Bully Goats Rough: the saga continues

[bluerthangreen]

Housing Meat Goats with Milk Goats…trickier than expected.

Eat the Bully...Drink the Milk

As I mentioned in my last post , Bully Goats Rough, my wife ( @allforthegood ) and I were seriously contemplating slaughtering our meat goats because of how they were bullying our new milk goat.

@allforthegood and I decided it was time to quickly convert our year long investment of feed into homegrown meat.

What I didn't mention in that post was the other mitigating reasons for leaning towards our version of the "final solution." The rest of this post will explain why we are getting away from Kinko/Boar goats and leaning towards Nubians/Nigerian Dwarf goats.

As I was saying, at least 3 out of the 4 bully goats rough will meet their untimely end as meat—a tasty, lean meat in fact. We may keep "Little Girl" and do some experimental breeding with a Nubian buck that we hope to procure in the next 8 months or so. So, our female Kinko/Boar will be offered a stay in her execution... for now...

Moving on...

You know, sometimes after acquiring a new animal on your homestead it becomes apparent that they just aren’t a good fit. With limited fencing and even more limited time, we feel, at this point , that we need to focus our energies on animals that can peaceably co-exist with each other.

Our goat veterans have proven they are rather hard to get along with. These goats have even tried taking on our new massive 150 pound Bull Mastiff. They’re definitely not faint of heart!

If only there was a black market underground goat fighting enterprise that I could use these meat sacks in. I bet I'd make a killing!

I kid, I kid... (get it?)

Rather than continue on with two types of goats, it makes sense to consolidate to a breed that is friendly and easy to train…and can make creamy and delicious milk.

Why Goats instead of Cows?

When my wife and I purchased our 12 acres of land, we knew we had the possibility of raising a Jersey cow if we wanted to, but we decided to go with a either a Nigerian Dwarf or a Nubian, “the Jersey of the dairy-goat world” for a number of reasons:

1.   Goats need less area to graze on, which means less fencing to purchase.
   

2.   Goats are less picky than cows and will even eat our prolific poison ivy and briars.
   

3.   Goats don’t mind rough, wooded terrain. Lush grass pasture isn’t essential, or even preferred.
   

4.   Goat milk can be used for flavorful cheese, like Feta, and natural soap. The Nubian breed is also good for meat.
   

5.   Goat milk is more easily digested than cow milk, even tolerated by some who are lactose-intolerant.
   

(Side Note: Not sure how the 5 points above formatted the way they did. I kinda like the way it looks so I left it.)

By the way, don’t form your opinion on whether you like goat's milk based on the junk commercially produced and sold at your local grocery store. It’s nothing like FRESH RAW goat's milk. @allforthegood and I tried it before receiving our young Nubian, and we were hooked! It was so delicious and refreshing. Give it a try, and if you love cow's milk, you'll love goat's milk too.

Stay tuned for updates as we learn how to breed, freshen and milk on our little homestead!

What do you think?

Should we get a Nigerian Dwarf buck or a Nubian buck?

We'd love to hear your pros and cons for each type.

Thanks for Reading!

As Always,

Comments

[cecicastor]

Cock fights they have. Not interested. But goat fighting? Ummm...perhaps. better do the meat thing. We tried Pelibuey sheep, looks and behaves a lot like a goat. They clean up our paddock, no problem. Then they took to eating my garden and seedling trees. Then the ultimate insult. They broke into the house and ate all the fresh bread! Needles to say they became meat real quick.

[bluerthangreen]

Never heard of Pelibuey sheep before. Are they a meat breed, wool, or duel purpose?

[cecicastor]

Basically meat. Their hair is fairly short and bristle like. Very friendly breed. Older sheep still taste like old sweaters to me though. LOL

[olympus-mons]

Slaughter a goat in front of the others, perhaps that would change their attitude.

[bluerthangreen]

I love the way you think.

[morodiene]

Regarding the formatting of your points, to see the rest of the line (since it gets cut off - at least on my small laptop screen) you can highlight the line and it will scroll to the right to reveal the rest.

As for the goats, sounds like the Nubians are a better match for what you're looking for, but I know nothin bout goats.

Upgoated and respleened.

[bluerthangreen]

lol

[everittdmickey]

one minor issue with Nubian Bucks (I had one)
They STINK.
They stink so bad a skunk has visions of sexual deviation.
They stink so bad that a possum would puke.

[bluerthangreen]

That made me laugh. I have heard that about bucks in general. Apparently they pee on their faces to attract the females. I should try that and see if @allforthegood finds me irresistible.

[negativer]

Don't do that, @bluerthangreen. One can't improve upon perfection. Or something.

[mobile-joat]

I was wondering what that smell was on the way home... Here I thought it was sweat... #thepeopleIWorkwith...

[wholesomeroots]

Your doe needs to be same or larger breed than your buck or her delivery of kids could be very problematic if too large.

[bluerthangreen]

Thanks for the input. I didn't consider that as being too great an issue, but now that you mention it, ya, I can see why that would be wise.

[joyyrush]

Love that last picture!

[sonu]

I want you to know how much I value your support.

[youngwildfree]

According to previous research that I've done, (and some recent to brush up haha) :

• On a scale of Milk vs. Feed, Nigerian Dwarf goats will produce more, for less. They average about a half gallon a day, versus the Nubians output of around a 3/4's of a gallon, to a gallon and a half a day if you have a really good doe.
• A con for many small breed goats (ie: Pygmy, Nigerian dwarf, etc.) Is that thye are more prone to certain diseases than larger ones. I don't remember if this is because of the breeding that took place to make them "mini" or what, but it could be something to look into.
• If you end up getting stuck between the two breeds, have no fear! You could look into Mini Nubians, which just happen to be a mix between Nubians and Nigerian Dwarf.
• Milk fat content: For more ease making cheeses and butter, you would need a higher milk fat content. Nubians average around 4-5%. Nigerian Dwarfs are infamous for the higher milk fat content in comparison to other goats. It ranges from 6-10%.
• Milk flavor: Nubians are known to have sweet tasting, smooth milk. Nigerian Dwarf milk is said to be creamy and sweeet. Apparently it is one of the best tasting goat milks out there due to the higher fat content.

Hope all goes well for your goat rearing adventures!

[allforthegood]

Wow, great info. Just doing a little blog review and found this now :)