A Beginner's Guide to Keeping Dairy Goats on a Smallholding

Why Dairy Goats Suit a Smallholding

A couple of dairy goats can turn a rough half-acre of scrub, bramble and hedgerow into something genuinely productive. Goats are browsers rather than grazers, so they will happily work their way through nettles, thistles, brambles and hedge trimmings that a pony would turn its nose up at. That makes them ideal for the awkward corners of a smallholding that are too steep, too rough or too weedy to mow.

Two milking goats in peak lactation will give you somewhere between six and eight litres a day between them — more than enough for a family, with plenty left over for cheese, yoghurt and soap. They are sociable, intelligent and easy to handle, though they are also determined escape artists and they thrive on routine. If you can offer company, secure fencing and two milkings a day roughly twelve hours apart, you have the essentials.

Choosing the Right Breed

In the UK the choice usually comes down to a handful of established dairy breeds, each with its own character and strengths.

• British Saanen — the classic high-yielding white goat. Best for volume, but needs generous feeding and plenty of space.
• British Toggenburg — hardy and thrifty, copes well on poorer grazing and produces good-quality milk on less concentrate.
• Anglo-Nubian — the richest, creamiest milk, excellent for cheese. Also the noisiest, and they dislike cold, wet weather.
• Golden Guernsey — a rare breed, smaller and calmer than most, with a friendly temperament that suits first-time keepers.
• British Alpine — a steady, reliable milker and a good all-rounder for the small herd.

Crossbreds often combine good yields with hybrid vigour and a more robust constitution. Whichever you choose, buy from a herd with a known health status and ask openly about caprine arthritis encephalitis, Johne's disease and caseous lymphadenitis. Two goats minimum — a solitary goat is a miserable goat.

Housing, Fencing and Space

Allow at least 1.5 square metres of floor space per goat in a dry, well-ventilated building that is free from draughts at floor level. Deep straw bedding mucked out weekly, a hay rack kept off the ground, and water buckets that clip to the wall rather than sit where they can be knocked over will save you endless frustration. Goats hate rain and hate mud even more, so a hardstanding or covered yard is worth the investment.

Fencing is where most beginners come unstuck. Goats climb, lean and squeeze. Use stock fencing of at least 1.2 metres, with small mesh at the bottom, and run a strand of electric fencing along the top and mid-rail. Gates need to be properly hung and latched. If a goat can get its head through, the rest of it is following shortly.

Feeding and the Daily Routine

Forage comes first. Good hay or haylage available at all times, plus whatever browse your hedgerows provide, forms the base of the diet. Top this up with a dairy goat concentrate at roughly 450g for every litre of milk produced beyond the first two. Introduce any change to hard feed gradually over a week or so, and split rations between milkings rather than giving one large feed.

Minerals matter more than many people realise. Goats need considerably more copper than sheep, so never feed sheep minerals to a goat — they can be toxic. Use a goat-specific loose mineral or mineral lick, and offer loose salt and a little bicarbonate of soda free-choice. Fresh water is essential: a milking goat may drink five litres a day or more, especially on hay.

A good daily rhythm looks like this: feed and water in the morning, check every animal's eyes, coat and droppings, muck out, then milk. Repeat in the evening. Hooves need trimming every six to eight weeks, and a worming programme based on faecal egg counts is far better than blanket dosing.

Milking: Rhythm, Hygiene and Yield

Milk twice a day at the same times, and keep the routine identical each session. Wash your hands, then use a strip cup on each teat and discard the first few squirts — this catches early mastitis and flushes out any dirt in the teat canal. Clean the udder with a fresh paper towel per goat, and dry it before you start, so nothing drips into the bucket.

Milk with dry hands, using a full-hand squeeze rather than pulling at the teats, and work quickly and calmly. A single goat takes around five to eight minutes. Afterwards, dip the teats and turn the animal out. Strain the milk through a fine filter and chill it to 4°C within an hour. Raw milk keeps for three to five days in a good fridge; goat milk has smaller fat globules than cow's milk, so the cream will not separate out as readily.

A well-fed dairy goat gives three to five litres a day at peak, milking for around ten months before she is dried off for a two-month rest ahead of kidding. Does are seasonal breeders, usually served in the autumn and kidding from late winter onwards.

Tags, Records and Legal Responsibilities

Before you buy a single goat, register your holding with the relevant animal health authority and obtain a holding number. Goats kept in the UK must be officially identified, normally with ear tags bearing your holding number and an individual animal number. The precise requirements vary depending on where in the UK you keep them and when the animal was born, so check the current rules directly before you buy.

You must also keep a herd register recording births, deaths, movements and any medicines used, and complete a movement document whenever goats move on or off your holding. All of this applies to pet goats just as much as commercial ones.

Get the paperwork, fencing and routine right from the start, and a pair of dairy goats will reward you for years with fresh milk, rich cheese and a great deal of character.