A288
Goats - Dairy Production

Introduction: The dairy goat industry, although relatively small, has continued to develop in the United States. Dairy goat organizations and persons acquainted with the use and quality of the products of these animals have contributed much to the progress of the American industry. In Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, and Spain, the domestic goat from earliest times has been an important provider of milk and other food. Immigrants from these and other countries endowed by greater experience and appreciation for the milk goat have emphasized the essential place of the milk goat in the American agricultural economy.

The milk goat is adapted to practically all sections of the United States and most of North America. Currently, there are many high quality individual animals and herds throughout the country. A number of notable foundation animals, semen, and frozen embryos have been imported and further importations of breeding stock will be used for improvement of herds; however, importations cannot be made from many of the countries where the most desirable goats are produced because of animal diseases in those countries. Some limitations are already in place by the USDA-APHIS to ensure the protection of the domestic goat and dairy goat populations from foreign animal diseases.

Milk goats are especially useful to those who need a small quantity of milk and do not have the space or cannot afford to keep a dairy cow. A milk goat can be kept where it is impossible to keep a cow, and the goat will consume feed that otherwise would be wasted. The raising of milk goats is not limited to family use, however; many commercial dairies have been successfully established in areas where markets for the milk are favorable.

Breeds of Dairy Goats: Although there are many breeds and types of milk goats in the world, only a few of them have been imported into the United States. The more common breeds of milk goats found here are the following: Toggenburg, Nubian, Alpine (French Alpine), Saanen, LaMancha, and the plain American goat. The availability and access to seedstock of these breeds depends largely upon the geographic location, and many breeds are not readily available in most parts of the United States.

Goat Milk:
  1. Yield: A doe that produces 1,000 pounds or about 500 quarts of milk (1 quart = 2.15 pounds) during a lactation period of 10 months is considered a fair milker. A production of 1,200 pounds of milk is good, and 1,600 pounds and up is excellent, provided it is produced in a lactation period of 10 months or less. Good does will produce 8-10 months out of the year and from 8 to 15 times their weight in milk in a lactation period.

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  2. Characteristics: Goat’s milk is nearly always pure white in color. The small size of the fat globules and the soft curd are two of its chief characteristics. The cream rises very slowly and not as thoroughly as in cow’s milk. This condition makes the ordinary method of allowing cream to rise, impractical. It has been stated that goat’s milk will not keep sweet as long as cow’s milk, but tests have shown that this is not the case. The keeping quality of any milk depends on the conditions under which is it produced, i.e. nutrition, diet, environment, and handling.

  3. Composition: Goat’s milk is a healthy and nutritious food. The milk of Saanen and Toggenburg goats resembles that of Holstein cows in percentage of water, lactose, fat, protein, and ash; however, these percentages are subject to greater variation with the longer the animal is in lactation than milk from either Holstein or Jersey cows. The percentage of total solids in goat’s milk ranges from 13.1 to 10.8 percent.

    The small fat globules and the soft curd of goat’s milk contribute to its ease of digestibility. Some persons who are allergic to cow’s milk can consume goat’s milk readily. In a great many cases, goat’s milk has proved especially valuable for infants and older individuals.
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Table: Comparison of the composition of goat’s milk and that of two common breeds of dairy cattle

Source of milk Water
(%)		 Total Solids
(%)		 Fat
(%)		 Protein
(%)		 Lactose
(%)		 Ash
(%)
Goats 88.02 11.98 3.50 3.13 4.55 0.80
Holsteins 87.50 12.50 3.55 3.42 4.86 0.68
Jersey 85.31 14.69 5.18 3.86 4.94 0.70

Management Issues: Dairy goats have additional management requirements when compared to the other types of goats. For example, they require a dry period towards the end of gestation. Many producers have a dry period of 6-12 weeks. Dairy goats also require additional nutrition because of the increased demands that producing milk places on the animal. To meet these demands, dairy goats require a forage to concentrate ratio of about 2:1 and a crude protein of about 13-18% in the diet. Failure to meet these nutritional demands will greatly decrease the level of production.