Posted on 08/18/2017 4:12:21 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If you consider buying a farm or you already have some field and want to use it for this purpose, you would need to know about 10 easiest goat breeds to raise.
First of all, you need to know why to choose goats instead of cows, pigs, or sheep? They give the same product as these three breeds, but products of cows, pigs, and sheep are more in demand.
Well, that is true, but, when you look at the numbers, you will see that raising goats is more profitable and better in every matter than keeping these three. First of all, goats give milk, meat, leather, fur, and dung. On the other hand, these three breeds give meat, while only cow gives us milk, and only sheep gives the wool. And pigs? They are only used for their meat and that’s all. By raising goats, you get three in one.
The second thing is the expenses you would have. Each of these animals has different nutrition and require different care, which means that you will spend more time and money than with goats.
And the third, but also the most important thing of all, the products of goats, even though not that much in demand, but are much healthier than any of these other’s farm breeds, especially the milk. The only reason why people don’t rush into stores or on farms to buy fresh goat products is the lack of knowledge the society in general has regarding these creatures.
Their biggest pros are the milk. First of all, it is a lot healthier. It lacks in proteins that cause milk allergy that is very frequent for toddlers, which is why their parents completely forbid every milk product even though, especially kids, need it because of their proper growth and development. Besides that, goat milk is digested a lot easier than the cow milk, the percentage of fat is low, and the most important, goat milk is completely TBC free.
If you are looking forward to bringing the whole production to the next level, you will be happy to know that, even in this case, it is more profitable for you to raise goats. The amount of milk is being counted by comparing the body mass to the milk production ability. While cows produce 5-6 times milk as their body mass, the goat produces about 10 times as much milk as their body mass. Although the body mass of cows is bigger than with goats, these results are still remarkable.
So what are the 10 easiest goat breeds to raise? Click on it and find out.
Oh, my.
What do you do that causes them to faint?
:-)
I doubt they would have passed FDA inspection here in the states since some of the rinds still had some hair..........LOL!
I can’t STAND goats! After milking them for summers on end at my Auntie’s farm, I STILL need therapy on this ‘issue’ 40 years later, LOL!
*SHUDDER*
Evil eyes for starters. And smelly. I. Can’t. Even.
“IMO the swiss breeds are the best. Nice dispositons and easy to handle. Stay away from Nubians (loud and unmanageable). Pygmy goats the most worthless.”
Good to know. Beau wants goats. I detest them. But, as usual, I’ll have to compromise. So, Swiss it is...and I’ll barter for a few fur/yarn goats, of course! ;)
If they are startled, the “fainting” happens so a loud noise will do it. They don’t actually ‘faint’, just tense/stiffen up and fall over.
Here’s a link:
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/fainting-goat.htm
That’s Funny right there!
One thing you might want to look into is goats have an instinctive fear of dogs. And you have some. We never let our little 10 pounder near them. Unless the goats are raised with one of the guardian dog breeds, like Anatolian shepherds. If you want them for dairy it is a big commitment. If you like to vacation at all it’s easy to find someone to give hay and water but milking is another story. The most mild mannered goats in my opinion are lamanchas. They are a spanish breed and look earless but their ears are small. I have been around nearly all the goat breeds. And all in all the swiss breeds are the best.
This is one of the worst written and misinformed articles I have read. Goats are not inherently “profitable.” They can be the source of many dairy products, kefir, chèvre, milk, but it takes a lot of labor to produce. They are succeptable to disease as well.
If you want them for fiber you’ll be looking at angora goats. No concerns about milk then but they have their own challenges. They can get quite dirty and are prone to lice. Plus their rear ends need to be kept shaved of they will get skanky infections. Now if you are looking for fiber I would consider alpacas. Plus they pick a spot in the pasture and they all poop there. One pile to clean up! Plus if you let them breed you can make some money.
"If you have no troubles, buy a goat."
Absolutely true.
The only good goat is in a gyro.
Perfectly lovely and the wool is very nice too.
:)
I have decided my purpose in life to to try and cross a fainting goat with a screaming goat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlYlNF30bVg
and see if I can create one that will just go into a feedback loop.
I am doing my best to teach ours to scream much to the annoyance of my wife. I have several good students.
We raise Boer goats but are looking at the Kiko goats because they are supposed to be more worm resistant.
A friend of mine was given an adult goat - she took him in because he needed a home - she had a barn. He was raised in a house wearing a diaper - just let that thought settle in your mind a few minutes. When you didn’t want to kill him, he was VERY entertaining!
Beau just wants them for cleaning up brush and for meat. What say you?
Not my experience as I’ve raised both. Muslims want lamb and Mexicans want the goats.
I’ve heard that about Alpacas! I’m considering Angora fur rabbits, instead. (In a safe enclosure, protected from predators.)
We really only have the Basset Hounds (totally harmless; they love everyone except baby rabbits...D’oh!) and the Beagle running loose. All of the other dogs have outdoor condos.
This Hobby Farm Life is full of landmines as it is, LOL!
In college I played rugby with a guy who kept a goat in his apartment. He would bring it to all the games
My goats are too spoiled to eat weeds unless I pull them and throw them into their pen.
That’s two recommendations, so far! :)
Boer goats. They are heavily muscled and THE meat goat. Their dispositions are pretty good too. Plus they have floppy ears like your hounds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.