Anybody got milk goats?

[Lanny60]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Have you ever raised sheep?

How many goats did you have?

How often were they milked? Were they pretty docile?

What kind of fencing did you use?

What health issues did they have, if any, and how did you keep them healthy?

I have never raised sheep, no. I have friends that have if you'd like me to ask them any questions.

We had 4 does, and at times 10 goats when there were kids.

I milked them every morning. Some people milk x2 a day. The main thing with milking is that it's done consistently, around the same time every day whether it's once or twice a day.

When we first got them, Bella, our herd queen was a stinker. She didn't want me touching her but I had to milk her or she could get mastitis. I was kind of scared of her. (Our goats had horns) I just kept working on her and we ended up being the best of buddies. I could even ask her for a kiss and she'd stick her nose out to me for a smooch. I woudn't say any of the goats were docile. They had spunk and could be stubborn, but once they trust you, they are much like dogs. They knew their names and for the most part would come to me when I called them. If not, shake a bag with treats in them, and they'd come running. They are little piggies. lol.

We used combination or cattle panel. The only one who every got out was a buck we had on loan. He wanted to get to the does.

We raised them organically and they were totally healthy. We gave them home made herbal treats to prevent worms. When they were pregnant, we gave them raspberry leaves/canes to strengthen the uteruses.

One doe had a rough labor once, and I really had to go digging for the kids. She was quite sore and swollen after kidding and we did give her shots of penicillian for 10 or 14 days. She came through it with flying colors.