Goats
We keep Oberhasli goats, which are a medium-sized dairy goat with pleasant temperaments. They are an American breed, a sub-group of the Chamois Colored Goat breed from the Bernese Oberland district of central Switzerland. They are bright, observant, curious, and maintain family groupings within the herd their entire lives. They are brown bay (brown with black trim) without much color variation. We maintain registration of our goats with the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA).
If you aren't familiar with goats, males are bucks, females are does, and babies are kids (bucklings, doelings), and castrated males are wethers. Some people call them billy and nanny goats, but most goat lovers dislike those terms. Our does are all named after herbs and spices and referred to as our "spice girls" ... Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Paprika, Rosemary, etc.
The Oberhasli breed produces the mildest milk of all goat breeds. Their milk has a high percentage of milkfat and protein, making it ideal for cheese making, rich buttermilk, and ice cream.
A quick note on goat milk flavor: I have tasted goat's milk different times in different settings, and I can distinguish the flavor from other milk, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. I have had people claim before that clean goat milk does not taste different from cow milk. Maybe not to them, but it does to me. Why wouldn't it? It's a different animal and the milk has measurable differences in composition. I can taste the difference between sheep and cow milk as well as milk stored in plastic jugs or paper cartons, so why wouldn't I tell the difference? Tasting different isn't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on personal preferences, and my personal preference tells me the worst offender is cow milk packaged in cartons (like school milk) - yuck! I do not like strongly flavored goat milk, but mild goat milk is great. If tastes bad to you but you can digest it more easily than other options, I would say to consider adding another flavor, such as pureeing in some strawberries ("pink milk"), chocolate, or peanut butter powder.
Our does get to raise their kids and nurse them until at least two months old (or older) and have very well-developed rumens and can remain healthy without milk. We feed our goats on pasture from spring through fall and also give them free-choice legume or legume-grass mix hay, non-GMO grain blend, and produce from our farm. They also have free access to fresh water, shade, shelter, minerals, and baking soda. We vaccinate and treat with minerals on a regular schedule. We deworm with dairy-approved anti-helminth when the parasite load is heavy, and offer forage that helps keep down parasite populations. Otherwise, our goats are not treated with hormones or antibiotics unless needed for illness or infection (rare).
If you aren't familiar with goats, males are bucks, females are does, and babies are kids (bucklings, doelings), and castrated males are wethers. Some people call them billy and nanny goats, but most goat lovers dislike those terms. Our does are all named after herbs and spices and referred to as our "spice girls" ... Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Paprika, Rosemary, etc.
The Oberhasli breed produces the mildest milk of all goat breeds. Their milk has a high percentage of milkfat and protein, making it ideal for cheese making, rich buttermilk, and ice cream.
A quick note on goat milk flavor: I have tasted goat's milk different times in different settings, and I can distinguish the flavor from other milk, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. I have had people claim before that clean goat milk does not taste different from cow milk. Maybe not to them, but it does to me. Why wouldn't it? It's a different animal and the milk has measurable differences in composition. I can taste the difference between sheep and cow milk as well as milk stored in plastic jugs or paper cartons, so why wouldn't I tell the difference? Tasting different isn't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on personal preferences, and my personal preference tells me the worst offender is cow milk packaged in cartons (like school milk) - yuck! I do not like strongly flavored goat milk, but mild goat milk is great. If tastes bad to you but you can digest it more easily than other options, I would say to consider adding another flavor, such as pureeing in some strawberries ("pink milk"), chocolate, or peanut butter powder.
Our does get to raise their kids and nurse them until at least two months old (or older) and have very well-developed rumens and can remain healthy without milk. We feed our goats on pasture from spring through fall and also give them free-choice legume or legume-grass mix hay, non-GMO grain blend, and produce from our farm. They also have free access to fresh water, shade, shelter, minerals, and baking soda. We vaccinate and treat with minerals on a regular schedule. We deworm with dairy-approved anti-helminth when the parasite load is heavy, and offer forage that helps keep down parasite populations. Otherwise, our goats are not treated with hormones or antibiotics unless needed for illness or infection (rare).
