Goats on a Farm
Goat milk is increasingly popular in the United States, and many goats are kept to make milk and cheese. Goats are also sometimes kept for meat or for their hair, which can be spun to make wool. Goats also love to eat, so they are often let into pastures that are unusable because of weeds and bushes because they will eat most of the vegetation. Goats are browsers, which means they prefer brush and weeds to grass, so they can easily share a pasture with cows.
Oberhasli goats are a breed from Switzerland that are kept primarily to produce milk. The Oberhasli breed is reletively new to the United States, but they are extremely important in US goat milk production. Oberhasli goats are wider and shorter than many other goats, and they are some of the calmest and sweetest goats. They are one of the top six daity goat breeds and their milk is sweet tasting and mild. The most milk ever produced by a Oberhasli goat was 4665 pounds of milk in 304 days, or more than 15 pounds per day!
Alpine goats originated in the French Alps and are another one of the top six dairy breeds in the US. There are six types of Alpine goats, one of which is the Oberhasli, but the most popular variety in America is the American Alpine. Alpine goats are very hardy and well-tempered, and they lactate for very long periods, so they can be milked for a longer period of time than other goat breeds. Alpine goat milk has a very low fat-content compared to the rest of the most popular dairy breeds.
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The farm's French Alpine goats are renowned as an excellent dairy breed. They are very personable, and love to be fed by the public. On special interpretive programs, the goats are sometimes led on hikes outside the farm.
