ESTABLISHING THE HOME DAIRY 45 



Two Goats Necessary. — For a continuous milk 

 supply for the household two goats are necessary. The 

 breeding season for the Swiss goats is usually limited to 

 the months of August to February, inclusive. The does 

 then come fresh from January to July. Almost any 

 grade doe will give sufficient milk to keep the family 

 supplied for se\'en months, so it will be seen that two 

 does, bred about six months ajjart, will provide a fairly 

 even supply for the table throughout the year. Some 

 foresight must be exercised to pro\'ide a supply of milk- 

 producing feed for the doe that must freshen when 

 natural green feed is wanting. This subject will be 

 discussed in Chapter XIV. 



From another point of view it is better to keep two 

 does than one. A goat suffers more from loneliness than 

 any other animal. With companionship she is quieter, 

 eats better, and gives more milk. 



The " Billy-goat " Problem. — The two most vexing 

 problems that confront .the owner of two or tliree family 

 goats are: first, the breeding of the does; in other words, 

 the " billy-goat " problem, and the raising of the kids. 

 Some goat owners are fortunate enough to live near a 

 breeding herd, where the services of a pure bred stud are 

 easily obtained. Others are willing to go to the trouble 

 and expense of shipping their does by express to the 

 nearest registered buck. 



