Hi, I just wanted to thank you all for your wisdom as I decided to get Dairy Goats and thanks for helping me learn about their fences, and everything else.

Last night we got home from Ohio with our 3 LaMancha Does. We love them already. They have all been bred, and one is presently giving milk, and she is 4 years old and had 2 sets of triplets.

We are enjoying the milk, it tastes really good, no odd flovor, just a little creamier and fresher tasting than store milk, and my 2 year old who ussually wants juice can't get enough of the milk. The goats are gentle, affeectionate and stubborn, but the more I am with them I think they are seeing that I'm the boss and are becoming a little more submissive... but everytime I open the gate they try to squeeze out, and the often succeed, but they don't run away, they just want to be in my kids play yard... and they do love the roses. I have 3 children, a 1 yearold, a two yearold and a 3 month old. The goats and the children are being very good with eachother so far, one of the goats (at the bottom of the pecking order) likes to walk around along side of my two year old. It's cute. Anyone have advice for me? I'm really new at this, I've never spent more than 5 minutes with a goat before yesterday.

Thanks, Sarah

-- Sarah Brown (joshsarah@bigfoot.com), November 04, 2001

Answers

what kind of advice are you wanting? any thing specific? the best general advice i can give you is this if a pen don't hold water it probably won't hold a goat :-) always get goats that are tame. wild ones disrupt the whole herd (usually) and most important just have fun and enjoy them. happy goating!

-- lindsey (lindsey_sham1@hotmail.com), November 04, 2001.

Congratulations on your new goats! Don't know what advice you need, but I wouldn't let them squeeze through a gate without being called. Goats are extremely smart and can learn their names. Mine need to come through that gate, when I open it, and come only if there name is called. A squirt bottle filled with water usually works real well and only takes a few times. If they are shoving through the gate I give a spray until they back up. May not be too bad with just 3, but if you get more and they come running through - watch out!

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 04, 2001.

So excited for you!

Lesley: Your advice is exactly why I read countryside: lots of practical advice that is offered from experience.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 04, 2001.

Sarah, wonderful and you picked the best homestead breed. Did you purchase from Jess? All the after care information you care to get should come from her. A lovely person with lovely animals!

Really make the effort to get that udder empty, try to keep their grain, hay, minerals and any extra's as close to what they are used to for as long as you can, making changes very slowly. It takes alot of calories to make that rich sweet milk and most of my daughters LaManchas' ate 3 to 4 pounds of grain each day, along with good hay. Keep their feet trimmed, every month makes it just a trim and not a chore. Keep up with their registration papers. When your kids are old enough to show in 4H you should have a lovely herd, showing with my daughters is the best memories I have of them! Vicki

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