Some of our readers have been very kind to add their input about goats. I appreciate your comments. First, The Goatlady recommends Nubian Goats to make goat butter:
“I have raised goats for many years and the cream does rise to the top just not in the quantities one gets from cow’s milk. The richer the milk the more cream hence the Nubian popularity as a diary goat. Nubians have the most butterfat in their milk for making butter. But more importantly, Nubian milk is the very best for making hard cheeses i.e. cheddar, swiss, etc. Very difficult to make hard cheese with other breeds of goat’s milk as so much is needed. I also have a friend who regularly makes goat butter and sells it locally. It can be done but, again, it depends of the breed of goat and quality of the milk.” You are absolutely correct in that goats are the perfect survival/homestead animal. They are sooo versatile and productive needing very little in the way of outside feed, if at all. The nice things about Nubians are their non-aggressive personality and the fact that they cross real well with the Boer meat goat and usually have twins at each kidding which give quick buildup of a herd and/or good trade products. The wethers (castrated males) of this cross are big chested and necked and train very well for packing (BOBs) and easily train to plow and cultivate and also are very capable of pulling carts and small wagons. Since they live for 18-20 years and the does are still producing milk all that time, it’s an excellent investment at any time. But it is a responsibility also. You need to milk twice a day just like cows although if you let the kids stay on the does you can skip one milking a day, but in a WTSHTF situation who is going anywhere, anyway!. -Goatlady
Next, ” Z” appreciates the smaller size and foraging ability of goats:
“Had a few thoughts on that myself. …You can feed them on ….plants that a cow wont eat. They’re smaller and easier to transport (and conceal). They’re smarter then a cow..and when it’s time to butcher, it’s a smaller job..and a smaller animal…so you don’t have to worry about where to put all the meat, how to store all the meat for your merry band of outlaws… just slaughter what you need, keep the rest on the hoof. …All this came to me when I was watching them eat brush along the side of the road one day. If the sheet hits the fan…. goats are my choice for a survival animal. Goats, the survivalist/militia man/guerilla fighter’s friend.” -“Z”