Love raw milk, but not what it does to your wallet? Interested in owning goats in the future, but nervous about taking the plunge? Join us for the Goat 101 Series- an introduction to the perfect homestead dairy animal.
We are fairly new to the goat world ourselves, so you can benefit from our learning experiences and also our mistakes!
- Goat 101: But Isn’t Goat’s Milk Disgusting?
- Goat 101: Cow vs. Goat
- Goat 101: My Milking Routine
- Goat 101: Improvising Milking Equipment
- Goat 101: Improvised Milking Equipment- an UPDATE
- Goat 101: Baking Soda, for Goats?
- Goat 101: Deciding on a Milking Schedule
- Goat 101: Build Your Own Milking Stand
- Goat 101: How to Milk a Goat **VIDEO**
- Goat 101: Six Lessons Learned from Kidding
- DIY Udder Salve (for goats, cows, and your own hands, too)
- Goat 101: Reflections of a Milk Maid
Goat milking video schedule etc………….
I’m very curious about goat milk. The idea of milking my own goat sounds interesting, but does the milk taste anything like the cheese? I’m not sure how much I like the idea of goat-cheese-tasting milk on my cheerios!
Hi Marie,
It really depends on the individual goat and how the milk is handled. Our goat milk tastes like, well, milk. It really isn’t “goaty” at all. And it depends on what type of goat-cheese you are thinking of. Some specific types of goat cheese are made to be extra goat-tasting. However, I’ve made several types of ‘regular’ cheeses (like mozzarella and feta) with goat’s milk and they tasted “normal”. And to be honest, I’ve never had store-bought goat milk, but I’ve heard it’s fairly strong- I definitely think that fresh, raw milk is probably overall better tasting. So, that was a long-winded way to say that I think you might be pleasantly surprised with how goat’s milk tastes on your cheerios.
Hi Jill!
First let me introduce myself to you… I am James Jordan from the Paris, Texas area. My wife and I found you while looking up goat milking on yahoo search. Man am I glad you are here!
I own a residential construction company and have a few select clients close to my ranch that I do farm and ranch maintenance for. One client in particular is a very eclectic lady that demands everything Green and Organic. I will be working on wind generated electricity for her this year. For now, I am a Residential Construction Project Manager and Executive Goat Milker! My client has just purchased 2 mini Nubian doe’s that gave us 2 newborn doe’s on Christmas Day! Now I’m a Goat Milker!! lol
Just wanted to say that We ( My Wife and I ) are here and watching you, and learning bunches!
I have invested in a hand pump milker to help with the smaller teets and am getting a full pint from each momma every morning using your milking stand with only a few modifications.
Now we are about to start our first cheese and yogurt trials….
Thanks for all your hard work on the site and God Bless!
James and Lisa Jordan
Hi James!
I’m so happy to ‘meet’ you and your wife!
It sounds like you have quite the operation- I’m glad that the Goat 101 series has been helpful! I think the hand pump milker sounds like a brilliant idea. Thankfully, my girls have decent sized teats, but I promised myself that if I ever got a goat with tiny teats, we would end up with some sort of machine to help.
Good luck with your yogurt and cheese making! Keep up the great work!
I have had both meat and milk goats for over 12 years. I have had as many as 70 and as few as 12 so I definately have a love for the critters. The problem with goats is if you get one you are destined to get more. My goats tend to bag up a few weeks before delivery and become fully strutted just prior to iminent birth. They seem to want to isolate themselves from the herd so if the weather is bad and the herd is in a shelter the doe will go out into the bad weather to have her kid which is a good reason to confine her to a kidding pen once signs are there that birth is close. They do tend to paw the ground and make little noises as tho they are talking to their kids. Its just soft little winnies of sound not the usual “bah bah bah”. In my experience most goats can handle the job just fine on their own but occassionally one needs help and if after 30 mins or so of pushing nothing is happening then you should have a kidding kit ready and available for use. Our does all get a bucket of really warm water with about a half cup of dark molassas mixed in as soon as they have cleaned up the kid, it gives them energy and restores fluids. I always offer it again after the next kid(s) . Or you can mix up some Magic and give them that as we always use Magic for our goats who are weakened from illnes or kidding. If you haven’t heard of Magic let me know and I will send you a recipe for it.