Keeping dairy goats is a huge commitment which is difficult to appreciate unless you have actually done it. Its impossible to explain the transition of responsibility that will take place in your life, its a little bit like readjusting to the changes a newborn brings to your home! Milking twice a day, every day, requires dedication. The actual hands on milking part is simply wonderful. Its a real level of co-operation between animal and human that requires trust and understanding, gently mixed with a slow and peaceful demeanour on the part of both participants! Its the whole palava around the activity that takes up time ... washing and sterilising of equipment, jugs, bottles, etc, then boiling, straining and cooling of milk to pasteurise. This is why we opted for meat goats, although they are crossed with dairy breeds, so milking is also an option, but not essential.
The spring sun has tempted me back to milking on a less formal basis! When I get up an hour early to perform this ritual, theres nothing like being out there in the field milking, watching the mist rise and the sun warm your back while the rest of your family sleeps, and I lean quietly against the warmth of my goat as she chews the cud and allows me to take some of her white gold.
If you are committed to milking a high yield dairy goat twice a day ... what if, say, you feel spontaneous and want to stay out late at a friends house, or go camping, or eat out instead of heading home before dark? You just can't do that unless you've milked your goat first, the goat must be milked or she could get mastitis which can be deadly (an infection of the udder). She trusts you to come and take your milk that you have initiated her to make for you. If you don't keep your side of the bargain and take it on time (give or take a couple of hours), she will be uncomfortable at best, and in danger at worst.
Our set up is now a lot more flexible. My goats have kids and I leave them with their mothers, that means I don't have to milk them. However, I can take a little milk from each mother, which won't be missed and this arrangement suits me down to the ground. As smallholders we are not after maximum milk yields, we don't need to remove the kids at 4 days old and hand rear them with replacer milk, so that we can milk their mothers. As a smallholder the set up is much more relaxed, and quite a bit more flexible. If I want a litre of milk, I can put the kids in the shed at night and milk a little from their Mums in the morning before I bring the kids back to them. They enjoy the rest now and then!
Once the kids go, we may continue milking for a while and then we can slowly dry them off over the winter by milking a little less each day. Milking in the winter months is far less fun, the romance wears thin heading out in the dark, wind and rain twice a day!
Wow...I really enjoyed reading about the goats...I never knew there was so much to it! I just have to comment...that cat looks like he/she knows a good thing when he/she sees it! CUTE
Posted by: Jane | April 13, 2007 at 10:08 AM
And I suppose the kitty gets a share? Symbiosis of another kind...
Posted by: a simple yarn | April 13, 2007 at 04:07 PM
I had no idea! Thanks for the insight into this part of your life... and it's wonderful to see your handcrafted spoon at work ;o)
Posted by: Amanda | April 13, 2007 at 06:55 PM
I can remember my great uncle Sam (whom no-one could understand because his accent was so thick) milking and he'd have maybe a dozen cats lurking out of the cow's kick range. Every now he'd squirt some milk randomly into the fray and they'd all open their mouths to catch a drop and they start cleaning each other to get the spills... haven't thought about that in years. Thanks for a good start to my day - now off to mulch fruit trees!
Posted by: hedgewizard | April 14, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Oh I absolutely loved this post! I've always been interested in dairy goats, and reading this post was very informative. Thank you for writing it!
And I have to say...this blog is quickly becoming my favorite. I adore your craft blog, too, but this one is just fantastic! I love the pictures! :)
Posted by: Melissa | April 14, 2007 at 02:48 PM
I was wondering what made you choose goats over a cow. We are trying to plan out a sustainable living / back to nature future and we're divided about which to get...
Sorry if you dealt with this elsewhere on the blog. If so, please redirect me.
Thanks!
Katrien
Posted by: kaat | April 17, 2007 at 06:49 PM
Thanks for getting in touch, interesting question. Several reasons why I decided on goats over cows ... not having owned livestock before, other than pets, the size and strength of a cow seemed overwhelming, I didn't fancy trying to manhandle a cow twice a day for hand milking! A goat is about the same strength as myself so we have more of an understanding with eachother! A cow may give a huge volume of milk (8 to 13 L a day according to my Google searches), way too much for our family of 4 ... a pedigree dairy goat can give up to 4Litres (8 pints) per day, more usually about 2, which far more suits our family. Now they have kids I only milk once a day, and a litre is still ample.
Keeping one cow, or one goat, is not v fair, you need two so they keep eachother company. The cost of buying and feeding 2 cows is much more than 2 goats. If a cow dies, its a much larger expense to replace her. Also, goats are more productive in terms of their size to milk yield.
What else? A cow is large and heavy, their hoofs can damage the soil structure more quickly than a light footed goat.
Also 3 members of our family are lactose (dairy) intolerant. Goats milk has far smaller sized fat globules which makes it easier to digest. 2 of our lactose intolerant folk can handle goats milk, the third is still on soya. But in general, goats milk is said to be very healthy. In the shops here it costs five times more than cows milk, therefore, if you wish to sell your surplus you will get a premium rate.
In the end I suppose its which species you feel an affinity with. Visit others with a cow or a goat, see which you prefer. I love goats, they are lovely friendly loyal creatures, v inquisitive, v intelligent, even affectionate.
I'd be very interested to hear what you decide to get, and then once you choose which species, you have the joys of choosing a breed to suit too. Best of luck on your quest. Are you in Ireland? We run a course in May, an introduction to goat keeping for complete beginners.
Posted by: Rebecca (feltmaker living sustainably in rural Ireland) | April 17, 2007 at 09:48 PM