Goats Suckle Dairy Calves

Goats Suckle Dairy Calves LIVESTOCK Sheep/Goats 18-3-39 Mississippi farmer Tom Miller, of Macon, made this mini "nursing parlor" so his dairy goats could suckle dairy calves. A small plywood bench sits on the barn floor between lengths of wire fence panel. A 6-in. sq. hole is cut into the wire panels on each side of the goat. The goat hops up onto the bench, and two calves - one on each side - stick their heads through the holes to suckle. The solid sides and 6-in. sq. opening are key to its success. "The hole needs to be exactly 6 in., not 1 in. bigger or smaller in order to keep the calf from butting the goat while suckling," says Miller, who tried three previous designs. The goats suckle the calves twice a day until the calves are up to 1 1/2 lbs. of grain consumption per day. Miller says he originally tried to grow baby calves on commercial milk replacer but he says using goats is much cheaper and calves' health is better. "I'm converting cheap grass into milk and a dairy goat does that much more efficiently than a dairy cow." As the calves grow larger, it often takes two goats to satisfy them. "A good dairy goat theoretically should produce two gallons of milk a day and should be able to suckle two calves, but I've discovered there's a definite shortage of good dairy goats," he says. Reprinted with permission from The Stockman Grass Farmer, P.O. Box 9607, Jackson, Miss. 39286.

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