Blue Skys: Not ready for change.

[Blue Skys]

So we've got babies!! They are so cute!!

When they were about 3 days old.

I was amazed to come out one day and they were coverd in fur, they grow so fast!!

They are about 3 weeks old now! and adorable. I keep telling them that they need to cut that out quickly, so that I can slaughter them without crying hysterically.

I am quitting my crummy office job, and I'm very excited. My husband just got great news about his job, it is secure for another 3 years, so it's time for me to change. I am going to become a certified nurse aide and work in a nursing home, or do home health or something. I have been thinking about doing this for some time now, and decided this is the time to do it! I'm very nervous, but I can't keep getting up and going to a job that I hate this much any more, life is too short.

One of the good things about the "career change" is that I'll have more time to spend at home, which means I will be able to get some milk goats. I only have an acre and it's only the hubby and I so I'm thinking about Nigerian Dwarfs. I'm very excited about it!!! Maybe just a doe and a buck to start, and then maybe getting another doe if the need arrises. One of our goals is to eat and drink only our own food. We've got chickens, for meat and eggs, rabbits for meat, and goats for milk. Are nigi's any good for meat. They are so little... Would it be worth it to plan for that? I've got research to do...

 

[TanksHill]

Wow those sure are cute , Ummm I mean tasty looking.

gina

 

[murphysranch]

Ummm...I know that I just escaped from Silicon Valley and my limited knowledge about farm life is just that. Limited.

What are the pics of? What is so cute and will be eaten someday.
:/

 

[big brown horse]

Murphysranch, those are baby bunnies. And yes gosh they are cute and look so snuggly!

 

[Blackbird]

Someone let that girl hold a baby rabbit! LOL

Blue skies, the primary small sized meat goats are pygmies and myotonics while the Nigis are more of a dairy breed.

I do want to say that if you plan on drinking the milk, you will need to keep the buck and doe separate or else the milk won't taste very good - and since they are herd animals most people do not recommend keeping one alone by itself.

 

[Blue Skys]

Murphys Ranch, this is a great place to learn!!

Thanks Blackbird. I knew that the bucks needed to be kept away, but hadn't really thought of that...

Leaves lots to be contemplated...

Would you have any recomendations for someone who only has an acre to work with and would like small milkers, but wouldn't mind meat every once in a while. Are there any resources you could share with me as far as setting up housing - and keeping them apart. My house is pretty much in the middle of the acre...

Any advice or suggestions from anyone would be welcome.

 

[murphysranch]

Bunnies? WOW! So that is what those pink things are! How big are they when they are born?

 

[Blackbird]

It just means you need to get more goats - the more the merrier, right?!
You could get a wether (castrated buck) as a pal for the buck, and get two does instead of one.

If you want milk and meat you could castrate any bucklings you get and butcher them once they get an adequate size. In the past we have sold any bucks/wethers we didn't want but I'm thinking butchering one would be a good idea.
Or, you could breed a pygmy buck to a Nigi doe and get meatier, stockier babies out of it but they might also produce less milk, depending on their bloodlines.

We keep our does in one shed on the edge of the woods on one side of the property, and on the opposite side behind the house back in the woods we have another shed for the buck and wether.

Whenever we want to breed the does we just walk the wether over and the buck follows (they are inseparable).

Much easier than taking each individual doe to the buck and getting dragged across the yard.

I'm going to send you a private message with a link to a goat forum that you can get housing ideas and info from.

 

[TanksHill]

I have a neighbor that has several Kinder goats. They are a cross between a Nigerian dwarf and a Pygmy I believe. She uses her gals for milk. When she need to freshen she takes the gals to a sister farm in another city then brings them home. Cute little things. They get round in the middle like the Pygmies.

When I finally get goats I will go with a doe and a wether from her.

gina

here's a bit of info I found.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sanderson95.html

 

[Beekissed]

Great pics of some sweet bunnies! :bun Brings back memories!