Cows or Goats? Which is Best?

[Rick]

Here's a short article I found on Mother Earth News that compares owning cows to goats. Be sure and read the comments section at the end. Some good info there, too.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Ask-O...mily-Milk.aspx

[Ridge Wolf]

Good article Rick.. I have a question though... there are no local stores in my area, that I know of, that sell goats milk. Would you know of any stores (Winco, Safeway, Albertsons types) that sell it? Might be better if I ask around the local area farms here about goats milk... but I think it was last year that we had a couple of scares about raw cows milk and a few people got sick. Here, I am thinking that raw milk off the farms is a no no.

[crashdive123]

Health food stores often carry goats milk.

[Ridge Wolf]

Health food stores often carry goats milk.

Aahh.. didn't think of them.. let's see.. GNC and Fred Meyer.. Also Super Supplements in the Seattle area.. I thought they only had pills.. I'll check. Thanks.

[Rick]

I don't think they can sell it raw anyway. It has to be pasteurized before they can sell it so farmers might be a good source. If they don't happen to pasteurize then find someone that does. Here's a link to the American Dairy Goat Chapters in Washington state:

http://www.adga.org/clubs.htm#WA

[Ridge Wolf]

I don't think they can sell it raw anyway. It has to be pasteurized before they can sell it so farmers might be a good source. If they don't happen to pasteurize then find someone that does. Here's a link to the American Dairy Goat Chapters in Washington state:

http://www.adga.org/clubs.htm#WA

How'd you know I was from Washington?

Oh,, I mentioned Seattle...

[crashdive123]

Must be psychotic. Um, err, psychic.

[Chuck]

We have had goats in the past on our remote homestead where everything is flown in. Goats are the only animal we've had that we didn't have to buy food for, we turned ours out in the morning and they browsed all the food they wanted. Ours thrived on spruce, birch, cottonwood, and highbush cranberries even in the dead of winter(we're talking temps ranging from freezing down to -40f. They were a little smaller than grain fed goats and produced a little less but better milk. Most breeds of goats can also be trained to wear packs to haul light loads, about 20% of their weight. Also since they were allowed to browse free choice they were healthier than their grain fed cousins.

[Beo]

Goats milk is gross, goat meat and lamb is nasty (only drinking and eating it if in dire need) beef is the KING of meats... nextto Deer

[wildWoman]

We have had goats in the past on our remote homestead where everything is flown in. Goats are the only animal we've had that we didn't have to buy food for, we turned ours out in the morning and they browsed all the food they wanted. Ours thrived on spruce, birch, cottonwood, and highbush cranberries even in the dead of winter(we're talking temps ranging from freezing down to -40f. They were a little smaller than grain fed goats and produced a little less but better milk. Most breeds of goats can also be trained to wear packs to haul light loads, about 20% of their weight. Also since they were allowed to browse free choice they were healthier than their grain fed cousins.

Man I love this forum - this is EXACTLY the info I've been scourig the internet for for a couple of YEARS, unable to find anyone up in the north who keeps milk goats without supplying them with hay in the winter!!!!!
We really want milk goats but because we're in much the same situation as Chuck, thought it would be hideously expensive as we'd have to ship in hay for the 8 months where nothing green grows.

Thanks Chuck and whoever organized this forum!! We'll be getting goats. Good-bye canned milk and plastic cheese. I love you guys.

[Rick]

Wildwoman - Here is the info for the American Dairy Goat Association in Alaska:

Alaska Dairy Goat Association
Carol Hepler, HC 34, Box 2195, Wasilla, AK 99654
(907) 892-8002
dhepler@gci.net

She can probably answer all your questions!

[wildWoman]

Goats milk is gross, goat meat and lamb is nasty (only drinking and eating it if in dire need) beef is the KING of meats... nextto Deer

My guess is you had some milk that maybe had a hair in it, Beo. If that hapens, it makes the milk taste really yucky. Cleanliness is very important when milking goats. Uncontaminated goat's milk is taste-wise indistinuishable from cow's milk, less greasy. I've had plenty of it.

And the best meat I've ever eaten by a long shot is mountain goat, but I guess that doesn't really count because they are not true goats but related to antelopes.

[wildWoman]

Thanks Rick! Jeez, shaping up to be a real homestead here, what with our ducks and now future goats!

A number of friends of ours have had goats. What they did to avoid predation on the goats is they didn't dehorn them and they constructed something almost like a treehouse that the goats could climb up to. Wolves can't follow, although a bear could. One couple used to take their goats along for walks with them. They also had a horse, 3 dogs, and a cat, and sometimes would take the whole menagerie out on a walk. One time in spring they went along a muddy trail, on on their way back ssaw by the tracks that a wolf had trailed them for quite a ways. Must have been pretty confused by finding cat, dog, people, goat and horse tracks leading into the woods!

[Chuck]

Goats milk is gross, goat meat and lamb is nasty (only drinking and eating it if in dire need) beef is the KING of meats... nextto Deer

I'll bet you have never eaten free range goat meat. They browse much of the same as a moose. I wouldn't place a GMO corn fed cow and a free range goat in the same class. As far as the best meat you will never beat Dall sheep at least IMHO.

[Beo]

Deer and Elk are the best meat IMHO

[trax]

Caribou, moose, elk, pronghorn, bison deer, (in that order, starting to drool, just a sec...there we go) never tried dall's, mountaingoat, or goat, domestic meats are all way down the line somewhere compared to the first five. I'm going to have to be really thirsty if I'm going to milk a goat and if it's male, I'll send Tony or marcraft out to milk it

[Beo]

Never had Caribou, heard its really good though.

[nell67]

Goat milk is actually pretty good,and is good for those who suffer from heartburn,we got our first goat when my mom was pregnant with number 9 ane suffering daily from heartburn and her doctor actually suggested goat milk over medications to treat it,but for a pint of it in the store was over $5,so my father traded one of his guns for a doe with a kid. She said it took care of the heartburn right away.
The meat on the other hand is pretty strong.But they were grain fed,not free range.

[BraggSurvivor]

Goats milk tastes exactly like what they eat. If they forage in the bush, thats what it will taste like. Strong and foul smelling IMO. I grain feed with 40% corn, 10% wheat, 20% barly, 10% flax and 10% oates that I mix and mill here on my property. They also are allowed all the 30% alphalpha/grass hay they can eat. I also add a good laddle full of heated mollasses (low sulfur) to the grain to give the milk a touch of sweetness to the milk once a week. I could place a glass of cow milk and goats milk in front of you and you couldnt tell the difference.

I cull and sell all newborn male kids to the the local east indians folk that goes to pay for feed for the whole herd. Females I keep or sell for breeding stock and or for stud service since I dont keep Billies around. The meat from a Kiko goat is truley unique and if raised properly a true asset to a homestead.

[offgridbrandon]

Unless you have fifteen people in your family or plan to live off of cheese, doesn't the answer have to be goats? The smaller amount of milk to deal with daily and the lower food requirements seem to make the decision for me, but I tend to over analyze things... I do need to find a store that stocks goat milk just out of curiousity. For those of you who have had both, is the difference noticeable?

I seem to be noticing a trend, should I be looking for an image with a wolf in it for my avatar? Ha ha, later!