Oh the cleanliness of goats.....

[ozark_jewels]

Just got in from milking 65 head of DIRTY, MUDDY Holstien cows. The constant rain has turned their pastures into mud pits. Its not their fault but I can't help comparing milking them to milking 75 head of dairy does last year.
The cows come in with udders caked with dried and fresh mud, they splatter alfalfa poops all over the barn(when it hits concrete it hits *everything*, people included), they constantly drip muddy water off their sides and onto my head and arms while I'm working on them, etc, etc. When we get finished milking, the barn looks like a war zone.
Now, I *love* cows(Jerseys especially), but in small amounts and on large acreage so that they stay clean. I don't think I'd ever do without cows, especially since I raise my goat kids on their milk, but I sure do like milking goats better!
Goats are clean, goats poop berries and rarely in the milk barn, goats don't get wet, and goats don't sling slobbery feed in my hair.
All in all, I'm thankful for the cleanliness of goats.

[topside1]

Thanks Emily, just another reason I don't have a full-time family milk cow....Love my six dairy girls.

[ozark_jewels]

Oh John....I LOVE family milk cows.....they generally stay clean, its just cows in numbers that I find hard to take.
But yes, I do love the goats.
Oh yes, and in case I'm confusing anyone, these are not my 65 head of Holstiens....its my milking job.

[HazyDay]

Yes!

In the summer I milked for my uncle when he was out mowing or baling, so I can get hay in the winter. And milking 3 does and then going into a 40 cow cook house it was a HUGE differece! I had to do it when it rained and I was done my shirt was 100% water! Man I couldn't believe what a cow can stand.

When I helped feed silage last month they fed moldy blue silage to them and if my girls ate that they would all be dead!

[mpillow]

My brother says the same thing. He's worked on Holstein dairies in MO, now in ME and meat cows in MT.

His first remark at milking time was "Wow! they are so clean and smell good!" My barn is not the cleanest either and my buck is in with the herd! He's never been around goats til now and he is quite taken by them! But I want a family cow....much easier to make butter! and a few dairy goats always!

[dezeeuwgoats]

Our first cow - a nurse cow - didn't last a month. She got into the feedroom and splatted everything! That was three years ago and the stains are still there.

I'm hoping that our one jersey/holstein heifer will do alright on 1 1/4 acre pasture - and not be too bad.

I only had one goat that was messy on the milk stand - and I got rid of her. The brat - she had to be doing it on purpose. Her former owner spoiled her and made a pet of her and she was a TERROR. 'A little oversize' she was a huge nigerian 'dwarf'. She would poop, pee, and lay down on me in the milking stand. She did not expect to work for a living!

Niki

[Jillis]

I really, really want to get a mini-Jersey. Just one, for butter and milk and etc. They seem to be very expensive though.

In a few years, I do want one. But there are LOTS of large cow dairies around here, and I have seen milking time. VERY MESSY. Once a cow pooped right down into my friend's shirt. Yuck.

[ozark_jewels]

Jillis, go for a standard-sized Jersey. Just go for one of the older style, they are shorter. Mini's are not worth the exorbitant price breeders charge and seriously, most are just a *tiny* bit smaller than regular Jerseys. They eat almost exactly the same amount and take up almost exactly the same space. The huge difference in price will be many times what you *might* save in feed and space on a mini.
I love Jerseys!