"You will have plenty of goat's
milk to feed you and your family." Proverbs 27:27
Frequently Asked Questions About Goats:
1. Why should we drink goat’s milk?
2. How can goat’s milk be used?
3. How much milk does a dairy goat give?
4. What is DHIR?
5. What do the DHIR numbers mean?
6. Do goats really eat tin cans and garbage?
7. Do dairy goats have an odor?
8. Are goats stubborn and hard to handle?
9. When is the breeding season?
10. What is the gestation period?
11. What type of housing do goats need?
12. What kind of fencing works best for goats?
13. What routine care do dairy goats require?
14. What resources are available to learn more about goats?Answers:
1. Why should we drink goat’s milk?
First of all, because it tastes so good! Our three girls will not drink any other kind of milk. Nubian milk is especially creamy, smooth and delicious with a fresh and clean taste. We find that keeping everything - including goats and all our equipment - meticulously clean ensures fresh tasting milk at all times. To accomplish this goal, we milk our does in a milk parlor separated from their housing. The entire back half of our does is washed with a sanitizing udder wash. We use Grade A stainless steel milking equipment which is carefully hand washed and sanitized before and after each use. We then rapidly cool the milk so that it goes from body temperature (over 100 degrees) down to 39 degrees in about an hour. This helps the milk to taste delicious and stay fresh for over a week.
Another great reason to drink goat’s milk is because it is so good for you! Goat’s milk has a fine texture and the milk fat particles are very small making it naturally homogenized and very easy to digest. It forms smaller curds in the stomach and is very beneficial for babies, the elderly and those with digestive upsets and ulcers. Goat’s milk, unlike cow’s milk, is distinctly alkaline in reaction and is more quickly broken down and assimilated. Goat’s milk also has more essential fatty acids of the medium and short chain varieties than cow’s milk, and is lower in cholesterol and higher in calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins A and B. In addition, goat milk fatty acids have a unique metabolic ability to limit cholesterol deposits in body tissues.
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2. How can goat’s milk be used?
In addition to drinking the milk, our family uses it for cooking and baking. It can be preserved by canning or freezing for future needs. We also make butter after separating the cream. It is smooth and mild. All types of soft and hard cheeses can be made from goat’s milk. Soft cheese, called chevre, is easy to make and has multiple uses. It can be seasoned in a variety of ways and made into cheese balls. It can also be used to make delicious desserts, including cheesecake. Chevre can be substituted in any recipe calling for cream cheese. We also like to make mozzarella and ricotta cheese. There are many how-to books and videos explaining the art of cheesemaking and numerous recipe books and cheesemaking supplies available. Our children often remind us that the milk makes wonderful yogurt and ice cream too! Goat’s milk can also be used to make creamy and natural soap. Visit our friends at Faith Mountain Farm to see the wonderful soap products they make from their fresh, natural goat's milk.
[return to top]3. How much milk does a dairy goat give?
This varies greatly depending upon the breed of goat and the individual goat within that breed. Nubians are known for high quality, high butterfat milk but with less volume than some of the other breeds. Young, first freshening does will give less than a doe who is 3 to 4 years old and at the peak of her production. Does also give more milk in the first few months after freshening and then production may gradually decline.Milk is measured by weight (pounds) rather than by volume (gallons). Eight pounds is roughly equivalent to a gallon of milk. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) lists Nubian breed averages for 2001 at 1844 pounds of milk in a 275-305 day lactation. That means the average Nubian doe will give an average of 6 pounds (or 3 quarts) of milk per day. Since this is only an average, there are many does who do much more than this. Several of our first fresheners have given 8 pounds (a gallon) a day and our older does have given 12 pounds (1 1/2 gallons) a day.
[return to top]DHIR stands for Dairy Herd Improvement Registry and is a production testing program sponsored by ADGA. Each month a trained and approved tester comes to our farm to weigh the milk and take samples from each of our does. These samples are then sent to a DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) laboratory and are evaluated for butterfat and protein among other things. We receive monthly reports giving a great deal of information used in managing our herd. It is especially helpful for commercial dairies with very large herds. ADGA selects Top Ten Breed Leaders for milk production based on these records. An individual doe is eligible for the ADGA advanced registry if she meets certain minimum requirements for milk weight, butterfat and protein. Qualifying does receive a *M (star milker) designation on their registration papers. ADGA has more detailed information and applications available.
[return to top]5. What do the DHIR numbers mean?
This is best answered by giving an example:
2-04 199 2045 98F(4.8%) 65P(3.2%) age at freshening days in milk milk
(pounds)butterfat
(pounds & %)protein
(pounds & %)6. Do goats really eat tin cans and garbage?
This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about goats that exist. Even our daughters’ beanie baby goat claims that it eats garbage and tin cans! Nothing could be further from the truth. Dairy goats have very discriminating eating habits and are quite particular about the cleanliness of their food. They are very curious creatures and will investigate, sniff and nibble new things, but they refuse anything that is dirty or distasteful. Even hay and grain that they love will be refused if it falls on the ground. Actually, this is a very wise practice since it keeps them from eating foods which may be contaminated with parasites. Anyone who has tried to cram medicine into a goat’s mouth knows just how untrue the assertion is that a goat will eat anything!
In fact, dairy goats require year round roughage which can be satisfied with pasture, browse, or clean, well-cured hay, available on a free-choice basis. We feed alfalfa hay to our milking does, grass hay to our bucks and a grass/alfalfa mix to our young stock. They have browse available to them spring through fall. Milkers and kids are fed a dairy grain ration and our bucks are also given a balanced grain ration, especially just prior to and during breeding season. Grain should never be given free choice because goats love it and can actually die from grain overload. We feed our animals measured amounts of grain twice a day. Our kids are bottle fed with fresh goat milk until they are three months old, but they are eating hay and browse by two weeks of age and grain by about a month. All goats need plenty of fresh, clean water, loose salt, minerals and selenium supplements (Bo-Se) in selenium-deficient areas.
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7. Do dairy goats have an odor?
Female goats (called does, like deer), castrated males (called wethers), and young goats (called kids) have no odor at all. Male goats (called bucks, like deer) do have a musky smell which is very strong during breeding season. Our does in heat are very fond of the buck odor, but we must admit it doesn’t do much for the rest of us. For this reason, bucks are housed separately from the does. This protects your delicious milk from any buck odor and also allows you to control your breeding. If bucks are allowed to run with does, their bucky odor can be transferred to the does as well.
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8. Are goats stubborn and hard to handle?
Well----stubborn, sometimes, but not hard to handle! Kids that are separated from their dams at birth and hand-raised will bond to you and will be very easy to handle even as adults. They are, in fact, one of the most delightful aspects of goatkeeping and are as affectionate and loving as any family pet! Bucks raised in this manner are also gentle as adults but we always advise caution when bucks go into their rut. They can become more aggressive during this time. A first freshening doe will also bond to you more strongly since you are milking her and become like her kid. Our does happily jump onto their milkstands twice a day and most are quite patient during the milking process. We do use a very comfortable and humane hobble to secure their back legs which ensures that no hooves find their way into the milk pail! It becomes quite routine and acceptable to them. In fact, milking time is the most eagerly anticipated event of the day!
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9. When is the breeding season?
Dairy goats are seasonal breeders and it is believed that the decreasing daylight stimulates heat. Our does are usually in heat by August and continue through early winter. During this time they will come into heat about every 21 days and their heats last anywhere from 1 to 3 days. The bucks try to stay a step ahead, and a gentle sniff of the mid-July air informs us that they are coming into their rut. By the time all our does are bred, the bucks generally get the idea that the fun is over and start to eat more and smell sweeter!
A young doe can be bred anywhere from 7 to 10 months of age if she is healthy, in good body condition, and weighs at least 80 pounds. Many buck kids are fertile by 5 months of age but we hear stories of bucks as young as 3 months old successfully breeding.
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10. What is the gestation period?
The gestation period is five months, or 150 days. Twins are most common, but singles and triplets happen often too. We’ve had two sets of quadruplets and one set of quintuplets. A doe usually milks for about ten months after kidding and then is dried off for two months before her next kidding.
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11. What type of housing do goats need?
Dairy goats adapt well to most climates but they do need to be housed because they do not like wind and rain. Their shelter doesn’t need to be fancy but should be kept clean, dry, and well ventilated. Dirt floors can be used but we use wood floors covered with wood shavings. They are a bit costly but they absorb better than hay or straw. Wet bedding should be removed so that ammonia is not allowed to irritate the lungs. A guideline we use is about 15 square feet of bedded area for each goat. Since they are very social creatures with a strong herd instinct, you should have at least two. They enjoy the company of another goat. Some outdoor climbing equipment will be greatly enjoyed by all, but your milkers, who seem to know instinctively to protect their udders. Our local telephone company has been quite happy to supply us with used spools for the goats to romp on.
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12. What kind of fencing works best for goats?
Because goats are naturally inquisitive animals, adequate fencing is a must. Electric fences work well with at least three strands. We use six strands to enclose our bucks and even in breeding season they don’t come close to the fence. It does require training of new animals by putting their nose to the fence and letting them experience the shock. Otherwise they might spook and jump right through it. Electric fencing also has the advantage of keeping out unwanted animals. Livestock panels and woven wire also work well to enclose goats. In spite of their reputation of being escape artists, we have not had a problem with ours getting out. Fencing should be at least four feet high for does and five feet high for bucks. It is imperative that a goat never be tied out because it could strangle itself and is completely at the mercy of dogs or other predators.
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13. What routine care do dairy goats require?
Hooves should be trimmed every month to six weeks depending upon terrain, genetics and nutrition. Overgrown hooves can cause lameness which in turn can reduce milk production.
We give annual vaccinations for tetanus and enterotoxemia (over-eating disease). We also vaccinate against rabies.
Parasite control is one of the biggest challenges in raising goats in a confined area. They are naturally browsers and prefer clean pastures so that they would not have the parasite problems of other livestock. But because most of us cannot allow them to roam at will, goats must be dewormed on a regular basis. We highly recommend that you find a veterinarian knowledgeable about goats and work out a parasite control plan with him or her. It is a good idea to have fecal samples analyzed periodically so you know what kinds of worms your goats have and how many. Care must be taken to find the right dewormer, especially for milkers, since there is often a withdrawal period before the milk can be consumed. Keeping your pastures clean and rotating pastures can help reduce the parasite load.
Poisonous plants can be troublesome for goats and those of us who raise them. The plants that will bother them will vary depending upon where you are located. Certain landscaping plants are of concern such as azalea, rhododendron and mountain laurel. These can cause vomiting, coma and even death if enough is consumed. You might check with your county extension agent about what plants are in your area and notify your vet if your goats happen to eat any of these plants.
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14. What resources are available to learn more about goats?
Associations such as the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) and the International Nubian Breeders Association (INBA) have a great deal of information available about dairy goats.
Books we have found helpful include Goatkeeping 101 (a collection of articles published by Caprine Supply); Raising Milk Goats Successfully by Gail Luttmann; The Goatkeeper’s Veterinary Book by Peter Dunn; and Goats Produce Too by Mary Jane Toth. These books, and many more books and supplies, are available at Hoegger Supply Company and Caprine Supply.
There are also two very good goat periodicals available: United Caprine News and The Dairy Goat Journal.
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