Raising Goats For Dummies. Cheryl K. Smith

      Goats spend the first three years of their lives growing. They are almost their full size at age 2, but can still put on weight and height for another year.

      Goats’ general life expectancy is about 7 to 12 years. Wethers often live longer than does and bucks — over 10 years — probably because they are most often pets and have less stressful lives. One of the common causes of death in wethers is urinary calculi.

      Does live an average of 11 to 12 years. They often die from kidding-related problems because of the stress that it puts them under. They are more prone to parasite overload and losing condition from feeding kids. Does who aren’t bred after about the age of 10 often live longer. I have heard of does living as long as 20 years.

      Bucks have shorter lives than either wethers or does, living on average 8 to 10 years. The stresses of annual rut (breeding season; see Chapter 12) take their toll on them. They have to deal with other bucks’ aggressions and lack of eating and sleeping.

      Elderly goats require special care and feeding to deal with health conditions that they may have. I tell you more about older goats in Chapter 14.

Using a Goat Scorecard to Evaluate a Goat

      Goat registries use scorecards to evaluate goats that are being shown. These vary with the type of goat being evaluated. For example, out of 120 points in the Colored Angora goat scorecard, 70 points are for fleece. In the dairy goat scorecard, more focus is put on the mammary system and in meat goats, muscle development and growth have more value.

      Look on the Internet or write to the registry for the breed you are interested in and request a copy of their goat scorecard online and use it to help you evaluate and learn about the ideal for that type of goat. The Colored Angora Breeders Association (CABGA) includes a sample of a judge’s scorecard on its website (www.cagba.org/scorecard.pdf).

Chapter 3

      Knowing Your Capra Aegagrus Hircus (Goat, That Is)

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Deciding whether you want goats for meat, dairy, fiber, or a combination

      

Learning the pros and cons of different breeds

      

Figuring out which breed you want to raise

      So you want to get goats? You’ve probably already thought about why you want goats. So now you need to figure out what kind of goat can best serve your purposes.

      If you want a goat to eat brush, then your choices are unlimited; you just have to figure out what size is best and how many you want. And if you know you want goats for just one purpose — milk, meat, or fiber — then the decision will be easier and you can just read about those kinds of goats. But what if you want a goat for milk and meat? Or fiber and milk? That might make the decision a little harder.

      

The American Goat Federation represents all goat producers and provides information on different breed clubs and registries (https://americangoatfederation.org/resources).

      I give you some pointers below as I describe the three types of goats — dairy, meat, and fiber — and the breeds within those types.

Looking into Dairy Goats

      If you want dairy goats, you have a variety of breeds and sizes to choose from. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), one of the United States’ two major dairy goat registries (organizations that keep official lists of goats within a specific breed, provide registration certificates, and compile pedigrees), recognizes eight different dairy goat breeds: Alpine, LaMancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, Sable, and Toggenburg. The other registry, the American Goat Society (AGS), registers only purebreds and also recognizes the Pygmy as a dairy breed. (You can read more about registries and whether to buy registered or unregistered goats in Chapter 7.)

      Neither of these registries recognizes the mini crossbreeds that have captured the hearts of urban goat owners, so two new registries have sprung up: The Miniature Goat Registry (TMGR) and the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA).

      In addition, the Canadian Goat Society (CGS) registers purebred dairy goats, which also are accepted by the major dairy goat registries noted earlier.

      Dairy goats provide milk, of course, and if you’re interested in a home supply of goat meat, your dairy goats can serve that purpose, too. Unfortunately, if you want fiber and milk, most dairy goats won’t work because their coats generally are too short, but fiber goats usually don’t produce a lot of milk.

      In the upcoming sections, I give you an idea of what each of the standard dairy goats looks like and some of their traits. If you decide that you just have to have one of these breeds but can’t find it in your area, see Chapter 7, which tells you about sources for finding goats.

      Standard dairy goat breeds

      The standard breeds are a good choice if you want dairy goats that produce a lot of milk and you have the space: ADGA and AGS require that each of the breeds reaches a minimum, but not a maximum, height and weight. The minimum height for does ranges from 28 inches to 32 inches, depending on breed. The minimum buck heights are 30 to 34 inches.

      The standard breeds produce an average of 5 to 8 pounds of milk each day for 10 months. This is the equivalent of approximately 2½ quarts to a gallon per day. Dairy goats’ milk production starts out lower, gradually increases throughout lactation, and then goes down again.

If you think you want standard dairy goats, deciding which one is for you depends mainly on size, the look and personality that strikes your fancy, and what is available to you. The upcoming sections tell you about the standard dairy goat breeds and some of the characteristics that define them.

      Alpine

Alpines, also known as French Alpines, hail from the Alps. They are large goats that have erect ears and come in a variety of colors and patterns. They’re friendly and hardy, and the wethers (castrated males) are a favorite for use as pack animals. Many goat milk dairies have Alpines in their milking string because they consistently produce a lot of milk and often can be milked through without rebreeding. Figure 3-1 shows an Alpine goat.

      FIGURE 3-1: An Alpine goat.

      LaMancha

LaManchas look earless, but they actually have very small ears. The ears are of two types: gopher ears and elf ears. (Figure 3-2 shows a LaMancha with gopher ears.) Gopher ears are very small and rounded; elf ears are less than two inches long and turn up or down. People tend to either love or hate the looks of the LaMancha.