Does anyone know of an inexpensive way to feed future weathers? I will sell them at about a year old. I am getting all the bucklings from a dairy and need a cheap way to feed. I have heard of using powdered cows milk. Also a feeding schedule as to maximize their growth from feed would be helpful. thanks, Cindy

ps any good links would also be great!

-- Cindy (ourfarm@gateway.net), March 03, 2001

Answers

Cindy,I hate to rain on your parade but why do you suppose the dairy is so anxious to get rid of these bucks?Could it be for the same reason some show herds and dairies drown their bucklings at birth? Dairy wethers are just not worth the cost of the milk it takes to raise them.We usually give our Nubian bucklings to the first sucker er....customer that wants them. Sorry to be so negative but I hate to think of you losing money on this.Also,powdered cows milk has too little fat for goat kids.

-- JT (gone2seed@hotmail.com), March 03, 2001.

Well, around here, KY, small weaned baby bucks go for 25 to 40 at the auction. While full grown bucks go for 85 to 100, and they like them with the horns on for some reason. I have used powdered cows milk, but I was supplementing, they still milked off their moms. Everyone would give me their boxes of milk they got at comodities cuz they knew I bottle fed allot of animals and I also gave allot of it to my dogs and pups. But I never bought it at 9.00 a box.

Our TSC has bags of UNI-MILK, mixed according to the animals you are feeding. Goats get stronger milk than others. You really need 1 goat that gives 2 gallons a day, don't you! Are these purebred bucks and what breed?

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Yep.Purebred,with all papers in order if they are wanted.We can get 30-40 dollars for these at weaning.Where is the profit there?Ann is taking one 2 day old to the local flea market today in hopes it will follow someone home.We will have others soon.Now,here is the ironic part.I have a buckling on order from a nearby show herd.The price will be 100.00.They kill all their young ones unless someone special orders.I don't mind paying this as I get to pick from the very best parents.I will get the kid at 2-3 days old.This has worked well for me in the past.My best doe is due to kid any day.If she has a buck,come get him!This is the doe Vicki says can't weigh 250 lbs because my weight tape isn't that long. ;>)

-- JT (gone2seed@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Cindy if you are very careful with the kids, use a more expenisve kid milk replacer or cows milk for the first couple of weeks, then a product like Uni-milk could slowly be weaned to. Can you make a deal with a local supermarket to buy outdated milk for the first couple of weeks? How about some goat folks who don't have an outlet for their milk, see if you can buy their goat milk for a dollar a gallon for pet milk. You will also want to limit the amount of milk to only 2 times a day, (after about 2 weeks of age) keeping them hungry so they will want to eat a medicated pelleted goat feed. You will also want to medicate their milk by 3 weeks with a sulfa for ecoli and cocci, also keeping the pens as clean as you can. Though with all of this you may turn a dollar profit, you will not make any money if you add in your time.

Most dairies kill their unsold bucks at birth. Most dairies do not use the top bucks of bloodlines for their sires, very honestly most bucks with lots of milk, don't give you show udders, lots of milk without lots of attachment. So even with paperwork, their isn't going to be folks waiting for these bucks to use as their herd sires, and sold without paperwork, you are right back to where you started, with a 50$ goat. In the swiss breeds the percentage of bucks going to stud are simply many less than in Nubian. I really wish this would work, so their would be an outlet for dairy bucks. Please keep records and keep us posted, I would love for someone to have a good report! Your best bet is to full feed them, and sell them at Easter. Keeping the bucks until they are a year old is going to loose you money in grain. Selling them just weaned for Cabrito, perhaps keeping the small few who are worthy of being sold as a breeding buck. We have local Mexican resturants in town who will buy all bucks at 12 weeks for 35$, this is fine if you don't use your does milk for this 12 weeks. We go through just about 1 gallon of milk per day in our family. Even at 2$ per gallon this would be 168$ in this 12 week period that I would have to pay at the store instead of getting from the goat. Selling the bucks even for 35$ at 12 weeks, is only 70$ for the both of them. Even if you fostered on and let her nurse 4 (140$) you can see how you are still not making money. And we sold our milk for 4$ per gallon! Try to stay away from soy based milk replacers. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Oh, yes, here in Central Florida the island peoples love goat meat, and they don't want weathers as much as they do the real big, stinky long horned billies. Also, we have a lot of Moslems who use goat meat for a holiday that coincides with our Christmas, and they use mutton, too. But I am like you, I cannot find a cheap way to raise billies for a whole year. It is even new to me to hear that you can raise goats on cow milk. Never had ANY success with that, though feeding a calf goat milk has worked.

-- Lela R. Picking (stllwtrs55@aol.com), March 04, 2001.

I can't help asking- why do you want to raise them until they are a year old?

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 04, 2001.

Rebekah, Meat goats are a big deal here. We have several auctions and in the fall weathered bucks easily get at least 100. I have a saanen that easily gives much more than 2 gallons a day. I also have 2 nubians thhat do pretty well. Anyway we have an abundance of milk and plenty of space so 400 or 500 around Christmas doesn't seem so bad. My children love to feed them and I do get my choice of a good breeding nubian buck. Our family of nine does not consume much milk. My saanen has an injured leg so unfortunately she is headed to the sale after these kids are 12 weeks old. I amj trying to redeem a little back out of her. She only gave me one kid, at least it was a doe. Her kid is only 2 weeks old and she milks like mad. She does have a problem with blood in her milk, always has. Mastitis is not the problem she is just that heavy of a producer. I may keep her doe and try this again if she freshens nicely. I am selling my saanen buck and sticking with nubians. Too many leg problems with saanens. My buck has arthritis, not CAE, and limps when it rains. Like an old man. Going broke on aspirin.

-- Cindy (ourfamilyfarm@email.msn.com), March 05, 2001.

But.... saanens and nubians aren't MEAT goats!!! I do wish you the best in the world - it would be nice if you can get some $$ out of your does besides the milk!! Sorry, but not much of a meat goat market here - too many sheep and cattle....

GOOD LUCK !!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 05, 2001.

Well, it sounds like goat milk will be the most economical thing to feed them. If you want to feed them grain, a lot of people here feed their goats ground barley, which is very inexpensive. The hay does not have to be the top qualtiy type that the milking does get. I can see how it would be profitable to keep them till the fall, but I wouldn't keep them over the winter. Around here they go for about $25- 30.00 at 6-8 weeks old, and up from there to about $60-70.00 tops,( unless they are part Boer), reaching the top prices at about 6 months old. I haven't seen any advantage in keeping them past that age. Is your Saanen's leg injury permament? She sounds like a pretty nice doe.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 05, 2001.