# How do you sell your goats milk?



## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

This year we hopefully will be swimming in goats milk. I will be freshening 7 that I know for sure I will be milking. So at the very least that should be 7 gallons a day (hopefully). There is no way I can make that much cheese, cejeta, soaps and drink that much milk a day. So we are going to be selling some off the farm. Oklahoma's rules on raw goats milk is no more then 100 gallons a month and it must be sold off your farm. No problem there for us. Now my questions for you guys and girls how do you sell your milk if you do sell it? Do you supply the jars? If so how much more a gallon do you charge? Has anyone pasteurized theirs and then sold it? Is there even a market for that? Also if you do pasteurize it and sell it do you sell it for more? Do you get a list of people interested in it and go off that when you actually have more then enough milk? I am totally new to this part of dairy goats. We had just enough for me to enjoy plus feed babies last year.


Thanks for any advice.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

This is not a good topic to talk about in a public board. Every state varies, and most states do NOT allow sales of milk unless you have a certified Grade A dairy.

Many folks sell milk as "Pet Milk" to get by regulations.

Some sell "under the table", and revealing it online here is not a good idea.

Here's a link to a summary of state laws, but I'll warn you that it's not completely up to date. Also, they are not well written. The first sentence on Texas says raw milk sales are legal. If some one stops reading there, they don't notice that you MUST have a *Grade A license* to sell raw milk in Texas. 
http://www.realmilk.com/milk-laws-1.html


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

If you are able to sell off the farm-put a deposit charge on the jars or bottles. That way if they dont come back, your not out as much money to replace them.


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## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

I should of said that differently I guess. Please if its not legal to sell in your state please do not answer. I would hate to get anyone in trouble. If it is legal to sell I would love to know how you do it. 

Alice thank you for that link. I will read over it and see if I am missing anything I should know.


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## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

Speaking hypothetically here...... For just a few people, I would have an $8 per jar fee, plus the cost of the milk....... They bring the jars back, I send them out with fresh milk in a clean 1/2 gallon jar...... When they are done with milk, or I dry up my does, they return the jar, I give them the $8 back. 

If I were to be selling gallons per day, I'd buy the sterile dairy grade 1/2 gallon plastic jugs that Alice buys.... You'll have to ask her for the link but I think they were under 50Â¢ each after shipping.

Of course, this is all hypothetical as I'm in Texas & we can't sell milk here, so I just milk for personal use & bottle kids..... I have this awful habit of buying more bottle kids each year even when I promise myself I won't, so the past 2 years I've had extra kids as my outlet for surplus milk


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Also speaking completely hypothetically, as I do not sell milk....

What are your state's laws on advertising? If you are allowed to advertise, you could use Craigslist to get customers. I know that in PA, the Amish have big, painted signs at their driveways that says things like "Raw Milk for Sale! Farm Fresh Eggs!"

(I know this because my mother took pictures of them on her visit and sent them to me.)

As for bottles, either a deposit the equals the cost of your glass jar, refundable at the return of the jar, or buy jugs in bulk. I don't know if you need a special tool to get those lids on when they are new, though.

You are lucky that you live in a state that allows you to sell raw milk from your farm without permits and licenses. Please allow me to state yet again that I do NOT sell milk.

(Down here, it is rabid. I have gotten calls from "gentlemen" who are "considering getting goats" and say that they wish to know what raw goat milk tastes like, and could they buy some? When I tell them that I don't sell milk, but they are welcome to come out to my farm, meet the goats, see how I milk, and that I serve all visitors snacks and a big glass of cold, refreshing, goat milk, and I would enjoy the company, they tell me, "Oh, no, no, no, that wouldn't be right. I would have to buy it from you for it to be right. Can't you sell me just a gallon?" Uh-huh. Sure. No thanks. I don't want to go to jail and have my goats confiscated, etc., etc.)


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## eyore (Jan 7, 2011)

I don't have goats or sell goats milk but I do buy it. I live in PA and it is legal here. The places I have gotten it from sell it in plastic milk jugs like you buy milk in the grocery store.
If I buy it on the farm it is cheaper than if I buy it in a business that sells it.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

For freezing milk (winter use), I order half gallon jugs from:

dahltech.com

It works out to less than 50 cents a jug and lid. No, you don't have to have a tool to put on the lids.


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## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

Thank you all. Alice thank you for the link, for sure going to order some. I like the idea of buying bottle babies to help drink the milk lol. I have time since no one is even close to being in milk, so more research on my part.


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## April (Nov 28, 2006)

We sell goat milk for $6.00 per gallon. I just trust people to bring jars back. I'm not shy about calling to remind them! We don't really advertise, just word of mouth.

In addition to that, I clabber older milk in 5 gallon buckets for pig and chicken feed. It replaces a lot of purchased feed and is much better quality. The milk that I clabber gets skimmed first and the cream gets frozen for future use.

I don't feed the barn cats anything except milk. They get the "remainders" of every milking, provided they can fight off the one Muscovy duck that I have. She adores milk!


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## Shayanna (Aug 1, 2012)

April said:


> We sell goat milk for $6.00 per gallon. I just trust people to bring jars back. I'm not shy about calling to remind them! We don't really advertise, just word of mouth.
> 
> In addition to that, I clabber older milk in 5 gallon buckets for pig and chicken feed. It replaces a lot of purchased feed and is much better quality. The milk that I clabber gets skimmed first and the cream gets frozen for future use.
> 
> I don't feed the barn cats anything except milk. They get the "remainders" of every milking, provided they can fight off the one Muscovy duck that I have. She adores milk!


OT, but do you give your pigs the milk regularly? How much do you usually give them. I'm thinking about getting a pig in the spring since I am sure I will have a surplus of milk and eggs, and am just curious.


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

Shayanna said:


> OT, but do you give your pigs the milk regularly? How much do you usually give them. I'm thinking about getting a pig in the spring since I am sure I will have a surplus of milk and eggs, and am just curious.


Pigs just love fresh milk and raw eggs. When we have pigs, they get any surplus we don't use. Two years ago we had a bad storm go thru so I had no time to do anything with the milk for several months. The pigs got all the milk from 2 goats twice a day. I actually think they were the best tasting pork we ever raised.

And please get at least 2 pigs, they do better with a buddy to compete for food.


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## April (Nov 28, 2006)

I just give the pigs what we have extra, so it varies, depending on how much cheese is being made that week.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

It is legal to do a Cow/Goat Share type program in my state. Customers buy an "interest" in the cow or goat and then pay the farmer a fee to house, care for, and milk their animal. We decided not to go that route. Even though it is legal, I didn't want to increase my liability. So, I do the normal stuff: make soap, we drink the milk, make cheese, etc and then I raise bottle calves on the extra milk. I can raise about 6 calves at a time and then wean them at 6 months and send them off to a sale barn. I like dealing with the calves better then dealing with customers. lol


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## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

hiddensprings said:


> It is legal to do a Cow/Goat Share type program in my state. Customers buy an "interest" in the cow or goat and then pay the farmer a fee to house, care for, and milk their animal. We decided not to go that route. Even though it is legal, I didn't want to increase my liability. So, I do the normal stuff: make soap, we drink the milk, make cheese, etc and then I raise bottle calves on the extra milk. I can raise about 6 calves at a time and then wean them at 6 months and send them off to a sale barn. I like dealing with the calves better then dealing with customers. lol


We have thought about raising calves also. Who knows maybe our soap will take off so well we wont have any extra milk... here's hoping lol.


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## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

We LOVE milk fed pork.... Yummy!

I used to show pigs for FFA & my show pigs each ate about 2 gallons of milk per day...... Morning would be milk poured over their feed, evening would be clabbered milk or vinegar cheese mixed with veggie scraps & a bit of grain..... There was a cow dairy not far from me & I'd clean up & do chores for them 4 days a week in exchange for all the milk I needed for my pigs. I had to foot the bill for my show pigs, and hope to win enough prize money so I could buy the next years project, so I had to be frugal and I couldn't afford the pricey growth aids that the other kids fed before majors to bulk up.... Despite that, my pigs always grew VERY well on milk and minimal feed & I never had trouble placing well or earning the $$ back ...... 

We have raised 3 pigs up on goat's milk, one being a wild hog piglet we caught, and all the pork was just amazing 

If I can ever get a milk machine, I'll up the # of girls I keep in milk & get bottle calf or 2 piggies to raise  I'd rather raise something for the freezer than deal with customers on a regular basis


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