Meet the Goats Behind Goat Milk Stuff
When you buy goat milk soap, you deserve to know where the milk comes from and how the goats providing it are treated.
At Goat Milk Stuff, the raw goat milk in our soap comes from our own herd of registered Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. They live with us on our 36-acre family farm in Scottsburg, Indiana.
We feed them, milk them, monitor their health, help deliver their babies, and learn their individual personalities. Every goat has a name, and many of them will even answer when called—unless they are feeling particularly stubborn.
Why Customers Trust Our Goat Milk
- The milk comes from our own goats. We do not purchase bulk goat milk from an unknown supplier.
- Our goats receive attentive daily care. Because we work with them every day, we become familiar with their habits, personalities, and normal behavior.
- They have room to move and explore. Our goats have access to pasture, wooded areas, and barns that protect them from harsh weather.
- Necessary medical treatment is never withheld. If a goat needs medication, her well-being comes first, and her milk is kept out of our regular milk supply.
- The milk stays on our farm. It travels only a few hundred feet from our milking parlor to our soaproom and is often made into soap the same day it is collected.
Our Goats Receive Hands-On Care Every Day
We believe high-quality goat milk begins with healthy, well-cared-for goats.
Our Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats have access to pasture, woods, barns, fresh water, and appropriate food. Their barns give them a clean, protected place to rest and shelter from difficult weather.
Because we spend time with the herd every day, we notice when something changes. A goat that is eating differently, moving differently, or simply not acting like herself receives extra attention.
We also monitor herd health and perform fecal testing. Deworming and other treatments are used when they are needed rather than being given automatically.
What Happens When a Goat Gets Sick?
Responsible animal care means treating a sick goat when she needs help. Our goats are not routinely given antibiotics, and we do not use growth hormones to increase milk production.
If a goat becomes sick and an antibiotic is the appropriate treatment, she receives the medicine she needs. During treatment, she is milked separately, and her milk is discarded.
The goat’s well-being comes first. We would never withhold necessary care simply so we could make a marketing claim about never using medication.
How Are the Goats Milked?
Our dairy goats are generally milked twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening.
Before milking, their udders are cleaned. The milk then travels through stainless-steel piping into a stainless-steel holding tank, where it is chilled quickly. Only healthy goats are milked through this system. Goats that have recently given birth or need individual attention are milked separately by hand.
A dairy goat is typically milked for about ten months. She then receives approximately two months away from milking near the end of her pregnancy. This dry period gives her time to direct her energy toward the babies she is carrying.
Do Goats Have to Have Babies to Produce Milk?
Yes. Like other mammals, a dairy goat begins producing milk after giving birth.
Our Alpine goats generally have their babies during the spring kidding season. Nigerian Dwarf goats can breed at different times of the year, so their babies may arrive throughout the year.
Kidding season is one of the busiest times on our farm. We watch expectant mothers closely and take shifts checking the barn so someone can assist if a doe or her babies need help during delivery. Most goats deliver without difficulty, but being present allows us to respond quickly when assistance is needed.
How Are the Baby Goats Raised?
We do not use one baby-raising method simply because it is easier for us. We use the approach that has worked best for each breed.
Our Alpine kids are bottle-raised as part of our herd-health program. Bottle-feeding allows us to monitor how much milk each baby receives and helps prevent smaller kids from being pushed away by stronger siblings. It also helps the babies become comfortable around the people who care for them.
Our Nigerian Dwarf kids are raised by their mothers. After testing bottle-raising with the Nigerians, we determined that they did better when dam-raised, so we changed our practices accordingly.
Both methods require careful observation and daily work. The goal is the same: healthy, well-fed babies receiving the care that works best for them.
What Happens to All the Baby Goats?
Dairy goats frequently have twins or triplets, so keeping every baby born on the farm would quickly become impossible.
We retain some kids to maintain or improve our herd. For the others, we work to find suitable new homes. Many become dairy or breeding goats on small farms and homesteads. Others participate in 4-H programs or become pets and pack goats.
We do not eat our dairy goats. Because we invest so much time in raising and caring for them, we consider them part of the Goat Milk Stuff family.
What Happens to Older Goats?
Some adult goats are placed with other dairy farms while they are still young and healthy enough to adjust comfortably to a new home.
Other goats remain here. The goats we are unwilling to part with—and there are always favorites—stay on our farm as they grow older.
We make decisions for each individual goat rather than applying one rule to every animal.
Are the Goats Organic?
Our farm is not certified organic, and we do not want to imply otherwise.
Instead, we focus on practical, responsible animal care. Our goats are raised with access to pasture, grass, sunshine, wooded areas, and protective shelter. We rotate pasture areas and monitor their health rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all treatment schedule.
We do not routinely use antibiotics or growth hormones. When a goat genuinely needs medical treatment, however, she receives it, and her milk is kept separate.
To us, caring responsibly for an animal is more important than using a costly label that is expensive and time-consuming.
Our Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats
Alpine Dairy Goats
We have raised Alpine dairy goats since 2008. Alpines are full-sized dairy goats known for their strong milk production. We also enjoy their friendly, curious temperaments and the wide variety of colors and markings found within the breed.
Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats
We added Nigerian Dwarf goats to the farm in 2016. Nigerian Dwarfs are a miniature dairy breed. They are much smaller than our Alpines, but they have plenty of personality. Unlike seasonal Alpine breeders, Nigerian Dwarfs may breed throughout the year.
More Than Two Decades of Learning From Goats
Our family began raising dairy goats in 2005 with two Nubians named Melody and Sassy.
Those first years included joyful moments, difficult lessons, and plenty of hands-on learning. In 2008, we rebuilt our herd around strong Alpine genetics, beginning with two goats named Victoria and Dayton.
As our experience has grown, so has our commitment to responsible herd management. Good farming requires constant attention, humility, and a willingness to change a practice when the goats show us there is a better way.
You can learn more about our Indiana family farm and the Goat Milk Stuff story.
From Our Goats to Your Goat Milk Soap
Many goat milk soap companies cannot introduce you to the goats that provided their milk. We can.
Our goats live on the same Indiana family farm where we make our soap. Their milk travels only a few hundred feet from the milking parlor to the soaproom instead of being purchased in bulk and transported across the country. It is often used in soap the same day it is collected.
That connection gives us greater oversight of one of the most important ingredients in every bar—from the way the goats are cared for to the way their milk is handled.
When you choose Goat Milk Stuff, you are choosing farm-fresh, from-scratch goat milk soap made by a family that knows its goats, knows its milk, and is proud to tell you where both came from.
Customer Questions About Our Goats
Does Goat Milk Stuff own its dairy goats?
Yes. The raw goat milk used in our soap comes from our own Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, raised on our 36-acre family farm in Scottsburg, Indiana.
Are the Goat Milk Stuff goats pasture-raised?
Our goats have access to pasture and wooded areas, along with barns that provide shelter during harsh weather. Their care also includes daily observation, appropriate food, fresh water, and hands-on health monitoring.
Are baby goats taken away from their mothers?
The answer depends on the breed. Alpine kids are bottle-raised as part of our herd-health and feeding program. Nigerian Dwarf kids are dam-raised because we found they did better staying with their mothers. We use the method that has worked best for each breed.
Are the goats given antibiotics?
Antibiotics are not routinely given. When a goat becomes sick and needs an antibiotic, she receives treatment, is milked separately, and her milk is discarded.
Are hormones used to make the goats produce more milk?
No. We do not give our goats growth hormones to increase milk production. Milk production follows their natural lactation cycle after they have given birth.
How often are the goats milked?
Our dairy goats are generally milked twice daily for approximately ten months. They receive a dry period during the final portion of pregnancy.
What happens to the baby goats?
We keep some babies to maintain or improve our herd. We work to place the others in good homes where they may become dairy or breeding goats, 4-H animals, pets, or pack goats.
Do you eat your dairy goats?
No. We do not eat our dairy goats. We invest a great deal of time in raising and caring for them and consider them part of the Goat Milk Stuff family.
Is Goat Milk Stuff an organic goat farm?
No. Our farm is not certified organic. We focus on organic practices such as pasture access, appropriate nutrition, health monitoring, necessary treatment, and keeping milk from treated goats out of our regular milk supply. We do not focus on expensive certification.