What is the best goat for milking purposes?

[Parson's Wife]

Hello,
After reading the articles and comments here on BYC...I'm thinking of purchasing goats (like 3) for milk to help out at the house.
Which type of goat is best for this?
I'd prefer to have fairly even tempered goats, not waiting on me to turn my back...

The parsonage sits on 3 acres...flat, flat, flat pasture land...well, it used to be a cotton field so you can't really call it pasture land.
Any information offered would be appreciated.
(Pro & Con)

 

[MissPrissy]

Some prefer a pure bred goat. Others don't. I am a don't. LOL

I have saanan/nubian mix in all of my goats. My goats are large, too. The big does weigh in at over 150 lbs each and their heads are at my chest and I am 5'11". I get a lot of milk with rich cream. Good stuff!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

That depends on you want in a goat. If you want a small goat that will still produce a good amount of milk, Nigerians and mini Lamanchas are good. Your cost feeds will be certianly lower and Nigerians are tons of fun and don't require much room at all.

If you are looking to get a lot of milk stick with bigger breeds like Alpines and Nubian's. Out of the two I would go with Nubians, just because I love the big floppy ears.

Or like Miss Prissy said, you can just get a crossbreed.

 

[ksacres]

We raise Nubians and La Manchas, and we have *one* Saanan.

The Nubians are the friendlier breed, and I like their milk better.

The La Manchas give more, and are "untouchables" as I like to put it. They have a certain attitude.

The Saanan has never freshened, but Saanans tend to be very large and good milkers, though their milk *generally* is a bit lower in butterfat.

We also have one La Mancha/Nubian cross, she's a good milker, but she has a slightly roman nose and elf ears. Not so pretty as the others

I recommend Nubians to beginners, as they are generally readily available both to purchase, and then to get stud service for. Those floppy ears are generally a hit as well. I also recommend you start with a few seasoned does, or a seasoned doe and a wether. If you are learning at the same time they are learning (to be milked) things can go awry pretty quickly.

 

[lacyloo]

we need pix priss lol

 

[Picco]

In my experience nubians are full of energy and can be a little dominant but they are beautiful and are great milkers. LaManchas are more docile and quiet, but I don't like the look of no ears personally. I grew up with a toggenburg as a pet and she was great. I got her from a breeder who said his toggenburgs were his best milkers, I never bred her but personality-wise she was wonderful. Nigerian dwarfs seem awesome, I plan on getting a few soon for pets and brush clearers. The only thing I can see as a problem is they would be harder to milk since they have smaller "equipment", I've never milked a dwarf but tried a pygmy and it wan't easy. It depends more on the individual breeding rather than the breed as far as milk production goes. If you want high production your best bet would be to buy from a goat dairy as they would have a more selected herd.

 

[tberggren]

Hi Picco,
I see you are from upstate NY also. Do you know of any Nubian or Nubian crosses in the upstate NY area?

 

[Parson's Wife]

Thank you. Has anyone heard of a goat dairy down here? In Arkansas? I'm sure there are...but I haven't heard. Do your goats keep your home supplied or do you still buy cow's milk? Thank you, again.

 

[MissPrissy]

Each of my does will milk 1 gallon of milk every morning and 1 gallon every night. You have to get creative to keep from drowning in it.

There is no way in the height of goat milk season you will ever need to buy cow milk. When it is really cold and fresh and handled well you can't taste a difference.

I have been letting my 2 big does dry off. one of them milked through her last kidding so she has been milking for 2 yrs straight. That will pull the weight off of them when the weather is cold and they can't forgae as much and depend on grains and hay for their main diet.

So, during drying off season and through the point of kidding, i do have to buy milk. I did not breed the big does this time and am trying to stagger the breeding of the other does to have at least one milking for the house in rotation all year long. Sometimes that plan is better said than done.

 

[ole-crone]

We raised Swiss and American Alpines. They were very sweet and kept us with a lot of milk. I love the look of nubians but they are so noisy - they are constantly bleeting. Our friend raised Saanens for milk - the milk tasted wonderful - she claimed it was because her milkshed was spotless.