tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post7344482135166228748..comments2024-03-12T04:01:31.333-05:00Comments on To Sing With Goats: I Want A Dairy AnimalGoat Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278454947449771253noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-48254650308781041492015-07-19T13:31:22.124-05:002015-07-19T13:31:22.124-05:00As far as I can figure, it really is the A1/A2 thi...As far as I can figure, it really is the A1/A2 thing. I can have Jersey milk that's A1/A2, but those kinds of cows are getting hard to find these days... :-/ I did know that all goats are A2, but something's still different about their milk that allows me to tolerate it. I dunno'... It's just weird.Goat Songhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15278454947449771253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-42884871762268083782015-07-16T14:53:54.951-05:002015-07-16T14:53:54.951-05:00Sooo I'm really curious about the a1/a2 thing....Sooo I'm really curious about the a1/a2 thing. Not all jerseys are a2, but goats ARE! Maybe it's something else in the milk that goes by breed that you can't tolerate?Kaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311323239816083874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-72987997184889811172015-07-12T09:31:45.211-05:002015-07-12T09:31:45.211-05:00I'd still supplement with hay, even though the...I'd still supplement with hay, even though the pastures would probably be enough... One place has 10 acres, but no shelter; I don't know how many acres the second place has exactly, but has three large (like, 50'x100'), empty barns. I've thought about a milk CSA thing, but don't think I'd really need it. My SIL wants almost all the extra milk for her milk customers, and said I could sell my milk through her, and then I've got church members interested, and some farmer's market people too.Goat Songhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15278454947449771253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-46936878379707554352015-07-11T14:23:22.156-05:002015-07-11T14:23:22.156-05:00I had forgotten about the veal plan so really a co...I had forgotten about the veal plan so really a cow would be ideal in moving towards your long-term plans. Do the two farmyards you have access to have enough pasture to keep a cow(s) or would you have to supplement with hay too? That is a good idea to find a friend to share the cow cost! You could also put an ad up in the health food stores to find someone to partner with and likely get some milk customers from the same ad too! Or if you can sell raw milk in your state what about a Milk CSA? Prairie Karihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00184627811619354417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-51149051024047219012015-07-11T11:37:39.718-05:002015-07-11T11:37:39.718-05:00The plan for when my due date rolls around was/is ...The plan for when my due date rolls around was/is to put calves on the cow, so that no milking is required of me, and we'd get a jump start on our veal business. If I had goats... Well, I guess they'd just have to be dried up. And yeah, escaping goats do present a problem, which is yet another reason why the idea of getting a cow is in the lead. I thought about getting a pair of Nigerians and keeping them in our backyard, but zoning laws in our neck of the woods don't allow that. :( <br /><br /> I like your idea about the "cow sitting" thing. I'll have to put my ear to the ground and see what I can find. My other idea was to find a friend to pay half for the cow, and we take turns milking + split the milk and feed costs.Goat Songhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15278454947449771253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249314516667844062.post-75191526004152645562015-07-10T21:31:23.130-05:002015-07-10T21:31:23.130-05:00I am happy to hear you are ready to get “back in t...I am happy to hear you are ready to get “back in the saddle” with a dairy animal! Two questions come to mind: 1 goats are notorious for getting out, what if something happens to the fence while you are not there like the power goes out and the goats get out? Would the landowners take care of this or contact you? 2 what happens when you have your baby and are on 24/7 baby duty which can be pretty intense for the first 6 mths at least? <br /><br />Thinking outside the box – you know that saying why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? I remember reading about a Farm Sitting Coop service that finally allowed dairy farmers to take a wknd off or a holiday – things they don’t normally get because they could not find a person reliable and knowledgeable enough to take over the farm chores. Maybe you can set up a Small Farm or Dairy Farm Sitting service with wkly milk part of the deal or something like that? Or setup an Apprentice program - maybe you find someone with an acreage that wants to get into dairy and will buy the cow, or you find someone that really wants fresh milk too but doesn’t have the land or expertise and they become your apprentice – they provide the cow and you provide the expertise and some of the milking shifts then you will have someone trained up to keep milking when it’s baby time!<br />Prairie Karihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00184627811619354417noreply@blogger.com