# Getting ready to buy a milking goat?



## Goatlover14 (Jan 8, 2015)

Hi!

I've been wanting to get a dairy goat since last year, and want to prepare for it this summer. We raise fainting goats and have no equipment whatsoever yet. What would we need to raise a dairy goat and milk? Would it be okay to breed a fainting buck to an alpine goat? Or should we get a alpine buck as a fainting buck may not be big enough? Thanks!


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Fainting buck will be fine.. Just make you have a stand for milking and you should be good to go! Love my milking girls and the milk is awesome! You really don't need much extra equipment, I have a milk strainer and I just use mason jars for the milk, half gallon size works great. I use baby wipes to clean them, unsented of course. If you go with Alpine be prepared for lots of milk! My Nubian is not a great producer but I still get a gallon a day, figure that up 7 gallons a week!


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## Goatlover14 (Jan 8, 2015)

Thanks for the advice.  7 gallons is a lot! I'd really like to get into making fudge, butter, lotion, and soap too.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I recommend picking up a copy of storey's guide to dairy goats, it gives a very nice overview of dairy goats and gives you a guide on how to start off. Plus it has a lot of useful information on just goats in general.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

You would also need a milking stand...well maybe not need but it sure is handy...even for your other goats, I use mine for trimming hooves etc all the time. There's some fairly simple plans out there, kind of a fun little project if you have some tools.

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkstand.html this is the one I made, works really well for the relatively low cost to make.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Yep, a lower end/average producing Alpine will give a gallon a day or so, a heavier producer will give 1.5-2 gallons a day, a very heavy milker will give 3+ gallons a day. Depends on what you want to suit your needs.
A fainter buck would probably be big enough. If not just have him on higher ground than her.
You should get/build a milk stand as well, makes life a thousand times easier. Be prepared for her to require a lot of feed. Good quality free choice alfalfa is best, and 3lbs grain for every gallon they milk.
For milking, I just have stainless steel bucks. You can get a cheap one from Jeffers, that's what I use. And milk filters are a must, I just grab two spots on the filter disk and pull them together to make a cone shape, and put it in a funnel, you'll still have to hold it in place with your thumb. Then pour the milk into the funnel, and it's filtered. Up to you if you want to pasteurize it.


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## zlatehskinder (Dec 31, 2014)

*Milking Stand*

I made my own stand from the Fias plans. I have no carpentry or wood working experience what so ever! I had my neighbor use whatever tool he had to make the curves on the part where you lock in their head. I THINK I paid about $70 for all the stuff to make the stand.

We also bought from Dansha Farms this milking gadget and it has done a great job. http://www.danshafarms.com/Goat-Sheep-Cow-Battery-Powered-1-2-Gall-2-Teat-Milk-Machine-1-2g2tbpp.htm

I am not a good milk maiden, so this gadget is good for me. We just had one goat in milk, an Oberhasli. We also had a strainer and then of course glass jars. That is all the equipment we had for one goat. So, $70 for stand, $85 for milk machine, probably $30 in strainer and filter paper to start.

Dianne
Los Alamos, NM
zlatehskinder.com


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

LOL anyone else picture a fainting buck getting ready to do his thing, getting excited and falling over stiff legged before he did his deed?... No? Just me?


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Well I wasn't until you mentioned it! :slapfloor: :ROFL:


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

When buying a milk doe, make sure she's CAE tested and give her udder a good lookover. Maybe you could even try milking her before the sale, to see how the easy she milks and if she has manners on the stand.


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## Goatlover14 (Jan 8, 2015)

TDG-Farms said:


> LOL anyone else picture a fainting buck getting ready to do his thing, getting excited and falling over stiff legged before he did his deed?... No? Just me?


To be honest, we've had that happen a couple times with the fainting does. Our buck is a heavy fainter and gets too excited :crazy: :lol:


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## Goatlover14 (Jan 8, 2015)

But thanks everyone for the advice.


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