Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
they are able to drink goat milk. Goat milk is also an excellent source of calcium and other
minerals.
Milk for personal use
You will milk each lactating goat twice daily. Folk wisdom has long dictated that milking be
done religiously at 12-hour intervals, but recent research in France has shown that dairy goats
produce just as well if there is an eight-hour and a 14-hour interval between milking each day.
Apparently, the length of the interval between milking is not as important as keeping a con-
sistent schedule. Having a full udder is uncomfortable for a goat; do not make your goats wait
so long to be milked that it causes them to suffer. They will let you know with loud cries if
they have waited too long. Always allow at least eight hours between milking sessions, and
commit yourself to milking at about the same times every day. Irregular milking will ad-
versely affect your milk yield and cause stress to your animals, which can affect milk quality.
It is difficult to say exactly how much milk a goat will produce because of the variance
between breeds and within a breed, and between individuals. Age, climate, weather, illness,
and stress can greatly influence an individual goat's milk production. It is safe to assume that
a dairy goat will give, on average, about 1,500 pounds of milk per year. Note that goat's milk
is measured in pounds weight, rather than in volume. Eight pounds of milk is about a gallon,
but milk is measured in pounds weight rather than volume because volume measurement is
far less reliable. Fresh milk tends to foam, and a gallon jar of foamy milk contains less than a
gallon jar of milk that has settled. Weighing the milk gives a more accurate indication of how
much milk is in a given container.
Changes in diet and climate cause seasonal changes in milk production. In order to have a
consistent, year-round milk supply, it is necessary to maintain a herd and manage the does so
that at least some are always lactating.
BASIC MILKING SUPPLIES
Milking equipment can be as simple as a halter, a tether, a stainless steel bowl from your kit-
chen cupboard, and some plastic funnels, but because you will be milking your goats twice a
day, every day, your life will be easier if you purchase specialized milking equipment. The
cost of specific items needed for milking and processing varies considerably depending on
whether you milk by hand or with a machine, the current demand for these supplies, and
your geographical location. When you first establish a small dairy herd, you probably will
