Saanens- A few questions!

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey trix42!

we have a saanen and we were very happy to find a lot of truth in the description that they are "like big marshmallows"! we found ours to be really easy going, didnt give two hoots about getting over/under/thru the fence, easy to milk etc etc.

she came into heat in the fall like most 'alpine' goats.

the one thing that we found was that our la mancha was more efficient with her feed than the saanen - who we could just stand there and pour feed and hay into. the saanen also had lower milkfat - which was no big deal for drinking and a minor difference in cheese making. we never could tell the diff in taste.

as for predators, two dogs working together could pull one down in a hot second. a really determined coyote could do it alone. sure they might stomp and charge, but seriously - goats are no match for predators. dogs/coyotes are killing machines once their prey drive kicks in. also we lock ours up at night. a good shelter is worth the hassle - besides they dont like to get their little goatie feet wet if it rains!

we nillynallied around with fencing and electric was the best solution over and over again. we only have two strands on the inside of an existing wood fence. i think we got the materials from TSC for about $200 and have never regretted it.

good luck!

 

[FarmerChick]

I had one saanen only in all my years of goats.

Nice goat also. Bought a bunch of boer cross and this one was in the group and the only one left so I took her also.

Does what other goats do...lol

It actually was a pain in the &*^ type goat because they lady made this one a pet. So when I fed, or went into the pasture to do work this goat was on me like white on rice getting in my face....lol while cute for a week, it got old having to push this goat away constantly...lol

But I do like saanen goats definitely.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep. mine is a show girl (i dont show her, the breeder does) and she is the Most Spoiled Goat EVER. while the other goaties are our there free rangin cuz its free, Miss Award Winning Goat sits on her duff until i BRING her weeds and such.

but she has a fun EASY personality - not like the screaming nubies or bouncy nigi's

 

[cmjust0]

It actually was a pain in the &*^ type goat because they lady made this one a pet. So when I fed, or went into the pasture to do work this goat was on me like white on rice getting in my face....lol

Sometimes, though, that can be handy.

I wormed some of our goats a few weeks ago with Dectomax Inj., dosed orally. I literally just walked out into the barnyard with a syringe, the vial, and a list.. Then I walked over to each goat who was getting dosed, scratched her cheeks a bit, straddled her, grabbed her by the lower jaw, shot the wormer down her neck, marked her off the list, and went walking over to the next one...

No chutes, no stanchions, no pens, no nothing... Just walked around picking out goats to torment.

Also, just for the record....even when having to work with flighty goats, I've never seen one that didn't follow you around if you had a bucket of feed. Even the ones with the 30' flight zones seem to get right in the way when it's dinner time.

Also for the record....I know what you mean. There's nothing quite like trying to build something in the goat barn with friendly goats around.. More than once I've had it happen that just as I'm ready to rare back with a hammer, a notice there's a goat sniffing the claw end. I've yet to not notice it, but I imagine one day it'll be a really quick way for somebody to lose a few teeth.

 

[Roll farms]

CM, a big Amen Brother to you....Gimme a "PITA" goat I don't have to chase ANY day over having to corner and wrestle some of the dam-reared Boers we have.

My husband threatens to shoot them every time they run him into the fence. Some of those cows weigh 200# plus, and I get real sore from messing w/ them at hoof trim / vaccination time.

But...When I go into the pasture, I want them loving on me. They all clamor around for a bit, but once they realize I'm foodless, they generally wander off and do their own thing and leave me be.

When all else fails, I toss a few flakes of hay away from where I need to be and they all run to it, and I do what I gotta before they're done.

 

[trix42]

Thank you one and all for your replies!

I am so excited to get into goats, and I feel Saanens are a good breed to start with. Glad to hear everyone else has had good experiences with them!

I have an update on the fencing, I thought both paddocks had barbed wire but one does not and it has a huge shelter for them.

I don't live on the property, (I live about 5 mins away) it's a family farm that isn't being used so that's why I didn't know off the get go. It used to be all barbed wire but they took it down for some reason. Hurrah!

There are three strands of electric, wondering if I should try that out or immediately put up a fourth strand?

 

[mully]

For larger goats 4 strands of wire are fine but for smaller breeds 6 strands are better. With regard to llamas if you are not going to breed them gelded males are much easier to deal with.

 

[landis1659]

I have a couple saanens that hopefully with have some kids early this spring. I read somewhere that dairy goats usally start there heat cycles in Aug-Dec. But some times if you have a buck on site they could go into heat a little earlier. And my buck and doe will do anything to get to each other or more food. We've had to fix our fence several times for just one pair. I can't wait to get the milk. I'm hoping for a March delivery, but since this is our first year I'm not sure yet. She is really starting to put on the weight now though. As for the price, we've in mid Alabama and I paid 125.00 for my female and that was with no papers. I seen them for up to 400. She has been very affectionet to all our family but the male can be quit agressive. Good luck with your new Saanens Pepper