Last month, we finally reached a milestone we have been looking forward to for two years, since move in day, here at our mountain homeschool homestead. We got goats! So today I’m sharing 11 BEGINNER GOAT TIPS, HOW TO MILK A GOAT & our GOAT MILKING ROUTINE.
11 BEGINNER GOAT TIPS, HOW TO MILK A GOAT & our GOAT MILKING ROUTINE VIDEO
I’ve shared 11 BEGINNER GOAT TIPS, HOW TO MILK A GOAT & our GOAT MILKING ROUTINE in the following video, but be sure to read below for more information!
Why Choose Goats
For awhile, we debated back and forth between dairy goats and a milk cow. We eventually decided on goats for a few reasons.
- Start up costs for materials are less
- They need less fencing
- We were not sure if we would use as much milk as a cow would produce
- We wanted A2 A2 milk because some of us have dairy issues
- Goat’s are more affordable for us
- If we lost a cow, it would be a financially devastating blow, but a goat would be more replaceable for us
- We knew it would be easier to breed the goats
- Lastly, in addition to dairy goats we would like to try our hands at raising meat goats
The last reason is we’ve had goats before for almost 3 years, about 10 years ago and knew well what we would be getting into. My husband is familiar with having cows and caring for them, but since I would be the primary person in charge of knowing the condition of the livestock, we thought it would be best to start with something I’m familiar with.
The Breeds We Chose
We decided to go with Oberhasli and Nubians. This is what we had in the Midwest. Initially we were just going to go with Oberhasli because of their delicious milk and absolutely adoring personality, but after drinking Nubian milk from my good friend’s farm last year, we were 110% sold on the lovely taste of Nubian milk and their cream content.
Eventually we would like to get a Nigerian Dwarf because their milk is 10% cream, and our goal is to begin raising Mini Nubians (a cross between a Nigerian Dwarf buck and Nubian doe).
Fun Facts About Goat Milk
Did you know that 65% of the world’s population drinks goat milk, not cow?
Goats milk is easier to digest by many people with dairy intolerance because it contains A2 A2 casein/protein.
Fresh, properly handled goats milk tastes just like cows milk, and can be even better! Many people associate goats milk with tasting “goaty”. A variety of factors come into play when it comes to the flavor of goat milk though. Like with cows, their milk is going to taste like what they are eating. So feed plays an important role in the flavor of goat milk.
If a goat has mineral deficiencies, like a copper deficiency, their milk will develop a goaty or off flavor. If goat milk isn’t properly strained and chilled within the first 15 minutes of being milked, it can get a “goaty” taste. Lastly, the fresher the better, as milk that is older, say past a week, can start to slowly taste a slight bit goaty.
Last fun fact for the day, you can make all the same cheeses with goats milk that you can cow!
Proverbs 27:23
As often happens, certain circumstances and life situations bring Bible verses and stories I’ve read to mind.
One of the things I’ve been thinking about is how through out Bible times, livestock and flocks were considered “riches”, and blessings from God! I’ve been thinking about this because of how grateful I am for our goats. Healthy livestock truly are an immense BLESSING! Not only for the fresh, healthy food they provide, but also for the JOY they bring!
Since caring for the goats takes time I’ve been adjusting to this lately and assessing how long each goat activity is taking. I’m finding that milking and caprine care is taking approximately 45 minutes a day. Processing the milk and making delicious dairy products like cheeses and yogurts is taking about 2 to 3 hours per week. This means that I have less time for other things that I used to have time for!
It’s been an adjustment, and I am a big believer in time management, so this has caused me to look at all the area’s I’m spending time in, especially with garden season (another massive time investment) approaching. It’s also caused me to ponder verses like Proverbs 27:23, which reads, ” Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;”. It goes on to say in verse 24, “For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.” Lately, this Proverbs has been crossing my mind a lot lately.
I’ve been thinking about this in relation to taking on too much, saying yes to all the things, and managing time prayerfully and wisely.
We’ve all been hearing more about the importance of saying “no”, and how we can often take on too much, and although the things we take on are all good things, too much is just too much!
With the popularity of homesteading rising rapidly in the USA there are some people saying this is only happening because it is “trendy” right now. I think this may be a small reason homesteading is rising, but I honestly think it has more to do with the fact that people have woken up to the problems with our food supply, and have become aware of the chemical crap in what we eat. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and they are seeking out ways to be self sustainable.
I’ve been active in this “homesteading” world since the mid 90’s, and been an advocate for homesteading practices like growing and preserving food, making ones own bread, sourdough, living healthy, and becoming sustainable my entire adult life.
I didn’t think I’d see a time when all of this would become so popular, but I’m glad it is. People are learning in droves homestead basics like how to grow and can their own food, how to preserve, herbology, and small scale farming. I think this is a good thing.
I don’t think it’s a good thing though when it becomes something we are doing to keep up with a trend, or something pretty we saw on social media, though. I think this has the potential of being destructive in those cases.
As I was brushing up on my caprine care education prior to getting the goats, I joined some FB groups and was astonished by the large number of people purchasing goats before being prepared, and then loosing the goats to sickness or other accidents. Everyday a hand full of people were posting goat emergencies. Although I know these things do happen, and sometimes things are absolutely unavoidable, and that this can be the nature of farming, I also know there are things that happen that are avoidable.
So I just want to express, sometimes too much of a good thing all at once doesn’t necessarily equate to one big good thing. Sometimes it just equates to one big expensive mistake.
So I’ve been contemplating how important it is to prioritize and ask the Lord for wisdom as we add activities and responsibilities. Without prioritizing, and evaluating our most important commitments, we will not be able to obey Proverbs 27:23 and know the condition of our flocks and herds or anything we have going on.
It can be extremely difficult waiting on the Lord for good things, dreams, and desires. Believe me, I know! It took me 25 years of longing to get to where I am just now getting!
In the meantime, I tried to jump ahead at times. The first time we had goats, it was fraught with stress and striving. We were not prepared for them! We didn’t have enough land for them, we were living in poverty, we were learning as we went which isn’t the best approach with goats. Also, I bought the goats thinking they would eventually save us money, but they ended up costing us so much more! Eventually I had to sell the herd I worked for 3 years to build because other priorities became critical.
Proverbs 10:22 reads, “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” So the moral of today’s lesson, is trying to race ahead can end up setting us back in the long run, but baby steps can get us quite far!
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