Best dairy animal for a newbie?

[freechicken]

We just bought a small homestead of two and a quarter acres and are moving next week. We are trying to decide which would be better suited for our land and our family- dairy goats or a mini dairy cow? Our new home has a small barn that has two stalls and I would venture to guess is roughly 300 sq ft. Attached to the barn is a fenced in area (6 ft fencing) which is roughly 500 sq ft. There is another half to three quarter acre near the barn that could become pasture if needed. Right now it is just open lawn. We currently have four children under the age of seven and I am pregnant with number five, so fresh milk would be a huge advantage to our family. I understand that both goats and cows require work, but I wonder if one requires more than the other? Also, I have heard that a mini cow (we are considering Dexters) can be staked out to pasture without need for a fence. Does anyone have experience with this? Which is easier to milk? And what is easier to clean up after- a small herd of goats or a single dairy cow?

I was nearly sold on Dexters until I found an add on craigslist for dairy goats at a really good price (2 yr old experienced milkers- Lamanchas and Sanaans, clean herd, bred for $250) and now I am wavering. I am tempted to jump on the deal and get two does for about one third to one quarter what I expect I would pay for a Dexter cow.

I am sure there are many things I'm not thinking of and would greatly appreciate any opinions and advice. What am I not thinking of??

Thanks so much!

Sharon

 

[that's*satyrical]

The goats sound like a good deal. Why not give it a shot & see if you like it? Worst case scenario you don't like the goats and sell them and their kids for a profit when the kids reach weaning age. Then you could buy the cow and see if that works out better for you, and better yet you will have the goat money to use to purchase the cow.

 

[lovinglife]

I also have a small acreage, maybe a mini cow would work, but I am going with goats. I LOVE goat milk and Saanen milk is wonderful. I know from experience that they can give a lot of milk, I was getting 1 1/2 gallon a day from mine when she was at her peak. They are easy to transport, they cost is MUCh less, to me just seems better. The only down side, no cream seperation so no butter.

 

[PattySh]

I have goats and a full size cow. I would choose goats first as I think you would have an easier time with maintenance which is what I did. They are easy to learn to hand milk on and the milk is very good and easily digestible (good for babies). Simple Goat cheese is delicious and ice cream made from goat's milk very yummy. Kids enjoy helping with goats (I have 2 grandkids 6 and 7 yrs old). I have gained alot of birthing experience from delivering goat kids and feel I am now ready for my first calf due in May. I have several goats and mine average 1 gallon each per day. The drawback with goats is that you can't really make butter as the cream does not seperate, that's where my cow comes in. She will freshen for the first time in May and we are looking forward to different cheeses, whipped cream and of course the butter. The fenced in area sounds perfect for goats and one stall would make an excellent goat area. If big enough divide the additional stall 1/2 for your milking stand/grain and 1/2 for a baby goat pen etc. Add a lean- to to the pasture area and get the cow a bit later when you get the fencing up.

 

[mama24]

I agree with Patty. Also, if you decide to get the goats, make everything 10 times as secure as you think you need to. Goats are amazingly strong and SMART. They can climb, open gates, stick their heads through fences, find anything that might possibly cause harm to them, etc, etc. I love my goats, but it was definitely a steep learning curve! Ha ha! But once you have goats, you are ready for pretty much any other animal b/c they are the worst about getting out and breaking/eating things. Well, pigs might be a little worse. Anyway. I love my Saanen cross girl. Saanens are very sweet and give a lot of milk. You're very lucky to find one at that price and I would definitely jump on that opportunity!

 

[kstaven]

For small acres goats would likely be the best bet. The only issue with goats is fencing. If it holds water it may hold goats.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

If you are not experienced with cows, I would definately go with goats. Goats have great personalities and can be a lot of fun for you and your children. A cow, even a mini is big enough to accidentally hurt a child. I have only 4 acres and last year was our first year with a milk goat. She is a Nubian and we loved her milked and were bummed when we had to let her dry up.

As for staking, I personally am not a fan of staking any animal, unless you can watch them closely. Any animal can get tangled in the teather, fall down, etc. And be staked out makes any animal more vumnerable to predetors. That said, I am sure there are persons who do stake their animals every day. I am just tellin you my personal preference.

 

[Oakroot]

Absolutely go with goats for your situation. A cow would be miserable by it's self so you need at least two. And you will have to haul them back and forth to someone with a bull. Any animal can be staked out but it is not really a good idea to do so for any animal. Electric fencing can be had pretty easily and affordable and it can be moved everyday so you can have a small not very expensive pen. When it comes to thriftiness, ease of keeping, amount of milk per pound of food, convenience, it is easy to see why goats be cattle hands down around the world for small farmers.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

For your amount of land and set-up I would definitely go with goats first! They are amazing and fun animals and take less work and space than even one cow.

 

[Shayanna]

I don't want to start a huge debate, but the whole "if it won't hold water, it won't hold a goat" is not necessarily true. We use 3 strand electric fencing with our goats, polywire, with the flimsy fiberglass posts too, and our goats have no interest in leaving. To train them to the wire at first though, we made a 1/2 acre pen with it, 4 strands, from about 1/2 foot off the ground to 4 feet, evenly spaced. Yeah, they got zapped a bit, but they learned real quick. When we finally got the funds to fence the whole pasture, we only did 3 strands. the bottom two rungs and the top one. and now they could care less about what is on the other side. Doesn't do much for predators, but we don't have a predator problem around here. It also depends on your breed of goat, though. I know for a fact our fence wouldn't hold a mini or a pygmy, for example.