Hi! I am new to Nigerian goats, I want to purchase at least 2 does to start but I want to make sure that I am doing everything right. My family had goats when I was growing up but I don't remember much. Please advise, how important is it to get registered goats? I was offered 2 babies 2 weeks old, is it OK to take them from mom so young? What about bottle feeding... what to feed, how often, how much? There is a lot of conflicting info on-line! Does anyone here show them? Is it hard to find shows? Is it fun or full of politics? I have a nice barn for them and look forward to getting started :) Thank-you VERY much for any info!
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Wow! Taking the kids away at two weeks??? Ive never even heard of such a thing! I shudder to think what some people will do for the fast dollar. You dont HAVE to buy Registerd Goats if all you want is a pet or to add to your herd for milk. If you want to show it will be required. We started off with really great pure breed dwarf nigerians. Some of them were double registerd. The Advantages are you can have the babies registerd (provided the buck is also registerd) and sell each of them for the same amount you bought yours for. So within a year you have your inital cost back (minus vet, shots, food, ect). You also know that when someone is taking the time to have goats registerd, that they more than likely have good stock, are taking care of the herd, and generally care completly about the welfare of their animals.
Having said that. I have some really good Nigerians that are not registerd, and 2 we are not even sure if they are pure bred. But we use them for milk and they are very gentle, great mothers and excellent milkers..what else could I ask for..and I didnt have to pay 300 dollars per goat. I had to search long and hard to get them and got lucky.
I would suggest you start off with a good breeder and go from there. Dont buy any goats you are gonna have to bottle feed from the beginning. They should be weaned when you get them.!! period. If you choose to bottle feed your babies you will know enough by then to decide if you want to do it 2 or 4 times a day. or if you want them to stay with mom.
I hope this helps..good luck and be patient in picking out goats. The right ones will come along and you will be happier you waited.
Thank-You, I knew that it sounded wrong to take them that young, but had to ask. I am not in any hurry and would love to hear about your babies when they wean. I have a lovely set-up for them, just need to learn more before choosing.
Dianea Fay said:
Amy there are shows in Colorado not sure as to just where you are but we bought some really nice ones from folks in Grand Junction area. They just retired last year from goats but I do know he went to like 6 shows in 2 weekends. A couple of my goats were showns and won. We show our goats and there really is not politics in goat shows that we have found. I am sure if you look hard enough you will find it. You should check our American Goat Society and American Dairy Goat Association for leads to goats. You can also check out American Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat association (ANDDA) and get some leads there. Ask lots of questions and don't settle for that is just how it is done. As for taking babies at 2 weeks DO NOT unless they have been on the bottle. That is cruel and mean to kids to jerk and "throw away" just to get rid of them. I am not impressed with hearing breeders even thinking of this type of activity. Do your research and ask lots of questions be sure before you jump. These are really great animals but they are aan animal and need care . Have fun looking lots to see out there. We too have goats for sell but they have to be weaned first. Check out out herd pages. Good luck
If you want to show, you MUST have registered goats, and after they're a year old, they have to be shown in milk, which means you have to breed them. Although registered goats cost more to buy, you can also sell them for more when you have kids.
Showing is fun, but it's also a lot of work because you have to clip the goats. Shows are always at least two to three hours away from us, which means getting up at 3 a.m. or going the night before and sleeping in a barn.
Kids need milk for 2-3 months, so they either need to stay with mom for that long, or they need to be bottlefed for that long. If someone is talking about pulling kids off mom at two weeks, I wouldn't buy goats from them -- period! They are either uninformed or just don't care about the wellbeing of their kids. If someone sells you kids that are bottlefed, they should tell you the feeding schedule they're using and what they're feeding. Again, just pulling kids off mom at two weeks is not a good idea, especially if they're telling you that you can just take them home and start bottlefeeding. It might work; it might not. In either case, it's bound to be a very rough transition.
Think about your goals -- do you just want pets, or do you want milk for cheesemaking, or do you seriously want to show? The price of kids will vary tremendously, depending upon your goals.
Replies
Having said that. I have some really good Nigerians that are not registerd, and 2 we are not even sure if they are pure bred. But we use them for milk and they are very gentle, great mothers and excellent milkers..what else could I ask for..and I didnt have to pay 300 dollars per goat. I had to search long and hard to get them and got lucky.
I would suggest you start off with a good breeder and go from there. Dont buy any goats you are gonna have to bottle feed from the beginning. They should be weaned when you get them.!! period. If you choose to bottle feed your babies you will know enough by then to decide if you want to do it 2 or 4 times a day. or if you want them to stay with mom.
I hope this helps..good luck and be patient in picking out goats. The right ones will come along and you will be happier you waited.
Dianea Fay said:
If you want to show, you MUST have registered goats, and after they're a year old, they have to be shown in milk, which means you have to breed them. Although registered goats cost more to buy, you can also sell them for more when you have kids.
Showing is fun, but it's also a lot of work because you have to clip the goats. Shows are always at least two to three hours away from us, which means getting up at 3 a.m. or going the night before and sleeping in a barn.
Kids need milk for 2-3 months, so they either need to stay with mom for that long, or they need to be bottlefed for that long. If someone is talking about pulling kids off mom at two weeks, I wouldn't buy goats from them -- period! They are either uninformed or just don't care about the wellbeing of their kids. If someone sells you kids that are bottlefed, they should tell you the feeding schedule they're using and what they're feeding. Again, just pulling kids off mom at two weeks is not a good idea, especially if they're telling you that you can just take them home and start bottlefeeding. It might work; it might not. In either case, it's bound to be a very rough transition.
Think about your goals -- do you just want pets, or do you want milk for cheesemaking, or do you seriously want to show? The price of kids will vary tremendously, depending upon your goals.