Best goat for milk?

[KelsiNS]

In terms of milk production, what breed of goat should i look into for SE TX weather (hot and humid)?

Just milk-it will essentially be a pet. Also, a breed that does well with some confinement (1/4-1/2 acre), as i recall a friend that had goats that were terrible and constantly getting loose or injured trying to get loose-but they were almost wild.

I have some experience with goats, but not so much individual breeds as handling whatever breeds i was around.

 

[aoxa]

If a fence can't hold water, it can't hold a goat

Unless it's electrified or super tall and sturdy - they most likely will get out. My goats do not go far. They have no fence at all right now.

I have Nubians. Nubians, Alpines and Saanens are very common milking goats. Each should give at least 1 gallon of milk a day.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...hoosing-a-dairy-goat-breed.aspx#axzz2dMd19hUJ
Here is an article on the best milking goat breeds.

 

[Erhard]

Consider Oberhasli.
Mine is gentle, easy to get along with, and stays in the fence after having been shown what her boundaries are. She gives very good mild flavored milk.

 

[abbymckinn]

I'm looking at getting some nigerian dwarfs, I have been doing research and they are a lot smaller so they require less feed/less space and they produce good milk. Not as much but if you alternate two does that would probably be enough.

 

[aoxa]

I'm looking at getting some nigerian dwarfs, I have been doing research and they are a lot smaller so they require less feed/less space and they produce good milk. Not as much but if you alternate two does that would probably be enough.

With small goats comes harder to contain goats.

 

[abbymckinn]

That's true! We are going to build a really sturdy fence!

 

[aoxa]

That's true! We are going to build a really sturdy fence!

My friend Nina raises them. They are cute little stinkers.

They can fit in any pop door you have for a chicken, so make sure you have them fenced away from the chickens if possible.

 

[Stacykins]

*shrugs* I use cattle panels for my Nigerian Dwarves, and they stay confined. Even the buck in rut stays put, despite the girls going into strong heats now. The key is not to put anything near the fence that they can JUMP over. All my toys for the goats are far from the fenceline. If they get a hoofhold, they'll launch over.

The young kids, until they are 3-4 months old, can squeeze through the cattle panel. But they like to keep close to their mothers, who are still behind the fencing, so they rarely do.

 

[abbymckinn]

We think we might just use something like hog wire? Would tht work? About 4-5 feet high

 

[GaryDean26]

The milk champions are the Saanen for the largest volumn of milk. They are closly trailed by the Apline, Togeenburg, and Olberhasli which should all be a gallon a day milkers. The La Mancha produces slightly less than the before stated French breeds, but have a higher cream content to the milk which give it a different flavor. The nubian comes is next with volume, but again have an even higher fat percentage.

When I was considering getting goats a few years ago (still don't have any) we took a few farm tours and got milk from Aplines, Nubians, and Nigerian Dwarf. We loved the high fat flavor of the Nubians and the Nigerian Dwarfs, but prefered cows milk to the Apline milk. We haven't tasted Olberhasli milk, but have heard it is the closest in taste to cows milk (which is what most people are used to).

We only have 2 acres so we also have been looking into the Nigerian Dwarf, mini-dairy goats, and Kinder Goats (I wish there was a Kinder Goat breeder in Central Texas). One advantage we see in the Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian and Kinder goats over the French breeds is that they are African and can be breed year round while the French does are only seasonal breeders so you won't get milk for two months in the winter. African goats can kid in the fall and be milked durring the witer months (you just need two does so you can rotate breeding every 6 months).