I have wavered back and forth for years about
milk producing animals. I like the idea of keeping
enough that I can do my own breeding, but that means a lot of
land dedicated to them. My two basic animals of choice are goats or
cattle. Goats are smaller, so would need less land and produce less quantity as individuals (an important consideration I will get into later), but can be a real handful and have the issue of potential mineral deficiencies. There's also the issue that not everyone cares for the taste of goat milk.
So then there are cattle. Just one cow can produce a ton of milk. Enough of a herd to do my own breeding (not to mention dealing with a full sized bull) could be a ton of work unto itself. I considered miniature cattle, but am
led to understand that most of them have problems such as difficulty birthing. If I end up with pigs, I can probably get rid of excess milk that isn't drank, made into cheese or butter. Without pigs, I'm not sure what could be done with a lot of milk if I can't make good use of it with the time I have.
With these thoughts in mind, I've considered trying to determine the best two or three breeds of cattle for lower milk production, good foraging skills (to cut down on work load and costs of a larger herd), limited size and gentle demeanor (again making working with them easier).
Does anyone have
experience with breeds that fit this bill. I'd love it if there were a breed like the miniature highlands that didn't suffer from the typical miniaturized issues? Given these limitations,
should I just focus on goats and work around the known issues with those?