Goat milking

How to get started

Make a goat stand we found ideas on you tube....

This our wonderful creation we call a goat stand... It helps to keep our female does where we want them to be, so we don't get kicked or walked over while were in the process of milking. my husband Justin did a fantastic job making this!!! I just helped him a little bit probably mostly in his way though. Anyways, because our German Shepard and now just recently our Black lab chases the goats, they make it so we don't have to tie the does (females) up each time we move them out of the stall and back into the stall. They actually go straight to the goat stand and straight back into there stall as soon as they're finished being milked. 

This is kind of how it works when your milking the goats. I usually milk with both hands personally it makes it a lot faster and easier. 

Raising dairy Goats and the Benefits to goat milk 

with each doe we average about 3 quarts a day for 10 months — to feed our family all year long its especially nice because we have a 1 year old  baby that drinks almost a gallon a week. Add a few more goats and you'll have enough milk for making cheese, yogurt,and even ice cream.

More of the world's people consume goats milk than cows milk. Goats are hardy animals: They adapt well to heat and cold, productively forage and graze, require little space, and are inexpensive to keep. Since mature does (females) usually weigh between 120 and 135 pounds (dwarf breeds can weigh between 35 and 85 pounds), they're much easier to handle than hefty cows, which can weigh 1,000 pounds each. Goats may surprise you in other ways, as well. They're highly intelligent, remarkably friendly creatures. And, since they're active, extremely agile and very curious, their antics can amuse you for hours. With all that in mind, it's easy to see why dairy goats can be the ideal addition to today's family farm or homestead.

The Dairy Breeds

There are more than 200 different goat breeds worldwide; six primary breeds dominate the dairy goat arena: Alpines, Oberhaslis, Saanens, Toggenburgs, LaManchas and Nubians. While all breeds generally do well in most of the country, the first four breeds listed are well-suited to cooler climates since their origins can be traced to Swiss mountain regions. LaManchas and Nubians hail from tropical and desert climates where it's warmer, and they tolerate hot summer conditions better than the Swiss breeds.  

We own a LaMancha and a Alpine...

Before milking the goats

Because goats can only produce milk for 10-11 months they will need to be breed every year which is okay with us, because... aren't their baby kids so cute?

Cookies (Alpine X) Baby twin kids                               Missy's (LaMancha) baby twin kids