Need some advice and info on milk goats!

[PassthePeace1]

Quote:
Nope, don't do it! First of all, stay away from all the mini versions.....they are hard to milk! Little teats....gosh, it's like milking raisin. Even the first year freshed standard size goats are harder to milk with the smaller teats. A mini is a nightmare, especially since you don't have any experince. Second, a five year old that has never been milked no matter the size, is going to be a hand full, you will probably being preforming a mini rodeo show for amused bystanders.


I love the LaManchas they are generally so sweet, Nubians are great goats but some can be so noisy.

You ask something about how long it took to milk a goat, well that depends on you and the goat......which is another reason why it is best to wait for the right goat. I use to have three goats fresh at a time, and I had a Nubian that produce good quanity and quailty milk.....but she was a real.....%%$#@@% to milk. I could milk the two other goats in the same amount of time it took to milk her. Generally though once you get the knack, you can milk a cooperate goat in about 5 mins.

The actual milking is really the least time comsuming part of milking. Setting up and clean up is something else that has to be considered. I forgot if you mentioned how old your children where, but they could help with some of pre and post milking chores.

 

[savingdogs]

Well I can't answer all of your questions, but my husband has been trying to talk ME into goats for quite awhile.

This last year we finally live someplace where it is realistic and practical to actually have goats, so we have gotten started. My husband took me to the 4H booths at the fair and I literally fell in love with some quasi mini-nubian dairy goats, a wether and two doelings. The family was extremely helpful that we purchased them from and let us come and visit their farm and goat barn prior to making the decision so we would see what we were getting into. That experience proved invaluable because it included lots of information such as where to go locally for everything we were about to need and how to set up our space.

Because my husband is fully "into" this project, he does the lion's share of the chores, especially the cold, early morning feedings. I would not want to be taking care of a baby and these guys without support. My children also help but they are teenagers, but that makes it even easier for me to do this now.

And we are only at the food and water and care stage, not milking! Of course we are also caring for the chickens however so we were already home doing those things so it did not really change our schedule, it just lengthened our chores.

I was really excited about the idea of making goats milk soap and cheese and can't wait for our babies to be old enough to breed. We realize it is a long term project from here still, since we probably won't get much milk from them after their first babies. I think I am going to end up buying goats milk because I don't have the patience to wait two years!

We are really enjoying having our goats and are surprised how much fun they are, but they are alot of work. I think it is something you should both be into before you jump in. During the warmer months we will also be using them for brush removal which makes them dual-purpose, but we find they have become our little friends and we are quite attached.

 

[Epona142]

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