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Information sheets   |   Elsenburg infopaks   |   Animals, species: 1

Milk goats Afrikaans | Xhosa

Click to enlarge!		 For centuries already, goats have been kept to produce milk for human consumption. In time past, when medical science was not yet very advanced, goats' milk was a recognised agent in the treatment of digestive problems in the elderly and in children, especially in the case of ulcers in adults and allergies in children.

Goats' milk is similar to cows' milk in practically all respects, except that it is easier to digest.

Click to enlarge!		 The relatively low cost of keeping goats, makes this the obvious choice where space and feed are limited.

Click to enlarge!		 There are certain undesirable conformation characteristics for which farmers must be on the lookout:
  • A ewe with a sway-back, hollows behind the shoulder blades, devil's grip, and a sloping rump, 

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  • adnated hoofs, faulty legs, weak hocks and pasterns, as well as overly fat ewes, 

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  • or ewes that are too thin.

Other undesirable characteristics include abnormality or absence of one or both testicles in rams, double teats in ewes and/or too large or too small teats in ewes.

Click to enlarge!		 The following are a few useful suggestions for the purchasing of a milk goat:
  • Buy only animals that descend from high producers or animals that have proved to be high milk producers themselves.
  • The udder of the ewe must be thoroughly examined to ensure that there are no hard parts or lumps in it. Hard lumps are usually an indication that the ewe has at some stage or other had udder infection's - she can even still be a carrier of the disease. Also do not buy ewes that have external ulcers or growths on the udder or teats.
  • Take careful note of the shape of the udder. A general and very undesirable fault in milk goats is the so-called pendulous udder. Ewes with such udders are prone to udder infection and usually have a short production life.
  • Preferably buy young ewes or ewes that have records of regular lamming.

Click to enlarge!		 In order to obtain high milk production over a long period of time, it is important to heed the following:
  • Let the ewe dry off at least two months before she has to lamb again.
  • The milk goat is a ruminant with a digestive system that is especially appointed to take in and digest large amounts of roughage. Roughage is essential for the normal operation of the rumen. To some extent it also contributes to an increase in the butterfat. Milk goats give relatively more milk per feed unit than cows do, and therefore require feed of an exceptionally good quality.
  • Feed the ewe a maximum quantity of feed per day. Roughage of a good quality usually stimulates the appetite, while woody, dusty feed of a poor quality, as well as an excess of concentrate, usually has the opposite result. If only one or two goats are kept, it is better to give less concentrate and more roughage of a good quality.
  • Mature goats require about 3 kg of feed per day, consisting of equal parts of lucerne and maize, supplemented by a bone-meal : salt mixture in a 60 : 40 ratio per mass and this must be freely available. Animals must be allowed to adapt gradually to this ration.
  • Clean drinking water must always be available. Ewes in full production drink more than 20 litres of water per day. Drinking water must be freely available in order for the animal to achieve maximum milk production. The availability of drinking water greatly influences the quantity of milk produced by the ewe. Dirty drinking water in dirty troughs, containing manure, hair and dust, is unhygienic and goats do not like to drink it.
  • Goats must be milked twice daily at fixed times.

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