Gone to the Goats!!

Hello all!! All the long winter days lately have given me the opportunity to catch up on my reading. To often I get all kinds of great books to read..then I don't.. because I simply can't find the time. Well this winter along with NO Job... I have had lots of extra time to read and read some more..I recently finished a book about Raising Goats. I think goats are so precious and other than Dogs and sometimes cats..Goats and rabbits tie as my third favorite pets!! I wanted to find out all I could about Goats. One day maybe I will raise them. I think it would be really cool to have my own little herd, which would produce enough fiber to sell to local weavers!! Just a little dream..It may be nice to have some dairy goats as well..though they are more work. I would defiantly have Pgymy goats for pets and companionship.. Beef goats don't really interest me because I'm not real into the butchering thing..unless I absolutely have too!! Here are some of the great goats breeds I learned about.. They are listed because honestly they are my favorites!! Smile..
Nubian Goats: Often referred to as the “Jersey” of the dairy goat world, the Nubian goat produces a creamy milk with a high butterfat and protein content, ideal for creating cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and soap.

 Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Nigerian Dwarf goats are perfectly scaled miniature dairy goats. Nigerian Dwarfs give up to two quarts of 6- to 10-percent butterfat milk per day. Nigerian Dwarfs, particularly bucks, have been used to develop a number of other small breeds, including the six breeds registered by the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (Miniature Alpines, Miniature LaManchas, Miniature Nubians, Miniature Oberhaslis, Miniature Saanen/Sables and Miniature Toggenburgs), the Miniature Silky Fainting Goat and the cute, fleecy Nigora.

 Pygora Goats: The versatile Pygora grows one of three types of fleeces for the spinner’s pleasure. Type A, the Angora type, dangles in long, lustrous, curly locks. This fine mohair can reach six inches in length. Type B blends the Angora mohair with the soft Pygmy undercoat, called cashmere. Finally Type C, the Cashmere type, is a short, fine, non-lustrous fiber of one to three inches. According to the PBA, Pygora fleece has little lanolin, so should not be overspun, and it mixes well with wool and silk. One Pygora will yield 6 ounces to 2 pounds of fiber per shearing.

A precious little pygmy goat!!

Angora: Angoras have long, wavy coats, with fiber called mohair. They are usually white, but some breeders are experimenting with producing other colors and even have their own registry, the Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association (CAGBA). They have short, curved horns, which are usually left on the goat, because they may regulate body temperature. The average adult goat produces 8 to 16 pounds of mohair each year, while kids give from 3 to 5 pounds of longer, finer hair.

A pygmy goat is a breed of miniature domestic goat. Pygmy goats tend to be kept as pets primarily, though also work well as milk producers and working animals. The pygmy goat is quite hardy, an asset in a wide variety of settings, and can adapt to virtually all climates.The Pygmy goat originated in Africa and was imported to the US in the 1950s. As its name implies, it's smaller than diary goats, but it produces a respectable amount of milk for its weight and food consumption. Most people in our area raise them for show and fun instead of meat or milk. Pygmy goat wethers may also be shown and they can be purchased relatively inexpensively.
As you can tell by my photo choices for this post The cute little Pygmy's are my absolute favorites!!

The Cashmere Goat: Cashmere goats are easy to raise. They are healthy animals and take only minimal care. They are not jumpers like many other breeds and standard woven wire sheep fencing will contain them nicely. Minimal shelter is all that is required to house them as they have their own Cashmere coat for cold weather, and shed it for the summer so they can stay cool in high heat.
All About Goats!!

Goats are fun because they all have different personalities and have different little habits that can be amusing or interesting. Goats are very affectionate and especially during the summer, when they are too hot to be active, they like to just hang around people and get a good scratch. Most goats' favorite scratchy spot is around their shoulder but some even liked to be scratched in between their toes. It is very rewarding to see a goat you have raised from a baby grow up and have kids and grandkids of her own. With goats that doesn't have too take too long, maybe about 3 or 4 years at most, because they are able to breed when they are just a year old. It's also neat to learn how to milk or trim hooves and other things that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to do. Goats are easy to care for. These are the signs of a healthy goat.

• Eyes clear and bright. Tearing or cloudy eyes probably mean a pinkeye infection.
• Coat smooth and shiny. A dull coat could indicate parasites. Fluffed up coat means the goat is not feeling well.
• Appetite good. However, it is normal for a doe in labor to refuse to eat.
• Attitude alert. Hunched back and droopy tail mean something is wrong.

Basic care

Automatic waterers in goat pens are good, and also leave a bucket of water. In some areas, of the country, its important to make sure the water doesn't freeze.
Although many goat owners feel that a twice daily feeding is best, others feed only once a day and still have perfectly healthy goats. You will have to decide what is practical for your animal and your schedule. Try to keep both food and water where they cannot be soiled by the goat. The basic food we feed is alfalfa hay. An adult dairy goat doe eats about 1/2 flake a day (about 5 pounds). This is supplemented with a grain mixture that contains 14-16% protein depending on the additional needs of the goat:

• Dairy doe in milk: 2-3 pounds
• Pygmy doe in milk: 1-2 pounds
• Dry doe: 0-1 pounds
• Pregnant doe: (last 1-2 months) 1-2 pounds
• Wethers: Usually given no grain. 
• Also provide either a loose mineral mix or a mineral brick. Since alfalfa hay is high in calcium, we make sure the mineral mix is high in phosphorous and low in calcium to maintain the proper calcium-to-phosphorous ratio.

.Here is a picture of a milking station. It's best for the goat to have some feed to eat during milking so they don't mind what your doing!!
I really like this goat shelter.. If I ever do have goats I would like to have a shelter just like this..