Sell goats and get a cow?

[Vernitta]

In late June of last year we bought a Nigerian Dwarf and Mini-Nubian. Our plans for them was for them to eat the overgrown brush and to provide milk for our family. No, we did not buy from milk lines. This was done before we knew about all that. They were pets and brush eaters at their previous home, but I figured their breeds indicated we would get at least enough milk for our family to drink.
The ND gave birth Christmas morning. We sold the buckling and the doeling died in a freak accident a couple of weeks later (a bench fell over on her). So, we've been milking her and getting a quart a day, milking twice a day.
The MN gave birth January 3. We sold the buckling and she's still nursing her doeling. We've been milking her in the morning and we get a pint from her. I know their supply will increase, but I don't expect it to supply my family with enough milk. Plus, right now all of their milk is going to feed a lamb we bought. They are barely producing enough for her.

We, also, have a Mini Lamancha (is registerable and from milk lines) and a Kinder. The ML is ready to be bred, but the Kinder won't be for a few months. We will most likely keep these two whatever we decide.

We are considering selling the two goats in milk and the doeling and getting a milk cow. We do have about 4 acres that are mostly overgrown pasture with some honey locust trees and wild black berries. We free range our goats, though, because we can't afford to fence our property in goat fencing and there's a lot for them to eat. It is currently fenced in 5 strand barbed wire and cross fenced in 3 strand. That won't keep even the most docile goat in it's place.

It just doesn't make sense to me to keep 5 animals that will most likely never give us enough milk to do anything more than drink it when we could get 1 that would give us more than enough.

What would you do?

[LoonyK]

Lose one cow, milk all gone, lose one goat, milk still coming.

Mini goats equal mini milk, get big dairy goats if need more milk.

[||Downhome||]

Well I would find better milkers myself.

For many different reason I would stay with goats just get better lines.

Main being size, Goats easy to transport, cows not so much.
You can downsize (non producer=Table fair) the heard with out a huge loss but you will never downsize the Cow (Unless you want a 3 legged cow, hint take the hind).
Or if nature decides to down size you you loose One but not all kind of built contingency.

Cows give a tremendous amount of milk (6 or better Gallons a Day x 7 days= 42 gals+/-), they also eat more then several goats.
Several good dairy goats should give a small family all the milk they need.
You could make Cheese with the Excess and you'll get Cream as well but thats all Extra Work added to the extra work a cow takes already.

Cows need milked 3 times a day and goats 2 times.

Just a few of my thoughts.

[sammyd]

Get rid of the pets and get some goats.
A pair of decent regular sized dairy goats will produce a fair amount.
we have kept dairy goats behind 4 strands of wire that were not electrified and 3 strands that were electrified and backed by orange plastic snow fence..
As an alternative all you really need is a fencer and electro netting. Just move that every couple of days.

[arnie]

a cow is a great cotributer to the homestead and the best at turning pasture into milk a pig can turn extra milk into meat as well as a calf raised for beef for the freezer .a decent milk cow will produce plenty for all . they are bigger than a goat and good gentle home milkers are expencve .but if you can use that milk well worth it if you have the pasture they won't clean up the brush though . I kept a great brown swiss cow for many years with no trouble I also have fences that are not goat prouf .but after louseing her I switched to a dairy goat 1 because my dairy needs have schrunken 2. I could easily afford a good dairy goat and not a well broke cow ,3 age has caught up to me handleing a dairy goat is easyer as is winter feeding less, but hay is not a problem for me as we make plenty . though it is hard to think that with plenty of acres with pasture I have to carry feed to the goats .yes plural because though a free beef bull in the pasture there is no buck goat close or free to use so I have to keep a buck as well. though I do agree with the others in getting rid of the little excape artist and getting regular sized dairy goats . adding electric fence to your current one is a good idea and not overly expencive for a few acres . goats are easer to keep in the barn and small lot ,but in there they are neither using pasture or cleaning up brush either .

[Maura]

How much milk do you really need? Start there. With a cow, you can raise the calf all summer and in the fall butcher the bullock or sell the heifer. If you get a cow, I’d still get/keep a couple of goats and goat proof the pasture. The goat will eat what the cow won’t touch. The added fence security will help to keep stray dogs out.

[billinwv]

I have 1 alpine doe that gives 2 gallons per day and will for many months with proper feed. This is plenty to feed her 2 bottle fed kids and I have plenty left over for cheese making and table use. This does daughter gives 1.25 gallons per day and will probably go up next freshening. I never let kids nurse. I like a healthy, even udder on my does and tame kids. A lot of folks only give dairy animals pasture and hay. We have bred these animals to give more milk than required to raise offspring and increased nutrition is part of this equation.

[Rosepath]

First of all, cows don't need milked three times a day. Unless they're in the mega-dairy factory farms and being pumped full of who knows what to stimulate production, but what kind of life is that for them (answer: a short one).
I got rid of our dairy goats because I just like cows better, and like the milk better, love having plenty of cream. Go with what you like best, I agree with the others that you're feeding pets, not milkers.

[Ziptie]

We are currently getting rid of our Jersey cow and moving to goats.

[FarmboyBill]

I was raised up on a dairy till 1960. We always had cows tho to provide house milk and enough for hog slop. Ive had goats twice, and my own cows twice. if you don't have to fool with water gates, id say go with a cow.

[samm]

Arnie what kind of milker are you using,,,I would like to find something besides my arthritic old hand to milk with, not milking right now, but in a few months I'll start again

[Callieslamb]

how are you situated for hay? A cow will need a lot of hay over the winter. More goats you will need to invest in better fencing. If you have the hay, I'd go with the cow.

[belties]

If space and feed is not an issue, get bigger goats, and buy the cow. Stagger the lactations so that you have something milking year around.

[Ceilismom]

What I would do (assuming that I liked raising goats), is replace the goats that don't meet your needs with goats that do meet your needs. But only after I figured out an affordable way to fence them more securely. With only barbed wire, not only is there risk of your goats escaping, there is risk of stray dogs or other predators getting in and killing them. I say this as someone who would be lost without cows out in the pasture, and who has never raised goats.

[TxMex]

When I had a milk cow I raised 3-4 calves a year on her and had tons of milk as well. I'd raise 2 calves during the first half of her freshening and 1 or 2 on the second half. Pen up the calves at night and milk all you want in the morning. Turn the calves out with her during the day. They do the stripping for you...much easier on your hands. When I'd notice that they were getting a bit rough on her udder I'd wean them. Then I had a bit more labor milking her out twice a day while getting new calves drafted onto her and bottle feeding the others until they were completely on grass.

I sold 2 of the calves and that paid to have the butchering done for the calves that went into the freezer. It also paid for the feed and hay for the cow. With the current price of cows it might actually make a profit, but free meat and milk products were enough for me.

Cow milk is much easier to make butter from which was a major consideration for me. Also....you can have goats or you can have fruit trees....you cannot have both. Sooner or later the goats are going to get out and they can get to your fruit trees and kill them faster than you can grab a shotgun and chamber a round. Especially fig trees!

[Rita]

We have found that it is very hard to find a mature milk cow without some problems. Most of the time they are sold due to mastitis, being hard to milk etc. unless you get a heifer and then you still might have problems and cows are a whole lot bigger to handle to treat, milk etc.

[TxMex]

Originally Posted by Rita

We have found that it is very hard to find a mature milk cow without some problems. Most of the time they are sold due to mastitis, being hard to milk etc. unless you get a heifer and then you still might have problems and cows are a whole lot bigger to handle to treat, milk etc.

When you go to a dairy farmer ask them about a low producing cow. A cow that doesn't produce enough to be profitable for a dairy farmer will still produce plenty of milk for a home milker. Yes, make sure you don't get the main mastitis problem from that herd that he is trying to dump.

Make sure the teats are long enough to get a hold of!!! Milking with 2 fingers and a thumb gets old in a hurry.

[copperpennykids]

Buy 2 Saanens or 2 Alpines. Stagger their breedings so that you will always have a steady supply of milk in the winter. Or milk one doe through (especially if you buy a good Saanen - you could milk her for 3-4 years straight).

BTW - Saanens are easy to fence - they are so busy making milk they are not trying to get out all the time. I wouldn't want barbed wire anywhere near my goats...accident waiting to happen!

[FarmboyBill]

Way to test for mastitis, grab a teat and milk it. IF she balks, milk the one she balked at, and smell the milk. It it stinks, and maybe is curdy, she likely has mastitis

[Awnry Abe]

I would do both.