If you’ve decided to become more self-sufficient by taking on your own dairy operation, then you may be wondering: Goat vs. Cow- Which one is better for us? In this post, we’ll learn firsthand what it’s like to own both, and give you everything you need to decide which animal you’ll want to add for your homestead dairy production.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
When considering a goat vs. a cow for a family homestead, there are a few factors to consider. Size of the animal, milk production, and milk flavor preference all are factors that play a role in determining which animal you should go with on your homestead. Families that are looking for less milk, a smaller and easy to manage animal, and an animal that can clear land may consider goats. For homesteaders who would like heavy milk production, the potential of beef, and are comfortable with large animals, a cow may be a better choice.
When we chose to start taking on our own dairy production, we knew that a family milk cow was going to be our choice. We were familiar with cow’s milk, and it was more common around here for people to raise cows than it was goats.
But so many of the homesteading families I watched on Youtube raised goats. I started to wonder what it was that drew them to goats instead of a family milk cow. If the two dairy animals were to face off in the ultimate homesteading battle of goat vs. cow, would one animal be better suited for a homestead?
I decided to investigate further, and I reached out to my friend Melissa who owns and milks goats. Together, we created a post that discusses what it’s like to have cows and what it’s like to have goats, leaving you with everything you’ll need to know if you’re debating a goat vs. cow for your homestead dairy.
The top questions we’re going to be covering in this post are:
Table of Contents
- Why did you choose the animal that you did?
- How much milk can you expect to get?
- How often do you have to milk?
- What does the milking routine look like?
- What does the milk taste like?
- What kinds of products can you make with the milk?
- Final Thoughts: What else should you know?
- Conclusion
- Pin this Post!
- More posts on raising animals:
Let’s dive right in!
Why did you choose the animal that you did?
Sadie (cow): “We chose a family milk cow for a couple of reasons. One, I had heard some really terrible things about the taste of goat’s milk. After talking with Melissa, I realized I may have been wrong! But, at the time of deciding, goat milk was totally foreign to me and unfamiliar. When I considered a goat vs. a cow, a cow seemed like the safer choice just because I knew that we would be getting a product that I was already familiar with. Plus, I knew that a cow could be dual purpose, and calves could be produced for meat. Having the ability to raise an animal that would provide for our dairy and meat needs was a huge factor in our decision.”
Melissa (goat): “Goats are easy to handle and I have a friend that raises them. Plus we wanted them for clearing our property but our goats are not that motivated, haha. I am glad we have our goats, but I don’t know that we would get more for milking. I’d like a cow next.”
I reached out to the larger homesteading community on Facebook to get some answers on why they might choose goats over cows. Here are some of their answers:
For me there were 2 reasons. 1) a goat was smaller, easier potentially to handle, and if it kicked me, it would be a lot less painful. I was new to owning larger animals other than horses. 2) a cow in full milk gave a huge volume of milk that I wasn’t sure I could keep up with. Even with a large family and making cheese and what not. Our first, and best, goat gave a gallon of milk a day, which was perfect for us.
-Homesteader
We got goats because we would be able to feed them 100% from our property if they need should arise. We got mini goats because I have horrible arthritis and am at times quite weak so the minis I am not able to handle without injuring myself in my really bad days.
-Homesteader
How much milk can you expect to get?
When debating a goat vs. a cow, people often wonder how much milk they will be able to get from each of the animals. When a cow first freshens, you can expect to get between 4-6 gallons of milk every day! Each cow is a little different, and it will all depend on the breed and stage in the lactation for a definite milk amount. For our Jersey milk cow, we are still getting a good gallon of milk each milking, even after a full year into her lactation.
When considering a goat vs. cow, a goat’s milk production is a little bit less than a cow’s milk production. Melissa raises the heaviest producing dairy goat breed, called Saanen. The Saanen goats would each usually give between 1/2-3/4 of a gallon of milk every day.
How often do you have to milk?
If the animals are separated from their babies, both goats and cows will need to be milked at least twice per day when they freshen. However, both animals can have variation in the amount of times needed to milk depending on how you choose to raise them.
If you calf-share, or kid-share, you will be able to milk less often than if you didn’t. Calf-sharing or kid-sharing basically means that you allow the baby to stay with the mother and nurse when she’d like. If you want to milk, you will need to separate the baby, either overnight or during the day, so that you can milk before the baby empties the mother of all of her milk. Hence the name: the homesteader literally shares the milk with the baby animal.
Additionally, both cows and goats produce milk on a supply and demand level. Later in lactations, both animals can be switched to once per day milking if you are careful and thoughtful about how you do it. Melissa was able to move her goats to once per day milking after about 6 months post freshening.
With our Jersey cow August, we needed to milk her twice per day at freshening (even while calf-sharing), because the calf couldn’t keep up with the amount of milk that her mother made. We grafted a second calf onto August about a month after she freshened, and then switched to once per day milking until the calves started to empty the cow completely (around 2-3 months post freshening).
What does the milking routine look like?
When considering what it looks like for milking routines in a goat vs. cow, both follow a similar pattern.
Melissa (goats): “We use a liquid sanitizer and sanitize the milk pail. It’s steel and has a lid and handle. I think it holds a gallon. We use cloths that we can wash to wash the udders and I make a “wash” using Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap, lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, rosemary essential oil and distilled water. The prep and udder cleaning take the longest. To fully milk out our main milker it would take about 8-10 minutes once everything was clean and in place. We also use a stainless strip cup to strip the teats before we milk into the pail.”
Sadie (cow): “I mix a solution of dish soap and vinegar together as a wash for our cow’s teats. I als place a very thin floursack towel over our stainless steel milking pot to help prevent dirt or hair from getting into the milk. Using a new cloth each time and never double dipping the rags, I wash the cow’s teats one by one. I let them air dry and strip the milk to make sure that there isn’t any bacteria in the teats before I start collecting the milk. We hand milk, so it does take more time than a machine may take. The entire process takes about 20-30 minutes in total.“
What does the milk taste like?
Sadie (cow): “You’d think that the milk fresh from the cow would taste exactly like the milk from the store, but it definitely doesn’t. Milk straight from a cow is richer and creamier, and has a stronger flavor than milk you’d buy at a grocery store. It’s always a good idea to try the milk before you get a cow to make sure that you actually like fresh milk because there is a difference in flavor.”
Melissa (goat): “Goat milk tastes like a lighter cow milk (like 2%). At least Saanen does. It doesn’t have a lot of milk fat in it. That’s the trade off, lots of milk but not a lot of fat. Sometimes it has a “goaty” smell. We could never figure out why that was.”
What kinds of products can you make with the milk?
When weighing out the products you could make with a goat vs. cow, you may be surprised to find out that both animals can produce similar products! Both cow and goat milk can be used for cooking, baking, fermenting into yogurts, making butter, ice cream, and making cheeses. Melissa also uses her goat milk to create soaps, and cow milk can also be used for that purpose as well.
Final Thoughts: What else should you know?
Melissa (goat): “One of the things I really didn’t consider was the fact that there aren’t many people with goats [in my area] that I can ask for help if we have a problem. Our vet doesn’t really treat small ruminants and doesn’t have a lot of knowledge which is really frustrating for us. Goats are really susceptible to problems, with the worst being worms. Their diet is really specific and you have to stay on top of supplements of copper and selenium in our area.”
Sadie (cow): “Cows are large animals and they require a lot of feed to keep their conditions healthy. It’s important to know that you’re going to need to either purchase hay or bale your own for your animals, and a lot of it! In the summer, they’ll need adequate space to graze to keep up their conditions, or else you’ll need to supplement with hay. You’ll also have additional grain costs if you’re choosing to use that for your cow.
“The other thing people should know is that cows are messy animals! They have a lot of mess in manure, and while that’s a good thing for gardens, it can be hard to manage in winter time. Make sure you have a plan in place as to how you’re going to deal with manure.
“Lastly, cows are large animals that can kill you. They generally aren’t aggressive, but at times are playful and don’t recognize their size. You have to make sure you are respectful of them and their space and don’t treat them like puppies.”
Conclusion
Hopefully if you’re contemplating a goat vs. cow for your family homestead, this post gave you some insight on what it’s really like to own one and what to expect. Taking time to do your research and get experience with any animal is a really smart idea before you purchase one of your own.
Pin this Post!
Be sure to share this post on Pinterest to help out other homesteaders who are contemplating a goat vs. cow!
More posts on raising animals:
- CONTEMPLATING A FAMILY MILK COW? YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
- WHAT TO ASK A SELLER WHEN BUYING A FAMILY MILK COW
- WHAT IS THE BEST MILK COW FOR A FAMILY HOMESTEAD?
- RAISING CORNISH CROSS CHICKENS FOR MEAT: THE ULTIMATE MEAT BIRD
- CAN I MAKE A PROFIT OWNING CHICKENS?
- NUMBER OF CHICKENS YOU’LL NEED FOR YOUR FAMILY HOMESTEAD
- TOP 5 BEST CHICKEN BREEDS FOR EGG PRODUCTION
- SHOULD YOU FREE RANGE CHICKENS ON YOUR HOMESTEAD?
- Even more….
Leave a Reply