What is the best milking type of goat?
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Hartpury College, Gloucester. A one day Introduction to Cheesemaking by Judy King, cheesemaker from nearby Wharf Farm Dairy. We made a cheddar method goats cheese for maturing in 2 months.
Question by Smiles: What is the best milking type of goat?
I was just wondering what is the best goat for milking. It would be just for personal use, not to sell or anything. i would really like a pygmy goat if that is possible for a milking goat?
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
8 Responses to What is the best milking type of goat?
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The Male type of course.
JoJo
July 26, 2013 at 4:09 pm
You can milk a Pygmy but it would be a lot for you to get 1 cup of milk per day. If you want the dwarf size get a Nigerian Dwarf. They are the smallest dairy breed.
My personal favorite is the Nubian. They have the long flopy ears and produce the highest butter fat content. But if you want the most milk then get a Saanan. A nother good breed that is comon is Alpines, They may be the easiest to fine at a good price.
Sheri W
July 26, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Pygmies do not make good milk producing animals. If you want small goats that produce milk, get a nigerian dwarf. They are an actual dairy goat, but are only about the size of a pygmy
sweet_trixie
July 26, 2013 at 5:05 pm
If you only want a little bit of milk, then get a Nigerian Dwarf goat. I have Nubians for my families personal dairy does. Nubians have the loudest voice of all the goats. If you have close neighbors, you may not want a Nubian. Nubians have the most butter fat in their milk, so it’s the easiest to make butter from their milk.
LaManchas (the goats with “no” ears) really are exceptionally sweet natured. I hated the “no” ear look, so resisted getting any for years. When I finally broke down and purchased some I found they actually do have exceptional personalities. They are a smaller sized dairy doe. They usually don’t give huge quantities of milk, but it’s nice milk and nice goats to work with. They have sweet quiet voices. Good choice if you have close neighbors.
Myotonic goats (fainting). Some people milk them and are very happy with the amount and quality of the milk. I have several myotonics in my herd. They have exceptionally friendly personalities. They are the easiest goat to fence, as some of them cannot jump at all, and most only a few inches. You will need a stanchion with a ramp as a myotonic doe will not be able to jump on and off a stanchion. They are a heritage breed (endangered of becoming extinct).
Saanen goats, are the “Holsteins” of the goat world. They give huge quantities of milk. The ones I’ve owned have not been especially sweet natured. They have been fantastic mothers though. They can be quiet loud, and hard on fences because of their size.
Sable goats are Saanen goat, just with color. Saanen goats are all white, Sables come in colors.
Toggenburg’s have the oldest registry of any domesticated animal on earth. Their registry goes all the way back to the 1500’s. The ones I’ve owned were very sweet. Togg’s can be good jumpers, and sometimes difficult to fence. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the taste of Togg’s milk. It seems if a Togg doe eats any nasty tasting weed, it goes strait to her milk.
Oberhasli are lovely goats that look a lot like deer. They can jump VERY well, and be difficult to fence. I really like Obies, as they were one of my first three goats. Quality milk. Some of them give really large amounts of milk, others more modest amounts. They are a heritage breed (endangered of becoming extinct).
French Alpines are another breed that can jump well. They come in such a fantastic array of colors it’s hard to limit yourself, as each is cuter than the last one. This is the breed I first learned to milk (a neighbors goat). Sweet natured, naughty (dance on top your car), and good milkers.
This next part is going to sound harsh, and it is. Newbies to goats don’t like to hear it, nor think about it, but THEY NEED TO! For a doe to produce milk, she must produce kids. Half of those kids are going to be males. What are you going to do with them? There are not enough pet homes for all the males produced every year. There are plenty of people who want to buy goats to eat. You will NOT be producing males of enough quality that they deserve the right to go on to be breeding bucks. Only the very best, of the very best should go on to become breeding bucks. Otherwise the genetics of entire goat species suffer and the overall health/quality of the goats goes into decline, as poor quality bucks are used to cover does.
So what are you going to do with the male offspring? Have a plan for that BEFORE you breed your doe! In this economy it is especially important, as animals are being abandonded right and left, and suffering greatly.
~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Raising meat goats since 1999 (currently over 100 goats in my herd)
Also keeping a few dairy does for my families use.
P.S. General rule of thumb is one dairy doe, per milk drinking person in your family. Plan on getting at least two goats right from the start. One goat is a very lonely animal, and will spend its life bellowing for you, or trying to escape and get into the house or car with you.
Bohemian_Garnet_Permaculturalist
July 26, 2013 at 5:53 pm
A pygmy goat would be much to small to meat your dairy needs. Nubians are high in butterfat, and their milk is much like the taste of a cow’s whole milk. Alpines are very tasty milkers as well and produce more than a nubian. An Alpine can often give you a gallon a day if milking twice a day, whereas a Nubian would probably only be 3/4th gallon. There are breeds that have ‘goaty’ tasting milk, Toggenburg and Saanan’s. I would avoid those breeds if you want milk you can drink.
Jubilee Farm Ohio
July 26, 2013 at 6:38 pm
You can milk a Nigerian Dwarf, which is about the same size as a pygmy. Otherise, I would recommend a Nubian.
◘Goat Gal◘
July 26, 2013 at 7:14 pm
as stated a good dairy goat would be a nigerian, i raise them myself, and they do milk well.. but not every nigerian milks well.. try to find a reputable breeder in your area, you may even be able to find a doe that is being sold because her attachment is too poor for the show ring.. but she could be an excellent milker.. and usually for a reasonable fee..
now i want to clarify, as far as i know.. nigerian dwarves have the highest butterfat content of all the dairy goats. then a nubian, then lamancha. then so on.
and not all nubians are loud.. my guys and girls are quiet as can be.. as long as they have food they are happy:) it depends on the bloodline and how they are raised.
if you have any questiosn feel free to e-mail me at barehnh@aol.com
P.S THANK YOU GARNET!!! too many does get bred, and she is right what are you going to do with those bucks?
now.. i have never had a hard time selling any kids at any point. *knock on wood* nigerians however, due to their small size, cuteness, cool colors and friendly nature.. make them very easy to find homes for.. as a matter of fact.. i sell more wethers than anything. and i have people coming back for more.
heartsnhooves
July 26, 2013 at 7:44 pm
I have Alpines. My best gives over two gallons a day at peak, the average gives around 3/4 to 1 gallon. I have a NigerianXAlpine that peaks at a gallon… so don’t for get the cross breed!
Regardless of the breed..the best goat for milking has a good nature, and a nice udder. Look for a goat that has a large udder, and nicely shaped teats. The teats should not be huge and bulbous, or tiny and short, but a good lenght for you to grab, and big enough around to let you get your hand comfotably around so as to squirt out a good amount at a time. The udder itself should be flexible, and pliable, free of lumps, or hard areas. It should be the same size on each side (more or less) balanced looking. Good udders are well attached behind, and in the fore. the should not be long and pendulous. It is best to get a goat in milk already and to milk it twice in one day, then you’ll get a good idea how much it is giving. Of course the amount becomes less the longer the time has gone by from when it’s kids were born. Try to get one that is trained to lead, and to jump on the stanchion, and trained to milking. Good luck.
savvy-ma
July 26, 2013 at 7:58 pm