One of the best decisions we made this year was to add goats to the homestead. Not only have our Nigerian Dwarf goats offered us the most delicious milk, but they are a continuing source of entertainment. These animals are nothing if not fun-loving. And, watching the little doelings grow into adults has been a fantastic experience. Of course, one of the questions we had to ask when buying goats was: how long does a goat stay in milk? Today, let’s explore this question and consider how it impacts our homesteading plans.
How Long Does a Goat Stay In Milk?
The answer to this question is somewhat simple and unlike most online mediums, I’m not here to waste your time. So, the simple answer: about 8-9 months. Of course, there is some nuance to this. You might find your goat starts getting less productive after just 7 months. Or, you might find that it’s not until month 8 that they start slowing down. Generally speaking, however, I wouldn’t count on more than 270 days of milk from a standard dairy goat. In most cases, you’re better off expecting it to land closer 230 or so.
Our Nigerian Dwarf Herd Queen
As you know, our Nigerian Dwarf goat Delilah gave birth on January 1st. With the 8-month window in mind, we were expecting her to slow production in August or September. As much as we wish she would continue producing longer, our timeframe was right on track. At this point, we have slowed to milking Delilah just once a day. While this saves us some time in the evenings, we will definitely miss getting our steady supply of milk.
Still, we have been able to get around 16 ounces per day for the last week. We expect that in the coming weeks this will continue to drop until we dry her up completely. At this point, it’s time to start planning to have her bred. Of course, this means we’ll be without fresh goat milk for a while.
Planning for Next Year
Of course, while we wish we could keep getting milk without pause, this was already planned for. Knowing how long a goat stays in milk is an important factor to consider when starting your dairy herd. For us, we figured we’d have this milk-free time the first go-around. In a couple months, we’ll be breeding Delilah to start the process over again.
To ensure we keep milk flowing year-round, our next step will be to space out breeding our goats. This means both Bella and Gabby will have a chance next year. Our plan is to space them out about 3 months each. In effect, we’ll have 1-2 goats in milk at all times. In other words, it will take us about 2 years to get our milk production to be fully sustained without break.
If you’re looking to get started with Nigerian Dwarf goats, make sure to plan out their milking periods to ensure you can produce enough for your family. Until next time, we’ll see you around the homestead.