I was wondering if you could tell me approximately how much butter you can get from a goat that gives 1 gallon of milk a day. I had planned to keep my goats on a rotational breeding schedule so that I would always be in milk. However, I don't want to keep too many goats and was wondering if one goat could supply enough milk/cream/butter for a family of three, or if I should keep my Jersey cow since I KNOW that she can supply enough and then some for all of us and also provide us with our beef each year.

Also, I was wondering if those of you who make butter from goat's cream could tell me if the process if any different from my Jersey's cream. I have made lots of butter before, but it seems to me that I read somewhere that you might have to add something to it (I'm not talking about coloring, though, since that doesn't matter to me). Any thoughts on this?

I am having such a time trying to decide whether or not to keep my cow or not. I am so used to her and really enjoy the beef she provides each year (we breed her with a beef breed). I will not keep both goats and cows, so need to decide very soon.....one must go! Any help you can give me on managing goats would probably help me to decide. Thank you so much for your advice!!!!

-- Tammy (btawilliams@juno.com), September 14, 2000

Answers

Tammy- Good family milk cows are not real easy to come by--at least in this neck of the woods. I wouldn't sell the cow, until you were real sure that goats would provide you with what you need. I can understand your not wanting to keep both, but maybe a trial period would give you an answer to your question. For me, having had both goats and cows, the cow has been the better provider for what my family has needed. When you already have the cow--why were you thinking of switching to goats?? I would want to be sure before I did anything permanent I might regret--which I have learned from sad experience!

-- Lynn Royal (homesteadmama@aol.com), September 14, 2000.

Hi Tammy, I have dairy goats and a milk cow, and if I had to choose between them I would choose the cow, but only because of what she produces. My goats love me and are wonderful and my cow is always trying to gore me with her horns. On the good side, she gives plenty of cream, milk, etc, just like you said, and its hard (at least for me) to get the cream out of the goats milk. Plus, I like to make cheese, and we like the cows milk cheese better than the goats milk cheese. Her personality is awful, however, and I would replace her in a heartbeat. My goats are irreplaceable, but I dont milk them, I use them to raise beef calves. I have milked them in the past and they aren't too much different than milking a cow. Now I'm rambling.......

I think one goat would keep you in milk, but you wont get much butter from it, at least I never could. I made it just like I make butter from my cows milk, and never added anything to it.

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), September 14, 2000.

Maybe you should try making butter from the goat's milk before you sell the cow, if you are thinking of relying on the goats solely for that purpose. cow's milk is fairly unique in that it seperates into milk and cream, most milks including goat's, do not. You can seperate it with a cream seperator, or skim off the small amount that does seperate out(much of it remains homogenized in the milk), but you ought to try it before getting rid of the cow. An extremely good goat, one producing about two gallons of milk a day all year round, might be able to provide enough cheese, milk, and butter for your family. But sooner or later she is going to need a rest so she can have more kids and freshen again. The same goes for the cow, only the cow will eat more feed and make more milk. Why not keep one goat, and one cow, and breed them so that their freshening dates are staggered? Butter freezes nicely, you could use it when the cow was dry and you're milking the goat.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 14, 2000.

I have goats, but have never tried to make butter, cause I heard it's hard to get the cream out unless you have a separter to do it for you. I have a question now, does anyone have a separater for goats milk, do you have to have a special one due to the fat globules being smaller and such, I've heard you do? Do you? and does it work well. a friend told me it takes so long for the cream to rise in goats milk, it's pretty ripe by the time it does anyway. Carol in Tx

-- Carol (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), September 14, 2000.

TAMMY im in the market for a nice milk cow. how far are you from s.e.ks. i dont know about jerseys are the hard to milk? i have a pick up and trailer. Bob in s.e. ks.

-- Bob Condry (bobco@hit.net), September 14, 2000.

Hi all,

Thanks for your input on this issue. I have really been thinking hard on this one and have decided to keep my cow (sorry Bob.....I'm in Maine anyways - too far).

Anyways, I have decided that she is just simply more functional for me. I have loads of milk and know I can make LOTS of butter, cheese, etc. I do have a separator which I can choose to use or not to use when I have a cow, whereas with the goats, if I want the cream I have to use the separator every time.

Again, thank you for your help.

Tammy

-- Tammy * (btawilliams@juno.com), September 15, 2000.

Oh, and by the way, Bob, I forgot to answer your question. Jersey cows are generally very easy to milk. They are a very gentle cow....at least mine is. She is a sweetheart. She is naturally polled, so there are no horns for me to worry about. I have been milking her for almost five years now and the only time I have any trouble with milking her at all (dancing around, swatting me with her tail and/or tipping my bucket over), is during the first month after she calves. I think she is afraid that I am going to take all of her milk and not leave any for her baby. However, she works out of this "attitude" thing and then settles down very nicely.

I hope you have luck in finding a nice cow. They certainly can pay for their own keep!

-- Tammy (btawilliams@altavista.com), September 15, 2000.

Oh, and by the way, Bob, I forgot to answer your question. Jersey cows are generally very easy to milk. They are a very gentle cow....at least mine is. She is a sweetheart. She is naturally polled, so there are no horns for me to worry about. I have been milking her for almost five years now and the only time I have any trouble with milking her at all (dancing around, swatting me with her tail and/or tipping my bucket over), is during the first month after she calves. I think she is afraid that I am going to take all of her milk and not leave any for her baby. However, she works out of this "attitude" thing and then settles down very nicely.

I hope you have luck in finding a nice cow. They certainly can pay for their own keep!

Tammy

-- Tammy (btawilliams@altavista.com), September 15, 2000.