Preparedness

When a person or family starts down the path of building resiliency into their lives, many projects and tasks get added to an ever-growing list of things to do.  Store water, put away some extra food, evaluate your energy use, and consider the various scenarios where your preparations and skills might be tested. For many people, putting in a garden is a big step toward resiliency building.  There is a lot to learn.  But once that garden is in place and you get that great tasting produce in your belly, you start to think about expanding operations.  What about chickens?  Fresh milk would be really great!  It can be a slippery slope towards complete self-sufficiency.  If you have the space and an adventurous nature, you might consider getting a few dairy goats to provide incredible milk (which can, of course, also be used for making cheese and yogurt) and to be used for weed and brush control.

Dairy goats can be an easy-to-manage and enjoyable way to provide fresh milk on a daily basis, but having some background information about what it will take to get that milk is important.  The intent of this article is to give you a working understanding of the milking process as one of the components to make raising and working with dairy goats enjoyable and rewarding.