The Poultry Keeper

Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

I have 5 nannies, hopefully all in kid due to drop in April 08. Does anyone think there is demand for goats milk?

I am in the process of setting up a business for Goats milk and free range chicken, goose and duck eggs. Very Happy

Auntie Noo · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 553 Location: Guildford

I only ever drink goats milk - I'd say there is an increasing interest in it as a kinder alternative for those that have dairy intolerances but can't manage without milk. I also know of people who live more rurally than I do that go to local farmers to collect their weekly goats milk......... so I'd say there would certainly be a demand, you'd just need to make sure that you let people know that it's there!!!!

Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Thanks Auntie Noo.

I am also going to sell it frozen and try to find a way to post it frozen.

Once again thanks Smile

skye girl · Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 638 Location: Isle of skye

good luck, hopefully you will sell it all and you will not need to freeze Wink

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7144 Location: isle of lewis

i and my aunt looked into this ,i found and she did that the rules were Shocked

,goats milk is a fantastic product the rules not as tough if you are milking for goats milk soap ,she found the best way to use the large quanities she had 14 ,was pigs ,which is still legal if you use a seemless bucket ,good luck ,there is a big market out there Wink

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Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Yes I have had the dairy inspectorate down already and they advised that as long as everything was cleaned properly and unable to get infected they woudl grant me a licence - even with the buildings I have now (nothing permanent yet but planning permission in for a 60 x 40 barn). They also said that I can sell direct without a licence but if I sell to a third party who sells on then that when problems start.

Thanks so far for your help and advice everyone.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7144 Location: isle of lewis

interesting Cool

Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Actually Milkmaid, thinking back to when the inspector came last year, he may have indicated that I could sell to people I know without a licence Confused

He was very helpful and was very interested when I informed him that I was breaking my Section D Mare to harness to work the land and asked to come back and see her working! Cool

Do you think he was being very nice? Wink

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7144 Location: isle of lewis

sounds like he was very helpfull really good luck to you ,any new dairy enterprise needs support Very Happy

,so many are closing ,could we have some pictures ect there could be some people locally that are looking on here Wink

,what type of goats ect ,i have an old english x and a togg ,my billy is brandy again old english Cool

,manic nonie would love to know i'm sure what breeding Wink

,sorry she spends hours even with unreg goats finding records ,will you be selling goats meat from the boys
sorry love being nosy about goats . Embarassed

Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Not a problem being nosey - How can you find out things if you don't ask?

I don't have registered goats Embarassed

Must admit think too much is invested in breeding - same with horses Smile

I must admit I NEVER wanted goats. Surprised

OH insisted when we bought the 8 acres that we needed goats to eat the weeds Cool

Ended up buying a nanny and kid unseen! they turned up and they were as skinny as a hat rack and were not friendly and were infact petrified of humans Crying or Very sad

Well within a year the anny was our best friend and the kid - a load of trouble, following hikers up the mountain so that a friend on the other side had to lead her back home again!

Well, loads of hassle with unnamed neighbours and planning permission for stables and I eventually came up with the idea of a goat dairy last year. OH hates the idea and now wants the goats gone - uhhhh no! don't think so! Twisted Evil

General consensus is that everyone will buy it even the local farm shop! I ended up buying two other youngsters one of which had a kid the following day! That was Angel. So I have original Nanny - Daisee (3/4 angorra) with kid - Whitney (2/3 angorra x British toggenburg I think), Then there is Tilda who had a kid last year who is Sannaan Cross and Angel, the kid is same as Tilda but larger already! Then we have Honey who looks as if she is Anglo Nubian Cross (brown and white patched).

They have all be exposed to an anglo Nubian billy called Winston. He was not a show anglo nubian but we ended up liking him alot and he ended up being quite friendly when he left ( he would not stay in the same field as you when he arrived Crying or Very sad

)

So will update with kids as and when they arrive.

Yes I will have to sell the young werthers but we have a local community farm who, I have been reliably informed, will be interested in the kids for bottle feeding for the visitors. Crying or Very sad

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7144 Location: isle of lewis

i've not got registered with the bgs either ,but they all came from milk recorded flocks
most goats in the uk stem from one of the minestry billy's when there was such a thing many years ago ,when we traced vd back it turns out she was born on the same holding that we had got our cat from near portsmouth many moons ago ,we brought her on here ,we didn't even know that they kept goats Embarassed

i also need to keep an eye on things as we keep / breed an old english who nearly became extinct when the swiss type goats came over so may and my billy brandy are registered with the old english society,these kids will be registered as well , Cool

i've always loved goats ,my aunt who i lived with for quite a while was chairman of the kent goat society and i used to do stands with her at shows ,with her saanans and british toggs ,which was the breeds of goat i really wanted ,but met and loved the old english,they are not for everyone can be naughty sometimes Shocked

good luck

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Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Isn't it amazing when when you have an animal how interested you become in anything about that particular breed/type?

Anyway, can you post some piccies and any help/advice would be appreciated. Smile

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7144 Location: isle of lewis

this website is good they cantacted nonie about a job but it was to far away to travel back to agri collage
the words have a look at the udders on that passed our lips a few times
here we don't do huge yeilds but are very interested in feed to milk to feed ratio
http://www.givendale-goats.com/farm.htm

Tracey Morris · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 289 Location: South Wales

Its funny tht you say that because when the guy brought the billy to my place he said that I was feeding my goats too much and to cut them down. I do not feed them! they are grazing over our 8 acres whereever and whenever they want - ohh and they also steel the hay for the horses!

They are so fat that they do not have a recessed rumin (sp) and their hips are covered and everything. I am hoping that they are not too fat fo rkidding though. The billy arrived in early october and probably covered the girls within the following 4 weeks so hopefully they should kid anytime after 1st April 08.

I have started feed the girls 1 small scope of soaked sugar beet with a handful of mollichop (they don't generally want to eat this but it slows them down Evil or Very Mad

) and 1 small scope of mix between the 5 of them once a day!

manic nonie · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject:

with to high condition score their fertility with be low and it can cause kiing problems due to the pelvic bone need the dislocate