# Best Milk?



## joshmod (Apr 1, 2015)

Okay, so I know this is a loaded question but I am okay with stirring the pot.  I am curious to hear what breed you think has the *best milk*.  The best part is, I will leave you to define what "*best milk*" means.  

Really we are just on the front end of looking at dairy goats and I would love to just hear some different opinions.

Thanks friends!


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 1, 2015)

Nigerian milk is good
Sweet and rich
It's good for making cheese because of the high fat content
I can't say it's the best since I just have Nigerians
My grandma had goats when I was a kid 
I think they were Alpines
That was all I ever drank so it must have been ok


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## Hens and Roos (Apr 1, 2015)

We have Nigerians- only have 1 doe is currently milking, so no real knowledge gathered yet!


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## Southern by choice (Apr 1, 2015)

We have :
Nigerian Dwarfs
Mini-Mancha's
Lamanchas 
Nubian
Kiko (meat goat technically) but great udder and milker
Mini Nubian- Not freshened yet
Alpine- Not freshened yet but did have an Alpine we cared for so will base it off that

So... since we have a good variety I can say so far *all* the breeds we have picked have been great. 
Leave out the Alpine for a second...
The rest all have very good butterfat and all have great tasting milk.
Out of all our Nigies I have one that just simply has great milk- just not alot of it. One of our Lamanchas has the sweetest milk.
Nubian is pretty creamy and so is the Kiko. We have a good deal of cream that is on the top with all the breeds we have.

The Alpine we cared for had very good tasting milk not as rich but very good and consistent.

We try each goats milk separately  and sample individually from time to time. Recently we took the Nubian, mini-mancha, one of our Lamancha's, and a little Nigie milk... mixed them together, took 6qts and 1 cup and it produced 3lbs 12oz Cheese. That was a great yield. Cheese was great.

All are great tasting so no particular there but the volume is a big issue for me. If I would have known about the Miniature goats when we first started out I would have gone that way. We like the Nigies and their milk is great but I rather have a goat that is similar in size but produces considerably more.  I do have more standards now after selling off many of my Nigies but I need 3-4 gallons a day. Nigies add a great deal to the crossing for the mini's.. I think the milk is great.

I think most of us starting out go small... I can say our big goats are no issue, harder on the land though. Personality is awesome... none are snotty. LOL

The Nigie is known for the best feed conversion and I have seen that... maybe we are lucky our Standards don't really eat that much feed. Our Mini's no real difference than the Nigies. Yet I have seen some standards that are eating machines. We have one Nigie that eats fast and too much on the stand... she gets real fat... then we stop milking  her because she get s obese breathing the smell of feed. We tried just doing alfalfa on the stand... no difference. This goat's milk is my favorite... sadly she doesn't turn feed to milk but to fat.  Some of our Standards are real slow eaters and don't eat as much as sometimes I think they should.

I like the variety of goats. As far as milk... I can say all the goats we have are making great tasting milk. 
Personally I don't like strong goaty tasting milk and some breeds do produce strong taste. I prefer the sweeter, fatter milk.

I think diet and handling and cooling of milk makes a big difference. I can't pick a best tasting milk... by breed anyway. By individual goat yes.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 2, 2015)

Gotta throw out the idea of a Pygmy as a milker.  One of my pygmy goat gave  two quarts a day.  Butterfat is high which makes the milk taste really, really good!   Pygmy  milk is right up there with Nigi milk on the butterfat scale (maybe even a little higher if you believe some of the charts). Also - they milk for a long time.  I milked one for over a year without much of a drop in production. 

And while I'm talking breeds - the Pygmy/Nubian x's  (kinders) that I have are AWESOME milkers and their milk is absolutely deeeelish!  I have one right now that is giving OVER a gallon a day!     Her Nubian mom is a real heavy milker too, but geeze louise, mom is about 185 lbs, and her (kinder) daughter is right about 100lbs.

Good luck!


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 2, 2015)

We milk our Nigerians and our pygmy and usually just mix them together.  The Pygmy we have is a decent milker, not the quantity of the ND but not too shabby.  Nigerians have a higher butterfat content than any breed, and it results in a nice flavor.  I am sre that also means it is higher in calories.  

It probably all depends on how much milk you want and what you preference is in taste.  You might think about size and feed costs, and also consider is that some goats can be easily bred any time of the year while others are seasonal breeders.

Nigerians: 6-10% butterfat  and maybe 1/2 gallon a day.  Year round breeders.  Not all will be that creamy or give that much.  NDs take up less room, eat less, but often have smaller teats which some people don't like in milking.  Again, depends on the goat.

Pygmy: 4% but some are much higher.  Milk quantity reports are all over the place, some saying 1 cup and others claiming 1/2 gallon.  Not sure about that.  Year round breeders.

Alpine:  3.5% and 1-3 gallons a day.  Seasonal breeders.  If I were going to do another breed, I think these would be the ones I picked.  

Oberhaslis:  Similar to the Alpine.  Seasonal. The one wether we had was really really smart.  

Saanen/Sable: 2-3% and 2-3 gallons a day.  THAT. Is. A. Lot. Of. Milk!  Seasonal

Lamancha: About 4% butterfat and 1-2 gallons a day. Seasonal.  Very calm and easy to handle from what I have observed in local folks herds.

Nubian:  About 4-5% and 1-2 gallons a day.  Seasonal/year round.  Same person that has Lamancha also keeps these.  They seems a little more mischievous than those but are nice too.  They are big!

Toggenburg:  I would not recommend this one to anyone unless they had tried the milk first.  It is a taste.  

There are other breeds too but just a run through of some of the more common ones I have seen at fair.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 2, 2015)

Pretty much what Pearce says but this is a good article.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...hoosing-a-dairy-goat-breed.aspx#axzz30CNoE0AB

As far as milk production... I can tell you that many people over exaggerate their does output.

I saw an ad recently that said a dwarf was giving 1& 1/2 gallons a day... yeah right... I have also heard countless times.. "this is my best milker" then when asked how much daily and length of lactation they can't tell you or have no records.

We will be doing DHIR testing next year and I am curious as to the amount of butterfat in my does. I don't think our Nigies give as high a butterfat as stated.  Their milk is great.
Good thing to know though.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 2, 2015)

@Southern by choice you will have to let me know how it goes.  We are looking to do the same thing and it seems a little overwhelming.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 2, 2015)

@Pearce Pastures  will do. Yeah with apending move, lots of pups and so many other projects we decided it wasn't a good year.
We are also changing out our herd so it didn't make sense to try this year ... too much pressure. Not that you know anything about that.  Next year you will have a beautiful house done and a nice barn and it will be smooth sailing!


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## animalmom (Apr 2, 2015)

Mission dictates equipment.  You have to decide how much milk you want to use each day, how much extra you want for other purposes like making cheese, feeding it to the dogs or chickens or whatever.  

Once you have a handle on the milk quantity then look at what else you may want from the goat such as meat, tasty critters that they are.  

Then beat those two items against your land, your finances, your preference for animal size (personally I would rather not have an animal that weighs more than I do) AND the time commitment  you have available for the goats.  Goaties in milk need to be milked daily or they will dry up.  They don't understand "sorry darlin' but I'm going to the movies tonight."

We went with Nigerians because that breed would give us the quantity of milk we wanted, were the right physical size, and would supplement our meat requirements.  We also went with Nigis because we could find breeders locally, well within 3 hours of us.  At  the time we got started, over 5 years ago, there weren't any mini breeders who were selling stock as most of them were still in the F1 stage.  Today may be different with mini manchas or mini nubians available.  I'm very happy with my little goaties and wouldn't trade them for anything else.

Good luck with whatever you decide.  Goats sneak into your heart, set up housekeeping, and refuse to believe that you could ever be in a bad mood.


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## Sunny75 (Apr 2, 2015)

We have Lamanchas and are only milking one doe at the moment.  Haven't had any other goat milk so can't give comparisons, but we love our Lamancha milk..  my stepdaughter won't touch cows milk, can't keep her away from the goat milk.  We've made cheese, yogurt, and ice cream and loved it all..  at her peak as a 2nd freshener when we got her she was giving a bit more than a gallon a day.  We didn't want to give up our fresh milk so made the decision to milk her through winter and she has now been in milk for 382 days and is still giving 1/2 a gallon a day (2ce daily milking).  Our Lamanchas seem to be on the smaller side for the breed and love their personalities.  such sweethearts.


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## animalmom (Apr 2, 2015)

Really, you can't beat a lamancha with a stick when it comes to drink-ablility.  I'd have them in a heartbeat if it wasn't for my no animal larger than me rule.  They are delightful, quiet, eager to please and lovebugs.


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## joshmod (Apr 2, 2015)

Wow folks, I am extremely grateful for the feedback.  Right now we are on rented land which is primarily woody with some brush to clear.  This will obviously mean a bit of feed cost, but along with your continued thoughts on milk, are there any particular breeds that forage better than others?

Thank you so much again!!!


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 2, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> @Southern by choice you will have to let me know how it goes.  We are looking to do the same thing and it seems a little overwhelming.


Our show Memorial Day weekend has a 24 hour test
A bargain at $10 per animal just to get the lab done on the sample
Right now we plan on doing the test
Maurine is the assistant supervisor and just took the class and test and is a certified tester
But we have to consider when the milk out is Friday night and the order on Saturday.  Are you shooting yourself in the foot for the show if the other Nigerians aren't on test


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 2, 2015)

OneFineAcre said:


> But we have to consider when the milk out is Friday night and the order on Saturday.  Are you shooting yourself in the foot for the show if the other Nigerians aren't on test



Well, I will have to pick your brain too when we start doing this.  Could you elaborate on this part more, what you mean for the order thing and Nigerians not on test?


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## Southern by choice (Apr 2, 2015)

joshmod said:


> Right now we are on rented land which is primarily woody with some brush to clear.  This will obviously mean a bit of feed cost, but along with your continued thoughts on milk, are there any particular breeds that forage better than others?



Can't say there is a difference with any of our goats... they love vines and leaves more than anything. The big issue to look at is you are on rented land... if the goats start eating the bark on the trees they can kill them. Also if you do not move the goats regularly then they will dead kill all the vines etc. We let our goats semi clear out a space but move them so the food can grow back and they don't dead kill.
Miniatures (Minis) and Nigies are easier on trees etc. Our big girls stand on those back legs and can strip anything.

The other factor is the taste of milk... your milk with have different taste depending on what they eat. If they eat onions your milk will taste like onion.


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 2, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> Well, I will have to pick your brain too when we start doing this.  Could you elaborate on this part more, what you mean for the order thing and Nigerians not on test?


A 24 hour milk test is just that 24 hours
You milk out dry on Thursday supervised
12 hours later you milk and they weigh and take a sample for testing
You repeat in 12 hours 
What time is this Friday night? It might be 8 pm
So if you are doing the test you milked yours dry at 8pm
You are showing Saturday morning 
If you milk twice per day you do it every 12 hours but a doe will not be full at 12 hours and you want her full in a show
You don't want her tight but you want to show a full udder
I learned you can always take some out but you can't put any back in
So if the other Nigerians aren't testing and they milk out at 5
pm Friday and check their animals at 5 am and make sure the high producers aren't getting too full and let the lower prodicers fill more you are at a disadvantage in show 
Gosh that was too much typing on my phone


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 2, 2015)

We have boer, nigerian, pygmy, and crosses of Nubian/Oberhasli/Lamancha.  They all like to munch and will take down weeds and woody plants in no time.  Nigerians do produce quite a bit of milk for less feed, and they might be one I would say that would make best use of land.  For forage ability though, they are all good.

I have only had tree issues with two goat---the Oberhasli wether and our mega-mutt dairy goat (she has an amazing udder, kids well, good momma but is a cross of four different breeds).  Those two were/are very very smart and would work as a team to grab branches, pull them down, and take turns eating them.  The wether went to freezer camp but the doe is still a stinker (pic of her on my goat shaming thread stuck in a tree).


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 2, 2015)

Thanks OFA! That makes sense.  (I hate phone typing too--I can only use one finger to type.  Dunno how folks do the double-thumb thing all fast).


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 2, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> Can't say there is a difference with any of our goats... they love vines and leaves more than anything. The big issue to look at is you are on rented land... if the goats start eating the bark on the trees they can kill them. Also if you do not move the goats regularly then they will dead kill all the vines etc. We let our goats semi clear out a space but move them so the food can grow back and they don't dead kill.
> Miniatures (Minis) and Nigies are easier on trees etc. Our big girls stand on those back legs and can strip anything.
> 
> The other factor is the taste of milk... your milk with have different taste depending on what they eat. If they eat onions your milk will taste like onion.


They will definitely kill trees
From smallest to largest


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 2, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> Thanks OFA! That makes sense.  (I hate phone typing too--I can only use one finger to type.  Dunno how folks do the double-thumb thing all fast).


I'm glad it made sense
I think we will do the test though
Since Maurine is helping hopefully we will milk out early and I don't think Nigerians are first


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## Latestarter (Apr 4, 2015)

Possibly a silly question, but I too am considering dairy goats and am at the beginning stages of researching breeds. The BYH flyer for this thread shows a goat on a milking stand hooked up to a milking machine... what looks like a 4 suction tube set-up. Is this common? How many of you have something like this, or is this out of the ordinary? I had expected I would need to milk by hand... How long does it take to milk out a gallon by hand?

I guess before I go doing this, I better find some local goat owners who milk so I can sample it. I LOVE milk and drink close to 1/2 a gallon a day, but that's whole cows milk from the store. I did have raw cows milk once when I was a child and I remember how rich and tasty it was. I also will need to build a barn/bldg for them and for me to milk them in...

Thanks for starting this thread! Thanks all who have contributed as well. It's given me a lot of info to consider.


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## joshmod (Apr 4, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> The other factor is the taste of milk... your milk with have different taste depending on what they eat. If they eat onions your milk will taste like onion.



I am curious since you brought it up, on the subject of milk taste, what are some of the more natural things goats can eat that will make for off-flavored milk?


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## Latestarter (Apr 5, 2015)

Or even better... What are some of the things to feed to make the milk taste even BETTER?


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## Southern by choice (Apr 5, 2015)

Latestarter said:


> Or even better... What are some of the things to feed to make the milk taste even BETTER?



Hmmm... Mike and Ike candy? 

So far it has been the onions that made the milk gross. I am not sure of other things that would throw the flavor but there is a list somewhere of weeds that affect milk flavor.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 5, 2015)

Sugar, vanilla and ice.  Or chocolate syrup.  

Oh, we are just no help tonight are we.


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## goatgurl (Apr 5, 2015)

i guess i'll  put my two cents worth in.  for years i raised alpines and their milk was very good.  now i raise lamanchas and i think their milk may be a little creamier, maybe.  the lamanchas are  not quite as strong willed as the alpines were.  could i pick a favorite?  probably not. the alpines generally gave a little more milk but not a significant amount.  and as animalmom said good luck cause they sneak up on you and you are trapped in the world of "just one more wouldn't be bad".
as far as things they eat making the milk taste "off".  yes definitely.  Southern by choice is right about the wild onions.  oak trees, the leaves some but definitely a diet of acorns taste bad.  there are a lot of weeds that make milk taste off.   i have 60 acres that the girls roam and have made it a habit to save the morning milk for myself before they go out to browse and the nights milk i feed to the kids, calves, pigs, chickens and dogs.  and one of the things that I've found that makes the milk taste good is sorghum sudan  hay.  gives it an extra sweet taste.


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