My family has a small homestead, 1.7 acres, and we are ready to begin learning all we can about the Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats! We want them as pets, of coarse, but also as our source of milk and dairy products. We have never owned goats before and are ready to learn and prepare for them to come home in 2012. We have questions regarding how many we need for a family of 5 with about 1 acre that we plan to fence in. Also questions regarding fence type, housing, how much milk each produces, and what we need to have before they do come home. We aren't sure if we need to keep a buck or bring our girls for "dates" since we have limited property. We prefer to raise our goats as organically as possible but will do whatever they need to remain healthy.
We live in Alabama and have been researching breeders the best we can find them. I really want a breeder that can help me get started and be "on call" as I learn.
Thanks in advance for helping us as we begin a new adventure!
Replies
They definitely pay for themselves. I have 17 in milk now, so you don't want to hear my numbers, but we make all of our own dairy products -- cheddar, mozz, parmesan, gouda, chevre, queso blanco, ice cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and more. We're making cheddar, parmesan, and other aged cheeses faster than we use it, which is exciting because that means it gets to age longer and longer, and pretty soon we'll be eating really old cheese. The first year I got goats (9 years ago), I ran the numbers after a few months, and that first goat paid for herself in less than a year. I've been raising my own replacements for six years now, so no more cost there, plus I sell kids.
If you are serious about being cost effective, it's really important to buy good quality stock. A 2-pound-a-day milker costs as much to care for as one that gives 4 pounds. And if you can find someone that emulates the style you want to employ, you'll be most likely to get a goat that will continue to thrive under your care. In other words, if you have an intense management style, and you buy from an organic producer or vice versa, your results may vary from theirs.
Beth Boothe said:
Isn't that the truth!
Jan said:
Rachel, I completely understand how you feel about your meat sources and milk sources. We currently buy raw Jersey milk and butter from a local farmer. We try to buy our meat from local farmers as well when the season is right. Even all of our chickens have names and live a good chicken life but if we decided to eat one I know its life would have been good and I also know that the meat will be healthy for me and my family. Getting some NDG's will help us to become even more self reliant with milk and such so when I ask if they pay for themselves I am asking if when I stop buying the products I buy now in order to care for my goats, will the price even out? If you get 1 quart of milk per goat and we drink 4 gallons per week then it seems like we will eventually need around 5-6 does or more depending on our use of it for cheese, butter etc... So much to think about, you guys have been most helpful and I really appreciate your time :-)
I came to that decision for a couple reasons....
I kind of feel an obligation to screen potential homes for kids that I have. I don't see myself really having the time to do that, and as you know, to have milk, you have to have kids...
I have also done a lot of reading and learning in the last year about Big Ag. and I'm ready to opt out. I would rather know my animals by name, love them while they are alive, and have a tough time killing them than to buy another piece of meat from the industrial meat sources in our country. For me, it's worth the connection to my food. I realize more and more how removed from our food we are, and I'm kind of glad for the new appreciation I've come to have for my food. Not only on an emotional connection, but for the awareness I have for the work that is involved to produce it.
Goat meat was a natural choice for me, because we rent. I COULD have a cow, but cost wise, it's not really worth it. Plus, I don't have to pay someone else to process my meat. My husband is a hunter, and goat is much like deer. From start to finish, we take care of it all. Between our chickens, goats, my Father In Law's grass/pasture raised beef, the fish we catch out of the river, and the Elk my husband catches, we should not have to buy meat. And all of our meat will have lived good lives, and "only had one bad day" as Micheal Pollan says.
It wasn't an easy choice, but we did weigh it heavily. I feel more comfortable being "uncomfortable" butchering meat I knew, than knowing the meat I didn't know most likely had a miserable experience before it gave it's life to be my meal.
Adrienne said:
"...also, I'll be butchering some of my offspring, so I won't be buying meat..."
David wants to do that with the bucks that don't sell...it's a seemingly reasonable alternative to keeping them especially when I want to keep my herd small... but we were raised to use all of an animal, and I am not sure I could do that with a goat..can you tell me about how you came to this decision?
Rachel Whetzel said:
Julia Johnson said:
Beth Boothe said:
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