Dairy goats are the breeds of goats that produce a good amount of milk during their lactating season. There are numerous milk-producing goats available around the world.
Goat milk is very healthy and nutritious. In fact, most people nowadays prefer to have one or a few milker goats for their daily family consumption. Usually, milk-producing goats are of large or standard size. However, goats are reared for different purposes: for meat, hide and skin, breeding, and milk production.
In this article, we present eight breeds of goats that are excellent milk producers, exploring some of the distinguishing features and abilities.
Nigerian Dwarf
Nigerian dwarfs goats originated from West Africa. They are small-sized goats which, on average, can produce more than 700 pounds of milk yearly, according to the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA). They weigh around 75 pounds and about 23 inches high at the shoulder level. Some Nigerian Dwarf goats have blue eyes with varying body colour depending on their strains.
Nubian
Nubian goats are obtained by cross-breeding the English goats with African and Indiana goats. On average, Nubians produce about 1,800 pounds of milk yearly (according to the ADGA). Milk production varies depending on the breed and type of goat. They have long dropped ears and are usually a large-sized breed. Nubian goats also have varying body colours, and they weigh around 135 pounds.
Alpine
Alpine goats originated from the French Alps. They produce a large amount of milk yearly which on average weighs about 2,400 pounds of milk yearly (according to the ADGA). They are medium-sized dairy goat breeds. An adult goat weighs around 135 pounds and reaches about 30 inches height at the shoulder like the Saanen goats. They are of various colours except pure white and light brown with white markings. They are also suitable for raising around the world.
Saanen
Saanens, among other dairy goat breeds, are widely famous for their high milk production ability. They originated from Switzerland, and according to the ADGA, on average, can produce about 2,000 pounds of milk in a year. They are a large-sized dairy goat breed and have erect ears. An adult Saanen goat weighs around 135 pounds and attains around 30 inches height at the shoulder. Their body colour is mainly white or cream and suitable for raising in almost all countries.
LaMancha
LaMancha goats are also a crossbreed between dairy goats and Nubians. They are good milkers and produce the same quantities of milk yearly as Alpine goats. They have tiny ears and usually are a small-sized breed. Adult goats weigh around 130 pounds and reach about 28 inches height at the shoulder. Their colours vary but can be any colour.
Toggenburg
They originated from the Swiss Alps. They have an average yearly milk production of around 2,000 pounds. Usually, Toggenburgs are small-sized goat breeds. They weigh around 120 pounds and 26 inches in height at the shoulder. They have brown bodies from dark chocolate to fawn with white lines on the side of their heads and over their eyes. Their lower legs are of white colour, their ears and tail white. Some people don’t like the milk gotten from Toggenburg goats because it has a distinctive taste and flavour.
Jamunapari
Jamunapari goats originated from India. They are good milkers and can produce about 3.5 kg of milk daily during their lactating season. They are large-sized goats. An adult buck can attain up to 90 to 125 cm in height and weighs around 68 to 90 kg. Jamunapari goats are often dubbed ‘poor man’s cow’ in India.
Oberhasli
They originated in Switzerland. They are good milkers and on an average, they can produce about 2,250 pounds of milk yearly. They are small to medium-sized dairy goat breeds. An adult Oberhasli goat weighs around 120 pounds and becomes 28 inches high at the shoulder. Usually, Oberhasli goats are of full black colour, although goats with slightly different colours of the same breed are obtainable. Like Toggenburg goats, Oberhasli goat milk also has a distinctive taste and flavour.
（May 11, 2021. From “AgroNigeria”)
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Post time: May-11-2021