When we moved onto our once acre property we already knew we’d have 1. A garden 2. Chickens and 3. Goats. To us these were a MUST have to live sustainably. So you may ask why goats? Well, goats milk is actually the number one consumed milk in the world. That may become a shock to you if you live in the US like we do. If you go to the grocery store and buy goats milk it will often taste well… “goaty” gross!!
So Melanie, WHY would you want to get goats then? Well, the more i’ve come to learn about the US and our foods the more i’ve began questioning everything we’ve been groomed to know and understand. So, what I did was buy goat milk from a local farmer and gave it another try. We were all SHOCKED about the taste difference. Here’s the thing about goats milk. If you leave it in the refrigerator for longer than 7 days it may develop a more “goaty” taste, also if you put a goat in milk with a buck then it’s likely your milk may taste “goaty” as well. Also, you need to try other goats milk as they don’t all contain the same about of butterfat content. Nigerians are known for their highest butterfat percentage and nubians running behind them. So what’s the difference right? Well, there’s a pretty big difference. A Nigerian goat won’t produce merely the amount of milk that a Nubian goat will produce. While every goat is different, like us humans, it’s been shown on average a Nubian goat will produce a half gallon of milk a day. I haven’t had Nigerians but we’ve had Nigerian Dwarfs and my Nigerian Dwarf goat produced 16 ounces of milk a day, which is merely half of what a Nubian produces.
So aside from milk which makes all kinds of cheeses and goat soaps, goats make the most loveable pets. They’re often considered the “dog” of the farm. They’re adorable, loveable, and make the silliest noises. Quite the entertainment group on the farm.
I told you, they are 100% our most entertaining bunch. We will keep you all posted on any babies born and of course get some footage too.
Nigerian Dwarf
The most desired goat is the Nigerian Dwarf goat. Here is our youngest goat on our farm, Grits. He will likely be a breeding buck next year. Isn’t he just adorable? These miniature sized goats require less space on the farm making way for more to keep (which for our one acre farm is really important.) They’re also the most playful and energetic bunch which is why they are the most desired. And don’t forget they have the highest butterfat content which by my taste, means it’s creamier.
Nubians
Our does Saturn and Jupiter are Nubians. Our breeding plans next year will include breeding Grits to these does which will make Mini Nubians. This way we get the butterfat content and the sizeable utter, the best of both worlds.
Alpine / Kiko Mix
Alpine/Kiko mix
Lastly, there’s Oreo she’s a Alpine/Kiko mix who we purchased from a well known dairy farm outside of Raleigh, NC. We purchased her thinking she was bred however to our surprise she went into heat the day she came home. After the two week quarantine (which is done on any new farm animals not born here) Oreo become introduced to the herd of our three Nubians, Saturn, Jupiter and our buck Moonpie. Sometime around March we separated the bucks from the does and around May we noticed Oreo’s utter filling out.
Unfortunately we don’t have a set date of conception so between “any day now” and late August is her due date.
