Goat Dairying—a Coming Business

 Goat Dairying—a Coming Business 

  ROBERT FEARN , Norbeck, Maryland, is a goat dairyman, and a very successful one. He seldom raises any kids, as he finds it more economical to buy new milking stock each fall and sell his culls in the spring. When he began business he had 125 does for which he paid $10 a head. But he learned it paid to buy better stock. Now he has about 30 for which he paid from $50 to $75 each. From these 30 does he gets four times as much milk as from the 125 inferior ones. In December and January, he gets about 70 pints daily from 25 does; in summer, 200 pints. The six- or eight-quart does, so eagerly sought by the beginner in goat keeping, are of little interest to Mr. Fearn. He considers a doe, even when she is giving but three pints a day, a profitable one. Animals which give around six to eight quarts a day are very rare and are hardly ever for sale. Generally speaking, a production of two quarts a day is fair, three quarts good, and anything over that, excellent. The does in Mr. Fearn’s dairy are not permitted to run about as they please. They must lie down, chew their cuds and make milk. At milking time they go in groups of ten to the milking room, stand in stanchions and are fed. Great care is taken to see that the milk is pure. It takes about thirty minutes to prepare them for milking and to milk them. By that time they have eaten their feed. By milking three times a day, he finds that he gets more milk. “Soy bean hay,” states Mr. Fearn, “produces the best milk. Lespedeza is, without doubt, the coming roughage. The goats are very keen about it when they can get it.” Feeding rations vary considerably and each breeder or dairyman must experiment until he finds the proper combination of feeds for his stock. Information on this subject can be secured from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.; from The Goat World, Vincennes, Indiana; the Dairy Goat Journal, Fairbury, Nebraska, and the American Goat Society, Inc., Herkimer, New York. The goat selected by most breeders for stock today is a pure-bred, imported type. The American or “scrub” goat does not give good milk production and its kids command very low prices. It is, undoubtedly, to the best interest of the goat owner to purchase pure-bred animals only and to see that all the kids are registered. The types usually purchased by breeders and dairymen are the Toggenburg, Saanen, Nubian, French Alpine, Rock Alpine, and the Murciana. The Toggenburg is the biggest milk producer and the Nubian is noted for the richness of its milk, the butter fat content being much higher than in any of the other breeds. The price of pure-breds will run not less than $35 for mature stock or $15 for kids. Certain stock for breeding may run somewhat higher than these prices and, naturally, outstanding breeding stock will bring very fancy prices just as any other kind of fancy live stock does. Goat milk sells for 25 cents to 50 cents a quart. As it is the nearest animal milk to human milk, it is an excellent food for babies. However, being much richer than cow’s milk, it must be diluted by more than 50 per cent before a baby can assimilate it. Goat milk is alkaline instead of acid (cow’s milk is acid), so it is an excellent food for invalids, old people, and those suffering from stomach disturbances. Goat milk also contains one important mineral which cow’s milk lacks—iron. The taste of goat’s milk is very palatable if the animal has been fed correctly. There will be absolutely no disagreeable odor or taste if the doe’s stall is kept clean, the milk is handled in a sanitary manner, and the bucks are kept in another stable altogether. As the goat is practically free from tuberculosis, its milk does not carry that dread disease germ. But to make certain that the goats are not likely to contact tuberculosis, they should be kept separate from cows. Mr. Fearn’s merchandising methods are particularly interesting. Instead of selling to hospitals and doctors, he has placed small refrigerators in drug stores in Washington and Baltimore. They are attractively labeled and have glass doors that give a view of the pint-size paper bottles of goat milk. Each pint bottle sells for 25 cents and they have a ready sale. The dairyman may also find a market for goats’ milk in the canneries which are now putting up a brand of evaporated, unsweetened goats’ milk. This retails for 20 cents a can of 11 ounces, which is equivalent to about 30 cents a quart for the original milk. A doe averaging two quarts a day for 10 months produces 600 quarts. At 25 cents a quart, this returns an income of $150. Feed for the doe for 12 months at 10 cents a day would be $36. The profit less the labor cost would be $114. A three-quart doe would give about 900 quarts at 25 cents or $225. The feed would probably cost a little more, say 12 ½ cents daily or $45. This would make a profit less the labor cost of $180. This little comparison between the two- and three-quart milker easily shows how much more profitable the better milker can be. It is conservatively said that a good doe will pay her purchase price back in milk each year and an extra dividend in kids. Cheese As a Source of Income A great many goat owners have failed to recognize the opportunity existing to make additional money producing and selling goat cheese. Some of the finest imported cheeses are made from goat milk. Tons of these cheeses are coming into this country every year and finding a ready market. There is a good market for domestic cheeses also, but the public must be taught the value of good domestic goat cheeses. Among the cheeses made from goat milk which are finding favor today are cottage, cream, Neufchatel, cheddar, Roquefort, Swiss, Parmesan, and primost or brown whey cheese. Directions for making these cheeses can be secured from your state agricultural experiment station, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, or from the Dairy Goat Journal, Fairbury, Nebraska. It is well for the amateur to begin with soft cheeses such as cottage, cream and Neufchatel, as these are easy to learn to make. The first thing to know about making cheese is that your does must test pretty high in butter fat or you cannot make a quality cheese. Good cheese simply cannot be made with poor quality milk. Where is the market for goat cheese? If you already have a market for milk, everyone of your customers is a prospect for cheese. Take samples to your regular customers when you deliver your milk. Also place samples in the stores in your locality. Advertise locally and don’t forget to have some signs on the roads approaching your dairy as well as a large sign on the dairy itself. Passing motorists are frequently good prospects. Your neighbors, your friends, and the friends of your friends are all prospects for your products. Tell them about the value of goat milk and cheese. If you make good cheese, “tell the world about it”—word-of-mouth advertising moves a great deal of merchandise.