Dutch Landrace Goats are golden!

We have been loving the Dutch landrace goat so far.
They are hardy, easy to maintain, said that they kid easy (I can only confirm that for the one baby we have, indeed the fastest and easiest delivery I have ever seen).
The milk is very creamy and I’ve made cheese with it yesterday, very nice material to work with.

I’m still hunting for the exact numbers on milk contents with someone from the endangered breeds association. Stay tuned for that. However based on my experience with the milk I’m getting now I would say it is likely high in fat.

I told you last time we were getting a new doe, this is the girl in question.

Our new girl Yoko

She is a one year old purebred. We will meet with breeders in August and they will help us finding a good buck for both her and Ayumi.
We are getting serious about these goats.
They are just amazing.

Just look at Ayumi, even after all the rain we got her feet are still do not require a trim, the sudden change of weather (hot/cold, then wet/windy, then hot again with a sudden drop to freezing) does not affect her at all.
They get the same amount of feed as the toggs but eat a lot less and produce more (and better quality) milk.
What is not to love about them?
They also come in a lot of colors, not important but I do like the variation.

I like their personality too. The new girl we got just came from a place where they roam free, yet she settles in a more domestic environment just great. They are friendly and quiet.
Our new girl Yoko does not question the queen of the herd, Ayumi did the same when she came. The are not fighters.

So what is the downside of this breed then?

They are more peaceful browsers than nosy “what-do-you-have-in-your-pockets” goats.

Untrained they are not a match for a family with a lot of kids.
It is not about how you handle them but more their general personality, they tend to stay away from trouble/large groups or whatever is busy.

In terms of handling they are easy. Ayumi never bit or kicked me, not even a warning kick (by that I mean the “stomp your feet” thing nigerian dwarfs often do).
With milking she just lets me clean her udder and milk her, is not pushy about food in general, also on the milkstand. I don’t even tie her collar, she just stands.
The more I see about these goats the more I get the picture that this is normal to them.

So all in all I wouldn’t recommend them for a petting zoo but in a homestead setting they are well worth having! Especially considering they have many uses aside from eating those nasty weeds (milk, meat, fiber).