Milk all year

[albionjessica]

Is it possible to breed two does so that one is always in milk? A lot of what I have read about goats is that they tend to go into heat seasonally.

We would probably get 2 Kinder does (which happen to be listed as year-round breeders) because we wouldn't go through a lot of milk or meat with just the two of us... at least for starters. Plus, I have heard that Kinders birth multiples a lot.

When would the best times be? In another thread I saw most people prefer Jan-Mar for birthing, so should the other doe be bred to birth in June-September? If anything, we drink more milk in the winter, so we wouldn't want to go the winter without milk.

Thanks, all!

[chamoisee]

It is possible, but (no offense to anyone), I would use a standard dairy breed if I were you. Otherwise, you could end up with a scenario where you have two goats and are never able to take a vacation, but for 2-4 months out of the year you are only getting a pint a day! A cup or two of milk is hardly worth the expense of the milk filter... :-/

In all honesty, this could even happen with a standard sized dairy breed. A lot of does do not produce more than a quart or so after they've been fresh for 4-5 months. They are bred for 'pretty' and 'cute' not 'production'. I have culled out a LOT of does like that.

Then there are does like our Junebug, who hardly dried up after a year-long lactation befoe freshening with nice triplet doelings! She gives about 12# a day at her peak... All three of those doelings will stick around...

Anyway....I wandered.....breed one doe as early as possible, penning her with a buck in late summer so he'll get her on her first heat. Breed the other one in January or February. If she is a Lamancha or Nubian, you might be able to get her bred in March.

The other question is: do you really want to milk 365 days a year without a vacation or a break?

[homebirtha]

I agree with Cham. I don't know a whole lot about kinders, but I don't think they give nearly the quantity of a dairy goat. If I'm going to be committed to milking twice a day, every day, I want to be getting enough milk. Don't forget, you won't just drink the milk, you'll (probably) want enough to make yogurt, cheese, ice cream, butter, etc. You'll be surprised how much you go through. We have fainters that we thought we might milk. We don't use a lot of milk, dairy goats seemed like a lot of trouble, etc. Now that we have dairy goats, I can laugh at that original plan of milking the fainters. It's just not worth the effort, IMHO, for 2 or 3 cups of milk a day.

As for breeding to always be in milk. I liked the sound of that too... before we got goats. Now that we're doing it, I'm looking forward to that 2 month break coming up.

Something else to consider: You're only without fresh milk for about two months. Goat milk freezes well. If you have regular dairy goats, and you're getting a gallon or two a day during the spring and summer, you'll have plenty to freeze for those two dry months. It's not quite as good as fresh, but it's close enough.

Trust me, you'll enjoy that break if you go with the regular schedule.

[albionjessica]

Good advice. How do you prepare milk for freezing? Is it just as simple as pouring the finished milk into freezer bags, or do you have to add anything to it?

My husband was looking into Myotonic goats, as well. He thinks they're just adorable. Do you use them for meat, and if so... what percentage do they dress out at?

I think we'll start out easy and just get ourselves a couple Nubians or LaManchas and only milk one through, then we'll know if we want to milk every day. We're sensible... we wouldn't jump in with both feet until we've had a chance to test the waters. I was just wondering if it was possible to even use a seasonal breeder for year-round milk.

[mary,tx]

Last year we had milk almost all year. I think the first kids were December, and the last kids February. There was maybe a very short time when we were either not milking or not milking much, but the milk in the freezer made up the difference, so that we did not have to buy milk.

If you are not pasteurizing, just strain your milk and put it into good freezer bags. I've found that the store brand is not hardy enough, Glad zipping bags are better. Don't fill them more than half full, as the milk will expand when it freezes. Also, you want to be able to fit it into a container while it is thawing. Those plastic cereal containers work well for this.

Since I pasteurize, I have found it best to do that before freezing so that I don't have to fuss with it when I thaw out the milk.

We have Nubians.

mary

[homebirtha]

We freeze ours in 1 gallon ziploc bags as well. I agree with Mary, spend the extra for Glad. THe generic store brand tend to leak. I lay them on their side in a jelly-roll pan until frozen solid. That way, if it leaks, it's only in the pan and not all over the bottom of the freezer. When you defrost it, it helps to mix it up well with a hand blender. Otherwise, it seems to stay separated a little.

We like the myotonics a lot. We had planned on having some for meat. But honestly, we make so much more selling them as pets and breeders, that we haven't had any to put in the freezer yet. They are super easy keepers. Very healthy and vigorous, worm resistant, mostly non-fence-challenging. They were a good goat for us to start with before adding more difficult dairy goats. There is a great market for them, at least where we are.

[goatkid]

I pasteurize milk and freeze it in 2 liter pop bottles in a chest freezer. This way, I can use it for orphan kids as well as human use. I raise mostly Nubians and grades. I could breed to milk year round, but my husband and I like to have a month or two a year when we aren't either milking or birthing goats. Not that we go anywhere. We still need to feed and care for the goats. It's just nice to get a break in January, when it is the coldest outdoors and in my unheated garage, where I milk.

[okgoatgal2]

yes it is possible to milk year round, but it is a never ending thing.