Milking goats

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Sat, 09/01/2012 - 20:00 #1

Member for

12 years 2 months
Matala
Last seen: 08/20/2013 - 18:44
Joined: 08/31/2012 - 20:45

Milking goats

Hi All,

We have just finalised our purchase of our first farm which is approximately 150 acres near Manilla NSW.  We will be renting the house out for a couple of years whilst using the acres as a weekender for our family of 8 and will hopefully be able to gain permission for dual residencey, enabling us to continue to have rental income from the property.  However once moving out to the farm we would like to become self sufficent but also produce some form of income from the hobby farm.  I have a strong interest in Santa Gertrudis cattle however this is a long term plan.  In the closer future we are considering milking goats and free range poultry (mainly eggs).  I am looking for infomation on the processing of the milk and the number of head of goats required to make this worth whilst as income producing. Ideally we would like to sell the produce at Farmer's Markets within the Hunter Valley, as well as locals if the demand is there.

Thanks

Matala Park

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Sun, 09/02/2012 - 18:56 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Matala Park,

Congratulations on buying your first farm. It's great to finally be out of the rat-race, isn't it?

Before you buy your first stock you will need to get set up. Fencing suitable for goats, shelter sheds, milking shed, head bails, etc. you will also need to purchase a small milking machine (if you intend to run more than a few dairy goats) and the necessary equipment for processing your milk and to make cheese if you intend to do so. 

After you have done your set up the next step is to buy in your stock, making sure that they have vet certification that they are free of johnes disease. If they are already in kid that is fine, if not you will either need to have them artificially inseminated or hire, or buy a buck. Aproximately 150 days after they become pregnant they will deliver 1-4 kids ( dairy goats tend to have multiple births). The kids are left with their mother for two to three days to get the essential cholostrum and then removed and fed on formula- goat milk is a lot more valuable than formula. Male kids are either destroyed at birth or raised on formula for a few weeks and then sold off to the european, muslim or asian communities as kids for slaughter. Females are kept to increase the herd or sold off to other breeders.

To sell goat milk and goat milk products you may need permission or licences. A good place to check this out would be your local primary industry dept.

Goats will produce about 2lt of milk each day, although some high producing sanaan will produce about 4lt per day. They can be supplemented with dairy goat pellets to increase milk production and will also appreciate a mineral lick and access to stock salt. Salt helps them drink more and thus produce more milk. However, don't add the salt to their water as they will avoid drinking it. Just put the salt in a wide base container so they can't tip it over and they will eat it as required. 

In dairy goats mastitis can be a problem. So always have clean hands, sterilise the milking claws if using a machine and wash down the teats before you begin milking. At the first sign of mastitis get the appropriate treatment from the vet. If not treated early it can damage the udder(permanently lowering milk production) or if serious can result in gangrene (blue bag) which is fatal. don't let this put you off, because forewarned is to be forearmed as the old saying goes.

I have written a book 'Farming meat goats'. You may find some sections (selecting and preparing a property, choosing breeding stock, health care and nutrition) of this book relevant to your situation.

Good luck and I hope that you get as much pleasure and enjoyment from your goats as I have over the years.

Barbara Vincent

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Mon, 09/03/2012 - 14:45 #3
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Matala Park,

I have just realised that there were a couple of things I didn't address in my answer to your question. You asked about processing milk.

First strain the milk through fine cheese cloth to remove any foreign bodies such as dirt or straw then pasturise it. To pasturise the milk heat it to 54C checking temp. with a candy thermometer and holding it at this temperature for 30 mins. cool quickly by submersing the container in an ice bath (water with party ice in it). This method seems to preserve the taste of the milk better for cheese making, whilst destroying bacteria. another method is to heat he milk to 76C for 15 mins.There are many books available about cheese making and also some good web sites to get you started. The following one is the one I find the most useful. Hope this info helps. From time to time you may see cheese making courses advertised in rural newspapers. These are usually very useful and also give you a chance to meet other breeders to exchange information and ideas.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese.html   You will need to copy and paste this into your browser.

All the best,

Barb Vincent

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