The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: egglady on November 05, 2011, 06:10:56 pm
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which breeds are best for butter and cheese please?
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one with high butterfat content -
Sanaan,
Toggenburg
Nubian - though have a lower yield than those above
*ducks to avoid flying objects!*
we've found our Toggie has much creamier milk than the Sanaan
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The amount of butterfat changes throughout the lactation, and also depends to some extent on the feed you give. All of mine (GG's and the AOV BT type) have now got much better butterfat values (I milk record) than earlier in the summer, but the actual milk yields are obviously quite a bit lower. Butterfat values are also quite susceptible to any disease - mastitis and such like.
I find BT's and GG's have similar fat%-es.
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ANs have a higher BF naturally than other breeds..... mine are all in the 5- 6% area. all year.
Saanens that I imported from Holland last year have a family BF average of 4.5%.... I have lactation records for these figures.
As others have said, the feed has a huge influence. Last year my girls had access to woodland with very varied content but they loved the frsh new growth on the conifers, just nipping out the tips. The average BF went up to 7%.
This year they haven't been down the woods and the BF has gone back to average 5%
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You can actually breed for butterfat content as well. Some "families" have better butterfat's than others- we have a British Toggenburg who always has really good butterfats- and she is bred from Webster & Smith's BT line, which all have good fats. AN's naturally have the highest BF, but can give a lower yield, and sometimes more importantly, a shorter lactation, meaning they might need to kid more often in order to keep producing milk.
Anke is right- BF do vary through the lactation. We have had milkers who might have low BF in the summer during their first part of their lactation due to the volume of milk they are producing, but then by the following summer they are back producing 4.5%
Beth
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it's a bloomin minefield me thinks!!!
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that it is!
I've made cheese with some very different milks - just stick with the breeds you like I reckon :)
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Mine are pure Sanaans. I've never measured the butter fat - not sure how, to be honest - but the first goat's milk isn't that creamy and when I've tried to separate it by skimming off the topo, there's hardly any cream.. However, her daughter's milk separates beautifully and I end up with a good quantity of cream that is almost like clotted cream. The plan was to save it up and make butter, which might work if I didn't use a spoon to skim with and if I didn't like cream so much. ;)
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The plan was to save it up and make butter, which might work if I didn't use a spoon to skim with and if I didn't like cream so much. ;)
:yum: ;D
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Yes,liking cream is a problem for me too. And I am not supposed to eat cream, or any dairy products as it make me ill. Although I do seem to be able to tolerate goats milk better.