Raising Dairy Goats For Beginners: The Ultimate Guide

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Welcome! This post is a roundup of all the articles I’ve written in the “Raising Dairy Goats for Beginners” series. If you’re new and wondering how to raise dairy goats, you’re in the right place!

Below you will find all the articles in this series. I focus mainly on raising dairy goats (or raising “milk” goats), but most of the tips and guides can be used as a guide for raising goats in general. I cover everything from basic goat terminology to choosing your perfect breed and everything in between.

So, if you are looking for ideas on how to raise goats for beginners (not just dairy goats), you should also find some valuable information here as well.

What DO I Know About How to Raise Dairy Goats?

I got started raising goats back in 2009. I realized that cow milk from the store and I did NOT get along, and in my research learned that I might be able to consume goat milk instead. After some deliberation (and maybe some begging?) my husband and I decided to get a couple of goats. Now, where we live, hardly anyone is raising milk goats.

We finally found some Boer x Nubian crosses and brought home our first does and kids. I figured that since they were half dairy goats, I could milk these girls. I could not, lol. So, I found some full Nubian does (on Craiglist, ha!) and we brought them home. One of them had teeny tiny handles and was a jumper/kicker/do anything to not get milked-er, the other one was an acceptable first milk goat.

All that to say… If you are new to raising goats or raising milk goats, I get it. I was there once, and I don’t want you to have to learn the same hard lessons I did when I first started. That’s why “Raising Dairy Goats For Beginners” is the first series I created when I started this blog.

So, all the articles are listed below. Go through each one, read them, take notes, etc. I’ll help you get their housing and pens set up, I’ll teach you what to look for when you buy a new goat, I’ll walk you through each dairy goat breed, I’ll show you how to milk, and much more!

I am currently in the process of adding more blog posts to this series, so keep checking back to find new content!