Milk differences between species. (cow vs. goat)

[Reed77]

When I purchase more land, I'm looking into an animal what was bred for milk production. But I can't decide between goat or cow. Is there a big taste difference? I was raised on store bought cows milk, will there be a huge difference? Me and my family use a lot of milk! I'm mostly after milk taste, and options (cheese, soap, ect.) not so much quantity.

[eclipchic]

I can't tell the difference between our goat milk and whole store bought cow milk easily. If I drink solely goat long enough and drink cow I can taste the difference but its very subtle. Our goat is a nubian

[Oat Bucket Farm]

Goat milk tastes a lot like store bought cow milk...only much better! Love my goat milk.

[Reed77]

Originally Posted by Oat Bucket Farm

Goat milk tastes a lot like store bought cow milk...only much better! Love my goat milk.

Better in what way?

[eclipchic]

a bit richer, maybe sweeter..

[VA Shepherd]

I'm biased, but have you considered sheep? I don't care for the taste of goat milk (sorry, I know I'm in the goat forum ), but sheep milk tastes much more like cow milk. It has the creaminess of goat milk, the mild flavor of cow milk, and it's the closest to human milk that there is so it's good for people who have trouble with dairy. And in addition to awesome cheese, it makes the best yogurt ever! Just something to consider!

[Reed77]

Yes, I thought about sheep milk too (east friesian) I've been told some of the best cheeses are made from sheep milk!

[VA Shepherd]

Exactly! I have EF crosses, they are amazing producers, very mellow rams, and the wool is really fine, too. You're always welcome on the sheep forum....

[LFRJ]

Yes, I believe there is some difference - but maybe not so much in the way of taste, but the way in considering goat keeping vs. cow keeping. Goat milk will turn in flavor after a 8+ days in the fridge. (I don't mean sour, it turns goaty). This doesn't bother me, but may you and your family. I couldn't say what cow milk does.

Keeping a goat is easier - maybe. We opted for goat because we had more browse than pasture. Also, we don't need anymore milk than a single milker would produce. In fact, at a half gallon per day, we were swimming in milk during the first 8 months! If I could have sold it, I would have. Goat milk has a smaller market. May be a better market for cow's milk. another consideration. Making cheese is tricky. If you're dedicated - could be wonderful. If you're time constricted, may be a challenge.

There are options both ways. Do you like Chev? (goat meat?) There will be those extra male kids in the future to consider. Goat fencing will be a BIG consideration, and then there is the plethora of goat breeds to consider. Am told Sannens match cow milk pretty well. We keep Kinders - much higher in butter fat GREAT for cheese making - but much lower in volume per milking.

For us - goat's make more sense than a cow - but the decision had little to do with the taste. I LOVE our goat milk! At 6% butter fat, I can make cheese, ice cream, butter - but it's goat. Goats work for us because we don't TRY to compare to cow, and goats work better for our landscape, fencing and needs overall.

Hope that helps.

LF

[Alice In TX/MO]

I've had cattle and now I have goats. The big factors for me are:

1. Poop. Nothing nastier than cow poop. Runny stinky poop. Goat poop is little odorless dry berries.

2. Size. I like animals I can manage. Cows are huge. Goats are just the right size for me.

3. Personality. Goats are incredible human oriented, intelligent, curious, varied creatures. Cows are big blobs of protoplasm.

Just my dos pesos.

[April]

I prefer goat milk over cow milk for drinking, but you do have to cool it fast or that goaty taste will get ya. I also prefer goat milk over cow milk for making soft cheese (like cream cheese) and mozzarella. But, for butter, sour cream and hard cheese making I much prefer cow milk.

So I keep both species. If it weren't for the cream, though, I would totally stick with just goats. They love me. The cows like me a little, but mostly just tolerate me.

[sammyd]

if you are used to store bought milk, then fresh milk from any animal will be an eye opener.
we run goats at the moment because of their size.

[Parttimefarmer]

We have 2 milk goats, the taste is very good as long as it's fresh. We get about a gallon a day.

[Rechellef]

I love both raw cow's milk and raw goat's milk, but goat milk is ahead by a hair for us. As it has been mentioned, it is much sweeter and creamy without being heavy (it is a little higher in butterfat than cow milk). I have never tried sheep's milk, and dairy sheep are more difficult to come by of course, but the milk is higher in butter fat and protein than goat or cow, but goat milk is just as easy to digest as sheep milk and is perfect for the lactose intoleratnt. A typical Jersey cow produces 3-6 gallons a day, so you said you like milk, you would have to like A LOT of milk with a dairy cow. Keep in mind that like goats, you have to breed dairy cows yearly too to get milk and you have to plan ahead on what you are going to do with the offspring. In addition, most dairy cows are inseminated artifically, so you are going to either have to learn to do that or find a farmer who breeds his cows by hand. My best milker (a Saanen) gives us about 1 to 1-1/2 gallons a day which is more than enough for our family and gives me plenty left over to make various cheeses, pudding, cajeta (carmel sauce), buttermilk, cream cheese, etc. Cows can be gentle and friendly, but goats have wonderful, quirky personalities and are more like dogs than cows are. I like cows, but I LOVE goats. Just my 2 cents.

[Lizza]

Both taste great, fresh raw milk tastes different then store bought milk, but it is easily adapted too because the they both taste wonderful, only different (from store bought milk).

Goats milk and cows milk are most different in their uses, not in the drinking. Cows come with a large side of cream for butter, creamer, sour cream, ect. Goats milk is naturally homogenized so you won't be getting cream. Cows milk wants to be cheese more then goats milk does. It's not that you can't make great goat cheese it's just that cows milk practically begs to be made into cheese. Cows give a lot of milk, which sounds wonderful, until you are being run out of house and home by refrigerators full of milk, it can be overwhelming.

None of that matters though, not really, like others have already said, the one thing that matters is the care and keeping of the milk animal. Goats are smaller and easier to take care of and like Alice says their goat berries are much easier to deal with then cow patties. Depending on how much land you have, cows can really tear up your land, they are much heavier. My small Jersey is over 800 pounds. You really shouldn't worry too much about the milk but think more which one you want to take care of 365 days a year and milk every single day.

As a side note, my cow is much easier to breed then my goats. I haven't heard of any place that didn't have an AI tech somewhere, it is ridiculously cheap to get your cow bred to a top sexed semen bull. I found it a much bigger hassle to breed the goats. We have bucks now but I have to pay to keep them year round.

[LoneStrChic23]

I would love a tiny miniature Jersey.....but the $3000+ price tag I've found on most makes that impossible.

I love goat's milk, when handled properly, and proper care, nutrition, minerals has been provided for the doe there isn't much difference between goat's milk & store bought milk.

My mini alpine has loads of cream in her milk (thanks to her nigerian blood) so it is sweeter & "heavier" than store bought milk...My Alpine's milk is just slightly creamier than store bought milk...My brother who "hates goat's milk" drinks my Alpine's milk every time he's here and doesn't know he's drinking goat's milk Few things taste better than fresh, sweet goat's milk.....And IMO, few things taste worse than improperly handled goat's milk! I can not stand even the barest hint of "goaty" so I am meticulous in sanitizing everything & being as clean as possible during milking.

I wish I could have cream, but I couldn't use all the milk a full size cow produces, and I don't want to clean up cow patties!

Plus with the goats I can handle all doctering/shots on my own.... I'm not sure I could do all that alone if a cow decided they weren't in the mood for it...

Now, if someone could toss $3700 my way for that mini Jersey my father in law's neighbor is selling, I'd definately have her

[TroutRiver]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I've had cattle and now I have goats. The big factors for me are:

1. Poop. Nothing nastier than cow poop. Runny stinky poop. Goat poop is little odorless dry berries.

2. Size. I like animals I can manage. Cows are huge. Goats are just the right size for me.

3. Personality. Goats are incredible human oriented, intelligent, curious, varied creatures. Cows are big blobs of protoplasm.

Just my dos pesos.

I completely agree with all of this. I work as the head herdsperson at a cow farm (dairy and beef) and I really do believe that goats are 100% more practical and more enjoyable (and safer) to work with.

Goats milk is also more digestible and therefore healthier than cows milk.

[ValleyVista]

Originally Posted by LoneStrChic23

I would love a tiny miniature Jersey.....but the $3000+ price tag I've found on most makes that impossible.

I love goat's milk, when handled properly, and proper care, nutrition, minerals has been provided for the doe there isn't much difference between goat's milk & store bought milk.

My mini alpine has loads of cream in her milk (thanks to her nigerian blood) so it is sweeter & "heavier" than store bought milk...My Alpine's milk is just slightly creamier than store bought milk...My brother who "hates goat's milk" drinks my Alpine's milk every time he's here and doesn't know he's drinking goat's milk Few things taste better than fresh, sweet goat's milk.....And IMO, few things taste worse than improperly handled goat's milk! I can not stand even the barest hint of "goaty" so I am meticulous in sanitizing everything & being as clean as possible during milking.

I wish I could have cream, but I couldn't use all the milk a full size cow produces, and I don't want to clean up cow patties!

Plus with the goats I can handle all doctering/shots on my own.... I'm not sure I could do all that alone if a cow decided they weren't in the mood for it...

Now, if someone could toss $3700 my way for that mini Jersey my father in law's neighbor is selling, I'd definately have her

For cream you can just use a cream separator if you really wanted to make butter / ice cream etc..

[DaniR1968]

We have tried both. I don't currently have a dairy goat yet but that is what we plan to get. The fresh cow milk was creamier and too rich for us. The fresh goat milk tasted much more like the store bought milk we are used to. Any time I get fresh cow milk, my kids don't drink much at all.

Since goats are smaller and easier to care for, I'm happy goat milk won out. Right now I have a young buck and wether. They are super friendly and come running every time they see me. They're almost like dogs in that respect. I'm hoping to get a couple girls later this year.

[CarolT]

Expect your young buck to lose all common sense once the girls get there LOL

Love goat milk, waiting to try fresh cow milk to see if the tummy trouble is because it's cow or from processing