I would like to get a goat.....what breed should I get?

[Buckhorn Farm]

I would like to get a goat.....what breed should I get? I would like a dairy goat for milk and cheese, butter..... I live in FL. What are the pros and cons of cow or goat. How much milk should you get per day? Thanks for the help.

 

[Rence]

Nubians produce less milk than Saanens, Alpines, LaManchas or Toggenburgs, but with more milkfat.

Saanens, Alpines and LaManchas produce the most, but again, with less fat. I'd compare their milk to 1%, whereas, I'd compare the nubians to 2% or even whole milk.

My nubians produce about a 3/4 to 1 gallon of milk a day but this is the first year I am milking them and I haven't been pushing them. They should do better next year.

My friend has Saanen, LaMancha and crosses of those and she says she gets 2 gallons a day.

They're all beautiful goats, and they're all coopertive on the stanchion (all of them have their individual stinkers but as a whole, they're all wonderful goats). You'll just have to find something that you like.

Be sure to keep your buck somewhere far away from your milking does. If your does can smell a buck in rut, your milk will taste goatie.

Personally, I don't think it's economical to milk goats because my goats eat as much as my Jersey. My Jersey hasn't given me less than 2 gallons a day, and recently was giving almost 5 gallons...for less feed than what each goat eats. I must not have what they need because I have to feed them a lot more grain than I'd like to. Others might have different experiences based on their pasture, etc. I do enjoy them though. I'm probably going to open up more pasture next year.

Oh, and about the butter: even though I have nubians, I don't get enough cream to make it worth my while to separate it and try to make butter from it. I'd have to accumulate it in the fridge for quite some time to get enough to make it worth it to me to make it. While again, with my Jersey, who gives two inches of cream in every quart of milk, it's much easier to get a batch of cream to make butter. You'll definitely need a cream separator to make butter from goat's milk though. There's no way around it....

 

[sunnygoats]

I don't have cows, but i have to agree with Rence about the cream content. I make ice cream from my goat cream and it takes FOREVER to get even enough. I skim it off the top everyday and freeze it until I get enough.
I would love to get 2 inches of cream and cream separators are just too expensive!!! :/

 

[cozycritters]

I have goats, but I think cows are probably easier...easier to keep in fences, easier to feed, and easier (mellower) personalities.

There are also miniature dairy cows who will produce good milk on less feed, without the issues that are present with goats.

 

[annanicole18]

since you live in a nice warm place i would go for a nubian. up north they tend to get frostbitten ears i hear. they also have the highest butterfat content of the larger breed goats which have larger teats making it easier for most people to milk

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I have goats, but I think cows are probably easier...easier to keep in fences, easier to feed, and easier (mellower) personalities.

There are also miniature dairy cows who will produce good milk on less feed, without the issues that are present with goats.

Minature breeds usually cost the same or more as a full size breed. Given this I would go for a smaller reg breed. Jerseys make a nice family cow. Smaller in size than holsteins, milking shorthorn, ashyre, etc. and a higher butterfat content. Cows can normally be kept in with one or two strand of electric fence.

 

[freemotion]

Consider your needs, wants, and desires. And your finances and space and housing for the critter you choose.

I really, really wanted a Jersey cow, but don't have enough pasture to support her much of the year, and would have to buy hay, which is getting very expensive here. Also, cows are a bigger upfront expense, and a bigger financial disaster should they get sick and, heaven forbid, die. So I got a couple of dairy goats.

I can scrounge for food for them if I have to, as they can eat a wide variety of plant materials. I can grow enough to mostly support them, and I could fully support them if I had to, with some planning.

The upfront cost was quite low, and the offspring sell quite readily.

I can put one in my car to transport it. Imagine the reaction at stoplights! That alone is worth it. Don't tell dh......

However, cow's milk is more versatile and more plentiful. Cream!!!! Oh, do I wish for fresh, raw, rich cream!!! And my own grassfed beef....mmmmm!

I do love my goats, though. They are sweet and funny and charming and also very cute. I play with them and snuggle with them and they follow me like puppies. Hand milking is a chore I look forward to, it is a very sweet time with my generous doe. And 4-5 quarts a day is a LOT of milk!

 

[Buckhorn Farm]

Thank you all for the info.....it looks like I need a cow and a goat LOL....cow for the milk and cream for butter and cheese and a goat for the milk that is better for you. If I went with a cow ( I do have the acreage for one) my son has beef cattle and I could breed her to his bull and have a beef to butcher. I have a lot to think about....any more input would be great!!!

Thanks again! You are all so helpful

 

[abluechipstock]

i love my nigerians!

 

[alba]

Nigerians Dwarfs are wonderful. Clean, small, smart and quiet.
Did I mention adorably cute to watch?