Milk

[recyclingviking]

I was wanting to know if there are is a breed of goat that is best for milk? Also roughly how much does goats milk sell for? An last what type of place do you contact about sellin it? Thank for any help.

[Laura Workman]

Are you looking into a new career as a dairyman? If so, I would strongly suggest you start with just two goats, figure out how to keep them alive and producing well, and move on from there. Before you even get that far, however, you should research the laws in your state and find out what kind of facility and license are required in order to sell milk. Most states are very picky about it.

[recyclingviking]

not really looking for a new career but my wife and I really like goats and figure if we are going to have a few we might as well sell the milk. Also we always research everything before we get into it, I was just on here so I figured I would ask.

[trnubian]

Alpines and Sannens tend to give the most milk pound wise. Nubians and Lamancha's give the highest butter-fat with a nice amount of milk. Toggenburgs give milk that is used mostly for cheesemaking.

That being said, genetics play a LARGE role in quanity and quality of milk. That is where milking records play an important role. If you buy, buy does with good milking records. For alpines and sannens a good average for amount of milk would be about 10 or more pounds a day. Nubians and Lamancha about 9 or more pounds a day.

THAT being said. In order to get the maximum genetic potential out of each doe they need to be managed accordingly. High quality alfalfa hay (or high quality grass hay and free choice alfalfa pellets), fresh clean water, a good grain supplement while milking and just before kidding, free choice GOAT minerals (not sheep and goat, or all stock mineral), free choice baking soda or rumen buffer, clean, dry, well lit, and draft free shelter, lots of room to move around (even in their shelter as there will be many days when the weather will not permit outdoor exercise.)

Around here we can not legaly sell goat milk. That which is sold is often sold as "pet food only" and whatever the buyers do with it is their business. (it is handled for human consumption however -clean udders, prior stripping, strained, and chilled very quickly.) This milk goes from anywhere from $4 to $12 a gallon.

We can not advertise AT ALL. It is all word of mouth. And that spreads quickly.

[Charleen]

Great advice about getting started! Those goats can really take up time and responsibility and there's ALWAYS something more to learn about caprine management and health.


If you're really serious, www.realmilk.com has some great information on it, you can look up laws in your state regarding the sale of milk. You can also check your state's department of Ag & Mkts.

[southerngurl]

Personally, I'd probably go with Lamanchas for a dairy. I didn't like saanan milk, tasted kinda watered down to me. Lamanchas seem to be a hardy breed, nice milk and very friendly and easy to handle.

[Egypt Run]

Hello and welcome to the wild and wonderful world of dairy goats. My wife and I raise Nubian goats we like their milk the best. It is rich. I know some dairymen who raise sannens for volume and nubians to raise the butterfat. We could sell for 50 cents a pound raw. If we could sell. The state of WV is tough on goats as a dairy animal and have run nearly all the cow dairies out as well. Our Nubians are bottle raised, so they are very friendly to people. They follow us around like puppies. I am disabled and require friendly tame goats so we raise them by hand from birth. We get 45 pounds of milk day average. 8 pounds is more or less a gallon. We know longer push for production like we use to. Back then it was 2000 lbs per doe per year. Now we get 1000 to 1100 lbs per year per doe. Our feed bill is half of what it was. LOL

[xoxoGOATSxoxo]

I like Saanens milk. Nubian would probably be my second favorite. I've never tried Oberhaaslis milk, though, or Nigerian Dwarf.

[Laura Workman]

Below are the breeds with which I have personal experience, meaning I have owned them, in numbers ranging from a two Lamanchas and their kids to several Mini-Manchas and their kids.

Oberhasli - Smaller goats, though still standard sized. Milkfat runs low to high three percents. Very quiet, gentle, friendly.

Nigerian Dwarfs - Very small goats. Reasonably quiet, gentle, friendly. Very rich milk, around six percent butterfat average. Milking ability varies wildly among individual animals, ranging from the doe with tiny teats, no letdown response and short lactations that gives 1/2 cup per milking, dries off at three months and is horrible on the milkstand, to the doe with a nice udder and teats, terrific letdown response, stands like a rock on the milkstand, has a lactation that ends when you make an effort to dry her off, and peaks at 5 or six pounds per day with a very gradual decline. Even with good bloodlines, you can't count on wonderful milking characteristics in an individual animal unless you see them for yourself, or you are buying from a person who has milked the animal on a regular basis and who's word you trust.

Lamanchas - Bigger than Oberhasli, if from show lines. Reasonably quiet, gentle, friendly, but I've never seen other goats ram each other the way I've seen Lamanchas do. Fine with people. Good quantities of fairly rich milk - percentages run from high threes to high fives.

Nubians - Large goats. Loud. Smaller amounts of rich milk. Somewhat richer than Lamanchas in general, but not as rich as Nigerians. Loud. Pretty and sweet. Loud. My first goats were Nubians. Gorgeous, sweet, fun. We named one of them Banshee. My good friend had a nationally prominent Nubian herd for many years. I loved visiting with her animals, and would have brought one home if I hadn't been living in town where a quiet animal was of paramount importance.

I personally keep Mini-Manchas and have been highly satisfied with the milking characteristics and personalities. Others have been less satisfied with their Mini-Manchas. Since the breed is still under development, and different breeders are working with different goals (for example breeding for small size with no ears as opposed to breeding for good milking charactersitics), milking characteristics can vary widely, so it's a good idea to closely examine parentage before purchasing.