Self-sufficient households; help!

[MandyH]

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How does one make fabric softener?

 

[nightshade]

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Interesting question-I know some goats have higher milkfat, and I think there is something about close proximity of the billy to the does that makes milk more "goaty"? I would like to know the answer to your q as well!

Yes the billy will make the milk taste goatie, they can be near eachother but should not be housed together if you are milking the nanny. We have billeys but they are kept seprate from our milking nannies while they are being milked. They get to play togther on walks and such but are not together for long periods of time, even hours.

We actually perfure lamanchas for the goats we have tried. Matter of fact I am selling a nubian nanny next week at market and I just bought a second lamancha at market this week. We drank 2% and it has a closer consistency to that then the nubian milk( which has the highest butterfat of any goat.) Both tasted like cows milk to us though. We drink it raw just strained and chilled well. Makes the best darn hot coco I have ever had I must say.

I am thinking of getting either a toggenburg or an alpine also for the higher milk production. But I can honestly say I think we will now always have lamanchas

 

[nightshade]

I have been trying to talk DH into getting some of the white meat turkeys, how long does it take for them to get to butcher size?

Other things that would make the milk taste goatie is how the milk was handled from goat to glass, if the place it was milked was not kept clean, if the goat ate certain forges within an hour before milking. And even the breeding of the paticular goat the milk came from. There is actually alot that can effect it.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

Hillbilly Housewife: one of my favorite websites for saving money. http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm

This is another one of my favorite sites for budgeting, and I love the slow cooker recipes.
http://www.momadvice.com/money/making_cleaners.aspx There are recipes for cleaning products too.

 

[RayP]

I love hillbilly housewife, they are the reason I have chickens now, I have been reading their website for years through all the changes in ownership.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

I got my chickens because of Backwoods Home Magazine
http://www.backwoodshome.com/
Self reliance made simple.

 

[RayP]

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I love the site, thanks for posting it.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

You are welcome!

 

[dlhunicorn]

These are all fine suggestions but I say dont ditch the wealth of knowledge that exists in these modern times... make the best of it! See for instance this group (look in their files and such ) for a neat systme to help you be more self sufficient (was developed for poor villages in Africa)
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/barrelponics/

 

[2manyhats]

Quote:
Interesting question-I know some goats have higher milkfat, and I think there is something about close proximity of the billy to the does that makes milk more "goaty"? I would like to know the answer to your q as well!

The woman I know with the goats doesn't have a billy. So, that's not it. I thought originally that it was what the goat is fed, but these goats all eat the same.

I started a new thread about this and it seems that breed doesn't make much difference. It is more in the feed and milking procedure. The milk needs to be collected in a clean bucket, chilled quickly, and not kept too long.