do all girl nigerian dwarf goats milk

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

we are thinking of getting goats we are trying to choose.
I know this is kind of silly but I can`t find answer.




Thanks

 

[cutechick2010]

They do if you breed them.

NDs are a dairy breed, so yes they will all milk, but they have to be bred and give birth before they will produce milk, just like any other mammal. Also the amount of milk they produce will vary depending on a lot of factors, such as age (first fresheners don't give as much as older does) and GENETICS. If you want plenty of milk, look around for a herd who focuses on production, that is where you will want to get your does.

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Thanks so much we only want two. what do you think is the best combo.


Thanks

 

[MysticScorpio82]

It depends on how much milk you want. A Nigerian Dwarf averages about 1-2 quarts a day (with twice a day milking) per doe. Also you can't house a buck and a doe together or else you milk will taste really goaty / bucky and you will never know when to expect a kid. If it was me, I would either get 2 does or a doe and a wether. For the breeding I would find either a stud or consider Articifial Insemination. Best wishes!

 

[cassie]

Quote:
Having a buck with the does will NOT affect milk flavor. When I had my dairy I often ran a clean up buck with the herd to get any does I misssed with hand breeding. Most dairies do the same. I once had a buck that gave milk. Milking bucks are not all that unusual by the way. I sampled his milk. Also sent some to the lab with my other milk samples. His milk was 3.5% BF, CMT negative, and the milk flavor was excellent. If your doe's milk is bucky or off flavored, it is not due to the presence of a buck.

 

[sourland]

Do you want goats for milk or just as pets? If you just want pets, a pair of castrated males would suit the purpose.

 

[cmjust0]

I'd go with 2 does, personally. When adult does are dry and open (open = not bred), their nutritional requirements are pretty similar to a wether's...but being dry and open are rare times in an adult milking doe's life!

Usually, she's either preggers, in lactation, or both, and her nutritional requirements will be VASTLY different from those of a wether. That can be a little annoying when you're watching a wether get fat omnomnoming copious amounts of the high-$ alfalfa hay you're throwing the milker..

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Quote:
Having a buck with the does will NOT affect milk flavor. When I had my dairy I often ran a clean up buck with the herd to get any does I misssed with hand breeding. Most dairies do the same. I once had a buck that gave milk. Milking bucks are not all that unusual by the way. I sampled his milk. Also sent some to the lab with my other milk samples. His milk was 3.5% BF, CMT negative, and the milk flavor was excellent. If your doe's milk is bucky or off flavored, it is not due to the presence of a buck.

Interesting; everything I have read says differently. Perhaps you lucked out and didn't have a buck that was really smelly (compared to others)

"Your your buck and does live together (this is not advised- read about bucks). Buck have a distinctive order during breeding season. This smell gets on everything he comes in contact with and can get in the milk of the does he lives with. This gives the milk a "bucky taste" which is what has given goat milk a bad rap. If you do not keep your buck and does together, the buck smell will not get in the milk." http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/milking.htm#taste

"...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." http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2002-06-01/Want-Milk-Get-Goats.aspx

"If the strong-smelling buck is not separated from the does, his scent will affect the milk." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Milk.2C_butter_and_cheese

"If there is a bucky taste, then bucks have to be nearby. " quoted from Ksalvagno (member here and on BYH) with other members comfirming this. http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6076

And so on, and so forth.

ETA: By the way, I think it's really cool your buck was lactating! I have heard of men lactating after their wives have a baby. I apologize if it came across as an attack on you, that truely is not my intent. I am just trying to say that normally a buck will effect the milk, however as you pointed out, not all do.

 

[cassie]

Bucks are odiferous during breeding season. My bucks were just as smelly as anybody else's. But the odor did not transfer to the milk. As I said, my milking buck had good flavored milk. If proximity to a buck was the cause of bucky milk, his milk would have tasted bad. It didn't. BTW, running a clean up buck with the herd is standard practice in many if not most commercial dairies. The only time I had bad flavored milk was when someone gave me some Toggenburg does on loan. Their milk was undrinkable. There is a hereditary factor found in some lines of Toggs that affects milk flavor. There are a number of reasons for off flavored milk. I just never found the presence of a buck to be one of them. BTW, I had a commercial goat dairy for more than 20 years and I milked about 100 does.