[StephB]

Hi all,


I have wanted goats for a few year now.  We live on a 6.5 acre smallholding and have had orphan lambs and weaner pigs plus the usual geese, ducks & hens.


I would absolutely love to milk one of my goats for daily milk and cheese.


My only reservation is my family taking to the goats milk?. Has anyone managed to convert their family from cows milk products over to goats milk.?


I will source some goats milk for us all to try before I take the plunge.  I would only really like goats if we can use and enjoy their milk & eventually meat from the kids.


Just wondering if I am wasting my time hoping they will get used to it?


xxx

[Anke]

Just ut some absolutely fresh (but cooled) unpasteurised goatsmilk into a cows milk carton (clean) and nobody will notice the difference!

Honestly, raw fresh goatsmilk from your own small herd does not taste goaty! and if it does - you have a mineral imbalance issue that can normally be resolved quite quickly. (assuming hygiene is spot on).

Where in the country are you?

You want to get to know some goatkeepers near you so you can talk to them about goats, how they manage theirs and learn a lot!

[Dogwalker]

  As Anke says just make sure it's really good goats milk.  Several of my friends have commented how nice it is after initially being dubious.  My adult daughter has just taken some home with her and my sons are quite happy with it while they're here.

Don't expect them to like the supermarket stuff it's disgustingly goaty.

[StephB]

Thanks for your replies Anke and dogwalker.


That's encouraging to know that the milk doesn't smell goaty.  We already drink unpasturised cows milk from our next door farm, so we are used to rich fresh milk, but would desperately like to produce our own, but are not set up enough for cows just yet.


I adore goats, but we make a point of only stocking animals that provide something, we are not overly in the game of having animals just for pets, other than our dog  . 


I have gotten attached to our trio of geese and have named them but they provide eggs and goslings which we then rear for meat.


I live in North Dorset and do know a local goat farmer who rears Boer x Cashmere goats.  I will have to message her to see if I can pop round for some advice.  Unsure f that cross of goat would work as the utility type animal I would like.


As you can tell I have ALOT of research to do 


Thanks so much for your replies xx

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[shygirl]

our goats milk is lovely though we don't get much being bagots.
however I cant stand any of the goats milk, butter I have got from the supermarket, its so goaty and repeats o me for hours.
try before you buy, but im sure the dogs and cats, lambs would love you for the milk.

[reedos]

All of our family took to goats milk with no issues at all. It's never been 'goaty'

Do your research about what you want from your goat, you'll get loads of opinions as to which breed is best. Everybody has their favourite. We believe that British Guernsey's give the best of all worlds - small and placcid enough to handle easily, big enough to give a decent carcase for meat and give enough milk for a family - perfect for smallholders - but we are biased!

[Anke]

TRy and find someone who keeps dairy goats and milks them - you can try the milk (although it will have to be "for your dogs, cats and the lambs", as most of us are not legally allowed to sell for human consumption). If you want a decent amount of milk any of the dairy breeds (see www.allgoats.co.uk - the British Goat Society's website) will be ok, and you will have to decide what to do with the male kids before you get goats! As in the dairy cow world entire boys are surplus to requirements most of the time, they DO smell and can become quite cocky come autumn. The market for castrated pet wethers is limited and comes with absolute zero welfare guarantees. We get ours castrated in the first week (rubber ring) and eat them when they are about 10 months old and just become a real pain in the proverbial...

Goats are wonderful social animals to have around (unlike sheep they actually come to see you for a cuddle rather than just barge into you for food), you need good fences (no barbed wire), they need access to a shelter at all times as they don't do rain and quite a lot of hay throughout the year.

I just love mine!

[fiestyredhead331]

we put our goats milk into empty supermarket cartons for weeks before the children even asked as I didn;t seem to be buying milk anymore...
TBH we use most of our milk for cheese these days as it takes a fair amount to make a decent sized batch and when I get time I'll whip up a batch of soap.
Boys go for meat and skins each year. They aren't difficult to keep just time demanding, its not so easy to go away for a day or two unless you have backup.
But I wouldn't be without mine now, not just for the milk and meat but for the fun, they are amazing animals 

[Fleecewife]

So why does supermarket goats milk taste so goaty?

[Dogwalker]

I'm not sure but I think it may be due to the processing breaking down some of the fats.  Think I read about that somewhere a while ago but I can't remember the details.

[Anke]

So why does supermarket goats milk taste so goaty?

Pasteurisation and homogenisation. Also individual goats CAN have a goaty taste to their milk, it is usually due to cobalt deficiency/imbalance. If you have a large herd there is no way an individual goat's milk can be traced, and homogenisation will probably make I worse.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I think goats milk is a big adjustment, I used to drink it before I kept buffaloes, because I can't tolerate cows milk, I found goats milk quite pleasant. The thing with goats milk is to do with the feeding and the hygiene, I have been told that if the hygiene is not good then you will get an overly goaty smell to the milk, also the food is crucial too. It could be a lot of factors though. Goats milk is better for you than cows milk. Goats milk is an A2 milk, which is suitable for people who cannot tolerate cows milk products, sheeps milk is better for you than goats milk though, because it contains more fat, which is essential, there are some cows which produce A2 milk, and of course buffaloes produce A2 milk. The only problem with some goats are their feet, and the fact they can be very mischievous. Here is some literature on the subject of goats milk.
http://www.sthelensfarm.co.uk/health-benefits

[waterbuffalofarmer]

All of our family took to goats milk with no issues at all. It's never been 'goaty'

Do your research about what you want from your goat, you'll get loads of opinions as to which breed is best. Everybody has their favourite. We believe that British Guernsey's give the best of all worlds - small and placcid enough to handle easily, big enough to give a decent carcase for meat and give enough milk for a family - perfect for smallholders - but we are biased!

you could try the alpine breed of goat, there milk is nice and rich and is prized by french cheesemakers

[Lesley Silvester]

And, of course, I swear by Saanens for good milk.


The first time my brother came to stay after I became a goat owner, we all sat and drank a couple of mugs of tea before he asked to see 'this goat then'. He and his wife then went for a sleep as they had flown in from Malta (honeymoon) at 3am that day. When they got up, we had more tea and the conversation got round to goat-keeping again. Brother said, "Keeping a goat is all very well but I couldn't drink goats' milk in my tea." He then looked at my face and said, "I have been, haven't I"


It's very rare that visitors can tell if I give them goats' or cows' milk. I'm on supermarket goat milk atm and it's horrible.

[shygirl]

I stopped at tesco on way home from work tonight. a beautiful looking goats cheese reduced from £5 to 10p so I thought id try it, but no, its tastes how a billy goat smells. the dogs loved it though.