Goats milk

[RichZ]

There are several differences between goat and cow milk. First, as has been said before, goat's milk is naturally homogenized. To seperate the cream out of goat's milk, you need a cream separator, but there is as much cream in goat's milk as cow's milk. Second, goat's milk has a different kind of fat in it, the fat molecules are smaller, and don't cause colesterol as easily as cow's milk. Third, goat's milk is higher in several kinds of vitamins and amino acids. All in all, goat's milk is healthier.

Also, as Bird illustrated, goat's milk tastes just about the same as cow's milk. The biggest difference is that most people drink cow's milk from the store, which has been pasteurized, and most people who drink goat's milk drink it raw, since most stores don't carry pasteurized goat's milk. So, being pasteurized, the store bought cow's milk will last longer than the raw goat's milk. That's the main reason many people think goat's milk stinks, they drank it after it had been in the refrigerator for several days. If you take a glass of cold fresh goat's milk, and cold fresh cow's milk, they would taste just about identical.

Several year's ago, my step-daughter moved in with us, and was not happy about living on a farm. She announced that goat's milk was disgusting, and she would never drink it. Of course she said this to annoy us, as my wife and I are diary goat farmers. For the year she lived with us she drank the milk we had in the refrigeator and used it in her coffee. One day she had some friends over for coffee, and one of them said she always wanted to try goat's milk. I told her, you already are, it's in your coffee. My step-daughter just about freaked out. She had no idea she'd beeen drinking goat's milk for a year. I have no idea why she never wondered why we always had milk in a pitcher in our refrigerator, rather than in a store container, but we only drink our won raw goat's milk. And so did she for a year. Apparently it wasn't disgusting as she claimed, and she happily drank it, without suspecting what it was. So, obviously it does taste the same.

[eccentricfarmer]

Milking by hand is a bit of a pain but you can do it for 1 or 2 goats. Have done it to get the colostrum out to save for any orphan kids, just put it in the freezer and label it. Much cheaper than trying to buy it from a farm store.

Happy goats are generally goats that are not challenging fencing (IMHO). Our herd was fenced in by the green gate fencing and they could have easily gotten out and into the feed that was no more than 6 feet away but they rarely did. Keys seem to be good feed and things for them to do. The ones in a pen (for new ones coming in from the outside our farm) were always trying to get out and had all the feed and hay they wanted but they seemed bored. Maybe they are a little like people when you put them in a room and do not have any thing to do they get into more trouble.

Of all the critters we have had, goats have given us the most entertainment and pleasure.