I must say that I was skeptical about the whole deal. We read up on goats and milking, but still. The deal was..I would NOT milk nor take care of the goats. I would TRY the milk..but no promises of converting.
After 3 months..I must say I have changed my mind on the whole goat thing. The article was absolutely right..if ya don't want to commit..don't get the goats. That being said, I still don't milk the goats..but I do mess around with them..they make me laugh. I figure the girls need to learn responsibility and they love the goats so it all works out.
The thing is..the milk. Oh My Gosh. All I can say is..the milk was NOT what I was expecting. It is so good that I can't think about going back to store bought cow's milk. I also waited this long to tell ya all..because I wanted to make sure of the following...my gut has never felt better! I don't know what the heck the deal is..but my gut feels like it has healed or something. Since the goat milk is the only thing different in my diet..it certainly makes me wonder.
Anyway..I don't suppose that there are many who want to read this..yet I never figured myself as a person who would ever own a goat. Go figure.
When we had ours the wife made alot of cheese out of it. We enjoyed that along with the birth of kids every spring.
Well, I’m reading it; and I have no anticipation to get a goat, OR drink the milk. But, I am interested in your experience. So, thanks for posting.
I had friends in MN who kept goats as a small business for a number of years. They live in an underground house, and the goats grazed on the roof! They finally gave it up because the work got to be too much. They sold the milk and had a customer list to keep up on, etc.
I can see how the goats make you laugh. They are my favorite exhibits at the County Fair. Do you provide toys for them> Around here, goats want to climb, and a lot of the farmers put apparatus in their pens. They always go right to the top to gaze around.
It has been some time since I’ve tried goat milk, but my recollection was it had a rather gamey taste, that didn’t taste quite so gamey if it was served very cold.
It’s been maybe 30 years, and I recall that back when cow milk was around a dollar a gallon, goat milk cost about the same — per quart.
I have no idea how the price relates today. Haven’t thought about it in a while.
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What breed goat did you get? Do you have to let them get pregnant every so often to keep them as milk goats?
Have you sent their pictures to former President Bush? (Shameless “My Pet Goat” reference.)
Hey, this is interesting. Back to fresh basics:) I live in a city and can’t have a goat but I love reading this.
Goat cheese fresh in salads...lots of stuff to try.
Thanks for putting up.:)
Good info. We are thinking of getting two small dwarf nigerian goats sometime in the near future. I have to decide if I want to fool with milking them. How hard is it?
I’m considering it. Have been occasionally taking care of my friend’s goat, who are adorable, clean, funny, and gentle. Very little mess or health issues compared to horses or cattle. But it is a headache being there twice a day to milk no matter what other issues one has in one’s life (broken car, late night at the office, being personally sick, kid problems, etc.) You HAVE to do it.
Also, to keep the milk going that goat is going to have to be bred and have a kid every once in awhile. The billy goats are a stinking mess. Breeding animals can be a joy or a real heartache and in any case is exhausting. One starts having more and more goats and more and more responsibility.
It’s also fun to learn how to use the goat milk to make cheeses and yogurt. These are delicious! So rewarding to make your own. But the goat milk itself smells nauseating in my opinion.
>> Buying a Milk Goat? Things You Should Consider
It’s just a hunch, but one thing you should consider is that if you’re buying *a* goat and you want milk, you’re gonna want a *female* goat.
:-)
All kidding aside, I have seriously considered getting a few goats, for milk and meat and vegetation clean-up too. Did you know goats love poison ivy and can eat it without problems? I read that somewhere.
Thanks for the post!
I have read that goats destroyed the environment in the middle east. They eat everything, even the roots.
Finished off the last of a block of goats milk cheddar last night. Need to buy another one today.
Goat eyes just creep me out.
I love goats. When I was a kid we lived out in the country and always had a couple of goats at a time. We had a momma named Snowball (she was pure white) that loved strawberry cola. My dad’s friend would always buy one before he came over, drink half and save the other half for Snowball. She also gave ‘kisses’.
We also had a baby Billy who we bottle fed when we got him. He ran with the dogs. We lived in the middle of an alfalfa field and I would go out and call the dogs and you could see only Billy as he jumped through the field coming toward you. He was following the dogs. He actually thought he was a dog. lol
Enjoy your goats! They are such fun.
the problem with milk goats like milk cows, there is no day off....milked every day. Other types of goats are not as demanding, but your right on doing some reading up and glad you got at least 2 or they are very insecure and become frightened easily being a prey animal.
Farmer/author Joel Salatin raises cows, pigs and chickens, but not goats because he says, “I don’t want to raise animals that are smarter than me.”
Years ago I had a milk goat which I did have to milk twice a day. When fed good alfalfa hay and sweet grain the milk tasted rich and yummy, and LOTS of it. I strained the milk through large (commercial) size coffee filters which worked great. Yes, and the babies are fun to watch.
OK, it's not exactly gardening, but related.......