Ideal Homestead Goat

1. Good tasting milk. Some goats have it and other goats don't. It is a bad idea to try to shoehorn a bad tasting goat into a small homestead dairy. There is some possibility that there are critics who LIKE the milk to taste faintly of billy goat. I am not writing to them. :) I am writing to those like me who have a pretty strong preference for a somewhat bland but pleasing taste. If a goat is fed properly and is healthy and still gives a strong flavored milk, she should be moved on to another farm. Possibly one of those farms that makes a goat cheese for the above mentioned critics.

2. Good behavior on the milk stand. This is the result of two influences, training and genetic disposition. If we can eliminate one of those influences with genetic selection, we will be farther ahead. You can have a goat with the best milk in the world matched with a show winning confirmation paired with a tremendous will to milk and you will be frustrated to the max if she is a nightmare on the milk stand. Goats are smart and they need to be willing to use that intelligence to serve the greater purpose, not frustrate your already maxed and busy life.

3. Teat orifice size. "OK OK aren't we getting a little out of hand here dialing down to teat orifice size already? We haven't discussed a whole bunch of topics that are tremendously important yet." Yes, there are a lot of important things to consider when buying a goat but I am dialing down on what I consider to be top priority in a homestead goat. I am not showing this goat, I am milking her every day by myself with my hands. Let me tell you, this is a priority right after taste and behavior. When the milk effortlessly squirts out, a lot can be forgiven about a goat. You do need to be careful that the teats aren't normally leaking but that isn't usually too much of a problem.

4. Teat size. You need longer teats than is seen on most show goat posts on Facebook. Take your hand and wrap it around a teat. Can you milk that teat without pulling a finger away because it is too short. When you are hand milking your precious little goat mama, you will be pleased to have a handle big enough to milk easily. This is something you can select for but some breeders have had trouble dialing it in to big enough but not too big.

5. All the other things everyone else stresses about. This includes udder confirmation and body structure. I am not hand waving here because it isn't important, all this stuff certainly is. I am just saying that when you go for homestead first, you can get a half gallon of milk with 100 seconds of milking effort (I have timed it). This is faster than a small teated goat with a machine (yep timed that too). When you can step out to the goat barn and can be done milking in a short amount of time, you will be calmer and happier. This will make for a more pleasant experience for the goat who will look forward to serving you better. Good vibes all around.