Milk goats

[macmex]

We've had milk goats since 2005 or 2006 (can't remember at the moment, which). When we came to Oklahoma, we had been in a very hectic lifestyle and longed for a more sane pace of life. Somehow, we had the idea that milk goats would help us to regulate our schedule. Well, in some ways it did help considerably. For one thing, during milking, one must be home twice a day to milk. The more regular one can be, milking at the same time, the better the goats like it, and the better the production. We've come to love our goats. They provide meat, milk and (often) entertainment). 

Kidding season is upon us. About a week ago we had our first kid, a buckling. Today we had twins, from another doe, a buckling and a doeling.

[heavyhitterokra]

What better way to usher in Spring?
Nice photo, George!

I noticed yesterday, while out in the garden, our Robins have started coming back home from wherever it is that they go in Winter ...  It won't be long now , before daffodils and crocus start showing up in our yards across the countryside.

[macmex]

With our mushy, flooded pasture, we have never seen the robins leave. They love our place this winter! 

Kids and lambs are generally our first sign of spring. Even if there's nothing but cold, icy weather, we know, by their arrival, that spring is just around the corner.

Also, we get milk again! It takes nearly a month to have surplus for drinking, but still, it starts again.

[macmex]

Here's an update on the milking scene. All three of our does gave birth and now we've even weaned three of the four kids.   We went through over a month of squeaking through with just enough milk to feed the kids, but as soon as I started weaning... POW! We started having large quantities of excess milk! At first I rejoiced over this, as I could make yogurt and cheese again, but especially with the corona virus situation, it has become difficult to deal with the excess.  So, yesterday, I sold Honey. 



It's always a little hard to sell a milking doe because we get very attached, but we needed to. Honey hadn't produced very well, her first two milking seasons. She had problems with mastitis, which always seemed to set her back. So, if I had a ready replacement, I wouldn't have given her another chance. But this year she surprised me. She started producing a respectable amount. It was good to be able to ask a full price for her and know that it was a fair price.

Her replacement arrived on our farm last summer. Our mentor for milking goats is in her 90s and been a leading breeder of LaManchas for decades. Last summer she gave us Luna, one of her very best does, who had never before been bred, and Rocket, the culmination of years of breeding. Rocket had never been bred either, as our mentor can no longer handle them safely. Here's a picture of Luna. Look at that udder!


Though in her third year, Luna had never been bred. We have thus learned that a goat's teats do not mature until she kids. Oh my! We would get cramps in our hands when milking this one. Her teats were tiny and the udder huge and distended. But now, after about a month of milking, her teats are maturing enough to make milking a reasonable task. Luna is already surpassing the production of an average 2nd year milker. She's going to be amazing.

Cinni Mini is our mainstay this year. She's producing over 1 1/2 gallons of milk a day, presently, and her production should climb until around June.

More to follow. I need to include some photos of kids.

[macmex]

So, this is farm life. We sold a milking goat on the 29th, because we had too much milk. On the 30th, a friend gave me three young kids. He wanted their mother's milk and I figured we could raise them up and sell them between Thanksgiving and Easter. I generally get about $150 each for them, by that time.  Here they are.




Now, we are a bit short on milk! I will probably have to purchase a couple of gallons, in order to keep up.
But this is how we make ends meet. Someone gives us some free kids. We invest the time and a bit of $ into them. Then, at the end of the year, we should be able to make about $450 by selling them.

Here's a photo of the milk from just one of our does (Cinni Mini), yesterday. That was probably the most milk I've ever gotten from a single goat in one milking. She gave over 6 lbs! Remember, I milk morning and evening. This is just the morning milking, and that, just from one goat. Eight pounds of milk is a gallon, so she produced 3/4 gallon of milk in one milking! I believe that's the most I've ever gotten from a doe in one milking.


I milked about two hours later than usual, yesterday. She was so full that when I put her on the milking stand, she started spraying milk! I didn't even have to touch her to get her started.

[heavyhitterokra]

George,

That goat cheese you made this time was wonderful. How long did it take to get that firm texture?

The time you spent on that was much appreciated.  Especially, since I've just used the last of the feta that I made this past season to store in my freezer over the long winter.

Sometimes, I miss our old place, but God has really provided for us in this new place where he chose to relocate us.  Things like homemade cheese and good Church fellowship really make a house a home.

Thanks, for being a part of that.  Much of our contentment here, stems from the fellowship of the many fellow seed savers in our community, both locally, and those of you who share your thoughts on this website.

[macmex]

Ron, the appreciation is mutual!
That was what's called Farmhouse Cheddar. It takes more work to produce than the regular slicing cheese I make and a bit less work that real cheddar. I had to stir it for 1/2 hour, at one point, which for me, is time hard to come by. But it is worth it for the improved texture. Also, it sat in the cheese press, under about 50 lb pressure, for 12 hours.

Well, Luna continues to amaze us. She is in her first milking season and has not broken the gallon-per-day barrier. A normal, good milker will produce 1 gallon a day. That's nearly unheard of, in our experiece, for a first year milker. Now, it's true, that though this is her first year, she is four years old. Still, I believe she's demonstrating superior genetics. At this point we are still keeping pace with the demand of these new kids. When the kids get weaned, we'll be back to being "awash in milk."