Goats or cow??

[rondam24]

I posted this in the Everything Else-Cows forum as well... Hope that's okay.

We know we want a dairy animal. We've done a lot of research but we can't decide if we should get 2 does or one Dexter cow.

We know that the goats are cheaper - 2 doe kids are about 1/3 the price of a Dexter heifer.

Goat Pros:
- 1/3 the price
- More readily available
- Easy to keep clean/better poops

Goat Cons:
- Notorious escape artists
- What the heck do ya do with all those kids?? We couldn't eat them.

Dexter Pros:
- Can make butter
- Easier to contain
- Only one or two babies, and we eat beef

Dexter Cons:
- Harder to find in upstate NY
- Messy poops/ harder to keep clean


So for you people with experience: do you have anything to add? What made you choose one or the other?

It's much appreciated!

 

[Mea]

I posted this in the Everything Else-Cows forum as well... Hope that's okay.

We know we want a dairy animal. We've done a lot of research but we can't decide if we should get 2 does or one Dexter cow.

We know that the goats are cheaper - 2 doe kids are about 1/3 the price of a Dexter heifer.

Goat Pros:
- 1/3 the price
- More readily available
- Easy to keep clean/better poops

Goat Cons:
- Notorious escape artists
- What the heck do ya do with all those kids?? We couldn't eat them.
So for you people with experience: do you have anything to add? What made you choose one or the other?

It's much appreciated!

I do not know a thing about Dexter cattle.

I do know why i prefered dairy goats. 1. They are smaller. When my children were (much) younger, we had the goats because the children Could handle them... with less chance of getting hurt. 2. the damage to the ground is less. The weight of a goat on hooves digs up the ground less. 3. They actually can be taught to respect a fence. ( usually) (sometimes) (maybe) The young ones really are cute !

cons... the young ones are so cute ! it is terribly difficult for me to get rid of them ! I can picture us being over-run with little goaties...IF DH didn't put his foot down.

Then one must take into account just what they Really like. Good luck.

 

[Lil-patch-of-heaven]

Well, I don't know anything about Dexter cows either, and I'm new to goats, but I have learned a lot and some of it has been a surprise.

My goats don't try to escape. Unless they see something like rosebushes on the other side of the fence. Even then they don't actually want to escape -- just eat the untouched plants. They would NEVER wander away. Too strong of a herd instinct I guess. I actually let them out of the fence if I want to grain one without the others, clear a patch of weeds ( got a LOT of poison ivy and the goats are crazy for it!), or just let my littlest bottle baby tag along. She used to sleep in the house and she follows me like a puppy.

Most of my goats come when called too. They are really smart. Routine, herd dynamics, and especially food play a role in having them where I want them when.

By the looks of it, kids are easily sold here. Bucklings probably runmore risk of being dinner, but especially if you have registered goats from good milking lines you can get a pretty penny for the doelings. Unregistered (all of mine are) go for a fraction sometimes, but they DO sell.

Goats also do a good job of browsing and clearing out weeds. Of course if you want good milk supply you have to give them quality feed as well. I don't know how much a Dexter cow eats but my dairy feed lasts a good while with only 2 does and 2 doelings eating it.

You DO want to look into breeding as well, since you don't get milk without it. Here ther essentially is no stud service for goats, so I ended up buying a buckling and wethering a pal for him, which I hadn't anticipated before I got started. It's something else you want to be informed of in advance. I hadn't wanted to keep bucks myself, but it's better than grabbing one just for breeding and producing substandard kids. Just something else to consider.

 

[Lil-patch-of-heaven]

Oh, hey, and I forgot ...
!!!

That's the first time I've gotten to say that! I like your avatar too -- with the cow and dolpin!

 

[mossyStone]

I'd love to have a cow someday, but for now we love our dairy goats.... They are just so much fun.... and we make butter! Ice cream, milk shakes ect it's great! oHH One thing i like is i can have more than one or 2 cows need a bit more room


Mossy Stone Farm

 

[clarmayfarm]

Hi,

What about a Jersey or Holstein heifer? They are not a "heritage" breed, but they are wonderful mothers and good milkers. Jerseys, in particular, produce milk with good butterfat and protein content...great for cheesemaking at home, and making butter. Often you can find a milk cow that is not the farm's highest producer, and get a bargain on that animal. They will make more than enough milk for someone who has a family farm and will milk by hand or milker bucket.

I am biased against goats:

Goat Milk can have off flavors or strong taste - many people do not care for it.

Goats get loose so easily! They seem to find fence problems/holes almost like they have telepathic abilities.

The extra "brown gold" you get from your milk cow is a great natural fertilizer, and you will have plenty for a good garden. Compost it in piles and it will be like black gold for you.

MBGF

 

[Lil-patch-of-heaven]

Not to be argumentative by any means but ... While I hear it is possible for a particular goat to produce milk with a stronger flavor (I think breed can have a bearing on it) I have to say that our goats' milk tastes JUST like I remember cow's milk tasting when I was a kid. Much better than the stuff I used to buy at the supermarket! It has no "off" or "goaty" flavor at ALL. I think in general if you handle the milk properly (and don't have a buck's smell involved) you shouldn't get that? I can pretty much guarantee you could not tell the difference between our (or others I've tasted) goat's fresh milk and fresh cow's milk.

I had thought of a cow as well so it's not that I'm prejudiced against them. I still need SOMEthing to eat all the grass growing in the pasture (llamas and goats both prefer weeds). And we do like beef! I'm glad you mentioned about the cheaper lesser producing cow. Perhaps we can someday look into a cow-calf pair with such a cow who has a bull calf. Thanks for mentioning it!

 

[SarahFair]

I have a 5 foot welded wire fence and my goats havent ever gotten out of it.. Dont even try to

 

[PattySh]

I have both. I have a little herd of goats and a Jersey/Holstein heifer that is 6 months old. I like goats milk and goat cheese but some family members like cows milk. I also want to make butter, different types of cheeses and fresh whipped cream is awesome so needed a cow. The cow will give the qty of milk I want for cheese. I did not want to start out with an adult cow I could not handle so figured growing up a baby is smart for me. I got her from an organic dairy and she was only $150 my xmas present to myself. I did look into Dexters but they don't give alot of milk for their size. Tinkerbelle is halter broke and is really easy to handle. Got a couple of male calves (now steers) to keep her company. Pic taken ar 2 months old. Having had several over the years, I think cows are just as likely to escape fencing as goats. Cows will venture farther from the barn willinglly. My adult does stay close to the barn and are not really fenced in. Would not chance the heifer loose. Having tried both cow and goat raw mik, goats milk is sweeter. Made mistakes with milk last go round with goats and have learned alot. I don't like pasturized milk I think the milk tastes "cooked" family agrees. I only use stainless steel milking buckets and keep milk in glass jars with plastic tops, I think plastic containers taste the milk. I strain my milk and it and goes right into the jar, jar capped right after it comes out of the goat while she is still on the stand. If milk tastes off either the animal is eating something, milk is sitting open in your barn or maybe she has an infection. Chevon is delicious, tastes like delicate beef don't look at the extra boys as pets. I vote for get both!

 

[ksalvagno]

It really depends on your space. Do you have enough room for a cow or two? I prefer goats because I don't have enough room for a cow and I prefer the "berries" of a goat that naturally get spread around than to the big cow plops from a cow. I'd much rather clean up the berries in the stall than cow manure. My goats haven't tried to get out. As far as finding holes in the fence, they are no different than other animals.

LPOH, I'm surprised your llama prefers weeds because my alpacas and llamas much prefer good grass. I have orchard grass, Kentucky Bluegrass (for pasture) and brome in my field and they definitely pick the grass over the weeds.

Keep in mind other things like hay and feed. A cow is going to go through a lot more and do you have the money for it? Cost is a huge factor in deciding what to get. Vet bills are vet bills so plan on those as well.

For the most part, if your goat milk tastes funny, then your sanitation practices of your equipment is suspect or you left it sit out in the barn while you did some chores instead of taking it right in the house.