I, too, want to say that you must first be completely committed (no, not that kind of committed- I mean to the goat
) to milking. Most of the year it is a 2xday commitment that should be done as close to 12 hours apart as possible. It doesn't matter if you milk at 5:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m. or 9 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. - it just needs to be twelve hours apart. You cannot go out for an evening and come home three hours late to milk. You don't get to sleep in (like you ever do now huh!
) and even when it's a blizzard outside... you have to go milk.
Now, having said all that... I have eight children and Home School them so I can relate to the busy part of what concerns your hubby. However, it certainly can fit into your daily schedule. I actually love going out to milk (well, this morning when it was in the 20's and a there was a layer of ice all over everything it was hard to get going out there but once in the barn, I love it.) as I find it's such a peaceful and relaxing time. Often several of my children come out and play around while I'm milking, sometimes it's just me and the goats. I love it either way.
It takes me roughly 3 to 4 minutes to milk out each of my two does right now. They are only giving a quart of milk, each, in the morning and at night though. It took me closer to six or seven minutes when they were giving a gallon each milking. For total time, it takes me just under a 1/2 an hour to set up the strainer, get the milk pails ready, walk out and milk, come back in to strain the milk and get it into the freezer. I leave my milk in the freezer for about an hour and then move it to the frig. It gets real cold, real fast and helps bring out the wonderful fresh taste.
I think the hardest thing for me when I first started was to remember that when I was planning appointments (doctors, etc.) several weeks or longer down the road that I had to make sure I made them around my milk time. It helps a great deal to have a back-up family member or very close neighbor that can learn to milk them in case you get sick or have to be gone during milk time. An 8 yr. old can certainly learn to milk and help you take care of the goats.
My hubby was completely against me getting milk goats. However, we were drinking 16 plus gallons of milk a week so it was very easy for me to show him on paper how much money we would be saving by having milk goats. We easily save several hundred dollars each month even taking into consideration what it costs to feed the girls. He wants me to get a couple more now!
The price of milk goats vary considerably from area to area and depending on the quality of the goat. I highly suggest you do really good research and homework to find out what makes a good milk doe. (Good udder attachments, teat size and orifice size, standing still on the milk stand, etc.) and buy the very best quality doe you can. A 2 or 3 yr. old doe is a great age to get if you can. Around here a good quality milk doe goes for about $250 up to $1000!! (The higher prices are for show quality does.) But, I got my two for $200 each and was thrilled with that price.
Before you buy find and go visit several milk farms (even if they only have one doe in milk) and watch them milk and then milk the doe yourself. It will help you learn what size teat is best for you. Ask lots of questions from the people and learn, learn, learn before bringing home your goats.
Best wishes.... I absolutely love my goats and the fantastic fresh milk we have every day.
Now, having said all that... I have eight children and Home School them so I can relate to the busy part of what concerns your hubby. However, it certainly can fit into your daily schedule. I actually love going out to milk (well, this morning when it was in the 20's and a there was a layer of ice all over everything it was hard to get going out there but once in the barn, I love it.) as I find it's such a peaceful and relaxing time. Often several of my children come out and play around while I'm milking, sometimes it's just me and the goats. I love it either way.
It takes me roughly 3 to 4 minutes to milk out each of my two does right now. They are only giving a quart of milk, each, in the morning and at night though. It took me closer to six or seven minutes when they were giving a gallon each milking. For total time, it takes me just under a 1/2 an hour to set up the strainer, get the milk pails ready, walk out and milk, come back in to strain the milk and get it into the freezer. I leave my milk in the freezer for about an hour and then move it to the frig. It gets real cold, real fast and helps bring out the wonderful fresh taste.
I think the hardest thing for me when I first started was to remember that when I was planning appointments (doctors, etc.) several weeks or longer down the road that I had to make sure I made them around my milk time. It helps a great deal to have a back-up family member or very close neighbor that can learn to milk them in case you get sick or have to be gone during milk time. An 8 yr. old can certainly learn to milk and help you take care of the goats.
My hubby was completely against me getting milk goats. However, we were drinking 16 plus gallons of milk a week so it was very easy for me to show him on paper how much money we would be saving by having milk goats. We easily save several hundred dollars each month even taking into consideration what it costs to feed the girls. He wants me to get a couple more now!
The price of milk goats vary considerably from area to area and depending on the quality of the goat. I highly suggest you do really good research and homework to find out what makes a good milk doe. (Good udder attachments, teat size and orifice size, standing still on the milk stand, etc.) and buy the very best quality doe you can. A 2 or 3 yr. old doe is a great age to get if you can. Around here a good quality milk doe goes for about $250 up to $1000!! (The higher prices are for show quality does.) But, I got my two for $200 each and was thrilled with that price.
Before you buy find and go visit several milk farms (even if they only have one doe in milk) and watch them milk and then milk the doe yourself. It will help you learn what size teat is best for you. Ask lots of questions from the people and learn, learn, learn before bringing home your goats.
Best wishes.... I absolutely love my goats and the fantastic fresh milk we have every day.
