The Journey Towards Home - From Mess Maker to Home Maker

2006-Aug-1

RAISING GOATS - NEED HELP PLEASE

So hubby and I are excited about having a few goats on our new homestead, and am doing a little bit of research about raising goats. We have a few questions and REALLY need some help figuring some stuff out.

It is TERRIBLY important to my husband that we are able to take one or two family vacations a year. This would mean leaving the goats for 10 days at a time. But from everything we are reading, they need to be milked twice a day as well as constantly watched over. IS that true? If you raise goats how do YOU do family vacations? What about family emergencies (like your mother is ill and you want to go be with her or your children are terriblly ill and need to be hospitalized)??

I hav eheard that they have worms and need medication daily?

Are there any MUST HAVE books, web sites, etc??

Is there anything that we should know?

What advice would you give someone who is about to embark on the whole raising goats issue?

I should mention that we are not wanting to raise meat goats but MILK goats.

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

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2006-Aug-2 - vacations...

Posted by Anonymous
Well, I can't be of much help on the goat realm. We had goats growing up but they weren't milking goats so.... But what I CAN answer is the vacation question. Basically, you need to be able to get someone to come over and do it for you. Find any local goat farmers and see. OR, as many dairy farmers did for my husband growing up, find a RESPONSIBLE, hard working boy and let him help you for several weeks. Then, if you feel he is capable, he can run the show while you are away. My husband ran an entire 100 cow dairy farm for a whole week when he was thirteen!! The benefit of a boy versus another farmer is the pay doesn't have to be as much! ;-) Rebecca

2006-Aug-7 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous
I dont know much about goats. BUT I did just recently meet a family who raises them. They have 2 milking goats and I dont think that they have milk from them year round. So, in that case, there may be times when your goats arent producing milk and you can go vacation then. oh, and finding a homeschooling family who would like to teach their children some homesteading might be an option. The children can be hired to come and milk for you while you are gone after given some training.

Jessica

2006-Sep-23 - goats

Posted by Anonymous
If you have milking goats they have to be milked on schedule. That means if you are milking them someone has to do it. You can let the dry up, but then you have to wait on them to freshen again with the next birth. You can cut back to milking once a day, but you will not get quiet as much milk.
We have had goats--at the moment we do not. We also have cows, chickens, pigs--at times, sheep and many other animals. The basic rule is if you farm you are pretty much a homebody. We have not been on a vacation in 9 years now. We have downsized and I do hope to be able to get away next year for a few days.
I know this post is older but I thought I would send what I know. Also you really can't leave goats while they are drying up. They are misrable and could get sick on you.
Hope this helps.