Raising Dairy Goats and the Benefits of Goat Milk

By Kris Wetherbee
Published on January 12, 2021
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If you milk twice a day, separate the milking time by about 12 hours.
If you milk twice a day, separate the milking time by about 12 hours.
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Recognized by their floppy ears, Nubians are known for their rich milk.
Recognized by their floppy ears, Nubians are known for their rich milk.
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Milking a Nubian goat.
Milking a Nubian goat.
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The mutual admiration between people and goats sometimes gets a very early start.
The mutual admiration between people and goats sometimes gets a very early start.
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Saanens are heavy milkers.
Saanens are heavy milkers.
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Oberhaslis are medium size.
Oberhaslis are medium size.
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Alpines originated in Alps.
Alpines originated in Alps.
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Toggenburgs have long lactations.
Toggenburgs have long lactations.
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Long on calm and gentless, short on ears, La Manchas charm with their sweet dispositions.
Long on calm and gentless, short on ears, La Manchas charm with their sweet dispositions.
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Nigerian Dwarf goats weigh 30 to 50 pounds and give very rich milk.
Nigerian Dwarf goats weigh 30 to 50 pounds and give very rich milk.
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Goatskins can be tanned to make excellent leather.
Goatskins can be tanned to make excellent leather.
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Great brush managers, goats thrive on hilly terrain and feed on leaves and twigs.
Great brush managers, goats thrive on hilly terrain and feed on leaves and twigs.

Whether your property is one acre or several hundred, sloping or flat, crowded with brush or completely forested, you can still raise dairy goats for milk. Two goats will produce enough quality fresh milk — with each doe averaging 3 quarts a day for 10 months — to feed your family all year. Add a few more goats and you’ll have enough milk for making cheese, yogurt and even ice cream.

Goat milk ice cream?  Some of you might be raising your eyebrows right now because you’ve heard goat milk tastes funny. We could blame the funny-taste fallacy on a conspiracy concocted by those comical Far Side cows. But more likely it is because someone kept the buck among the herd, especially at milking time. A buck can be quite odoriferous, and his strong, musky scent can permeate the milk. The fact is, properly collected goat milk tastes just as good as cow milk. Some people believe it tastes better.

“I have a friend whose brother refused to drink goat milk because he knew he wouldn’t like it”, says 20-year goat veteran Gail Damerow, editor of Rural Heritage magazine and author of Your Goats and Raising Milk Goats Successfully. Gail’s friend bought a carton of cow’s milk from the store for her visiting brother. After he emptied the carton, his sister refilled it with fresh goat milk. The scenario continued until a week later, when he noticed the carton looked a bit worn around the edges. She admitted he’d been drinking goat milk all week. He became an instant convert.

More of the world’s people consume goat milk than cow milk. Goats are hardy animals: They adapt well to heat and cold, productively forage and graze, require little space, and are inexpensive to keep. Since mature does (females) usually weigh between 120 and 135 pounds (dwarf breeds can weigh between 35 and 85 pounds), they’re much easier to handle than hefty cows, which can weigh 1,000 pounds each. Goats may surprise you in other ways, as well. They’re highly intelligent, remarkably friendly creatures. And, since they’re active, extremely agile and very curious, their antics can amuse you for hours. With all that in mind, it’s easy to see why dairy goats can be the ideal addition to today’s family farm or homestead.

The Dairy Breeds

There are more than 200 different goat breeds worldwide; six primary breeds dominate the dairy goat arena: Alpines, Oberhaslis, Saanens, Toggenburgs, LaManchas and Nubians. While all breeds generally do well in most of the country, the first four breeds listed are well-suited to cooler climates since their origins can be traced to Swiss mountain regions. LaManchas and Nubians hail from tropical and desert climates where it’s warmer, and they tolerate hot summer conditions better than the Swiss breeds.

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