Goats are reared since eons milk, meat, and skin. Apart from chickens, goats happen to be the most reared species that are domesticated at home. They aid in generating milk, meat, and fiber which are further used for generating different leather and clothing products. However, considering all other three aspects, goats are primarily the rich source for dairy wherein they are domesticated in small farms and homes.
About Dairy Goats
Most
of the dairy goats produce a large amount of milk during their lactating
period. Goat’s milk is considered to be one of the most nutritious and healthy
drinks which also makes one of the reasons for its huge popularity. One can
find numerous commercial dairy farms producing generating goat’s milk across
different parts of the globe. The goats that produce milk are usually large or
standard sized except for Nigerian dwarf goats that are miniature in height yet
produce ample milk.
Here
in this article, let’s have an in detail look into the different goat breeds
that are used for producing Dairy products:
Saanen
goats are one of the most popular goat breeds known for producing a high amount
of milk. On average these goats can produce around 2,000 pounds of milk per
year. These breeds are largely found in Switzerland. An adult Saanen goat grows
to a height of 30 inches and weighs around 135 pounds. They occur largely in
white and cream color.
The
Jamunapari breed of goats is largely found across India. These breeds are
famous for producing a large amount of milk ranking them top in the list of
good milking goats. On average these species produce over 3.5 kg of milk on a
daily basis, especially during their lactating period. An adult buck grows to a
height ranging between 90 to 125 cm weighing an average of 69 to 90 kg, whereas
the doe grows to around 75 to 105 cm weighing around 35 to 60 kg. Considering
the large quantity of milk that these breed produce have monikered them the tag
of poor man’s cow in India.
These
are the next best species that are known as best dairy goats. The Toggenburg
goats originated from the Swiss Alps who are known to be good milking breed. As
per research, these breed of goats produces an average of 2,000 pounds of milk
annually. However, the milk of this breed has a peculiar taste and flavor.
Toggenburg goats are small sized breeds who grow to a height of 26 inches and
weigh around 120 pounds on average. They usually occur in colors of brown, dark
chocolate, fawn blend with white lines on the sides of their head and eyes.
These
are noted to be the best dairy breeds that produce an average of 2,250 pounds
of milk annually. Oberhasli goats are medium to small sized breeds who are
often found in full black coloration. Similar to Toggenburg goats, these breeds
also produce milk which is distinctive in taste and flavor. They grow to a
height of 28 inches and weighs an average of 120 pounds.