tell me about your milk goats

[hildare]

inquiring minds want to know. i'm daydreaming and plotsing and scheming..!!!!!!!!!!!

[1jooj]

I milk a lovely pair of Nubians, a smallish brown one and a big, black one. They would as soon live in the house with us as live in the barn. They love to walk along with people and keep us company when we're working outside. They are mild-mannered with the sheep, more or less, and I just love them. I am not the most meticulous milker when it comes to routines, but still I get about 3 quarts of milk a day from my two. The smaller, with the smaller udder, is the better milker. Once we get started, the milk practically flows from her, and in no time, she's done. They trained pretty quickly to the milkstand, and now they look forward to their twice-daily milking. They have regular turns that they take--one always goes first and the other second, and they do that themselves.

I've kept their does from this year's freshening, and I'm anxious to see how the brown one's daughter fares. She was crossed with an Alpine whose daughters have been good producers, and she's just lovely. The other is crossed with a Boer, and equally sweet.

We get more milk than we need, and I also make yogurt and cheese. The kids love the milk, dh can drink the milk (can't do cow's milk), and we're all worried about how we're going to handle drying off the ladies. We're going to stagger their next breedings so that we aren't without fresh milk in the future.

I never drank goat's milk before milking my own. I'm hooked. I love my Nubians.

We have lots of pasture. They also get maple and poplar, and oats on the milkstand. I love my goats. I really feel like they are friends.

[hildare]

Originally Posted by 1jooj

I milk a lovely pair of Nubians, a smallish brown one and a big, black one. They would as soon live in the house with us as live in the barn. They love to walk along with people and keep us company when we're working outside. They are mild-mannered with the sheep, more or less, and I just love them.

that is precisely why i love a goatie. i have no experience milking them but grew up with goats. their personalities are just awesome.

Nubians seem to be readily available in my area.. are they what you'd recommend? (sounds like it!) tfs!