I need some help from dairy goat owners.

[skyking]

Sully there's just not any at present.That could change at any time.You also have a wanted section there also I think.Just put it online what your searching for
www.Agriseek.com may work also I've never had much luck ,but there are many listings and my computer has always run slow so perhaps you'll luck out there
My friend used www.goatfinders.com and found some good grade does also join ADGA and they have a huge breeders listing { big book] from all over the country .I mean a bunch
That milker is great investment.Dan is super helpful.One summer they had a bunch of bad springs in the handle and they were great to service and send out replacements.

[Amaryllis]

We raise meat goats to show at the county shows and fair. They are very expensive and very prone to disease. The main things we have to watch for are ring worms and calculi (kidney stones, which is very deadly for goats). The importance of clean water can't be stressed enough. Also be aware that people can catch the ring worms too. They aren't the typical kind that can easily be gotten rid of with foot cream. I get the impression that these ring worms maybe run in certain areas or certain stocks. We've gotten goats from various places, but the one's with the ring worms came from one specific place. We have pretty much decided we won't buy from there again.

Our largest expense is heating (leads to a very high electric bill). You probably won't have to worry about that since you won't be shaving yours to show. Plus yours shouldn't have to have any special feed to build muscle. Ours have to have certain vaccinations, but I'm not sure if all goats need them or if it's just because ours will be around other goats at shows.

Good luck. Goats are very enjoyable to be around. A lot of times they can be like pets. Also, if you take good care of them they seem to be very hearty. Just make sure they are in an enclosed area at all times (obviously) and pen them up when you aren't around to protect from coyotes. They like lots of room to run and play and graze as well as having things to climb on and jump off of. Also, be aware they'll eat or gnaw at anything.

[grower]

Originally Posted by Amaryllis

We raise meat goats to show at the county shows and fair. They are very expensive and very prone to disease.

If you want to raise meat goats for meat, imo the way to go is Kikos. They are specifically bred to be low maintenance....you generally don't have to worm them much (some never worm them), they don't require as much hoof trimming, and most serious breeders give them little or no shelter, preferring to run them in large tracts of land with just woods for shelter. I kid you not! And they actually have a more rapid weight gain on average than Boer goats. We bought a doe from An Peischel, who was the first person to import a handful of Kiko bucks into the U.S. from New Zealand over a decade ago. The little girl we got from her stands out there munching hay when the Boers are huddled up looking cold.

[sully]

Thanks everyone. I'm still looking, no luck yet....

Sully

[Island Girl]

Sully,

I bought 4 goats a year ago and learned lots of lessons I hope you can avoid.

The first lesson was that goat fencing is very expensive and I was blown away at how much it cost to have my pastures properly fenced. They really are escape artists if not done right.

The second lesson was that there can be a lot of deceit among sellers in my area. My "friends" agreed to sell me two babies and two 1 year olds. When I went to pick them up they had changed their mind and sold me 1 older and 3 babies. Now I know that is NEVER DONE among honest sellers, but I didn't know at the time. Grrrr!!!! You need to make sure that you have at least two of the same age/ year of birth, otherwise they will act out. I've had lots of trouble with the lone older goat.

I live up north, cold, snowy winters, so the third lesson was do not stint on alfalfa. We had an early winter, late, late spring, and I ran out.

My goats, fencing, new stalls in the barn, feed, etc have cost me way over $5000!

I now have 7 Neubians and can honestly say if I didn't feel the LORD had told me to get these goats for the days ahead, I would not have gone to the expense. Their milk is fabulous! So is the cost. Feed, minerals, wormer, alfalfa, it never seems to end.

I would look into mini-Neubians if I were you. They seem like they would be easier to handle, fencing would be less, feed less, etc., etc.

I also would pay the price for papered animals. My goats cost just as much to keep fed and healthy, but I got a fraction of the cost for the babies when I sold them.

Oh, 3 of my girls are N O I S Y !!! And I wouldn't part with any of them...

Hope this helps!

[Marigold]

Something to keep in mind: When you read about all the health problems and other problems on the different forums, it's because goat owners are looking for help. We don't usually post when things are all going well, and all our goats are healthy. So, yes. A great many posts are about problems, but people look for advice when there are problems. I've learned A LOT from such posts. Don't let them scare you off. I have LaManchas, which are hardy and WONDERFUL producers. I also have Kinders (Nubian dam and Pygmy sire) which are smaller size, and produce a good amount of rich, sweet milk for their size. I also have a few Nigerian Dwarf does who produce wonderful milk. By following good management practices, I've found problems to be few and far between. Good Luck, and please let us know how you fare. Marigold

[skyking]

Sully, a good fence does make a good neighbor and you will sleep better.The avg dairy goat can and will respect a well constructed and GROUNDED electric fence.Here are some suppliers that I've used over the years and have lots of useful info and great support and tech advice if you care to use them.
www.premier1supplies.com yrs of experience here
www.kencove.com I've used lots of their electric poultry fence
www.patriotchargers.com I like their solar chargers
www.sheepandgoat.com which is the Maryland Small Ruminant site, lots of tech and animal advice.
I like to have an electric fence that sounds like a lil .22 rifle when my stock hits it They seem to understand and respect it and they make a small security alert that hangs off your fence and will start to flash if your fence starts to have problems for whatever reason.Priceless .I always like to get new or young animals in a small pen thats good and HOT so I'll know they're going to to get shocked and respect ,recognize the wire ,before they learn how to escape.Be prepared to cull if you get animals that like to get out.They'll teach the others to do the same. I've had goats that didn't like women and others that would load and if you let them, drive I think.They are curious and nosy and just brats and loners and usually loved by all of us that mess with them.
OH ,if youve ever chased sheep and goats out on the road in the middle of the night or up on your new car or that pretty SUV sunning itself in your drive ,you'll understand why it's easy to inflict the pain to teach your animals to behave!

[PatrioticMe]

One word of caution. If you have a pack of dogs running around in your area, they WILL kill your goats if given a chance, we had it happen, the goats were well fenced, couldnt get out, but the dogs which were hunting around in a pack from a house down the road, dug UNDER the fence and killed a goat.

We were told if the goats had horns they could better protect themselves, and this goat did, but didnt stand a chance with those dogs.

Also, we bought our goats in a pair, that were used to each other, when one died, (not sure why) the remaining goat grieved and cried for days. So they do have personalities and attitudes.

[skyking]

Sully I did several searches for goats for sale in MS and found plenty of animal to choose from.Craigslist and goatfinder and just do a google search and your in luck.Many folks will deliver for a small fee if you just ask them to.
Many folks in this part of the country just tether their stock in the grass during the day and pen them at night. Just a thought while your getting other fences put together.

[grower]

I just read a story in Countryside magazine about keeping deer out of your garden with electric fence, that had an interesting way of "introducing" them to the fence...clip a piece of aluminum foil to the electric fence with a gem clip, then smear some peanut butter on it. Do this in the spot where the goats are most likely to hang out -- near the feed trough or hay feeder, for example. Turn the fence up as high as it goes, then wait for the goat to touch the fence with their nose, and POW. They'll remember!