Goats milk

It is the most consumed milk in the World.

More people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal in the world. Does are milked by hand or machine.

Goat milk has a more easily digestible fat and protein content than cow milk. It is more recommend for baby humans and animals. The glycerol ethers are much higher in goat than in cow milk which appears to be important for the nutrition of a nursing newborn.

Goat milk can successfully replace cow milk in diets of those who are allergic to cow milk.

Many dairy goats, in their prime, average 6 to 8 pounds of milk daily (roughly 3 to 4 quarts) during a ten-month lactation, giving more soon after freshening and gradually dropping in production toward the end of their lactation. The milk generally averages 3.5 percent butterfat. A doe may be expected to reach her heaviest production during her third or fourth lactation.

Feeding

Dairy goats need a good supply of roughage. Alfalfa hay is the most use choice for the basic nutrition Kids and bucks need a balanced grain ration and milkers should be fed a standard dairy grain ration. Kids are milk fed until two to three months of age, but should be consuming forages such as pasture grass or hay by two weeks of age and grain within four. All dairy goats should have loose minerals in a container that is free for them to lick whenever they want. Also fresh clean water is important. Dairy goats are very particular about the cleanliness of their food. There are a naturally curious and may lead them to investigate newly found items by sniffing and nibbling, but they quickly refuse anything that is dirty or distasteful.

Housing

Dairy goats adapt well in all climates. They do not need elaborate housing, but do require clean, dry, well ventilated, draft free shelter. They need at least 15 square feet of bedded area for each goat. The pasture area should be a minimum of 25 square feet of space per animal, well-drained and properly fenced. Dairy goats have a strong herd instinct and prefer the companionship of at least one other goat.

Bucks should be kept in separate quarters away from milking does.

Other products- goat cheese and chedder.

People are drawn to the vibrant tangy flavors found only in goat cheese. Great goat cheeses capture the essence of their native pastures and often exhibit fresh flavors such as of thyme tarragon rosemary lemongrass and pine.

goat milk is used in the preparation of body soap.

Back then it really wasn't much of an industry. Most people raised their own small herd of cattle and produced what they needed for their family. What little commerce existed was on an extremely local and mostly bartered basis. There would have been very little regulation (if any) regarding sanitation, safety, or pricing. Prior to 1864, pasteurization didn't exist. Sanitation, safety, and pricing are heavily regulated today. In much of the US it's illegal to sell unpasteurized dairy products and the pricing structure is hotly debated by the federal government.

There has also been a huge change in production since 1860. In the 1860's there would have been very little dairy surplus to export. In 2008, dairy exports from the US were nearly $4 billion.

Production per animal and per farm has increased greatly, too. Typical farms in the US milk over 100 cows that give over 70 lbs of milk a day, while back in the 1860's there were likely less than 10 cows per farm (probably more along the lines of 1 or 2) that would have given less than 30 lbs per day.

Aside from those differences, the biggest is probably technology. Milking is no longer the manual process it used to be. The milking machines still need to be put on by hand, but the suction is provided by machine. Nearly all pregnancies are due to artificial insemination. Modern refrigeration allows milk to stay fresh longer and be transported greater distances. Modern equipment for harvesting crops has made growing, harvesting, and storing crops much easier and requires much less manpower.

Another major technological advancement is our understanding of nutrition and veterinary medicine. Many diseases that were lethal in the 1860's are now prevented with vaccines and improved housing and sanitation or are treatable with modern vet medicine.

I hope that helps.

The Food and Drug Administration is largely responsible for convincing people that they need various animal products in their diets to be healthy. They are responsible for the food pyramid that is learned in grammar school. It's ingrained in us at an early age. Whatever agenda the meat and dairy industry may have is easily and quickly carried out by the FDA.
The FDA and the Department of Agriculture are closely linked and of course, lobbyists serve both groups quite loyally.
They are both masters at perpetuating lies.