Best Dairy Goat for Valley

[Derrell]

Any suggestions for which breed of dairy goat would do best in the valley?  I like the Saanen and Toggenburg, but those are alpine breeds and I worry about their hardiness and ability to make it through a Phoenix summer.  The nubian is from the middle-east/africa and it seems like they might do better.  Anyone have any experience?  Am I overthinking this?

 

Also, if there is anyone in the Phoenix area who wouldn't mind helping us out a little, I would like the experience of milking a goat.  You can only get so much through youtube. :)  I would like my children to observe this or participate as well to see if we have what it takes before investing too much time or money in getting my backyard set up for goats.

 

One last question-am I looking at having a stinky backyard if I get goats?  I've read the bucks are far worse than the does, but can I kiss any backyard parties goodbye after the smell moves in?

 

Thank you in advance.

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

Hi Derrell,

 

I had Nigarian dwarfs and loved them and they handled the heat very well.  Nigarians also can be breed at any time during they year when the does are in heat.  The larger breeds only come into heat once a year - usually.  That means you can time breeding and milking to give your girls a rest and be assured of a continuous milk supply.  Their butter fat is very high and they can kid more babies at once - if that is an income consideration.  My friend has Alpines and they are wonderful milkers but not as tolerant of heat as the Nigarians are.

 

Bucks smell - and bathing helps, but you may wish to consider simply using a stud service to avoid having a buck on the property.

[Bethany Lobocki]

On this note...and I'm really not trying to come off so anti-Nigerian Dwarf, promise.  :)

 

If buck smell is an issue, and you decide you want to keep your own buck, (I think it's so much easier this way, personally.  I just adore my bucks, and didn't like the inconvenience of having to whisk the girls off the moment I thought they "might" be in heat.) the fact that ND's are yearlong breeders is a concern in the smell department.  Keep in mind that those bucks will basically be in rut year round...thus stinky year round.  Bucks that are seasonal breeders do not smell all year long...only while they are in rut. (approximately Sept.-Jan.)

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

The Nubians I have come across, Bethany, are wonderful, so no offense taken.  The breeding, buck smell issues are elements of choice.  I chose the nigerians because of their size, butter milk content and that they could have more kids (as a possible income source), and also chose stud service.  All of what you said about the Nubians vs. Nigeris are important components of the decision :-)

[Derrell]

Okay, nother question.  Another concern I have with milking goats is the responsibility of the daily milkings.  I think day to day would be fine, but I worry about vacations, etc... What do you all do when it's time for a few days away?  Do you time it for the dry times?  Or are vacations just out of the question?  We like to travel several weeks out of the year, and I'm not sure that's conducive.  Is there a goat milking group where members can substitute in, or is that something anyone would be interested in setting up?

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Bethany Lobocki]

Catherine is absolutely right...this is something you really need to talk about with your family.  We love to go camping, but this past year we missed a few trips that we normally would have gone on.  We've been able to make a few trips because since getting the goats, I've worked hard to develop a "goat network" of sorts.  So, when we made our big summer trip...a few days in Disneyland followed by camping in Yosemite...I hired a family (a few 4-H kids) to come by twice a day to milk the goats, tend to the chickens and the garden, etc.  I paid them of course...but it's not as easy as asking someone to come by once every two days to make sure your cat has food.  There are goat people on here, of course...but there's also a yahoo group called "Arizona Goats" that is helpful.

[Rachel]

This has been the number one thing preventing us from getting goats. It's pretty easy to show the neighbors how to take care of birds (though I still hate leaving in the summer, because a small screw up with water could be fatal) but goats is a whole other ball of wax. I'd love to have them, but I also like to be able to go camping for a weekend on a whim. I love the ideas of goatshares, it would be neat if several people on my block were interested...

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

That is a serious question to ask of yourselves, Derrell.  Some people arrange with neighbors after teaching them how.  Some form friendships with other goat owners to share and swap vacations and some goat owners have not had a vacation in years.  A milking group set up regionally in pairs or triple goat owners, would be an idea worth considering.

[Julie Rimbach]

I realize this is a bit off the topic but am hoping someone might be able to advise.  I have recently just added 2 goats to our managarie of pets.  Would some of you veteran goat-keepers share what you use on the ground in your goat pen?  I have a large area fenced where the goats spend a good part of their day and right now the pen floor has crushed granite on the ground.  I'm having a hard time separating the "goat berries" from the crushed granite to keep the pen clean.  I have tried researching what others do online - but some of the suggestions don't fit our climate.

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

Hi Julie,

 

I get straw down for a couple of reasons:  It gave them something to lie down on.  In the winter I just added layers to allow for drainage (goats do not like wet-at all) and also to keep them warm and off the ground.  The gravel will keep their hooves trimmed a bit, but as you pointed out it is hard to clean up.  If you "need" to keep the gravel in place, consider putting down weed cloth over it and then layers of straw.

[Julie Rimbach]

Thanks for the input Catherine - I like the idea of putting  weed cloth over the gravel to allow for a layer of straw.  I think I may do that for at least part of the pen.