[sokel]

Yes if you where to go ahead and get goats, milking out and bottling the lambs would be the way to go.
You would need to take into account the cost of feeding 2 milking goats to keep them in full yield would be well over the cost of buying lamb replacement. Then if/when they dry up you would have to kid them so any milk would go on feeding her kids so you would have no spare milk for lambs

[smithycraft]

lambs will ruin a goats udder  so not a good idea

I'm interested in this statement as I have raised a calf on one of my goats, drinking directly from the udder and there was no damage at all.  How do lambs differ?

[WildWelshShepherdess]

I know that it'll be cheaper but lambs dont seem to do as  well on lamblac etc.

We've always raised lambs directly on a goat but i dont want to cause any pain to her, although lambs are very similar to kids. 
Lambs would be weaned off her at approx 10 weeks of age depending on breed etc..

Thanks

[plumseverywhere]

Is it only a ruined udder conformation wise perhaps? if you have no interest in showing or selling on to be shown then it might not be an issue?
I keep goats and when we have bottle lambs I've ended up back on lamlac because the lambs wouldn't take the goats milk 
My only worries with paddock sharing is that if the goats need copper its hard to ensure the sheep don't access it - but you probably already know that and have p lans around it 

[Dogwalker]

I've heard it said that lambs will ruin a goats udder and that it's alright for them to suckle direct, don't know which is true.

I partly raised lambs on goats milk last year.  It was ok when I just had a couple but then was given 6 and had to introduce some lamlac.  One lamb wouldn't take to it, got the squits and after a week of trying I had to put him back on just goats milk and the rest on half and half.
He's still a scrappy thing and when the grass starts growing if I can ever get weight on him he'll go for meat eventually.  His twin is slighty better.  But those two were orphaned at birth the rest have done well but had 4 days on their mums first.

Goats milk isn't a rich as sheeps milk.

[shygirl]

i think the lambs butt the udder to harshly and can damage the udder this way.calves arent as rough but how would it reach without a platform?

[Dogwalker]

The way the goat kids butt I wouldn't have thought lambs were any rougher.

[plumseverywhere]

The way the goat kids butt I wouldn't have thought lambs were any rougher.

Absolutely agree. I remember being a bit taken aback when I first saw our kids on their mums!! Made me realise that my 'ever so gentle' attempts at milking were quite needless   

[verdifish]

Some people die crossing the road ! Some don't ! We raised 3 lambs last year on a goat and she suffered NO damage but I guess as with everything there's a risk ! Would I sell someone 1 goat ? No ! Would I sell someone 2 goats to use as fostermothers for lambs ? Yes !