As we’ve owned our Nigerian Dwarf goats for six months now, it is about time we take an honest assessment of how they fit into our future homesteading visions. First off, let me declare now that we have plans to grow our herd! But, the exact steps on how we’re going about this are definitely starting to look different than we anticipated. Today, we’re going to discuss the important conversation we had and the factors that went into our decision-making process around raising Nigerian dwarf goats.
Is the Milk Worth the Cost?
Here’s the thing with goat milk…if you absolutely want/need fresh goat milk, it is worth the cost to have one on your property. Preferably, just have two goats that are both producing and you’ll get plenty of milk and other dairy products for your household. However, if any old milk will do, you may want to hold off on goats unless you have bigger plans.
If you recall, we have three goats right now: Delilah and her two daughters, Gabby and Bella. Since Delilah is the only one old enough to even produce milk at this point, she is the only productive member of the herd. And, she is not a very productive goat. Said differently, her milk is significantly more expensive than buying cow’s milk in the store. However, as I mentioned above, the actual cost of her milk is still competitive (and often less expensive) than raw goat milk we’ve found on the market.
For us, not being picky about our milk, this makes it hard to justify goats on cost alone. However, we also have to account for the money we will make when selling future baby goats. After a few freshenings, we’ll not only recoup our initial cost of buying the goats, but we should also cover our entire food costs. In other words, over time the cost of milk gets close to $0 -it just takes our time. And, time is an important factor, but before considering that cost, there was something else we had to consider about the future of Nigerian dwarf goats here on the homestead.
To Pasteurize, or Not to Pasteurize?
For me (Joseph) there is no taste difference between raw goat milk, pasteurized goat milk, or store-bought cow’s milk. Maybe I lack a sophisticated pallet, but I don’t see a problem with it. Goats milk is delicious, and so is cow’s milk. I can’t tell the difference, so there is no need to consider pasteurization. However, Victoria has a supernatural sense of smell. And, that seems to translate to an enhanced sense of taste. She’s the kind of person who can detect every subtle hint of seasoning used in a dish.
As a result, she’s discovered that fresh, raw goat milk tastes fine. In fact, she claims it tastes sweater than cow’s milk (and therefore better by her account). But, after a couple days in the fridge, it starts to taste “goaty.” This has led to an unavoidable conclusion: we need to pasteurize a good deal of our milk. See, there’s an advantage to having a low-producing goat as our first. As two people, we can only go through so much milk. And, despite the lower production, we still find we always have more than enough milk.
But, that makes pasteurizing all the more important. One of the early decisions that we had to discuss was whether this process would be good enough. Fortunately, it has proven to be extremely effective. Victoria can pasteurize milk, drink it two weeks later, and still enjoy the taste! So, it looks like the future of Nigerian dwarf goats on our property is bright. But, what about the time investment.
What About the Time Investment?
Last week, we talked about avoiding burnout on a homestead. In that discussion, we made it clear that there are no days off as a homesteader. We have to milk the goat every day, take care of the chickens, clean up poop, mind the garden, etc. So, pasteurization might seem like a silver bullet on the surface, but it adds in a time factor to consider. Let’s consider the entire time investment each day involved in goats.
Being liberal with our time estimates (because you can never expect things to go smoothly), it takes 30 minutes per goat per day just in milking/feeding (figuring twice a day). Cleaning up their poop isn’t a big time sink, but add on another 10 minutes to our total for that. Next, consider the addition and monitoring of hay -that should add at least another 10 minutes per day. And, while it’s not a daily chore, the related upkeep like trimming hooves, making sure mineral feeders are stocked…let’s just add another 30 minutes. So, with one goat, we’re committing at least 1 hour per day. With three, our mid-term goal, we’ll be looking at a total of 2 hours per day just for the goats.
Then, if you are pasteurizing, you’ll have to add in that time to the equation. Doing it once per day with the Instant Pot adds in another 15 minutes. So, even without accounting for time spent making cheese, yogurt, ice cream, soap, etc., we’ll eventually be looking at 2.5 hours per day spent on goat-related jobs. Oh, and don’t forget we didn’t account for playtime! Overall, it’s easy to see why we were questioning the future of Nigerian dwarf goats on our homestead.
Is It Time for Bucks?
Now we get to the real crux of what sparked the conversation. See, we were planning to build a larger, better goat barn for our three does. And, in pricing out the lumber, we were also deciding whether we’d want to buy enough to make a modest shelter for a couple bucks. Of course, if we were going to do this, we’d also need to build a new fence for the bucks. This gave us pause and we asked: do we need bucks now?
First, the obvious answer is “yes.” How else will we get more milk in a couple months when Delilah no longer is producing? But, then you have to consider…while we need Delilah to get pregnant to produce milk, we don’t need that to be from bucks of our own. Instead of getting our own bucks now, we actually think it makes more sense to hold off.
See, both Gabby and Bella are too young for their first freshening (breeding). But, they won’t be for long. And, because neither of them have freshened, we really don’t know how productive they will be. Rather than assume they will both be more productive than their mother, it makes more sense to have them both breed. Only after they’ve had their first freshening will we know if it’s worth continued breeding for milk. This way, we avoid buying bucks based on theoretical genetic lines and instead ensure we’re focused on expanding only the proven milkers.
The Future of Nigerian Dwarf Goats Here
At the end of the day, it’s easy to recognize why we’d question the future of Nigerian dwarf goats here on the homestead. However, when push comes to shove, we can’t deny the joy these goats bring us. We also can’t deny the advantage of having our own source of dairy -one day, when we have our own bucks, we’ll be able to get all variety of these products without being dependent on going to the store. This saves us money in gas, time driving, and gives us more peace of mind that our food supply is secure.
So, there you have it! Our pseudo-scientific analysis of why Nigerian dwarf goats are totally worth it! If you have questions about raising Nigerian dwarf goats or are looking for helpful advice or tips, let us know in the comments below. Until next time, we’ll see you around the homestead.