Goat keeping through the years

Ashley, our first Purebred Nubian doe 2010

Aiyana 2011

 --------I will likely add to this post off and on, as long as we have goats...-----------

John Henry /Double Dipper 2014

We've raised more than a few goats through the years.
We mainly raise our mixed Nubian goats for fresh dairy:  milk, yogurt, buttermilk, chevre, feta, mozzarella, ricotta.
We have eaten goat meat, but it's been a while (I can recommend goat processing by Fort  Valley State University SMALL RUMINANT CENTER).  If you like deer meat (I do), then you'd probably like goat meat.

2012

For a while now, we've sold our surplus live goats right off the homestead (Craigslist farm and garden ((Columbus, GA)) listings have worked well for us), so no extras left for eating.


Starting 2018, we had repeat goat customers.  Two had purchased bucks from us for breeding in years past, and wanted to repeat their success.  Several had purchased does for milk and/or breeding, and wanted more of the same.

I do enjoy meeting new goat folks.  But I am very much encouraged by seeing previously new goat friends coming back as happy repeat goat customer friends.

I prefer keeping our goat herd small:  ten or so, tops.  Although I have milked seven goats at morning milking, I prefer three or four at a time.  (I feel myself slowing down in recent years.)  This way some can be in milk, and some can be hanging around with the buck, for the next round of freshening.  In a perfect year (no issues with predators, parasites, weather catastrophes, budget constraints, stress, infertility, etc.), just as one half of the herd is drying off, the other half is freshening.  That has probably occurred once or twice in about 16 years.

We try to limit keeping the new kids.  I prefer us just keeping one or two doe kids (doelings) per year.  For the sake of diversity, I tend to not keep too many generations of one line.  If I really want to keep the new girl kid then I will probably sell her dam.  Not always every time.  Just a general guideline.

Emma & Grayson Spring 2019

If there is a very promising buck kid (buckling), then he's a keeper for a year or two.


We make sure to get a new buck (new genetics) every two years or so to prevent inbreeding.

Ideally we'll have two freshening seasons in a year:  a cool season and a warm season.  This keeps us in milk year round.  I'm a bit conflicted here.  On the plus side we don't have a dry period, and we'll suffer less through allergy or flu season.  On the minus side, we don't get a season of rest because we (usually me) milk goats every morning.  At peak flow (right after kidding) Bryant or Grace or Katie also milks at night.

I used to - scratch that - still do - tell folks that you can usually tell what book we're reading, or what show we're watching by what names the goat kids end up with.  In the interest of reducing attachment/limiting keepers, we keep a list of male & female names handy.  The keeper list stays short and the get rid of list (book / TV show characters we do not like) is long.

Donovan & Koa Autumn 2019

Autumn 2019