THE FAMILY MILK SUPPLY 



cient for many a family. The milk is pure white 

 in color and the cream rises very slowly. If 

 goat's milk is properly produced and handled, 

 the bad odor, associated with the animal in 

 the public mind, should not be present. Keeping 

 dirt or hair out of the milk when it is being 

 drawn, and clean quarters, are essential in 

 eliminating odor in the milk. It has been proved 

 that goat's milk is especially valuable for children 

 and invalids and exceeds cow's milk in ease of 

 digestibility. 



Goats are in their prime at about five years 

 of age, but will continue to produce milk for 

 several years after that. They should be bred 

 twice a year. The usual number of kids is two, 

 although occasionally four are born at one time. 

 The period between breeding and giving birth 

 is about five months. Goats may be successfully 

 fed with the same rations as the dairy cow. 

 Although they consume only about one-seventh 

 as much feed as the cow, the common impression 

 that the goat can produce milk on practically 

 no feed is erroneous. A ration for winter feeding, 

 suggested by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, consists of 2 pounds of alfalfa or 

 clover hay, iJ- pounds of silage or roots and 

 from I to 2 pounds of a concentrated grain ration, 

 composed of 100 pounds of corn, 100 pounds 

 of oats, 50 pounds of bran and 25 pounds of 



