Goats for Milk, Cheese & Meat

[MoonShadows]

What is the bolus for?

 

[farmchick897]

Copper bolus. Copper deficiency makes milk taste bad I hear, so trying that.

 

[Cknldy]

Do your goats have free choice loose minerals? Just asking because I bought a lamancha/pygmy cross about a week ago. 1 yr old, vet checked and ready to breed. No experience with dairy goats myself but from reading and asking around I had to buy the loose minerals. If loose minerals are provided, does it not have enough of what they need or is it a 'guess what they aren't getting enough of' thing?

 

[farmchick897]

Yes, they have free choice loose minerals, baking soda, kelp and white salt. I also give them BoSe shots twice per year and Copper bolus.

 

[erinszoo]

Just found this thread. We bought a goat from a neighbor yesterday and will be bringing her home on Saturday or Sunday so I'm researching like mad now. We've been planning on raising goats for two years so we've read a lot of stuff but now that she's coming home with us I can't remember anything! She's a Boer which is a meat goat instead of being bred for milk, but we plan to milk her anyway. We only want enough for cheese. None of us can drink cow's milk and we all have problems with cow's milk cheese but love goat cheese so I think it will be a happy mix.

 

[farmchick897]

I think you will run into problems milking a boer, but maybe not. Good luck.

 

[clrob97]

farmchick-

Can you give an update? For our family's milk supply, we have narrowed down to these three options: Saanen, La Mancha, and a Jersey. Taste is the big last deciding factor with our family and how we settled on these three options. We were looking to avoid any hint of goatiness as well as anything too rich as this will primarily be drinking milk and our family is used to 1-2% cow's milk.

To help our decision process, we are looking for owners in our area with these animals in milk so we can do our own taste test. In the meantime, how do you compare the three (Saanen, La Mancha and Jersey) today?

Thank you very much.

 

[farmchick897]

Everyone loves the Jersey milk. Not too rich but has a nice layer of cream that needs to be shaken up before drinking. Absolutely love my Jersey, she is left with her calf 12 hours at night. He is put out with other 4 calves I have during the day (which he loves and waits by the gate each morning). I then let her fill 12 hours and bring in to milk. She is giving me between 17 lbs and 23 lbs with that one milking. Only down side is I have to machine milk her, can't do it by hand she is so full and has so much milk I just don't have the strength to do it, my hands are exhausted and I'm not old and have no hand problems. whereas the goats are super easy and I can milk them by hand in less than 3 minutes.
The goats:
I tried EVERYTHING! And I do mean everything to try and change flavor of the milk and it didn't matter. 1 Lamancha was the worst.. Sold her.
The Lamancha /Saanen cross - sold her
Kept one Lamancha that the flavor was not bad but my family could always tell it was goat. But it wasn't a bad difference. The pure Saanen, Gracie, was always consistent in great milk. Can't tell the difference between her and cow except the cream on top.
I bought another Saanen that is due in Feb, so will be happy to see if it's all Saanen's or it's that bloodline. Also, I didn't keep any of female babies from this year. My Saanen's female baby got hung up in a hay feeder and was killed and the Lamancha that we kept had a buckling.
So.. I love how easy the goats are to milk and since they aren't giving gallons at a time it is simple and quick. On the other hand my Jersey is giving so much milk that we ended up buying bottle calves (bought 4) and she is not only providing milk for us but feeding 5 calves that will bring in a lot of extra money.
Hope you find something that works for your family.

 

[farmchick897]

Also wanted to add.. I bought my Jersey with good bloodlines and papers when she was a week old. I kept her on milk for a lot longer than most people wean bottle calves. Therefore I didn't pump grain into her to wean. Raised her out on pasture with meat cows with little if no grain. The first time she got grain was after she delivered and I started milking. I stupidly listened to someone who told me that she needed a pound of grain for every pound of milk. So I gave her like 10 lbs and she got very sick. I almost lost her. So, I only give her 2 lbs of grain 2x per day mixed with alfalfa pellets, beet pulp and chopped hay. That seems to be enough to keep her busy while milking and she just doesn't need that grain to milk. So really she is eating less grain then my two goats and giving way more milk. I truly think it is because she wasn't raised on grain and her rumen developed healthier and more natural. Also, I don't feed alfalfa hay at all. She eats regular grass hay. She does get a handful of alfalfa pellets in her grain mix but that is all.

 

[Anna6]

quote-
Bad housekeeping in the d airy barn and milk parlor will contribute off-flavors to milk, as will housing a buck too close to the does. So will mediocre hay. Feed the highest protein alfalfa you can afford - second cutting is usually deemed best

Yes this!

Also when the does are bred and they are starting to dry up before kidding the milk will become more concentrated and the flavor stronger. We do not keep a buck on the premises any longer then needs be because it makes the milk taste like buck/goat. If you give your goat lots of weeds or strong flavored vegetables like onions your milk will also tast like it. Our goats get alphalfa and the does in milk get grain when they are in the milk stand. They also have a small grass pasture that we irrigate.