Goat Facts - GoatWorld Articles - GOATWORLD.COM About the Author Origins of the Goat Goats were one of the first animals to be tamed by humans and were being herded 9,000 years ago. They are a member of the cattle family and are believed to be descended from the wild goat, bezoar. Breeds of Goats There are over 210 breeds of goats with an estimated 450 million goats in the world (2001). Of the 450 million goats in the world, it is estimated that approximately 6 to 8 % of them are in North America (2001). The majority of the world goat population can be found in the Mideast and Asia. Eating Habits Goats are ruminants or cud chewing animals that eat cracked or ground corn mixed with oats, hay and grass. Most breeders and producers prefer to limit the amount of corn in a goat's diet, preferring to feed specialized goat feed mixes with the majority of the diet being made up in a mixed, grassy alfalfa and other weeds, browse and shrubs known to be compatible with a goat's nutritional needs.

Goats also have specific mineral and vitamin requirements that determine their overall health and production. These requirements often vary between breeds of goats and coloration of the goat. Most people believe that goats will eat almost anything and this is simply not true. The goat has very sensitive lips and their natural curiosity gives them a habit of "mouthing" and "smelling" for food that is clean and tasty. Goats will not eat soiled food (unless they are pushed to the point of starvation - often preferring to starve). Teeth Goats have a lower set of teeth which meet a hard pad in the upper jaw, and 24 molars on the top and bottom in the back of their mouths. Kids have 8 small, sharp teeth in their lower front jaw, and like children, when their baby teeth fall out they are replaced by permanent teeth. The age of a goat can often be closely determined by their teeth. Health The overall health of a goat is largely determined by their environment, genetics and nutrition. There are a number of illnesses that can affect a goat both in chronic and curable form. Some of these illnesses can be passed to humans and other animals while some illnesses are specific to goats.

Much research is being done to provide more drugs that are approved for use in goats. Two illnesses that can bring sudden death to a goat are coccidiosis and pneumonia. Of most concern to breeders and producers are worms and parasites. A goat that is ridden with parasites and worms and left untreated will most likely suffer a rapid decline in health, production and often result in death. Weight and Physical Characteristics Depending on their breed, female goats weigh between 22 to 220 pounds, whereas male goats weigh between 27 to 275 pounds and are bigger and shaggier in appearance than females. Male goats are also endowed with beards that grow longer as they get older. Female goats are also capable of growing a beard. With the advent of the Boer or "meat goat" in the United States, these standards are becoming somewhat variable. Cross-breeding and genetics have begun paving the future for new breeds of goats which will undoubtedly exceed current standards. Many a breeder and producer will share that their particular line of goats will often be bred for a specific characteristic or feature. It is important to understand that a "desirable" characteristic to one producer may be "undesirable" to another.

Coloration Widely accepted as a "standard", depending upon the breed, goats may be cream, white, black or brown in coloring. However, as more cross-breeding and genetic enhancement is achieved, the results are often dazzling sets of colors not previously seen. In my experiences, cross-breeding can often result in the offspring displaying both sets of colors from the original breeds. These cross-bred goats are often referred to as "Brush Goats". Eyes The pupil in a goat's eye is rectangular in shape instead of being round like those of other animals. It is believed that goats have excellent night vision and will often browse at night. The actual color of the goat's eyes is varied with the most common color being yellow or brown. Blue coloration is a bit rarer and often a characteristic many breeders will try to achieve. Lifespan Goats generally live 10 to 12 years. There have been cases of goats living up to 15 years. Behavior The behavior of a goat can vary widely based upon a number of factors such as breed, surroundings, and size of the herd. For the most part, goat behavior is often summed up as: goats are very sociable, lively, inquisitive and independent animals.

They are also quite intelligent and can learn how to open latches on farm gates. Goats are also herd animals. One particular behavior of goats that is intriguing is that while they are independent, they often prefer to surround themselves with goats of their same breed in a mixed herd. Another example of goat behavior is that the kids will prefer to remain nearby their mother, even if separated for years and reintroduced. Physical Capabilities Goats can climb, run, crawl under fences and some breeds of goats are able to jump heights of over 5 feet. It should be noted as well that most goats will also stand on their back legs to reach tree branches and shrubs. Produce The main products associated with goats are milk, cheese, meat, mohair, and cashmere. Large dairy does produce 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of milk each year. (On a daily basis they produce 2 or 3 quarts of milk). With the emphasis on genetics, it should be noted that breeders and producers are beginning to surpass previous levels of milk and meat production with daily yields often exceeding one gallon of milk per day.

Goat Names and Terminology You will often hear goats referred to by the following: "Buck or Billy" - a male goat. "Doe or Nanny" - a female goat. "Kid" - a young goat. "Wether" - a castrated male goat. "Hermaphrodite" - a goat showing both female and male characteristics, most likely unable to reproduce. "Herd" - a group of goats. "Wattles" - little round balls of fur on a goats' neck close to its chin. Not all goats have wattles. Photograph courtesy of: Kenny and Cheryle Michalec Keywords: goat doe nanny buck wether wattles genetics caprine behavior bezoar milk meat mohair Rated 4.0 by 2897 responses. About the author: Gary Pfalzbot is a Service Connected Disabled Veteran and the web master of GoatWorld as well as some other web sites. He has raised goats over the years, been involved with 4-H (as a young boy) and currently resides in Colorado where he and his wife Pam raise a few breeds of goats and other animals, and primarily author the GoatWorld web site to continue to inform, educate, and promote the industry.

< Fias Co Farm- Breeding At what age can goats breed? Believe it or not, a goat kid of either sex can be fertile at 7 weeks of age. That is not to say that they should be bred at this age. Intact bucks and does over 7 weeks of age should not be kept together because a young buck can, and will, breed a female at 2 months of age, this includes his mother and 2 month old sister! At what age should I breed my does? Full size dairy type goat does can be bred at about 8 months of age if they have "made weight". They should weigh at least 80 pounds. I have heard of people who wait until a doe is 1 1/2 years old before breeding her. There is no reason to wait this long. People do this because they think the doe will grow better if you wait to breed her, but if the doe is well taken care of and fed properly she will grow just as well bred as unbred. We have personal experience with this matter. We have three kidding stalls and only breed three does in a "batch".

We let the does have their personal clean stall with their kids for two weeks after kidding (they do get to come out during the day as the kids progress). Because of our breeding procedure, not all does get bred at the same time. We have had twin does where one fell into a "breeding batch" her first year but the second doe came into heat when we were not breeding. The second doe's heat dates never fell nicely into a convenient "batch" and because of this she never got bred before our breeding cut-off deadline of Jan. 1 (we don't breed after Jan. 1). So, one twin was bred when she was 80 pounds (about 8 - 9 months old) and the other twin didn't get bred until the next year, when she was 1 1/2 years old. By the time the both does reached two years of age, they were exactly the same size. I have seen this over and over and I know you can breed at 80 pounds/8 months. You just must make sure you take good care of, and properly feed, your bred does. When can I expect my doe to come into heat so she can be bred?

As far as breeding goes, there are two "types" of goats: "Equatorial type" goats that come from climates that are hot all year long. These goats will breed all year long. Examples of these breeds are most meat breeds like Boers, Spanish & Fainting, and also Pygmies and (sometimes) Nubians. "Alpine type" goats. These are most of the Dairy breeds. These goats are seasonal breeders, like deer, and have a definite breeding season. This usually is from about Aug. to Dec/Jan. The does will come into heat about every 21 days and the bucks will stay in rut during the entire breeding season. Once the buck go out of rut, they loose most of their interest in sex until the next rut. How many years will a doe continue to produce babies? How long can a doe keeping safely breeding? When should I "retire" my doe? A doe will continue to go into heat and breed her entire life. She never goes through menopause like a human. Since the "normal" life span is 11-12 years , if exposed to a buck, she will continue to breed and have babies until she dies.

BUT, the cause of death for many older does is usually kidding/pregnancy related so if you wish to extend her life, you may decide to retire her at some point from kidding. If you decide to retire your doe, do not expose her to bucks any longer. She will continue to go into heat for the rest of her life. Does that are "retired" from breeding around age 9 -10 live longer (16-20 years, and I just recently found a doe who was 24; she was retired from kidding at age 10). Can I stagger breeding so that I can have milk year 'round? It is very difficult to stagger dairy goat breeding due to the fact that most dairy goats are seasonal breeders (see above). This is why goat milk is practically nonexistent in the winter. Commercial goat milk producers manipulate their goats hormonally to breed year 'round. Our goats naturally come into heat in the Fall, so this is when they are bred. They kid in the late Winter/Early Spring. I milk in the Spring, Summer and Early Fall and put up milk (by freezing or making cheese) for Winter use.

Also, even if the doe were to come into heat off-season, you'd need a buck who was in rut. Yes, they are seasonal as well, and may not breed a doe off season. We have a buck who will not breed a doe, even if she is is raging heat, after December because he goes into rut only from Sept.- Dec.. Can I breed my does again right after they kid? Even if they were to come into heat after they kid (which they may not do) you really should wait to breed the doe. Kidding and lactating takes a lot out of a doe and she needs her rest between kiddings. Does should only be bred and kid once a year. Can doe get pregnant when she is still nursing or being milked? YES Line-breeding and Inbreeding The old saying goes: "If it works it's called Line-breeding and if it doesn't, it's called Inbreeding." This saying puts a very complicated subject very simply, but it has some truth in it.

I also like to say: "There is no better way to improve your herd than with Line-breeding, BUT there is also no better way to ruin a herd." Line breeding (breeding closely related animals) can quickly improve a herd because the good qualities of the animals get accentuated. BUT the bad qualities are also accentuated. Because of this, you have to think about what you are doing, look at the animals and use your head. You can't just simply go by some arbitrary "rule" like "it's OK be breed grandfather to granddaughter", but look at the individual goats and decide if their particular good traits out weigh the bad traits. Since we only keep very good bucks, we do not worry that much about "bad" traits, since if our buck had discernable bad traits, we wouldn't use him for breeding purposes. We do do a lot of Line-breeding with our herd. The only hard and fast rule that I know of is do not breed a full brother and full sister. In some circumstances, it is ok to breed father to daughter, but we hardly ever do that. We much prefer to breed grandfather to granddaughter, uncles to niece, etc.

I would recommend that unless you are an experienced breeder with good stock, you will probably have healthier animals by starting out incorporating genetic diversity into your herd as opposed to Line-breeding; start out with a buck that is totally unrelated to any of your does, and then work from there. Eventually you can't help but Line-breed because no one that I know can afford to buy a new buck every year. The most important thing is to start with good stock and keep more than one buck so you are not forced to keep breeding the same buck to all your does every year. (please read this information as well Buck Information ) How to choose a buck to breed your does to: It's really just common sense. Don't use a buck solely because he has a penis. Always try to "breed up". Look for a buck where he, and his family, look better in body and udder than your own does and also look at temperament. Never use a buck that you know nothing about (if you can help it). You should decide what you want to see in your kids, and look for this in the buck you are considering and his family. Look at the buck.

Does he have the conformation (body style and shape) you desire in your kids? If a buck has bad conformation (body style and shape), he isn't going to produce kids with good conformation. Is he strong and healthy? Look at the buck's family. Look at the buck's MOTHER. What is her udder like? You want the very best attachments (the udder is held up high to the body and not saggy and hanging low). If the mother has a crappy udder, her son is not going to "throw" (give to his kids) good ones. Look at the buck's father's mother (if possible). Does she have a good udder and body? If the buck has a sister, she would be a good one to look at. How is her udder and body? Of course if the buck has other kids, you can look at them. Things you want in a dairy goat: Good conformation - that means good body style and shape. Good udder - Udders need to have good "attachments", that mean how the udder attaches to the body.

The udder should be held up high and tight to the body and not hang down and sag. A sagging udder will not get any better and will only get worse. You do not want a sagging udder because an udder that hangs low will not hold up to many years of milking, will be difficult to milk because it hangs lower than the milk pail, and most importantly, risks damage (I have seen a low hanging udder get ripped open from getting caught on a protruding object, leading to the need for a total mastectomy) Teat & orifice size - If you are going to be hand milking, you want teats that are big enough to comfortably milk. Also, the "orifice" (hole the milk comes out of) is important. If the hole is tiny, it will take forever to milk the doe. I have not found orifice size to be genetic, but teat size is. Color - Many people who show do not really care about color, to them conformation and udders are the most important, but let's be honest, pretty coloring is always nice.

If you are wanting to sell your extra wethers as pets, coloring is important because people buying goats as just pets want pretty as well as friendly. Temperament - We breed for good temperament and friendly goats. Of course this trait is environmental as well as genetic: it's how the goat is raised as well as breeding. Strength, health and hardiness - It doesn't hurt to look for these traits. Examples: Ovaltinaweena - has very good conformation and a great udder. She would make a great show goat as well as a great home milk goat. Max - has a great udder, pretty good conformation, a nice full body. Her teats are a nice size for hand milking. Her legs are a tab bit short. You would not want to breed her to a buck with short legs. She's an excellent example of what you'd want in a home milk goat. Goldie - Our herd matriarch. Has pretty good conformation. Nice udder. She is strong with nice distance between her front legs. If you were into showing goats, Goldie could use just a bit more"refinement" (just a little more femininity).

When bred to Uly , who throws nice "refinement", you get great kids. She also has a wonderful temperament which she passes to her kids. She was a good choice as a herd matriarch. A doe's heat cycle is approximately every 18-21 days. Signs of heat: (A doe may exhibit any, all, or none of these signs) "Flagging" (wagging) her tail. Letting other does mount her. Fighting Letting herself get beat up without defending herself. Having a "crush" on another doe. No interest in feed. Swollen and/or pink rear end. Mucous discharge from her vagina Her side tail hair is wet and/or clumped together. Yelling for no reason. How long does a heat last? Anywhere for 6 hours to 3 days depending on the doe. How can I tell if my goat is pregnant? The normal gestation time is 145-155 days. Some breeds tend to kid on the early side and some on the late side. Count 150 days from when the doe was bred and prepare for kids at least week before.

(Our herd actually averages 6 days early, which means we are prepared for our does kidding at day 142) Due Date Calculator - Use Calculator to help estimate when your doe will kid. You cannot tell if a goat is pregnant by looking at them. What if I don't know the breeding date? There is really no way you can tell a goat is pregnant from just looking at her. If a doe does not come back into heat after she is bred, she may be pregnant (note I say may). Most goats are seasonal ( see above ), so your doe should come into heat every 18-21 days from Sept. through Dec. There is really no sure way to know if your doe is pregnant without ultra-sounding her. A goat can look pregnant and not be. Healthy goats are naturally "wide". This is their rumen, which makes them wide and is a sign of good health. Many people mistake a healthy goat, with a well developed rumen, for being pregnant. I have had people ask me, "This is a nice goat, when is she due to have her babies", and I answer, "She had them 3 weeks ago" <smile>.

A goat may not start "showing" until at least a month or less before kidding, and sometimes they never show at all. This is why I stress to people to know the date that their does were bred. That is the only real way to know when she may kid. A doe, who has never kidded before may usually start "making her udder" (developing an udder) 4-6 weeks before kidding (note I say may- we have had doe weight until a couple days before she kidding to even start making their udder and it didn't really fill out until hours before she kidded). A doe that has kidded before may start "bagging up" (filling her udder with milk in preparation to feed her kids) a week before kidding but she may even wait until the day she kids. Since there is really no way to be certain when a doe will kid without knowing the due date, does should NEVER be housed with bucks. If you "run" does and bucks together, you will never know when to expect kids, you won't be able to prepare for the kids, and you will risk loosing them.

Also see: How we handle breeding here at Fias Co Farm: Our goats go on "dates". Our bucks are trained to walk on a leash. When the doe goes into heat, the chosen buck for that particular doe is walked down to the doe barn and the buck and doe are put together in a stall for about an hour. We make sure to see them "do it" three times. A "good one" is when the doe arches her back after the buck thrusts. Once you see it you will know what I mean. After three pokes and/or one hour, we walk the buck back up to the buck area. By then he is happy to go home and be with his buck buddies. We make a note of the date of the breeding and if the doe does not come back into heat in 18-21 days, we know she was bred and we know the approximate date that she will kid. We keep 21 does, but we may or may not breed them all each year, it depends on their growth and how their heats fall in with our breeding program. We only breed 3 does in each "batch".

We take a two week break between each batch before breeding starts again (or course, heats don't always fall in with this perfectly). We do this because we want to be able to give each doe her own kidding stall for two weeks and we also want to be able to spend one-on-one time with the kids (so they will grow up friendly and loving to humans). If we were to breed all our does at once, kidding season would be a madhouse/three ring circus, with no room in the barn and there would be no way we could spend time each day with every kid. The way we handle our breeding, makes kidding season controlled and very enjoyable for everybody (humans, does and kids). Infertility, Free Will, Gender Confusion, and "Gay Goats" Just because you decide you want to breed a doe to a buck does not necessarily mean that the doe or buck wish to have sex with each other. Remember, you are dealing with living, thinking, emotional creatures that do have free will. Whereas bucks and does are driven by instinct when they go into heat (in does) and rut (bucks), there are other influences that may cause them to not want o have sex with a particular goat.

First, let me say it is possible for does, just like humans to be infertile. And just like in humans, this may or may not be treatable. Example of infertility for no known reason: We had a doe, Ruby, who was friendly, beautiful, extremely healthy, and never sick a day in her life. She loved to have sex but never conceived. She liked boys very much and was quite popular with them in the Fall. She liked going on "dates" and had many boyfriends over five years time. She even lived with a very fertile enthusiastic buck for three months during breeding season when she was 5 years old. If she didn't conceive then, she was never going to. She now lives in a new loving home as a "wether". She was sold with the full understanding that she was infertile. Luckily for Ruby she was very friendly and very beautiful, so she makes a great pet. There was nothing we could ever figure that was wrong with Ruby other than the fact that she was just infertile. We would have loved to have had kids out of her, but it was just not meant to be. That's life with livestock.

Example of infertility and gender confusion with a possible cause: I had a friend who had a doe that was not breed her first year and then when she was two she "bagged up". She had a huge, beautiful udder but it was not filled with "real" milk... it was very watery. She obviously had a hormonal "issue" of some sort. This doe was very "buckish" and acted like a buck toward other does who went into heat. She was jokingly called the "Lesbian Goat". Actually she was more "Bi": she liked girls, but also liked guys. When she went into heat and was bred by bucks, she never conceived. She actually acted so bucky, that she lived with the other boys where she dominated them. She was quite happy living with boys and though she always had the big udder and went into heat, she never conceived. After a few years, it ended up that she had a large tumor in her vagina. It was not cancer, just a reoccurring tumor. This may have been been what was effecting her hormones, thus causing her to act bucky and "bag up" and physically blocked her reproductive system, and kept her from getting bred.

Example of free will in breeding: CLICK HERE to read the story of Margie Example of Sexuality Confusion: Perry was a buck we had that always liked people (I mean really liked people) and was reluctant to breed does. Note, that is is normal for a rutty buck to be "intersted" in pretty much anthing alive, and they will attempt to have sex with other bucks, wethers, you, etc, but they will alway stop what they are doing to breed a female goat. When we first picked him up he acted a bit buckish toward Larry (flapping his tongue and wagging his foot). We thought is was cute and funny. Little did we know that this was a sign of things to come (or should I say not to come) many years down the line. We have no idea how Perry was raised his first two months of life, and whether this effected his behavior, or whether he was just born that way (either is possible). We do know he was bottle raised by a boy and maybe he got his "mother figure" a bit mixed up. His first year he was uninterested the first time he was introduced to a doe in heat, but later in the season he did breed some does.

He was always just a bit aggressive and would get frustrated and a bit angry with the does. We got some very nice kids from Perry for a few years, but the interesting thing was, that if you put him in a stall with a doe in raging heat, and he could see Larry, he would just look at Larry. He loved Larry more than girl goats. Larry would have to get out of sight, and then Perry would breed the doe, but with not a lot of enthusiasm. Eventually Perry got to the point he did not want to breed does at all. He still loved people and would flap his tongue at any human (especially Larry), but when put in a stall with a doe in heat he was totally uninterested. The last year we owned Perry he did not breed a single doe. He was quite healthy; he was just not interested in girl goats. He had free will and he liked humans and not goats. We knew he was fertile, since he did give us some kids (very nice kids I might add) but his interest in does waned. There is really no way to force a buck to have sex if he doesn't want to, and we were not going to try.

Perry eventually was given to a new loving home with the understanding that he liked humans and had no interest in breeding does. Perry was not only a "Gay Goat", in that he liked males better than females, he was "Trans-Species" in that he like male humans better than goats of any sex. That was just Perry and we accepted him for himself. He was a great guy and we loved him no matter what his sexual orientation. These are examples that show that goats are not just breeding machines, and that different things can effect whether or not they will breed, whether it be for physical or mental reasons. Sometimes you have a goat that is infertile; there may or may not be a physical reason for this that you can treat. Sometimes you might have a doe that does not want to breed a certain buck , it is her free will to choose. Sometimes you might just have a "Gay Goat", and and in this case we just accept him for what he or she is. Web Site Designed and Maintained by Molly Nolte Copyright (c) 1997-2016 Molly Nolte. All rights reserved. All text written by Molly Nolte unless otherwise noted.

All graphics, photos and text on these pages were created by, and are the sole property of, Molly Nolte. Individuals are granted the right to download a single copy of this page for archival purposes on electronic media and/or conversion into a single printed copy for personal use. All other use or reproduction of this material, such as in publications or use on other web sites is strictly prohibited. It may not otherwise be reprinted or recopied, in whole or in part, in any form or medium, without expressed written permission. This site may be used as a reference (but not copied and/or plagiarized) if proper credit is provided and a web link is given. The information on this web site is provided as an examples of how we do things here at Fias Co Farm. It is supplied for general reference and educational purposes only. This information does not represent the management practices or thinking of other goat breeders and/or the veterinary community. We are not veterinarians or doctors, and the information on this site is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your vet and/or doctor.

We present the information and products on this site without guarantees, and we disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this information and/or products. The extra-label use of any medicine in a food producing animal is illegal without a prescription from a veterinarian. The statements presented on this site regarding the use of herbs, herbal supplements and formulas have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The use of herbs for the prevention or cure of disease has not been approved by the FDA or USDA. We therefore make no claims to this effect. We do not claim to diagnose or cure any disease. The products referred to and/or offered on this web site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information provided here is for educational purposes only. This does not constitute medical or professional advice. The information provided about herbs and the products on this site is not intended to promote any direct or implied health claims. Any person making the decision to act upon this information is responsible for investigating and understanding the effects of their own actions. Baby Goats - It’s babies times three at Sunrock Farm! Almost all of our mama sheep are having triplets this spring. Fourteen lambs have arrived so far, with many more expected.

Josie is the only ewe to have just two babies, but they made up for it in size: Joe and Jeremy are great big boys! Honey, Sunflower, Haley, and Fran all had triplets, and all but three were girls. The ewes were not the only ones busy this spring. Our favorite potbelly pig, Penny, delivered 5 piglets (2 white and 3 black) on March 27. They are staying warm next to mama's side, nesting in the straw. The pictures on the home page were taken when the piglets were one day old. Because they are potbelly pigs, they are very tiny at birth and can fit in the palm of your hand. They will feed from their mama for approximately 6 weeks. They are then ready to be weaned and trained as pets. Not to be outdone, our nanny goats are busy giving birth to beautiful twin babies. Yes, there have been no single births this year! It is so interesting watching the mother goats give birth. They usually wait until all is quiet on the farm then they settle down to give birth. The other nannies in the pen will move away from the kidding mom to give her quiet space.

After the babies are born, the mama goats do a wonderful job of cleaning up their newborns. The babies arrive one at a time…sometimes they are born more than an hour apart, but usually the second , third, and even a fourth will be delivered 20-30 minutes after the previous baby. They are very slippery and sticky when they come out (usually face and front feet first). The nanny vigorously licks and nibbles at the membrane which surrounds the newborn, freeing the baby’s face so that it can catch its first breath. She then goes to work with her tongue, washing its face and everywhere else until its hair is wet and very clean. This helps the kid wake up and stimulates its breathing so that it can gain the strength it needs to stand up. We will often help by rubbing the baby with a clean towel, and fluffing its hair so that it can keep itself warm. The first milk the kid drinks is very special. It is rich and sweet and thick as a melted milkshake. This special milk, called colostrum, is a living food.

It contains cells from the mom which will help the babyfight germs, extra calories to give it a boost, and just the right amount of fat, protein, and vitamins for that particular baby. The kid begins searching for this food within minutes of birth. In the process of cleaning up the baby, the mom helps it stand on its wobbly legs, and even nudges it toward her udder so that the baby is often nursing before it is completely dry. We keep a very close eye during these early stages to make sure that the baby is fed, cleaned, and warmed. The newborns spend a lot of time sleeping, but when they wake up, they are ready to jump and spin, even when they’re only a few days old! Hey – this isn’t so hard. Dot doesn’t mind if the baby sleeps in her arms after it finishes its bottle…but the other hungry goats do! My turn, My turn! After the babies have had a little time with their moms, we bring them to the nursery where we take over their care and feeding. If they stayed with their moms, they would become so wild that we could never give them their shots, trim their hooves, or milk them when they were old enough.

Each goat learns to trust humans so that they can receive the care they deserve and so that they, in turn, can become friends with the children visiting the farm. Teaching the babies to drink from a bottle takes some time. We usually let them suck on a finger, then slip the bottle’s nipple into their mouths. Some learn very quickly, others take longer. As soon as the kids are around two weeks old, they learn to “belly up to the bar” for their dinner. Feeding 15, 20, or even 25 goats (like last year) would take way too long if you had to feed each goat separately. We can feed 16 goats simultaneously by using two bottle holders like the one shown in the photo. Can you imagine what it sounds like to hear sixteen goats sucking on sixteen bottles at the same time? It is something to behold. Everybody belly up to the milkbar! I bet I can drink my bottle faster than you! Let's race! When you visit the farm in the spring, you can help feed bottles to baby sheep and goats. It is especially fun to watch a group of them after they have had their bottles. Talk about wild!

They dash around, jump into the air, and kick up their tiny hooves. That’s where the term “capricious” comes from. Come visit our farm babies this spring and see for yourself some truly capricious behavior that’ll have you laughing ‘til the cows come home! This section of the website is constantly being developed. Please check back soon! If you have any questions please call us at (859) - 781-5502. The Sunrock Farm Babies (Background Material and Talking Points) Goats: Udders and Hand Milking Goats: Udders and Hand Milking 7/12/2012 8:19:54 AM Tags: Goats , Hand Milking , Udders , Milk Production , First Fresheners , Janice Spaulding , Let me preface this post by saying, we don’t show our goats. We are a licensed Raw Dairy producing milk and cheese for sale at the farm and also at local farmers’ markets, so what follows is information pertaining specifically to hand milking.

Udders, big, small, tight, loose, big teats, small teats, and large and small orifices in the teats; all of these things affect milking! Not how much milk is produced, but the ease of hand milking. Oh and one other thing, the fun of dealing with the first freshener! A commonly asked question is “how will I know when my goat’s udder is empty?” I always giggle a little under my breath when I get this one, then with a very straight face I reply, “when no more milk comes out”. Of course another way to tell is when the teats lose their full look and become very limp. I took lots of photos of our girls full and empty udders, but the one that shows “empty” the best is Sweet Pea. She is a Sable, first freshener, doing fantastic in the milking department, and will probably lead the herd in milk production by next year! And, speaking of first fresheners, another frequently asked question is how we get our newbies to behave so well. That answer is so easy!

Once our little girls are tall enough to reach the food pan on the milking stand, that’s where they start getting their meals. By the time they are ready to be milked for the first time, they are first of all, completely familiar with the milking stand and where their food is, and secondly, they are very calm about getting up on the stand because they know it’s always a pleasant experience. Toward the end of their pregnancies, every time they come into the milking room to eat, they get petted, stroked, and we palpate their udders. So on the first milking day, they know what’s going to go on! Now, let’s talk about udders! A great big udder doesn’t always mean a great big slug of milk; and the same is true with small udders! Our biggest producer, Chami, who is also a Sable, has what I would classify a medium sized udder, medium sized teats, and unfortunately small orifices in her teats. What does that mean?

It means she produces well over a gallon at the beginning of the season, but, it takes quite a while to milk her because the size of the orifice prohibits a big flow of milk. My husband, Ken, can get two goats milked while I milk Chami. She’s a great goat with fantastic production so I wouldn’t trade her for anything! Xable (pronounced Zable) is another Sable who has a totally different udder. Even though we milk by hand, Xable would be the perfect goat for a milking machine. Xable has a very small udder with very small teats and huge orifices in her teats. Milking her is like turning on a faucet! She is a 5 to 7 pound (a gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds) a day milker and she produces gorgeous triplets every year. She is our herd comedienne, her comic relief every morning makes it all worthwhile. Winnie, a French Alpine, has a huge udder, great big “baloney” teats, and large orifices. She is without a doubt, our easiest, fastest, most talkative milker.

She produces between 7 and 9 pounds a day. Our two first fresheners, Sweet Pea and Twilite, (both are Sables) have beautiful udders, growing teats and great orifices. Growing teats? Yes, as these first milkers are milked twice a day, their small first time teats, start to become stretched and they literally grow. Both girls are already up to 6 pounds or more per day, and promise to be fantastic producers by next season. As an aside, milk is produced by supply and demand. If you are not placing a demand, production will continue to be depleted until it stops altogether! So, when you are hand milking, make sure you empty the udder completely. What we do, is once the udder is empty, we massage it for a few seconds and, believe it or not, there is always more milk there. If you have any questions after reading all of this, please feel free to ask them in the comment section, I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. Want to learn a lot more? Come to Fall Goat School , on Columbus Day weekend! A gorgeous time to visit Maine!

christie 3/12/2015 5:05:55 PM I should probably add that I do know that Alpines are going to give more than Nubians... christie 3/12/2015 5:01:03 PM I have a few goat problems I would love to have sorted out. We have mainly nubians and we never ever get a big bag. Let me preface this with when I first started off, I bought an Alpine who was already in milk from a lady and this goat had a huge bag and gave us A LOT of milk. The nubians we have do good to give us 3/4 of a large butter bowl (country crock). Also, we keep having babies who are super healthy (thank God!) but the moms just walk away from them and we wind up stanchioning the moms, milking them (twice a day until empty), and turning around and giving the milk to the babies and we wind up supplementing with formula because it's never enough. We've tried milking 3 or 4 times a day to create the increased demand type of effect to no avail.

It just decreases the amount we get throughout the day. (Like a gallon spread out over 4 milkings). We're home all the time so bottle feeding is not an issue but having baby goats in the house or walking out to the nursery pen gets old real fast and we would prefer the moms raise the babies (don't get me wrong, we enjoy the babies and love how they become very human-friendly). But in the end, we want LOTS of milk for us (I make yogurt, ice cream etc for the boys), for the chickens, and for the pigs. We currently have a first freshener who has knots at the top of the teat where it meets the udder. She also refused to feed her baby so, since we're drenched in rain non-stop, lil man is stomping around my newspaper-lined laundry room. I believe she got this way because we left the baby in there over night under the impression that she WAS letting him nurse.

This was not the case, so 30 hours after lil man was born, we look at him and he looks pitiful with an empty belly and she is about to burst and still won't let him even after we stanchion her, strip her, and then PUT him to the teat, she starts stomping and acting CRAZY. So we milk her down thinking her teats hurt because they're so full, then we try putting him on the teat again and again she goes to stomping the mess out of lil man again. I need help. There is virtually NO ONE around here who does goats and the one person I found and tried to ask questions to acted like I was trying to rob him of trade secrets or something. I do not live in a place where there is a goat culture and getting goat supplies is an online order thing only and only one vet in the entire parish will even see a goat and you have to take it to him. Please help.... sally 1/22/2014 3:57:55 PM Love this page on goats. New in the goat care. Have a 3mth Saanen and want to know how her udder develops.

At this stage her teats are in the rear and there is a lump developing in front of the teats, looking like the teats are not attached to the udder. merin.a.briggs.9 7/17/2013 6:36:19 AM We just got an alpine dairy goat and two does. We are concerned because one of her udder's never seems to fill as much as the other. I'd say it's a ration of 1:3. Sometimes it seems almost empty. Is this something to be concerned about? We are not around her all the time and her two does are in the pen with her, but she usually refused them milk when we are around. The babies are two months old. phoebe brow 10/30/2012 10:23:51 PM We've been considering mini LaManchas for our small ranch. Do you always milk your goats every 12 hrs or would 10 or 11 hrs between milkings be acceptable?

gullringstorp goatgal 10/13/2012 2:40:49 PM Hej from Sweden! I have a small herd of 22 West African Miniature Dairy goats who have the tiniest teats. I use a hand milker right now but am saving for a portable milker for at least 4 at a time. I love my ladies and boys. We milk everyday twice a day and get plenty of milk. You can see my goats on my blog: I make 100% Natural Goat Milk Soap that you can see on my website johnny mccracken 8/23/2012 5:51:54 PM Hey, Enjoyed your blogand have found you to be quite knoledgable on goats . I can see that you love what you do . I to have a few goats, and my family and I get such joy and satisfaction from raising them. We have hand raised all our goatsexcept for one nanny , our goats are just another member of our family. Thanks for the really good info.

jennifer evans 8/10/2012 6:04:15 PM Does the orifice size ever change? Or does a goat with a small orifice always have a small orifice? tammy resendiz 8/7/2012 12:06:06 AM Can you milk a boer goat, I was told they will not give up any milk? janice spaulding 7/24/2012 7:49:18 PM Has this girl ever been milked before? It almost sounds like she was never trained to be milked. I think I would start working on the doelings and get them used to the milking stand. Do some of the things that I do, even before they are bred, start massaging where their udder will be and get them used to being handled. janice spaulding 7/24/2012 7:49:09 PM The milk records keep you informed about how your girls are doing on a daily basis. The page I photographed was before everyone had kidded, but I even keep track of colostrum amounts.

As for the pain with milking, try putting your hands in different positions. My husband and I both milk, and we both milk so differently! I sit on the stand next to the goat I'm milking and I found that eased a tremendous amount of stress on my wrists and hands (I have rheumatoid arthritis and have never had to use a machine to milk) and it has worked terrific. Ken sits on a milking stool and milks from that position, which is more comfy for him. pat moore 7/23/2012 12:30:20 PM No, Lisa milking does not cause nerve damage. I've been hand milking for over 15 years and there is nothing wrong with my hands. Relax and just continue milking. pat moore 7/23/2012 12:28:16 PM My question is how to milk a Pygmy goat who has never been milked except for the triplets she delivers? She does such a disapproving dance, that I've also given up on her.

Her doelings of June this year have stopped nursing, at the age of 7 weeks and are eating and drinking on their own. Mama is about 7 years old. lisa la loca Goats and Milk Home | Goats and Milk Do All Goats Give Milk? Although all healthy, female goats are capable of producing milk to feed their babies , not all goats produce enough milk to provide humans with a reasonable share of that milk. There are three types of goats ï¿½ dairy goats , meat goats, and fiber goats. As their names indicate, these types of goats have been bred for specific purposes, to give either high quantities of milk, high quantities of meat, or high quality fiber. Some of the popular dairy goats are alpines and saanens, while the meat breeds include boers and kikos. Angora and Cashmere goats produce mohair and cashmere. There are also mini breeds and dual purpose breeds such as Nubians that were bred to give a moderate amount of both milk and meat. In order to give milk, a goat must first get pregnant and have kids of her own. Her body creates the milk to feed the kids.

Dairy breeds have been bred to give more milk than their kids would require. At Goat Milk Stuff, we raise our goats with the goal of having them large enough to freshen (deliver kids) around their first birthday. We milk the goats for ten months and then dry them off two months before they have kids again around their next birthday. This dry period is necessary for them to have enough energy to grow their kids. Individual goats give different amounts of milk . Over the course of their 10 month lactation, their milk output will follow a general lactation curve. Many different variables can affect this lactation curve - genetics, age, health, nutrition and number of kids can all play a role. Some goats give so much milk that they are able to ï¿½milk throughï¿½ into a second year. Occasionally a goat will give milk without having kids ï¿½ this is referred to as a precocious udder. And bizarre as it seems, there have even been bucks that have been known to give milk (yes, all bucks have teats, and no, a milking buck is not normal). Sign Up!

Comparative Anatomy - Goats & Sheep Goats & Sheep Goats and Sheep The lactating goat (nanny) and sheep (ewe) each have two glands, each drained by a single teat with a single streak canal. They are located in the inguinal region. The teats vary considerably in size. Goat teats and udder are generally larger than the sheep's. Teats are wide at the base and protrude like a funnel from the udder (no specific point of connection). There are fine hairs on the teats. Blood and lymph systems are similar to the cow's. Lambs suckling a ewe. Fias Co Farm/Goats- Udder Information How to Milk a Goat The proper term for a goat's mammary glands are called her "udder". It is not properly called a "milk sack" though is is sometimes referred to as her "bag". It is most polite to say "udder". When a doe's udder starts to form for the first time, or an already formed udder starts filling with milk, this is called "making her udder". When her udder really starts seriously filling with milk, this is called "bagging up".

What to look for in a Good udder Udders need to have good "attachments", that mean how the udder attaches to the body. The udder should be held up high and tight to the body and not hang down and sag. A sagging udder will not get any better and will only get worse. You do not want a sagging udder because an udder that hangs low will not hold up to many years of milking, will be difficult to milk because it hangs lower than the milk pail, and most importantly, risks damage (I have seen a low hanging udder get ripped open from getting caught on a protruding object, leading to the need for a total mastectomy) Teat & orifice size If you are going to be hand milking, you want teats that are big enough to comfortably milk. Also, the "orifice" (hole the milk comes out of) is important. If the hole is tiny, it will take forever to milk the doe. A doe can have big teats but small orifices so it's always good to "test milk" a doe your are considering purchasing for a milker.

Teats can get bigger over time, orifices don't usually get any better. I have not found orifice size to be genetic, but teat size is. If you have dairy goats, you need to keep a California Mastitis Test on hand at all times. You need to be able to test your goats for mastitis. See the your local livestock supplier or our Suppliers page from where to purchase this test. Udder Related Questions & Answers: Is it possible for a doe to start filling her udder and making milk without ever being pregnant? Yes. This is what is called being "precocious" and it is not uncommon. On rare occasion, a doe may start making milk without being bred. It is best to just let it be and not milk her. She will eventually reabsorb the "milk". She will probably be a very good milker once she is bred, kids, and begins a true lactation. It will not effect her udder negatively once she kids. From our experience, every precocious doe we've had has filled up on one side more than the other, but once they kidded, they had very nice even udders.

How long before a doe is due to kid will she start making her udder? How long soon before kidding will a doe's udder start filling with milk? Be aware that every doe and every situation is different. You estimate a general amount of time, but this can vary greatly. Yes, it would be nice to know an exact length of time, but this is really impossible to give. In general: First Time Mother To Be: A doe will start developing her udder for the first time ~about~ a month before she kids for the first time, though this can vary greatly between individual does. Be ware that first timers will have smaller udders and teats than does who have had and nursed kids before. Experienced Does: A doe that has kidded before may start filling her udder ~anywhere~ from a month to just days, or ever hours before she kids. It is uncommon, but entirely possible, for a doe to wait until just hours before kidding or even right when she goes into labor to fill her udder. We've had a doe who didn't start coming into milk until a few days after kidding. In this case, we gave her Mo'Milk to stimulate her milk production.

What if the kid (or kids) is/are only nursing from one side of the udder? Often when a doe has only one kid (and sometime when she has two), it is very common for the kid(s) to nurse only one side. They pick a teat they like and stick with this, totally ignoring the other teat. This starts a "vicious circle" because the more full the udder and teat becomes, the harder it is for the kid(s) to get the teat in his mouth and nurse, thus, the kid(s) will choose to suck only the "easier" teat. It will become a favorite, the baby will not even think about going to the other side, even if his "favorite" is empty. At every opportunity you get, you should try to get the kid(s) to nurse the side they are ignoring. Be patient, this may be a bit frustrating. If the ignored side gets really full, you must milk it out so that the mother's udder isn't so full she is in pain. You do not have to milk it out completely, but at least enough to relieve the pressure and make it easier for the kid to nurse.

Eventually, as the kid(s) grows and can drink more milk, he will start to nurse the other side, but until them, you need to be "the second kid". We have had a situation where each kid has his and /her own teat and when the boy left for his new home, the mother would not allow, and the doe refused to try to nurse the boy's side... no matter how full it got. I eventually had to just milk the one side every day (I could use the milk, so I did not mind) Does letting the kids nurse their mother "ruin" or tear up the udder? No. Goats are designed by nature to nurse their kids. If the doe has a decent udder, with good attachments, to begin with, letting her nurse her kids will not "ruin" her udder. I sometimes feel this myth is told as a justification to "pull" the kids from their mothers. If you want proof that nursing kids does not ruin an udder that started out as a good udder to begin with, please take a look at the udders below. These are does that have raised and nursed many kids.

I milk them once a day and you can plainly see these udders have not been ruined. A thing that can cause the udder to become lopsided is if only one side of the udder is nursed. In this case, you may need to milk the doe. I have had does become lopsided one year, then the next year "straighten out" with no problem. Please refer to "What if the kid (or kids) is/are only nursing from one side of the udder? All of the following does have nursed all of their own kids. You can see their udders have not been ruined. Max's udder - 4 kiddings Web Site Designed and Maintained by Molly Nolte Copyright (c) 1997-2016 Molly Nolte. All rights reserved. All text written by Molly Nolte unless otherwise noted. All graphics, photos and text on these pages were created by, and are the sole property of, Molly Nolte. Individuals are granted the right to download a single copy of this page for archival purposes on electronic media and/or conversion into a single printed copy for personal use.

All other use or reproduction of this material, such as in publications or use on other web sites is strictly prohibited. It may not otherwise be reprinted or recopied, in whole or in part, in any form or medium, without expressed written permission. This site may be used as a reference (but not copied and/or plagiarized) if proper credit is provided and a web link is given. The information on this web site is provided as an examples of how we do things here at Fias Co Farm. It is supplied for general reference and educational purposes only. This information does not represent the management practices or thinking of other goat breeders and/or the veterinary community. We are not veterinarians or doctors, and the information on this site is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your vet and/or doctor. We present the information and products on this site without guarantees, and we disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this information and/or products. The extra-label use of any medicine in a food producing animal is illegal without a prescription from a veterinarian.

The statements presented on this site regarding the use of herbs, herbal supplements and formulas have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The use of herbs for the prevention or cure of disease has not been approved by the FDA or USDA. We therefore make no claims to this effect. We do not claim to diagnose or cure any disease. The products referred to and/or offered on this web site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information provided here is for educational purposes only. This does not constitute medical or professional advice. The information provided about herbs and the products on this site is not intended to promote any direct or implied health claims. Any person making the decision to act upon this information is responsible for investigating and understanding the effects of their own actions. Goats Weighing Goats Goats - The Basics Goats and gardens do not mix well and goats always want to eat whatï¿½s on the other side of the fence. If you have fruit bushes they will love to eat the berries. If you have overgrowth of brambles etc, goats are ideal to keep the growth down. Goats are pack animals, agile and sure-footed. Each goat needs between one and two acres for grazing.

Sturdy four-foot high fencing is essential to contain them. Find out more . Goats ï¿½ What They Are Called Male goats are referred to as a 'Buck' or' Billy' goat. A male goat when castrated or neutered is called a 'Whether'. A female goat is known as 'Doe' or a 'Nanny' goat and its offspring, up to the age of one, is called a 'Kid'. Goats live in a herd and are collectively referred to as 'Caprine'. A cross-bred goat would be called a' Brush' goat. Goats ï¿½ Why they are kept Goats can be kept for their meat, hair fibre, and dairy, or as a pet. They need fresh water, good quality hay and constant supplies when vegetation is scarce because of drought. Mineral and or salt lick blocks aids overall health Goats - Hair Usages Most notably is cashmere that has become fashionable recently as well as Angora, and Mohair to make articles of clothing. The Cashmere goat is white and the Nigora breed of goat is also suitable for hair usage.

Goats can be sheared twice a year and as they age the hair thickens, making it less valuable. Goats ï¿½ Breeds for Meat Boer, Spanish, and Kiko goats are ideal for meat. Meat from a an adult is called chevon and from a young animal cabrito. It is widely eaten especially in the Middle East, India, and Pakistan and is becoming more popular in Mexico and the United States. In Europe it is considered a delicacy. Demand is rising with many countries having to import goat's meat. Goat's meat has a lower fat content than beef or lamb. Goats - Milking Dairy breeds are Alpine, Nubian, La Mancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Toggenburg and Oberhasli. The milk can be made in to cheese for which you would need a licence to sell, as well as products such as silky soap and smooth skin lotion. Their skins can be used for clothing, housing and can hold liquids. A suitably well ventilated milking structure is essential, to minimise contamination and ensure hygiene, as well as a rigorous cleaning routines to prevent bacterial infestations and compliance with regulatory agencies.

Cooled milk should have no foam on the surface and strained into a clean receptacle. Records need to be accurately maintained. Goat milk is suitable for making cheese, butter, ice cream and yoghurt and the resulting products are usually whiter, smoother and creamier. Goats milk has low lactose content, making it easily digestible especially for the young and elderly reducing the chance of intolerance to milk. Goats ï¿½ Keeping them as Pets The Australian Miniature, the Nigerian goat and the Pygmy are breeds to consider when you are looking for a pet and can be great companions. Goats - Housing It is essential to provide suitable housing for your goats to provide shelter and protection from predators. Here you can deliver their feed through a head funnel, so they are occupied whilst you are milking them. This can also facilitate administering medicines and carrying out other maintenance tasks. Keeping goats in a residential area will need compliance with local laws. Goats are used to open spaces for grazing and traditionally are raised on farms, with space, enough habitat and well ventilated shelter. Goats - Manure The droppings from goats are similar to a berry's shape.

When these pellets are clean they are odourless and can be used immediately as manure, as they dissolve slowly over time. Garlic can be used as a natural wormer. Their hooves need regular trimming to keep them in good order. Goats - Domestication Goat is the 1st domesticated animal in the ancient age and has been considered to be the Poor Man's Cow. Goat's meat is lean & has low fat and the demand for goat's meat is increasing, with rising prices.. Goats live for around 15 years and are productive for about seven years. Goats usually give birth to twins & triplets Goats - Species Goats are herbivores and there are nine different species of goat. Goat is the common name under the genus Capra. Wild goats have horns as the domesticated goats have their horns removed. Goats - Feed Goats are ruminant animals that chew the cud. Pasture is the cheapest source of feed and this can be supplemented to ensure the goat gets the proper nutrition and nutrients. In mountainous, arid and semi-tropical regions, goats can thrive on scarce grass, a brush environment where cattle would not be able to survive.

Goats will eat weeds and other weed-like plants that helps to improve the pasture for other livestock and cows. Goats - Horns Horns are thought to be connected to fertility and breeds that are hornless, know as polled, and are favoured less than breeds with horns, which are removed early in the goat's life. Goats - Breeding Does estrus period can last for at least twenty one days and this is commonly referred to as being 'in heat'. A nanny or doe goat gestation period is between 145 to 155 days. And they can give birth to between 1 and 6 kids. The bucks need nutrients for semen production and growth and it is essential that disease and parasite control is effective to have the buck in optimum condition for breeding. Does must also be in good physical condition and over-eating needs to be monitored. After forty-two days, the embryo enters the stage of being a foetus. For the last two months of pregnancy the doe will show a rounded belly and when near to giving birth the labia and the vulva become swollen and the tail ligaments begin to open up in preparation for the birth.

Mother and kid should be kept together for the first few days in a stall to ensure access to milk, facilitate bonding and protection from the rest of the herd. The kids need to be separated from the mother nanny goat after about three months and the sexes kept apart. Goats - Latin Name For the domestic goat it is Capra hircus. Capra being the genus name, and hircus being the species name. To refer to goats you would refer to them as being Caprine. Capra aegagrus hircus is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Goat- Herder A goat herder is a person who tends and drives a flock of goats and can also be called a goatherd, drover and herdsman.

Question: How many teats does a nanny goat have
Answer: Two