We are attending the annual Spring Goat Day held by the Michigan Dairy Goat Society on the campus of Michigan State University tomorrow, and I am jazzed! It promises to be very informative, and offers us the opportunity to network with “goat folks,” whether they are just other goat owners, or companies providing services for goats.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to a shot clinic that was put on at our local Tractor Supply Company in Fenton, and the vet administering the vaccines to our dog, Loki, and our mouser cat, Artemis, turned out to be a goat specialist who was volunteering for the group putting on the clinic. We were so happy to find a caprine veterinarian, and she lives not terribly far from us, so she does come to our area to provide care, whoo hoo! One of the things we have been concerned about with regard to adding goats to our farm was finding a vet who knew goats well, so having that resolved is a big step forward. As an additional bonus, she is part of the MDGS, and gave us the information on tomorrow’s event.
We want goats both for cuteness and dairy purposes. I have adored goats for a long time, and have always hoped to have some in my life. Here’s a photo of me with some adorable Pygmy Goats I met in North Carolina about ten years ago. I couldn’t contain my delight – if I had been able to do cartwheels, I would have!
While Pygmy Goats are adorable little things, they aren’t so great for milk production, so I have done quite a bit of research about the breeds that are ideal for dairy purposes. I have met many goats and compared what I’ve read about the breeds to what I’ve experienced while interacting with them, and I really like the LaMancha breed. If you’ve ever seen a goat that has caused you to wonder, “How did that poor thing lose its ears?”, it was likely a LaMancha. They breed was created with those small (or seemingly non-existent) external ears intentionally, by Eula F. Frey, in Oregon during the 1930’s. She mixed her existing herd of Nubian and Swiss goats with some short-eared goats from bordering California, and those are believed to have been Spanish in origin. The result is a very friendly goat that milks well and has ears that are not prone to frostbite. The Lamancha breed just has a great temperament, loves interacting with humans, and will follow you around like a pet dog does.
There are other breeds, like the Alpine or Toggenberg, that produce higher average quantities of milk, and sometimes there are mixes of the LaMancha with those breeds available, so you can get the best qualities of each breed, or at least, that’s the hope! I am looking forward to having milk production here at home, not only for drinking, but also for making cheeses and soaps.
Folks who don’t tolerate cow’s milk well typically do better with goat’s milk, in part due to its low levels of the protein alpha s1-casein, which causes curd formation. Cow’s milk contains much higher levels of this protein, which makes it harder for us humans to digest. Also, goat’s milk is “naturally homogenized,” because it has more small fat globules than cow’s milk, and lacks the protein agglutinin, which is what makes fat globules stick together and float. If you’ve ever drank cows milk that is not homogenized, you will know about the little “cream cap” at the top of the jug – agglutinin played a role in that. Goat’s milk does not form that cap, because all of the fat globules are small enough to blend together in the milk without any mechanical homogenization required. The bottom line is, goat’s milk is more easily digested, and some say, better for you. I’ve also read that it does not form mucous like cow’s milk tends to do – which is great news to me, because my body makes plenty of that on its own, thanks!
I’ve read Jerry Belanger’s book on Raising Dairy Goats (by Storey Publications) and will be referencing it often! I really recommend it to anyone considering bringing goats into their life. It is listed within my Recommended Reading and Tools section, which I added to the site recently – please check it out! If you make a purchase through the Amazon store, we do receive credit, which helps to support the site.
We are having some dear friends over for dinner tomorrow night, so it is likely I won’t write about Goat Day until Sunday. But please tune back in, because I’m sure I’ll be bursting with excitement about it and have plenty of information to share!
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