What type of goats??

[Dreamers]

Update....
I ended up with 4 herd sisters for chloe. 2 nubian.. 1 the farmer says is nubian but I think is an alpine and nubian cross, and one saanen lamancha cross.

 

[GoateeMcfee]

What type of goats do you have and why??!!

Nigerian Dwarfs for brush control. Tons of blackberries, thistle, and stinging nettles where I live. But I also wanted a manageable size of goat, and I don't need bigger ones that will produce more milk as they are wethers.


Hoping to get into either dairy goats or sheep though ! Any suggestions?

 

[Alaskan]

Nigerian Dwarfs for brush control. Tons of blackberries, thistle, and stinging nettles where I live. But I also wanted a manageable size of goat, and I don't need bigger ones that will produce more milk as they are wethers.


Hoping to get into either dairy goats or sheep though ! Any suggestions?

Sannan are the best milkers in regards to volume produced per day, AND length of lactation. Much more likely to breed once ever 4 years... or whatever.

Also, the lower fat milk is more like the milk from the store... so my kids loved it

Also, you can still make cheese out of it.

 

[GoateeMcfee]

Sannan are the best milkers in regards to volume produced per day, AND length of lactation. Much more likely to breed once ever 4 years... or whatever.

Also, the lower fat milk is more like the milk from the store... so my kids loved it

Also, you can still make cheese out of it.

Thank you! I will look into these!

 

[BarnOwl]

We don't have goats yet, but have built the fence and plan to get them in the next month or two. We picked Nigerian Dwarf goats because we wanted a small goat for milk, brush control (and just a friendly pet for our children) that was easy to transport, handle, and house (we have only 5 acres and no trailer yet). I like the idea of the high butterfat of the milk.

 

[Alaskan]

I have a hatchback... and a couple of fullsize goats fit perfectly in the back.

Yep... had to haul them in the car multiple times over the years... just duct tape a trashbag to the car floor, cover the trashbag with absorbent bedding.

My baby sis transports full sized goats in her minivan. She puts them INSIDE a trashbag, with their head out of the bag...

Anyway, a full size goat usually has bigger, WAY easier to milk teats, can't tell you how nice and important the teat size is.

I had one mini Saanan (so Saanan x Nigerian dwarf) and her teats were too small to easily milk, and she could flat foot jump over a 5 foot tall fence. I could NOT keep her contained!!!

 

[BarnOwl]

My baby sis transports full sized goats in her minivan. She puts them INSIDE a trashbag, with their head out of the bag...

Haha! That is a hilarious image, but I bet it works. I had someone tell me I could fit adult Alpines into the back of my small SUV (Subaru Forester), but they were also trying pretty hard to sell me some goats...so I was slightly skeptical. Maybe it is more possible than I was thinking. Overall, I love the Forester but I'm not too impressed with the cargo space. Has enough room for one of my 80lb German Shepherds, but it'd be a tight fit for two.

Yeah, I've read that some Nigerian lines are more geared towards pets than milking. The fence jumping would be a pain in the butt. And a deal breaker if we couldn't come up with a reasonable solution. I am crossing all my fingers and toes. :-/

 

[Alaskan]

I have a Toyota highlander.

I transported 2 full sized goats and one kid in there for an 8 hour stretch with zero issues.

I used the same car for multiple shorter trips... one or 2 full sized does each time for breeding.

You need 2 people though:

Goat on leash.

You stand outside of car, at open hatchback with the goat.

Helping person in back seat of car,

hand the helper the end of the leash, through the open hatchback.

Helper, still sitting in back seat, keeps leash taught and pulls gently.

You heave goat into back.

Helper asks goat to not climb over seat.

You close hatchback.

You drive

Helper keeps talking to goat, convincing the goat to stay in the far back.

See? Easy! I am pretty sure the Highlander is the same size as the Forester.

 

[Palomino]

There are lots of good Nigerian lines out there, so I'm sure you'll find some good ones! I had plenty of different Nigerian lines and none of them ever jumped fences. Some of my larger breed goats did, but I have heard of Nigerians doing it too. There has to be a goat like that in every breed!!
I think Nigerians are a great choice for all the things that you're looking for. There are some really great milking lines in your area, (if you'd like more info, feel free to PM me), but when it comes to size and handling, I would take a Nigerian over a full size goat. Yes, you do have to bend more with the Nigerians, but that can be helped by using a milking stand for chores like hoof trimming, and especially with children, a Nigerian is much less likely to drag them around than a larger breed. if they're working with them. They also tend to be easier on fences and require less feed and room to shelter.

 

[Mini Horses]

I milk my Saanens and Saanen x Nubians. Great tasting milk and a lot of it!! They tend to be basically well behaved. I find once in milking mode, jumping over things is less enjoyed...protect the udder. They are quieter vocally. Size alone could be an issue for a small child. That said, not a choice for everyone.