This week our guest poster is Hannah Atkins of Silly Lil’ Pygmies. Besides being busy raising and milking her pygmy goats she’s also a Veterinary Student! Today she’s going to tell us all about milking her pygmy goats.
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It’s been almost a decade since I bought my first pygmy goat. I had always wanted to show beef steers in 4-H but since I didn’t have much experience with cattle or large animals, a neighbor suggested pygmy goats. I met a breeder, found some registered pygmy goat kids, and was hooked. If you had asked me at that time if I would ever milk them, I would have laughed. I was too busy showing and breeding my goats. Plus everyone had told me pygmy goats weren’t good for anything except pets.
Eventually, I heard about a breeder on the East Coast who milks her registered pygmy goats. I was lucky enough to talk to her at the National Pygmy Goat Association National Convention in Hagerstown, Maryland where she gave a pygmy goat milking demonstration. She was very encouraging and I decided I really wanted to try milking my goats. The next time five of my does kidded, I let them raise their kids, weaned the kids, and then milked the does. I used a small sheep milking machine to make milking faster. I loved milking and I am sure the does did too.
The pygmy goat milk I have harvested from my goats has always had a great flavor. If you have ever tried goat milk but disliked its “goaty” taste, you need to try pygmy goat milk. There is no comparison between store-bought goat milk and home-milked pygmy goat milk or even home-milked dairy goat milk and pygmy goat milk. I prefer the pygmy goat milk. Maybe the milk was sweeter, creamier, and fresher because of rapid chilling and meticulous handling or maybe these qualities were from the animal cracker treats we fed the goats during milking.
As a serious foodie and experimental home cook, I eagerly utilized the tasty milk. Some of the milk I pasteurized for drinking. The rest of was used to make feta, mozzarella, chevre, and ricotta cheeses. During that first summer, many dinners consisted of homegrown tomatoes, sun-warmed basil, and fresh pygmy goat mozzarella salads. Of course, the milk was used to make other things too: ice cream, cakes, and fudge.
When I talk about milking my pygmy goats, people always ask, “Why pygmies? They aren’t good for anything, right?” I like milking my pygmy goats because they are my pets. I love my pygmy goats and their unique personalities. The milk is outstanding too.
If you were thinking of buying goats to milk and considered a smaller breed, I would highly recommend it. Many people have told me pygmy goats have a lower incidence of mastitis, or udder infections. I could not find any research on this claim, so I can’t guarantee this fact. However, as someone who has looked at many udders while a provisional NPGA-licensed judge I would not doubt it. Since today’s pygmy goats are not bred specifically for milk production, their udders are not under the same stresses as dairy-type goats. Less stress to the mammary gland usually means less chance of infection (but mastitis is possible in pygmy goats—so keep everything as clean as possible.) Since pygmy goats have small, sturdy udders their udders are less prone to injury too. Small udders may mean less milk but the amount of milk I got from five does was more than enough for my family’s use.
I would encourage anyone interested in milking their pygmy goats to try it. I learned so much about milking and sanitation, and about my goats. Even though I did not buy pygmy goats with the intent of milking them, I would not think twice before milking them again. Pygmy goats are good for more than just really great pets.
As an endnote: please use caution when milking any animal. Milk should be pasteurized and any raw milk cheeses aged for over 60 days. Raw milk can be a vector for zoonotic diseases, or diseases that can be transferred to humans. Some of these diseases, such as brucellosis, may be present in apparently healthy animals. Safety first!
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We have two nigerian dwarfs in San Francisco. They are the perfect size for a small backyard and they produce plenty of milk for my family. Now if I could only get my doe who is in milk to stand still for the milking
Hannah is wonderful! and pygmy goats rule…
OK… How much milk per day with pygmy -vs- Nigerian Dwarfs? And… Which consume the least on average?
It of course depends on the animal’s lineage and genetics. Our pygmy goats here aren’t the cobby type but rather the old world type. They have flatter bone which is a more dairy characteristic. Our pygmy goats don’t produce as much in the beginning of their lactation compared to our Nigerian but they milk for a lot longer. As our Nigerian is already tapering off substantially at about 6 months our pygmies didn’t taper off until over a year into their lactation. Bella still hasn’t completely dried off and it’s been over a year and a half (and trust me, we’ve been trying to dry her off for the past 5 months). So because they milk for a lot longer they of course consume more overall but it’s hard to say which ones consume more day to day for one primary reason. Our pygmies have horns and our Nigerians do not. Why, you ask, does that make a difference? Because the pygmies use those horns to waste a TON of feed by pulling hay out of the manger with them.
But I will tell you this. I much prefer the taste of pygmy milk over that of our Nigerian (also can be a genetic thing). It’s richer and sweeter (has an even higher milkfat content than the already high content of Nigerian milk).
Hannah is wonderful — and so are pygmy goats….
What a great guest post! Although, as a huge fan of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, I have to argue for milking them instead of pygmies
Nigerians actually have the same genetic ancestry as pygmies, so like the pygmies, they have rich, sweet, high-butterfat milk… but, you get more milk per goat. (1 good goat, or maybe 2, can produce more than enough for a family.) Nigerians are also very easy birthers, while pygmies can have trouble because they are bred to be stocky and muscle-y, as opposed to Nigerians, which are bred to be lean and wide-hipped.
But to each his or her own! And I'm always glad to hear about other backyard milkers.
As another aside, I am a HUGE fan of raw milk, and if you're careful, you don't need to pasteurize for home consumption.
-Lynda
Lynda, thanks for your comments. We were actually looking for a dual purpose goat, which is why we got pygmies ourselves. Since we live in an urban area we needed something small that could give us some milk but also provide us with quality meat.
Do you have to get your Pygmy pregnant first or is it just like a milk goat that you can milk all year round?
Linsey, they are just like dairy goats, which means you have to get them pregnant before you can milk them. All mammals must become pregnant and give birth before they start producing milk. Their lactation can last from 10 months to over a year but eventually they dry off and you need to breed them again.
Great article. Thank you too for mentioning the safety of pasteurization.
Have you written anything, or do you know of something I could read, about choosing pygmy goat does? Later this year, I’m going to be a first time owner of them, planning for milking. I bet there are things to look for in does – but I really don’t know what they might be. There are loads of kids in 4H and farm families raising all sorts of animals in the region – but I don’t know how to evaluate a doe(s) when the goal is milk. Not necessary to have high volume production at all – but just to choose a good doe (two really – I know they need a buddy).
Also – I’ve read that some pygmies produce a downy undercoat that is cashmere quality. Others produce near cashmere, and some produce nothing like it. If possible, I’d love it if my future does could provide a nice near cashmere or cashmere undercoat so I could knit with it. (I’m a novice spinner using a drop spindle with regular wool so far.) I’ve read they aren’t overly common however.
Thanks for any suggestions on finding the right little does. Great page and site. Thanks for being so generous with the rest of us.