Interactive lesson

Milk, cheese and meat, step by step

Interactive lesson: what a small herd gives in a year, milk through the seasons, safe milk, fresh goat cheese, kids for meat, manure and skins, and choosing which goats stay.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Milk, cheese and meat module. Already bought? Unlock

This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.

The whole lesson as text

1. What the herd gives in a year

The first spring with goats: a fridge full of milk, and in December no milk at all.

Milk from a goat — A good dairy goat (Saanen, Alpine) gives roughly 500 L of milk a year. Less in the first lactation.
Hardy crossbred goat — A hardy crossbred goat gives roughly 150–300 L of milk a year. So plan with your own breed.
Kids and meat — A goat has 1–2 kids a year, and half of them are male. The kids give roughly 15 kg of meat per goat a year.
Manure and the family — On top of that, roughly half a tonne of manure with bedding per goat. For the family the plan allows roughly 150 L of milk per adult a year, with cheese and yoghurt converted to milk.

Why: A good smallholder solves this with a plan. When you know what the herd gives, you know how much cheese, meat and manure to expect and how many goats you need.

The numbers are rough. A first lactation gives less, and the real amount from your goats shows in the milk diary.
Two good dairy goats cover the milk for 6–7 adults.

2. Milk through the year

Milk doesn't come evenly, but in a wave after kidding.

Peak in May — From May to July there is the most milk. It goes for drinking, yoghurt, freezing and cheese for winter.
Cheese for winter — Hard cheese with ripening keeps for months. From August milk falls and gets richer, good for fresh and hard cheese.
Freezing — Chilled milk in 0.5–1 L containers, with room to expand. It keeps roughly 2–3 months; thaw it in the fridge and shake.
Milk all year — With 2–3 does, mate them 1–2 months apart. You can let one doe run through: not mated one autumn and milked for 14–18 months.

Why: There is most of it 1–3 months after kidding, and in late autumn and winter little or none. The spring surplus that goes into cheese and the freezer feeds the family until winter.

From February to April freeze the colostrum and milk out the surplus.
The fat globules in goat milk are small: kajmak is thinner, and for butter you need a cream separator.