milking goats wanted west of brisbane

[futuredesigner]

The Permaculture Design Institute is looking for a few good quality milking goats for its new 100 acre demonstration farm 200 k west of Brisbane. See our farm at http://www.janahn.com.au

Best email contact is janahnforest@yahoo.com.au

Thanks Leo Mahon, Director

[ho-hum]

Leo,

The project looks good.

Historically, all of the wild goats in your area are descended from station milking goats that were let loose in the 60s with the advent of refrigeration and refrigerated transport.

I would ask your local stock agent if anyone local catches feral goats and source some likely looking young ones from there. They wont produce like a top line dairy goat but they will be well adapted to local conditions and its poisonous plants. Goats are very easy to domesticate even if they are wild caught. I believe these goats are worth about $30 each [on the truck] and if you are new at goats it is an inexpensive method of trying them out without going to the expense of perhaps importing some well-bred, well-raised types from over on the coast.

Generally speaking, top quality milking animals require top quality feed. It would be a shame to have to buy in quality feed to maintain production.

Often too local medical & hospital staff know who has goats [for lactose intolerant babies].

Our bush goat, we had her for about 8 years, would produce about 2litres a day for about 4-6months after kidding and feed a single kid. Gertie was nearly always tethered and recieved, perhaps, twice weekly allocations of grain or working-horse mix when we were milking her.

Just my sincere thoughts on the issue.

floot

[futuredesigner]

no shortage of quality feed. property has been spelled for 14 months and 12 inches of rain in last 12 months. planting more desmanthus, a short browse legume that is frost tolerent. green panic grass is now 1.6 m high.
also trialing old man salt bush with white cedar. grass grows prolifically under its shade.
thanks leo

[frosty]

Hi leo

dont mean to "panic" you but in her book "natural goat care " Pat Coleby says that panic grass is not good for goats

I cant help with sourcing goats I am in WA ........ but I do partially agree with floot that you need to try and get goats that are used to your type of situation

I bought 2 top quality milkers from a stud that shows goats ........ but I find they just dont uderstand the idea of going out and foraging for grass and bush :lol: they have been raised to lie down by the shed and wait for the humans to bring them feed

but the 2 goatlings bred here have a much better attitude and spend most of the time picking arround for feed 8) thus I am hoping the doeling will milk much better than her mother

frosty

[futuredesigner]

thanks frosty,

many types of perennial herbs and grasses are growing.

highly recommended reading is peter andrews "back from the brink" where he made reference to the best horse pastures at studs in england had around 80 species of herbs and grasses.

he also promotes slashing pasture to create mulch, which i plan to do to establish new varieties of winter clovers, especially white haifa clover, prolific flowering for pollen/bees.

we also have a good proportion of buffle grass

Leo