Goats from Infancy

[confusionincan]

Hi everyone,

We have an opportunity to buy 2 young Nubian milking goats for $100 each.

Apparently they will "come into heat very soon" as well.

We have had laying hens (still have 5 after losing 5 to racoons,) that we have raised from chicks, and my preference is to find newborn goats, as I'd prefer to raise them from infancy, just because I think it would be a good experience to get to know the animals, etc...

Is this realistic? Not so much? Also, we have a 12x12 shed that was a chicken coop, would this work for a shelter?

Thanks! :)

[mamadelbosque]

Honestly, I would not get newborn goat kids. But thats just because I for one have zero desire to bottle feed goats, and even less desire to bottle-feed goats w/ milk replacer (which is what you would almost certainly be using, unless you have a source for raw goats milk that your willing to pay for a feed to goats.... which is pretty unlikely!). 

We got our goats when they were doelings (kids of that year but in the fall) and bred them the following year. They've been fine. :shrug If you really want newborns though, just wait a couple more months and I'm sure their will be *LOTS* to be had. If you want young goats though, tbh, I'd wait till summer and buy kids that were just weaned. Good luck!!

[1jooj]

I agree with mamadelbosque. One of my milkers was bought young and we bred her, the other was purchased bred, months before kidding. Kids need to nurse a good while before weaning, which means a lot of milk replacer and a LOT of bottles. Raising from infancy and bottle-feeding won't necessarily land you an easier-to-handle milker or even a friendlier goat. Maybe bossier, though, and possibly aloof to other animals. Also, in addition to the cost of feeding and raising them to maturity, there are health risks for those bottle babies, which means you could spend $100 in milk replacer only to have the baby get really ill and need a bunch of abx or even die. And it's not just the money. It's heartbreaking to lose an animal. In my experience, bottle babies and does bred too young pay a price at one point or another.

I know there are farmers concerned about CAE who pasteurize milk and bottle feed. I don't. I did keep a pair of my girls' does for breeding next year. They grew up here, and are no nicer or less nice than their moms, who we brought in from outside.

In January, the big dairies are usually kidding like crazy. You can get bucks for $5 or free. Does are harder to find until later in kidding season, but like mdb said above, I'd wait for weaned kids.

ETA: My little does have been having heat cycles since summer. They were born in early spring. I won't breed them until they are at least a full year, and if the buck goes out of rut, that means next summer/fall.