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10:30 pm
June 6, 2010
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Okay ladies and gents…I am getting my very first EVER goats on Saturday!! I have a tendency since I have been following this blog to just get an idea in my head and jump and knowledge be damed…learn as I go. Now I have made the commitment to purchase these two goats and I'm terrified!!
I wanted goats to milk. Dwarf Nigerian goats to be exact and found them very rare to find around here. I finally found a lady two hours away that had quite a few goats she keeps for pets that wanted to get rid of a few and get some new blood into her herd.
I bought a mama and her baby girl. After the fact, I realized I didn't ask very many questions. I am pretty sure the mother is unregistered and not sure if she's indeed able to be registered, but she is definately a Dwarf Nigerian (horned) and the baby is too.
I don't know how old mama is…..I am thinking three (I forgot to ask) the baby girl is a little under three months old. The main problem is the mama has never been milked. The lady said she doesn't milk her goats. They are just her pets. I really wanted a milk goat and although she is of a milking breed, I am fairly certain she nor I know what the heck we are doing and one of my questions is…am I going to be able to milk her? I know she's still feeding her baby at this time.
This is the information the lady gave me:
She was going to worm the mother today for me so if she had any worms from the last worming she would have time to expel them before she came to my property. She feeds them medicated goat pellets and a sweet feed mix. She said the medicated goat pellets have a medicine in them that prevents kidney stones. She also told me to keep loose minerals made for goats available to them and baking soda and obviously lots of fresh water. She also gave me names of wormers to use and said not to worm the baby until it was 3 months old.
So here are the things I want to know:
Do you think I will be able to train this goat to milk or is that unreasonable ?
What feed should I be feeding her if I want to milk her?
Can I milk her while she is feeding little miss goat?
What food does little miss goat need?
Is hay good to put down in their shelter?
My grand thoughts were if I could get mama to let me milk her and learn on her……then in 8 months or so when baby is big enough to breed mama should be able to be bred again too and I will have two does to milk which should provide enough milk for my house with maybe a little left for cheese. Am I dreaming a pipe dream???
Any and all thoughts, comments, help, etc will be GREATLY appreciated!!
10:40 pm
February 22, 2010
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"I don't know nothing bout no goats, Miss Melinda." But I am happy for your new venture!
10:48 pm
October 17, 2008
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Me neither, I'm sorry. But YAY for you!!! Make sure to come back and share pics with us!
I REALLY can't have goats in town (or I would have them!) so I'm trying to talk the kids into it 
I'm working on the too tall grass side of things and milk!
10:53 pm
June 6, 2010
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if I knew how to attach a picture to this post I would show you what they look like but I'm an idiot and can't figure it out!
10:54 pm
February 8, 2009
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Ohhhh Melinda you lucky girl, welcome into the goat world.
You will love your goats and I don't think you will stick with "just" the 2
The age you kinda can find out yourself, if she will let you check her teeth
They have 8 teeth on the bottom jaw..nothing up (just so you know and don't freak out lol)
Their fist year..(like the baby goat) has 8 baby teeth.
When she turns one..so her second year…she will loose her 2 middle ones..and they change for adult teeth.
Next year…the next 2 and so on..until she is 4 years old..or in her 5th year.
So back to mommy goat..if she has all her teeth changed..she is 5 or older..is she still has baby teeth..you can just figure out how old she is.
Now I won't bury you in other info other than your questions.
Do you think I will be able to train this goat to milk or is that unreasonable ?
No that is not unreasonable, I once got a goat who was never milked before and she was just fine. But you do need a milk stand.
My husband made one, he found/googled for the plans on Internet. She might be jumpy in the beginning but she will get used to it.
What feed should I be feeding her if I want to milk her?
I feed mine the dairy goat ration I buy at the feed store, grain will do too.
Be aware that goats love weeds and some weeds might give the milk a bad taste.
The taste of milk, comes real close with what you feed them, grass, hay and LOTS of water.
I also get the mix when our neighbors clean their bins, this year I had a mix of peas, canola, wheat and something I have no clue what it is..
Goats are pretty easy.
Can I milk her while she is feeding little miss goat?
Yes you can, don't wait to long with starting though, if the little one is already 3 months old, she is eating solid food for a while already which can make mommy drop her milk production.
You can seperate them at night, milk her out in the morning and reunite for the day.
Or just wean her and milk mommy 2 times a day.
What food does little miss goat need?
The same as mommy (except if you give her extra for the milk production) she knows what is best for her and will eat it.
Is hay good to put down in their shelter?
Yes, they might eat it though..straw is perfect too.
You are thinking of getting them bred next year, you can breed mommy now..she will have a kid after a 5 month and 5 day pregnancy.
Then get them both bred next fall.
Good luck and if you have more questions, there are lots of goat keepers here.
Enjoy and don't forget to show them off please.
11:01 pm
June 6, 2010
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OMG flatlander will you come live with me ???????? lol
THANK YOU! and another question……same seller has another doe that IS bred and due this fall she said she would llet me have for $75. Since same lady owns them do you think they will get along okay? They both have horns and I don't want them trying to kill each other!!
If you know how to post pictures on this tell me please and I can show them to you.
1:31 am
February 8, 2009
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One goat will be in charge…and they might have a little battle going on, one will win and the matter is solved.
If that lady loves her goats and they are her pets, I can't imagine that she will sell you 2 goats who won't get along.
If you have enough room and you can handle another goat…go for it girl LOL
6:05 am
July 24, 2010
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Melinda,
Congratulations! Please keep us updated on the goat adventure. I'm learning from you all so maybe one day I'll be in a position to do all this too!!
6:53 am
October 17, 2008
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See? Flatlander said you couldn't stay at just 2! 
Here's instructions on posting pics. If you're still having problems, pm me, I'll help you!
7:12 am
September 16, 2010
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Congratulations on getting your Nigerians this weekend. We also have them. They are the best!
A word about registration…if they do not have papers they are most likely not able to be registered with either the American Goat Society (AGS) or the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA). They do not have a "recorded grade" registration for Nigerians. I don't know about some of the Nigerian Dwarf only registrars.
Be advised that some Nigerian lines milk better than others. If your planning on breeding, I'd find the nicest Nigerian buck you can that has a good milking pedigree and "breed up" from there for good milking genetics in your future does.
Again, welcome to the wonderful world of Nigerian Dwarf goats!
10:38 am
Congratulations! I wish I could have goats but maybe someday. Good luck with your girls! I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.
1:56 pm
June 6, 2010
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This is the one I might get in addition to the mama and baby.
This is the mama and baby I am getting…….the date on the pic is wrong…was taken 8/20/10.
1:58 pm
June 6, 2010
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and thank you to Cindy for telling me how to post the pictures!!!!!!!
2:42 pm
October 17, 2008
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Beautiful, Melinda!!! Have you decided on the extra goat with baby yet?
I wish I could help you as easily with the goat questions as I did the pics, but…….
3:03 pm
June 6, 2010
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I think I am just going to go ahead and get them all 
3:39 pm
September 16, 2010
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lifeisgood/ Melinda said:
I think I am just going to go ahead and get them all
Oh they are addicting! Worse than potato chips. You'll also so need a few basic supplies such as a pair of shears for hoof trimming. They grow fast. Also, there are a few Nigerian Dwarf Yahoo groups that are helpful. Ask lots of questions. There is a lot of help out there. Enjoy!
6:54 pm
February 8, 2009
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They are beautiful.
8:34 pm
July 24, 2010
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They are adorable. Do they have names??? Wonder if I could slip one in and tell Big Daddy it's just another cat?
8:53 pm
October 17, 2008
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I hear they're only the size of a dog, judydee
9:27 pm
June 6, 2010
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The brown one was called Brownie. The other two I don't think even had names. They are all getting new names here though.
The brown one makes me think of wizards (guess its the beard and the horns). I can't name her Morghan (Merlin's mistress or daughter I forget which from days of reading literature). That is my granddaughters name and I think my son might object to me naming a goat after his daughter! I thought Merlin, but thats a boy name. So I am kind of stuck. I wanted something magical because she looks old and wise to me.
The mama goat I'm going to name Matilda and the baby I haven't figured out yet.
Any suggestions for names for the brown one and the baby??????????????????? I'm open to ideas! I like older names (example: my labs are Sadie and Emma, my jack russell is Molly, my heinz 57 is Toby, the weiner dog is Izzy, the cat is Sugar, the geese are fred and ethel, the ducks are huey and louey--okay so I am a nerd)
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