Starting a Dairy

[Southern by choice]

I have found the info to be helpful. I know most are doing it to get their goats a star but there is really important info there.
SCC (Somatic cell counts)
Protein and Fat percentages can show if you have a fat/protein inversion- which is really bad.
MUN helps determine feeding factors.
Of course you also get to see steady lactating goats vs quick peak and big drops.


How many goats do you want to have?

We plan on DNA testing all our goats for casein as well.

 

[lkmartin1230]

I had around 30 and I sold everything but 10 just to keep a few for the rest of the year. Currently trying to find a bigger place to move so I wanted to keep the animals to a minimum until I get moved. Hoping to find a place before next fall.

 

[lkmartin1230]

Hoping to have around 45-60 within the next couple of years. Especially if and when I can get a bigger farm. Currently we are on 5 acres and I really need more space as it is.

 

[Southern by choice]

We know people that ran a dairy with only 12 goats (Lamanchas- high production). Others with Nigerians only... one having only 20!
I guess it depends on how big an operation you want.
Not sure but I think Babs may have that many.

I would think you'd have to have employees with that many. Milking, processing, and making cheese you'd have to have help keeping the barn clean and maintenance with the animals and property would require alot. Then selling is the other thing... where will you market?

Are you looking at grade A? Selling milk? or B?Cheeses etc.

 

[lkmartin1230]

I'd like to be Grade B. I guess i should have answered that question better....45-60 not all milking. Like milking 25 at a time. I'd want to rotate does every year so that would be the reason for having so many. As far as marketing I have a lot of really great farmer's markets in the area and I am in good driving distance of the bigger farmer's markets in the area. So far there is only 1 goat dairy and it's actually in my neighboring county. They have 70+does and only 2 employees, plus their son and themselves. They market mainly through farmer's markets and they sell with their local Whole Foods store.

 

[Bruce]

I've had tons of people tell me DON'T DO IT.....so I'm either stubborn or stupid...

Or maybe both

Yep @babsbag's journal on building her dairy was very informative. Unbelievable all the i's to dot and t's to cross. Best find out all those things for Alabama before you start so you don't get blindsided with last minute "I have to do WHAT?" "I have to have WHAT?"

Like here in Vermont you can't have a home business making food if any animals can get into the prep area, intentional or not. That means if you have pets that come indoors and you make the food in your kitchen, there can't be a door to the rest of the house. Who has a house like that? Makes it hard to give something a try and if it works out get big enough to have a separate location for it.

 

[lkmartin1230]

Or maybe both

Yep @babsbag's journal on building her dairy was very informative. Unbelievable all the i's to dot and t's to cross. Best find out all those things for Alabama before you start so you don't get blindsided with last minute "I have to do WHAT?" "I have to have WHAT?"

Like here in Vermont you can't have a home business making food if any animals can get into the prep area, intentional or not. That means if you have pets that come indoors and you make the food in your kitchen, there can't be a door to the rest of the house. Who has a house like that? Makes it hard to give something a try and if it works out get big enough to have a separate location for it.

Probably both
My plan is to contact whoever I need to and get someone to tell me what I need to do as I go. Thankfully I have a family full of builders, plumbers and electricians so they can help me out with building what I need.

 

[Mike CHS]

Or maybe both

Yep @babsbag's Who has a house like that? Makes it hard to give something a try and if it works out get big enough to have a separate location for it.

We can get certified to sell meat and plan to soon. We also have the requirement that the storage unit (freezer) has to be isolated and not used for anything else. When we added our porch, we built it to meet that requirement and it has a separate entrance. We also have a freezer out there that will only have meat from our USDA certified butcher.

 

[Bruce]

Good planning Mike. Much better than having to retrofit something and hope it works OK.