After
comparing the different breeds, we decided on the
LaMancha. They give more milk than the Nubian, but
have a higher percentage of butterfat than a Saanen,
and they are also known for being gentle and good
natured. Our
two does are named Dove and Chickadee, and if all goes
as planned, we will have kids arriving in the Spring.
Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger picture.
Update
May 3, 2004
Dove
delivered a single buck kid, his name is Ovaltine or
Billy the Kid, depending on who you ask. He is springy
and silly as only baby goats and lambs can be.
Update October 2004.
Dove died unexpectedly after Hurricane Ivan. Our only
suspicion is that the storm blew some toxic foliage
within her reach.
When
I was first considering a dairy animal for our family,
my first instinct was to find a good milk cow. As I
looked and learned about cows, I came to the
conclusion we didn't drink enough milk to justify the
initial expense and the feeding and maintenance of
such a large animal. Next in line were goats. I
have always liked goats, they are friendly and curious
and intelligent but.... that smell. Goat's milk
had.... that taste. Or, so I thought.
As
I found out later, I had never tasted properly handled
goat's milk. I did some research and went and visited
some people that used dairy goats for their family's
milk supply, and found they were a different type of
goat than I was accustomed to. Dairy
goats have been bred to have longer lactations,
produce a higher quality and volume of milk per lactation and to
be larger than your typical "brush goat".
The single most important thing you can do to make
sure your milk tastes good is to handle it properly,
keep everything scrupulously clean, and chill it as
quickly as possible. This means:
-
wash
your hands before milking
-
wash
the doe's udder before you start to milk
-
discard
the first bit of milk in each teat
-
milk
only into a clean container that can be
disinfected between milkings, no plastic, no
containers with seams
-
after
milking dip teats into an antiseptic to prevent
germs entering the udder
-
chill
immediately
Another
important thing consideration is to make sure there
is not a buck, or male goat, housed with your milking
does. The bucks have a
very strong odor, and that smell will give the milk a "goaty" taste.
There
are 6 breeds of recognized dairy goats, the Saanen, the
Nubian, the Oberhasli, the Alpine, the Toggenberg and
the LaMancha.
The
Saanens are known as the Holsteins of the goat world,
giving large amounts of milk that is low in butterfat.
The Nubians are often compared to the Jersey cow,
giving less milk than the Saanen, but it is much
higher in butterfat, therefore better for making
cheese. Toggenbergs give a good volume of milk and
have the reputation of producing a stronger tasting
milk. The LaMancha dairy goat is most well known for
it's lack of external ears, and this gives them a very
unusual appearance.
