soapmakers journal Mri results are back

[soapmaker]

I've been working on my dh with goats for about 3 years now. All I get is "No goats" When I wanted a horse, no problem he went and bought me a horse . We now have 5. When I wanted chickens he did protest a bit but wants to add to them every spring. Goats all I get is the look of him rolling his eyes and saying "Are you crazy?" I just want two to make my soap, make cheese..
I figure if I'm going to do this I better start studying about goats. I had researched chickens for 2 years before he would even think about it. So I need to start studying goats. Where do I begin?

 

[SheriM]

If you can get a straight answer out of him, start by asking DH why he's against goats. It might be that he's heard all the usual stories about them eating everything, climbing on stuff, etc. Those myths can easily be dispelled by any knowledgeable goat owner. If he has other concerns, they can possibly be addressed as well. Goats do have a terrible and highly undeserved reputation.

 

[soapmaker]

I think alot of it is knowing we need a separate barn and fencing for the goats. We have neighbors with goats down the road and they are always getting out. They donot have proper fencing. I guess he feels we already have horses, chickens and that's enough.

 

[SheriM]

Yes, goats require secure fencing, but it's not always necessary to have a "separate barn" for them. I don't know how you're set up now, but it is certainly possible for horse and goats to live together. If your barn has any kind of yard around it or coming off it, it might be possible to modify the fencing and keep the goats there.

 

[soapmaker]

Wow I just noticed you have 50 goats! That's alot of milk!

 

[SheriM]

Most of my goats are Boer, the meat breed. I only keep 3 or 4 for milking and only 2 of those are milking right now.

 

[soapmaker]

How long will they nurse after kidding? Indefinitely as long as you milk them?

 

[SheriM]

How long will they nurse after kidding? Indefinitely as long as you milk them?

Theoretically, yes, they'll continue to produce milk as long as you (or their kids) are taking it off them, but production drops off dramatically if you try to go too long. Goat dairies allow their goats to freshen (give birth) every year, letting them dry up about 2 months before they kid again. Even that is asking a bit much IMHO. My does freshen in May, due to our cold winters, and I wean the kids off the meat goats at about 3 months, then the does are allowed to dry up. That gives them lots of time to recover their body conditioning before going into another cold winter. The dairy goats, I milk until late fall when it gets too cold to want to be out in the barn with bare hands.

From a soapmaking perspective, you can get a lot of milk in a short time from a good milking doe. Most of my soap recipes call for about 32 oz of milk. A good doe can produce 3 litres (about 101 oz) per day.

 

[lorihadams]

wow.....I need to get some goats.

 

[soapmaker]

Well went to docs today and good news is my ligaments are all intact. The bad news is my meniscus(cartilage in the knee) is torn and needs to be surgically repaired. So sept 23 I have arthoscopic surgery. I will be glad when it's over.