We don't sell goat's milk, we sell shares in a dairy goat.
What is a Goat Share?
It is partial ownership of a dairy goat. Owning a dairy goat, or portion of a dairy goat, allows you to benefit from what that animal produces; Because you own it! In California you can drink milk from a goat you own. By owning a share in a goat you have a fresh supply of your own goats milk to drink.
How does a goat share work?
You, and others along with you, own a goat. You benefit from owning the goat by receiving a portion of the milk the goat produces. As with any animal, goats require care, feeding, milking, and milk requires proper handling. Flip Flop Ranch will board your goat, care for it, milk it, and prepare the milk for you to pickup from the farm. You pay the herdsman for the boarding, care, feeding, and milking of your goat.
How much milk can I expect from one goat share?
One share will provide approximately one quart of milk for 40 weeks.
The long answer includes several topics:
An average lactation for our goats is ten months; however, a goat may milk for a shorter or longer period of time. We plan on every doe milking for at least nine months. That is a conservative estimate but it does allow for early breeding or a drastic drop in production. Dairy goats have different styles of lactations. Some does produce a great deal of milk within the first few months then level off to a lower daily production. Others never have a high peak of milk production but have what is called a level lactation and give almost the same amount of milk everyday they are in milk.
What if I want more milk than one quart per week?
Call ahead or ask when you get to the farm. More than likely there is extra and you can get what you need. However this is only for special occasions, if you consistently want extra, you would need to purchase another share.
What is the cost involved?
You first purchase your goat share(s) at $40.00 per share. This is a one-time cost. Now that you own a goat share you need to board your goat. Boarding or husbandry costs are $25 per month, which equals out to about $6 per quart (not much more than Stater Brothers). If you would like us to make cheese from your share, the cost is $35 per month due to the extra work involved in caring for your goat.
Is there any risk involved?
Yes, a little bit. You are actually the owner (or part owner) of a dairy goat. We are simply taking care of it for you. If something happens, for example a coyote randomly eats your goat, you lose your share and would have to purchase ownership of another goat.
Another risk is that if your goat doesn't produce as much milk as she would normally provide for one share (on average a quart a week), you would still have to pay the maintenance fee because the way it works is you aren't purchasing milk, you are purchasing a share in the goat itself. When this happens, we usually (but not always) have extra milk that we can give you for free (because we're just plain wonderful people).
Also, remember that your goat will only produce milk 10 months out of the year because we dry them off when they are pregnant with kids. That's much healthier for them then being milked while pregnant. During this time of the year, we don't charge a maintenance fee in return for ownership of the kids.
How do I get started?
Thoroughly review the information provided on Goat Shares. Request and review the purchase and boarding contract when you come to the farm. Sign the contract and once payment is received you will be the proud owner of a dairy goat share.
What happens if I can no longer use the goat milk?
Within our contract we have included a clause where we agree to purchase back any goat share we sell. Please understand it is illegal to sell milk in California if you are not a licensed and inspected dairy. Never sell your excess milk.
Please contact us to see the farm, goats and taste the best milk you've ever had!