondering, should I have a spot for a second stanchion in the barn? We are in central VA, and although *bad* inclement weather isn't frequent, it does happen occasionally...I'm thinking of when we do get blizzards for example, or ice storms, and having to walk a doe through a foot plus of snow to the garage...or bad rainstorms...how challenging is that going to be?

And then I think, well, if we're going to have a stanchion in there then why have two? I can easily enough walk supplies to the barn to milk, perhaps easier than I can walk a goat to the garage. So should I just build it bigger and consolidate all goat related things to the barn in the extra space?

What would you all do?

To answer questions on the offspring...My first goats will undoubtedly be mini nubians, and likely be registered, ideally with milk stars (if nothing else, in their lineage if they haven't been personally milk tested). That sounds maybe like I'm assuming a lot about where I'll be getting goats but I have been talking to a few local breeders and they do specifically breed for milk, so I am going to be picky about that. I would say it's safe to assume I'll be doing what I can to breed them to mini nubians when the time comes, and consequently may or may not be whethering the males (likely banding). I'll likely be offering them up for sale young, and if there are no takers, band them and either keep them up for sale or raise them for meat.

Another consideration was breeding the does to another mid-sized meat breed for meat for the fam. Probably the same protocol though, offer for sale young, band if they don't sell quickly, raise for meat.

Also after reading the above it looks like it might be overkill to be having 4 stalls. I'm thinking about bumping the whole plan out a few feet in every direction, then just have two or three larger stalls that can be open or closed off (for purposed of kidding or medical isolation, for example--and before anyone says it, any contagious goats will be moved to the stall across the property). This way I have more space to adjust as needed. Oh and to try to build in multiples of 4

I did watch a woman on the YouTubes that said in her next barn she would be creating a door between stalls that would be small enough for smaller kids to get through but not mom, so they had a space to escape to and in that space would be a heat lamp. The purpose would be so that mom can't steal the heat from the babies. Does that seem potentially helpful or unnecessary?

Also is it OK if I keep updating about this journey here? I mean even when I do start building? Or is there a different place on the forum to post things like that? I mean we're all invested in this now right? LOL

 

[dairydreams]

oh also the fence we're looking at comes in rolls of 330ft so now I'm thinking we push it back into the woods another 50 feet making it 100ftx50ft, with about half in the woods. I just feel like if we already have the material, might as well use it. It'll be extra wood for posts though but might be worth in in the long run.

 

[Mini Horses]

...I'm thinking of when we do get blizzards for example, or ice storms, and having to walk a doe through a foot plus of snow to the garage...or bad rainstorms...how challenging is that going to be?

Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read this! RFLOL

Well I can tell you, they will NOT walk through. Nope! So if still milking in this weather you envision, it will be done in their barn. Of course, trained to milk, you can do that without a stand. Be ready to tie everyone so they stay put at their feed, not the one milking. Heavy rain?? Another in the barn day. Milk goats avoid wet feet....and water from sky. Yeah, true. And only milk in same order each time, each day. They're peculiar in some ways.

Just blew your plans apart, right? better to know now.

 

[SageHill]

A door and or a small door between stalls - Oh yeah. I had that on my original plan and it somehow got lost in the revision shuffle. The more doors the easier it is to sort (though I have sheep and not goats so could be different) --- but with a small door that would be good to set up creep feeding (if they do that in goats). Love how you're working through all this. You are going to end up with the perfect barn for you.

 

[rachels.haven]

I hate that my milk room is in the shop and my goats are in the barn and every night rain or shine I get to lead a parade through the rain and sometimes ankle deep flowing water as all the Tennessee Typhoon water beats a trail to the creek in the back of our property. Milk in a room IN the barn if possible. It's so much more relaxing and it will save you time. I have to take each goat off the stand and put them away one by one. I wish I could just shunt them out the door into the pasture (a different door than they entered from). We also have issues with goats deciding to go on field trips on the way to the milk shop (herd queen especially) and leading all the other goats to go try to eat the deadly plants in front of the cabin. You can skip this rodeo by having a milk room with an in door and an out door. Do it for me.