Ok /an/, lets say I wanted to live a homestead life, and be reliant on a food garden and animals for food. I need an animal that I can milk. A cow or a sheep? (Don't say goat, goats milk is shitty in my opinion.)
>>1996090
Sheepskin milk is way worse than goats and you need more than 4 sheep, goats can be kept in ones or twos and need less grazing space. Different goats produce different milk as well, plus it makes great ice cream.
Goats will probably serve you better than cows given their gestation period and lifespan but after it's all said and done chickens are based homestead animal.
>Don't say goat, goats milk is shitty in my opinion
Try miniature cattle?
Also what the actual fuck.
Goats.
Goats ARE the best milk animal on a small scale, they're more independent and hardy and it's easy enough to keep a billy goat around but you're probably going to have to look at AI or taking your milk cow on dates with a local bull rather than keeping your own. But if you really don't like goat's milk, pick a small, docile cow that isn't prone to health problems rather than choosing for maximum milk yield.
Guernsey cow and belted galloway bull. Enjoy tasty milk and tasty offspring from smallish cattle.
But yeah, goats are the better option. Look up ways to cut down on the goaty taste. Besides, it's not like you are going to be able to drink it all anyway.
Chickens and bunnies are a good food option too. Better in some ways, actually.
Definitely need goats, they're the best for a homestead or anything smaller than about 3 acres. You can always trade with a local dairy farm for cows milk, alternatively get your big fat mum in heir and milk her long gross tit like the slurm queen.
Have you considered a mule?
Donkey milk used to be used as a substitute for human milk, they're hearty, live a long while, aren't prone to retarded injuries like horses, and are affectionate like donkeys. Plus, you can ride them.
>>1996231
Goat milk is kinda complex, if you use well sterilized equipment and filters so you can drink it raw(my family did for years), it is absolutely delicious. The weird taste people associate with it comes after you have pasteurized it. Or if you have a typically smelly buck in proximity with your doe, his scent can actually leak into the flavor of her milk.
>>1997044
>Or if you have a typically smelly buck in proximity with your doe, his scent can actually leak into the flavor of her milk
I'm not gonna lie, I got so fucking used to this smell/taste that I actually sort of started enjoying it.
Most people recoil and make choking noises when they get within 10 feet of a buck but that pungent stank just reminds me of home.
I milked goats for 10+ years. Some had sweet delicious milk and others had shitty bitter goaty milk. I think it was a mix of genetics, food preference and propensity towards illness/high somatic cell count. Not that it helps you choose a suitable milker. Sheep milk is tasty and fatty but production is much lower to the point where it's barely worth it. Get a dexter cow if you don't mind bending down low. High fat milk and enough for a family but not too much.
