Anyone raise milk goats?

[Deleted]

How long do they produce milk?

Someone in my area (southern California, zone 9, light frosts) gives them a sheet metal shade cover with no walls. Would you recommend more or less shelter?

Thanks for reading.

[spud]

They tend to taper off toward the end of the milking cycle 6-9 months. I milked a meat goat with a friend and we got a half gallon a day for most of the period. Sounds like you don't need much shelter, goats hair don't shed rain well, don't know your perdator situation though.

[olddog]

My friend keeps goats, and she just has a dog house for each one, in central California. (Nigerian Dwarf breed )

[steev]

I have a friend who has an old goat; seems he's in the doghouse all the time.

[olddog]

cant stop laughing with that one! thanks for the chuckles.

[flowerpower]

All animals should have a 3 sided shed for shelter from the elements. Goats really don't like the rain. If it's just a roof, they could really get wet. It also help to give more shade during the day.

In zone 9, I'd suggest African Pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian or La Mancha breeds. I have Alpines with long hair. They are happier in cool weather. Smaller breeds also eat and drink alot less than bigger breeds. The fence can be alot shorter too. Some of mine can jump a 5 ft fence with no problem

[Deleted]

Then, local listings are particularly full of African Pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian or La Mancha for good reason. We get heat waves of around 110F, on hotter years, and it makes sense not to use Alpines.

Smaller breeds had also been suggested for producing the sweetest milk.

And, I found some ideas for cheap shelters.

Couple of pieces of reinforced plywood.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0BAskPAnQU

Mesh, fence posts, and blue tarp.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SDbvMqY20k

A local orchardman tells me a goat stripped his trees of bark, so says secure fencing will be required if they are to stay on his land.

Being that they browse for bark and twigs, as well as graze the grass and weeds, there will be plenty of sources of forage in the area.

If allowed to run rampant, wild amaranths alone will grow larger than a man, along irrigation lines.

In short, it was suggested that goats be bred, once a year. They could supposedly be milked, once a day, when nursing, and twice a day, after weaning.

As the milk is incredibly absorbent of odors, it would be preferable to have a milking area, away from even the cleanest of pens.

Cheeses are a possible means of preservation, which require no refrigeration.

There is no predator problem, as a breeder allows many cat-friendly dogs to roam the property noisily. They do exist in the mountains to either side of us, but are only rarely seen in the lowlands, during times of stress.

[mountaindweller]

No we have a milk sheep. And we have a combined shelter milking stand which I really recommend as you can milk in a sitting position insteat of crouching on the floor twice a day. This way the floor of the shelter is away from the humid wet mud. She hardly ever sleeps there but in a downpour she likes it. And you need to build a proper milking stand. Sheep are far easier to enclose and handle as goats but give far less milk, which is richer and yummier.

[flowerpower]

I wouldn't use any type of plastic tarp for the goats. They will rip it to shreds very quickly. They LOVE tree bark and leaves. Just avoid cherry with them. They eat the wild amaranth when the seeds are dry. But they enjoy the thistles and they can eat poison ivy.

[Deleted]

The place, where I would like to keep them grows cherry trees, some of which had been stripped to death by a goat, which had eventually made it's way inside of the house. The property owner would be considerably gracious for trying this again, but will be adamant about secure fencing.

What you're saying about the tarp makes sense. I know they must have very durable digestive tracts, but have noticed the tarps have tough strings, which may cause problems.

I've been watching people milk the smaller breeds from a picnic table / bench, which I realized would be necessary, as they're only a few inches from the ground, and I'm well over 6 feet tall.