Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Sheep and Goats:
Backyard
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14
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Multitaskers
When I began looking for ways to decrease the amount of milk we purchased through commercial
dairy systems, I started researching dairy goats. What I discovered is that goats, and their cousins,
sheep, can be huge workhorses in the backyard farm.
Smaller than other hoofed livestock like horses or cows, they provide many benefits. If you have
room for a couple goats, you can greatly increase your self-sufficiency. Goats and sheep can provide
milk, fiber, and meat for even city homesteaders. We live within city limits on a suburban corner
lot and have been keeping goats successfully for years.
Breeds for Small Home Use
While commercial operations will usually keep breeds that are specifically raised for meat, or
specifically raised for fiber, a backyard farmer might want to keep heritage breeds that are more
dual-purpose. This will allow you to gain multiple benefits from a single animal. Here are some
breeds you might want to consider for your backyard farm.
Breeds for Milk
Alpine.
Alpines have been bred primarily for milk production, but
bucks
should always be more
than 170 pounds. This good size means that they are a suitable breed for meat production, which
makes dealing with
wether
culls (getting rid of the extra, castrated males) much easier. One of the
benefits of the alpine breeds is that they are highly tolerant of poor ground and are hardy—easy to
maintain, usually keeping very good health, and great mothers. An alpine
doe
can be expected to
produce around 3 liters of milk daily for 9 to 10 months a year.
East Fresian Sheep.
These sheep are one of the most popular milk breeds and will produce very
rich milk. They are highly productive, with most sheep averaging between
1
⁄
2
and 1 gallon per day
for about 200 days a year. And with a mature weight of 150 pounds (
rams
can reach up to 200
pounds!), these sheep can make a good meat choice as well. Purebred East Fresians don't tend to
do as well in large, commercial conditions, or in areas with extreme heat, but can be crossed with
other breeds to increase milk production. A mature
ewe
will also produce between 8 and 11 pounds
of wool per year.
