Quaking Aspen Ranch

There is no perceptible difference between the flavor of properly handled goat milk and that of cow milk. Goat milk is whiter than whole cow milk. Butter and cheese made from goat milk are also white, but may be colored during processing.

Goat milk is delicious, nutritious and wholesome. It may not be a miracle food, but it does have distinct characteristics that make it beneficial. The fat globules are smaller than those in cow milk and the curd is softer and smaller, making the digestion easier.   Those who are allergic to cow milk may tolerate and thrive on goat milk.

Goat milk is used for drinking, cooking and baking. It is used to make cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt and body products. Goat milk is naturally emulsified. It is homogenized by nature! Cream does not rise readily, but can be obtained with a mechanical separator.

On a worldwide basis, more people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal. A dairy doe should be milked in the same manner as a dairy cow, using good dairy hygiene. Does may be milked by hand or machine. The milk requires the same careful attention to cleanliness and cooling as any other milk.

Goat milk has a more easily digestible fat and protein content than cow milk. The increased digestibility of protein is of importance to infant diets (both human and animal), as well as to invalid and convalescent diets. Furthermore, glycerol ethers are much higher in goat than in cow milk which appears to be important for the nutrition of the nursing newborn.

Goat milk tends to have a better buffering quality, which is good for the treatment of ulcers.

Goat milk can successfully replace cow milk in diets of those who are allergic to cow milk.

Many dairy goats, in their prime, average 6 to 8 pounds of milk daily (roughly 3 to 4 quarts) during a ten-month lactation, giving more soon after freshening and gradually dropping in production toward the end of their lactation. The milk generally averages 6 to 10 percent butterfat. A doe may be expected to reach her heaviest production during her third or fourth lactation.

The natural homogenization of goat milk is, from a human health standpoint, much better than the mechanically homogenized cow milk product. It appears that when fat globules are forcibly broken up by mechanical means, it allows an enzyme associated with milk fat, known as xanthine oxidase to become free and penetrate the intestinal wall. Once xanthine oxidase gets through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream, it is capable of creating scar damage to the heart and arteries, which in turn may stimulate the body to release cholesterol into the blood in an attempt to lay a protective fatty material on the scarred areas. This can lead to arteriosclerosis and heart disease.

Milk Comparison

Meat and other products:

The meat of the goat is called chevron or cabrito. It can be barbecued, baked, fried, broiled or stewed. Goat leather is soft and fine grained when well cured. It is used to make many kinds of quality leather items. And the dairy goat's pelleted droppings make an excellent organic fertilizer.