Dairy Goats

[Sherree]

I know this is a thread about milk goats, but I was wondering what breed of goat is used for meat? There are 3 goat farms within a 5 mile radius of my house, and was just wondering, since I don't think they are being raised for milk.

[Summerthyme]

The Boer goats are the meat goats these days, although just like cattle, you certainly *can* eat goats from dairy breeds. Boers are compact, muscular and more efficient in terms of weight gain.

Summerthyme

[Sherree]

Ok, thanks Summerthyme. LOL...I don't know one goat breed from another. I was just wondering, since there seems to be a lot of goats around here.

[Lost]

Kiko and spanish are also considered meat breeds, I think fainters as well but the boers are kind of the main ones, at least around here.

There really isn't an average amount an average goat will milk. I've seen full size dairy goats milk as little as a pint at peak (per milking) to as much as 15 lbs per milking. It seems depend on a combination of genetics and feeding, disease concerns aside.

A gallon a day is considered fairly good. I shoot for a gallon a milking with mine. I think much more than that puts too much stress on the goat and her udder and it seems to be what I can have my girls easily produce on my pasture. If I want that much more milk, I'll get a cow.

[Petedtom]

Kiko and spanish are also considered meat breeds, I think fainters as well but the boers are kind of the main ones, at least around here.

There really isn't an average amount an average goat will milk. I've seen full size dairy goats milk as little as a pint at peak (per milking) to as much as 15 lbs per milking. It seems depend on a combination of genetics and feeding, disease concerns aside.

A gallon a day is considered fairly good. I shoot for a gallon a milking with mine. I think much more than that puts too much stress on the goat and her udder and it seems to be what I can have my girls easily produce on my pasture. If I want that much more milk, I'll get a cow.

Thank you. That is actually a lot more than I had thought.

[Sherree]

The type of goat that everyone around here is raising are those tiny little pygmy goats. Are they, too, used for milking?

[Summerthyme]

Pretty much ANY goat (or cow) *can* be used for milking. But the tiny little pygmy goats, and the smallest Dexter cows are such a PITA to milk, most people don't bother.

There is a reason the various breeds were developed. And you can't discount the literal centuries of selective breeding behind the dairy breeds of both species, in terms of everything from production, ease of milking to disposition.

When our Dexter/Jersey heifer calved, she stood well for milking (by hand and then machine) from the first day. She kicked a couple of times in the second week, when her teats were getting a little chapped and sore, but she was extremely easy to train to milk. The Dexter cow who had Miracle, OTOH, would stand to be milked for a couple days, and then one milking would suddenly throw a fit and kick the heck out of whoever was milking.

In the breeds which have been used for dairying extensively, the animals and lines which aren't cooperative have generally been culled out. These animals have also been bred for extended lactations (still producing lots of milk through 8 months or longer, if necessary) where most meat breeds produce enough for their offspring and then quit.

But essentially, you can milk or eat any breed of cow or goat.

Summerthyme

[Sherree]

Thanks again, Summerthyme. I'm ignorant where goats are concerned. I guess all the pygmy goats here are being raised for meat rather than milk. There are more and more people getting into it. Must be good money involved as well.

[naturallysweet]

Thanks again, Summerthyme. I'm ignorant where goats are concerned. I guess all the pygmy goats here are being raised for meat rather than milk. There are more and more people getting into it. Must be good money involved as well.

Pgymys, Nigerian dwarfs, and the crosses they produce with the the larger breeds (mini lamanchas, mini nubians, etc) are a current fad. I personally have large hands and don't like to deal with anything mini.

But If you wanted to, i recommend kinders. Which is what happens when a pgymy buck is put in with a Nubian doe. Before I went Alpine, some of my original does were Kinder and I could milk them easily because of their good Nubian genes.