How to Raise Dairy Goats

Raising dairy goats is an enjoyable way to start a small farm. Depending on the number of animals, a good deal of milk can be supplied for sale or perhaps making into cheese. With simple farming skills and a good knowledge of goats, raising dairy goats can be very worthwhile.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dairy goats
• Goat enclosures
• Land for goats
• Electric fencing
• Farming implements

1. Determine the particular dairy goat breed that best suits the farm. Common dairy goat breeds include the Indian Jamnapari, Alpine and Anglo Nubian.

2. Find out what products will be created with the goat milk. Goat milk can be used in recipes and can be frozen or canned. Butter and cheese are also favorite items produced by dairy goats.

3. Understand that dairy goat females come into heat in early autumn and stay in heat for several months. This will last for 3 to 4 days and cycle on and off for approximately 25 days. Once fertilized, gestation takes 150 days with twins as a common result.

4. Build a small enclosure to house the animals from the elements. A simple 20-square-foot roofed building or shed with a dirt or sawdust covered floor will suffice. The pen must be kept dry and free of excessive urine or feces.

5. Erect a fence to pen the dairy goats. Typical fencing consists of at least three strands of electrified wire. Allow each goat to experience the shock of the fence. This teaches the animal that there is a fence there and prevents him from running through it if spooked. The fencing also keeps out other animals and predators.

6. Trim the hooves of the dairy goats at least every 6 weeks or once a month. Overgrown hooves can lead to lameness that can seriously injure the animals.

7. Keep the goats well vaccinated for diseases and health issues. Healthy goats produce more milk and prevent others from developing health problems.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask the local telephone company for any extra wire spools, as goats love to climb. Keep the spools far enough away from fencing so animals aren't tempted to escape.

• Keep poisonous plants away from dairy goats. Common yard plants, such as azaleas and mountain laurel, are toxic to goats and ingesting them can lead to death.

Resources

• Resource for raising dairy and other goat breeds
• Find a wealth of goat information on this website.