Hi, I want to start keeping a goat for milk for my kids but not sure where to start any advise welcome.?

Answer 1

Keeping goats has been great for my kids! We raise Boer meat goats but have one nubian cross that we milk.

You need to figure out what type of breed or cross breed goat you want. Different goats can produce different amounts of milk.

The size of the area you keep them is also a factor!

You will need to keep in mind goats are not self suffecent. They need to be worked a few times a year(feet trimmed, wormed, vaccinated) Also if you are wanting milk you'll need to find a goat that is about to kid out or that has already kidded.

Here is a few sites I would recommend looking into before you buy anything just to make sure you know what you are getting into. The info varies from dairy goat breeds to diseases to complications to vital signs and back again.

It my seem like a lot of info but it is better to know as much as you can.

And once piece of advice I cannot stress enough The better quality ration (feed/hay) you give your goats the healthier you goat will be!!! We have a fraction of the health problems we had a few years ago because we feed a balanced ration and good hay plus always clean water!!!!

Here are the sites and good luck!!!

www.dairygoats.com
users.frii.com/dawog/Goats/Dai...
www.tennesseemeatgoats.com ***tons of info!!****
www.goat911.com ****Vital sings info and help*****
www.sweetlix.com *****Mineral blocks*****
www.goatclassifides.com ****buying and selling, Services***
www.cybergoat.com ****Various info***
www.jackmauldin.com/health.htm ***Great Site****
www.goatworld.com ***Health resources*****
www.sheepandgoat.com/health.ht...
www.goatnutrition.com/goat/hea...
www.hoeggergoatsupply.com ***Great goat supply ***
www.caprinesupply.com ****Great Goat Supply!!*****
www.jefferslivestock.com ***Goat supply***
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant **Ruminant info***
www.ics.uci.edu/~pazzani/4H/Da...

If you have any other questions, I may be able to help, email me at [e-mail]

Answer 2

milk is very good for you and maybe the first poster should have listened to that and not wasted your time because Karma got him and now he is bald.

But Goat milk is VERY rich. You should really have your kids test it for a while, like a week, before you buy a goat. Next are you going to be able to get up early in the morning to milk the goat before you take the kids to school? what if your sick or late? If you dont' milk her at the right time or at least close enough she can get mastitis and she could die. Also are you going to be able to consume that much milk every day and what will you do with the cream?

If you have answered all those and feel you can use all the milk etc. then you can get a goat, I suggest contacting your local 4-H dairy goat project. the leader will probably have one that doesn't produce as much which would be better for your dituation. also they can give you lessions on how to milk and if you feel like spending a few hundered dollars they can tell you where to get a milking machine.

to find your local 4-H leader google you rcounty 4-H and contact them they will conect you to the county leader which will be your best bet, good luck

Answer 3

Hello Adrian, my parents bought a goat to help me as I had a milk allergy as a child (hives). Beware though, they are addictive. I recommend you go to a few agricultural shows and talk to the breeders there. They will tell you about their particular breed, their milk production, care requirements and the pros and cons of keeping goats. But they do require work, and milking is not an optional extra - you will be doing it twice a day, every day, while the doe is producing. She will remind you in no uncertain terms if you have missed milking time.

You will need sufficient land to feed it, a secure yard to contain it (goats are the worlds greatest escape artists - ours used to wait for low tide then walk round the bottom of the fence until we figured out how they were escaping), and they are herd animals so one by itself will be lonely. You also need to know that green pasture is not good for them. They need roughage in their diet or they will scour out badly.

Get advice from the experts, not the hobbyists. They (the experts) will tell you the facts about what you are aiming to get yourself into. Having said that, I would own goats again, except they would not fit into my one-bed flat in east london - lol)

Answer 4

In terms of securing your garden that should be the first port of call, not only from the goat escaping, but from people getting in, you know how kids are, they can enjoy terrorising a defenceless animal so prepared.

Basically you need a wild grassy area, and shelter for the animal. It might be a good idea to section off the garden, giving it enough room to move about though.

As for getting one, I’d have no idea, I’d guess speaking to your local farmers would be a good start. Most are now setting up shops within their farms to sell general produce, great way to interact with farmers and strike up conversions without feeling uncomfortable.

Answer 5

No idea, but goats love company so make sure you get two. Even if they are small, if you have two, there is twice the milk. Milk isn't really that good for you, not like people say.

It clogs the arteries, and if you eat meat, the milk only replaces the calcium that the body removes from the bones to neutralise the acids produced from digesting fat. Go veggie and drink soya milk for a healthy diet. I do, even my butter is soya!!

Answer 6

This would be unadvisable if you live in a built up area. You need to live on a farm. Goats need company (other goats) (see Zoe's entry) and they smell. in addition they are stubborn, determined animals who can wreak havoc, so secure quarters are a must. Foxes love goats amongst other prey, so protect the goat, plus yourself from this. Then there are vets fees, insurance charges to take into consideration.

Answer 7

talk to a local 4-H group, these kids raise goats for dairy and learn a lot about the animal care. you might need another goat for companionship.
www.4husa.org

Answer 8

have been that undertaking to upward push up, i could merely circulate my laptop station close by of the refrigerator and set my phaser on 'relax'. My diet P deficiency and that is daily therapy do no longer enable for 'escaping' beers and, after all, there is that settlement between me, the brewery and the sewer district which I have not have been given any objective of pissing away.

Answer 9

Actually, on the contrary, milk is good for you.

But sorry to post off topic.

Answer 10

You could always write to the producer of Emmerdale and ask Andy sugden for 1 of his. lol.