Goat milk vs cow milk

OT but you don't have to milk them for all they're worth. Cut to once a day milking, cut feed way back, slow them down to what you need. If they are heavy producers do it slowly and keep an eye on their udder and condition but it can be done. We used to milk our different Jersey cows once a day. On only pasture/hay and with once a day milking we would take around a gallon per day with no trouble. Several times we slowed them down to 1/2 gal per day. Have done the same with goats, have milked as little as a quart a day over long periods of time. Milk is made on a supply/demand basis.

I should also add that when I drink lots of goats milk, my P smells very goaty. (Don't worry, I'm not in rut right now...)

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Honesty and integrity are homesteading virtues.

I too am torn inside as to what I want to do long term. I have 5acres. Currently have a dairy goat, but I want a jersey cow, or should I just stick with goats?

I know the myriad pros and cons of each and change my mind daily about whether I should buy a heifer calf next spring or take on extra doelings this summer for future milkers, or both?
I make cheese. I like cows milk slightly better than goats. I want to make butter. But I prefer goat meat to beef. Goats are an easier size and less messy. But I have lots of pasture to feed a cow and less browse for goats. Hubby is over it, and I cant blame him! I think if I got a cream separator and milked 2 goats per day the arguement may be settled and I stick with goats. But then again....

Either way, fresh raw milk for cheeses is one of my favourite things in life, goat or cow! For a first milking animal or a small property goats are a more practical choice in terms of management though, imho.

I don't get it. Unless my milk has blinked I do not notice a goaty flavor to my milk. I never have. Now my cheese tastes goaty but I LOVE it like that.

I love my cow milk-I can do so much with it. But it is soooo thick. If I'm going to drink a glass of milk I'll take goat milk over cow milk straight up.

But I say get both.

How many different goats/breeds have you had milk from? I have had "goaty" milk in the past, but I've had a lot of goat milk over the years.

[QUOTE=BlackWillowFarm;6219138]The heat from pasteurization will bring out the unwanted flavors in the milk.

Cow's milk isn't "cowy" unless something is off with the cows health or they've eaten something in the pasture that affects the taste, like onion tops or certain weeds.

I didn't have my goats long enough to know if their milk is affected the same way or not.

I have Jersey's and people who are new to raw milk have said to them it tastes like melted ice cream because it's so thick and rich. My husband prefers skimmed milk so I put some in a sun tea jar where the cream rises to the top and he can get his skimmed from the spigot at the bottom. We use the risen cream for coffee and I make butter with any extra.[/QUOTE]

Fabulous idea! If Santa brings me a cow for Christmas I will do this too. I must confess....while I love my goatie girls and their wacky personalities....we're not much on the milk. I use it for baking or to feed the the other animals....but not to drink, pour on cereal or (*gag*) in hot drinks. Raw cow's milk is adored by everyone here on the farm.
So I'm askin' Santa for a cow for Christmas.

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" It's better to ride even if you get thrown, than to wind up just wishin' ya had."

Chris Ledoux

Some goats actually do make good enough milk to use in hot drinks! That's basically my standard. For me to drink a goat's milk it must not taste goaty or off at all when used in hot stuff. I know I'm picky but I can really taste that awful taste easier than most people and it will sneak up on me and I literally gag.

I'd really like to know what breed or feeding regimine you're talking about. I can see myself with goats like that if ever the time comes (heaven forbid) that I can't keep my cows.

The thought of going back to the stuff in the stores isn't something I want to consider. ~shudder~

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~Carla~

My Niggies average around 8% butterfat, so I can usually just shake raw whole milk in a jar and get butter. I like my Niggies, but if I could afford it I would have mini milk cows instead just because I've always loved cows.

btw - you don't have to feed cows or goats grain. Lots of dairies are going to grass based dairying. With good genetics and a properly balanced diet you will still have very good production, plus healthier milk as well.

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

I know it's a tad off-topic, but I'll toss in sheep milk as an option too.

Sheep milk is very rich and always very sweet. It's nowhere near as sensitive as goat's or cow's milk, so it doesn't pick up odors and get a nasty taste, whether that be from cabbage, the fish in the fridge, or even rams/bucks in rut. Its yield for cheesemaking is twice as high as cow or goat milk. It also makes fantastic yogurt, ice cream, etc.

I think it tastes like heavy whipping cream. It can be as high as 6-10% butterfat. It does need to be mechanically separated if you want to capture the cream.

The downsides are that ewes don't usually produce as much as a dairy doe will, sheep teats are often smaller, and ewes are often more resistant to the whole idea of milking. However, I have a Cotswold ewe that five months into lactation was giving me 1/2 gallon of milk a day, and her teats were large enough to milk comfortably. I milk my Finns and Cotswolds. The lactation is not as long as a goat's, but to me five to seven months is very respectable. You could always go for an aseasonal breeder like Finns and stagger breedings so that you get a more reliable supply of milk.

I also have Pygmy and Angora goats, and have never had good luck with flavor. I am sure that's due to the bucks running about because I don't really have a good place to keep them that is far enough from the does that the milk isn't affected.

We have nubian/kikos on grass/browse/hay. We don't milk as much as we used to, we don't use tons of milk anymore. We have a few does who we know we like the milk of and we will lock up kids at night if we want to milk in the morning. When we milked more regularly we'd give alfalfa pellets on the stand every day. Even then we only took 1 to 2 quarts/day, so that type of feeding probably wouldn't work for someone who wanted to milk more out or milk twice a day....

I've never noticed that what we fed made a huge difference in milk taste though. I have noticed a big difference in milk taste (to me - like I said I'm very sensitive to goaty) between breeds and between individuals within breeds. You just have to find a goat that makes milk you like. If you're not as sensitive as I am about the taste it will be fairly easy for you. I just have a super sensitive sense of smell and taste. I can smell and taste things others don't even notice. For me I'm most likely to get milk I like from Nubians. The nubian/kiko crosses we have have milk that tastes like nubian but usually richer. I haven't tried Lamancha milk - we have several people here who milk Lamanchas and their milk is supposed to be as good or better than nubian.

eta - I'm not dissing any breeds here, I don't want anyone to feel like I am. That's why I overexplained about my wacky sense of taste.... Please nobody take offense

Same here. I can taste LOTS of things others can't. Makes eating away from home interesting sometimes.

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" It's better to ride even if you get thrown, than to wind up just wishin' ya had."

Chris Ledoux

I can taste and smell everything too. If the milk even hints of goat I won't like it.

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~Carla~