Milk goats

[JO~*]

I am thinking of getting a milk goat and would like some input from some of you goat people out there.

Ok first thing I did was try some fresh goat milk yesterday and I have to say I would have been hard pressed to tell it from cows milk. Now I was raised on a dairy and know what real cow milk tasted like so I was very surprised with the taste of the goat milk yesterday because for one thing years ago I had a goat for a short time and her milk tasted “goatie”. I had no buck around and I fed her just alfalfa and some grain and there was nothing else for her to eat. That goat was an Alpine just as the one I tasted the milk from yesterday was. The goat yesterday even had a stinky buck around her.

I was thinking of a couple of Nigerians but I found out yesterday that we have no class for them at our fair and my daughter would want to show them as a dairy goat, so now I am rethinking the Nigerians. But I would still like to know more about their milk? Taste? How much?

Ok now if I wanted to make yogurt with the goat milk is a high butterfat better?

For a dairy goat what breeds do you like and why?

Thanks

 

[runamuk]

I know when I talked to dairy goat people, they mentioned that each breed has milk that tastes a bit different. For good looks I like Oberhasli, and from what have been told for docile nature and good milk Saanen are a good choice. One person told me to try milk from the different breeds and find which I preferred.

 

[JO~*]

I know when I talked to dairy goat people, they mentioned that each breed has milk that tastes a bit different. For good looks I like Oberhasli, and from what have been told for docile nature and good milk Saanen are a good choice. One person told me to try milk from the different breeds and find which I preferred.

Yes the Oberhasli are pretty if they are the ones I am thinking of......bay color with a dorsel stripe.

I saw some at the state fair in Sacramento this summer.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I had some awesome nubians! Starred milkers. Great milk and sooooo much of it.

: It's naturally homogenized, so no separation for them. Plus I love their personality. I've consider a couple more so that I could milk one, other for company. But, it's a real committment!

Want a miniature Jersey, same reason, to milk but -- again, that 2X day milking and you sure can't not :new_shocked:

Added: mini Jersey cow!

 

[runamuk]

I know when I talked to dairy goat people, they mentioned that each breed has milk that tastes a bit different. For good looks I like Oberhasli, and from what have been told for docile nature and good milk Saanen are a good choice. One person told me to try milk from the different breeds and find which I preferred.

Yes the Oberhasli are pretty if they are the ones I am thinking of......bay color with a dorsel stripe.

I saw some at the state fair in Sacramento this summer.

Yep those are the ones...absolutely gorgeous.

I really liked the Saanens I met they were very quiet, laid back goats. The nigerians are very small so easier management I'd think. Nubians are the biggest (I've had ponies smaller...LOL). Then there are La Mancha's with those aerodynamic head's built for speed....LOL :bgrin :bgrin no ears to get in the way

: and I think it was Alpines that were the clowns of the crowd. I had the good fortune to meet a couple goat dairy people who had multiple breeds, they were big into showing and had neat set ups for their milking parlors, and kidding areas, vetting rooms etc much like a fancy show stable.

I believe the forum member "formyACDS" is also a dairy goat person you might try to contact her as well for input.

 

[Lil' Horse Lover]

We raised goats and had a few dairy goats. We had one Saanan buck, one Saanan doe, one Nubian doe, and one Nubian/Saanan cross. All three were awesome milk producers! Especially the Nubian/Saanan crosses. From our experiance the Saanan produces more milk then the Nubian but the Nubian produced the better tasting milk, so when we crossed them we ended up getting more milk and better tasting milk. I don't know if its like that way for other people but thats what we found out with out goats.

All of our does were kept a few yards away from our buck and none of them ever had bad tasting milk, but boy oh boy do those boys STINK :smileypuke: !!!

And just so you know goats are a LOT of work! You have to deal with the smelly buck, the stubborn does, and the little kids. You also have to get up in the morning and go out at night to milk them (unless you have a baby in with them keeping their udders from filling up and getting tight). But hey if you love goats and are prepared for the work I say go for it!

Well goodluck and keep us updated!

 

[Kootenay]

I had a Toggenburg , and she produced a fair amount of milk--(litre--sometimes 2 per day), but milking her was a pain--on the hands--literally. Nice goat--quiet, but could be strong, and liked to pull on the leadrope. She also needed pagewire and electric fence to keep her in. If the fence was off, she'd be out.

Her milk smelled okay--(I never tried it--gave it away to my neighbors). I fed her a cup of bagged goat feed twice a day, and free choice grass hay, plus all the clean water she could drink--(goats won't drink dirty water). I did send her off to a farm full of goats though, as owning goats just wasn't for me.

Link To Dairy Goat Varieties:

Goat Types

 

[palominogirl]

i have had goats for about 11 years and love them to death. out of my doe i get close to half a gallon or more she is a good milk producer i never really drink the milk i did when i was little but cant remember it too much we also have a yogurt machine that we just bought but all of our does are all dried up. if your looking for a goat that is a good producer then i would suggest a toggenburg over the years i have never had a togg that hasnt been a good producer. we also have bucks around but i never noticed them helping or hurting the production?? we breed our does once a year. if you dont breed them and they just produce for a long time straight their milk gets watery when this happens we usually dry them up breed them and then start all over in 155 days well good luck

Britt

 

[ForMyACDs]

An EXCELLENT resource forum for Dairy goats is: www.dairygoatinfo.com

You'll find some VERY experienced dairy goat people there who will be able to answer your questions. There is also a great deal of information regarding breeding, feeding and medical care.

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

My DIL is just getting into milking goats, on our farm. She has 10. Most are nigerian dwarf. She did have a few LaMancha's, but traded them for nigerians. I dont drink goats milk but I do use it in my soapmaking. Those little nige's sure do seem to be big producers. 4 are bred for December babies, those are sharing a barn with my horses . All her nigerians are so sweet. One LaMancha she had was very friendly, but the other was so skittish, and could those two jump! Everyone forwarned us about the nigerians getting out of there fence, we have never had any problems all are very good.HEr billy, is kept away from the girls but right now hes in rut, and WOW--they sure are stinky. My son is building her a "goat barn" next spring. I love to just sit and watch them, they really are entertaining

: I just made her a website, with her goats on. If you would like to see hers the addy is www.freewebs.com/meadowridgegoats/ She has some pics on it that really shows how friendly hers are, with my 1 1/2 yr old grandson and her billy (if she hasnt changes the pics on me :bgrin ) www.goattalk.com is another good forum .Corinne

 

[JO~*]

An EXCELLENT resource forum for Dairy goats is: www.dairygoatinfo.com

You'll find some VERY experienced dairy goat people there who will be able to answer your questions. There is also a great deal of information regarding breeding, feeding and medical care.

Thank you, I will check this site out. My head is spinning from all the sites I have gone to.

I was wondering if their was a really good goat site, thank you!!!!

My DIL is just getting into milking goats, on our farm. She has 10. Most are nigerian dwarf. She did have a few LaMancha's, but traded them for nigerians. I dont drink goats milk but I do use it in my soapmaking. Those little nige's sure do seem to be big producers. 4 are bred for December babies, those are sharing a barn with my horses . All her nigerians are so sweet. One LaMancha she had was very friendly, but the other was so skittish, and could those two jump! Everyone forwarned us about the nigerians getting out of there fence, we have never had any problems all are very good.HEr billy, is kept away from the girls but right now hes in rut, and WOW--they sure are stinky. My son is building her a "goat barn" next spring. I love to just sit and watch them, they really are entertaining

: I just made her a website, with her goats on. If you would like to see hers the addy is www.freewebs.com/meadowridgegoats/ She has some pics on it that really shows how friendly hers are, with my 1 1/2 yr old grandson and her billy (if she hasnt changes the pics on me :bgrin ) www.goattalk.com is another good forum .Corinne

Hi, I'm going to check your DIL's web site right now. I'm sure this is going to sound dumb and when you tell me I will most likely do one of these but whats a DIL?