Josh you wrote:
“But if every year more babies are born than adults die, eventually all the like-minded people in the area would have as many animals as they can handle, and then we're collectively in the same position that I individually started out in.
I guess I was hoping to hear that it's hypothetically possible to only make babies at replacement rate, and still get some amount of milk beyond what the calves drink. I don't think anyone so far has said that's actually impossible, but it sounds like almost nobody is even trying to do it, primarily because of the money side of things. Is that an accurate summary?”
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No that’s not an accurate summary.
It has nothing to do with money.
Few people do this because a) it’s another form of animal cruelty, just a more insidious one b) most permaculture folks don’t want to go against nature and nature’s patterns. Most accept and use natural rhythms and patterns of livestock in a permaculture way, instead.
With some goats you can lengthen lactation.
Personally, I’ve not seen the 7 years some are saying, but if it’s been done, then it can be possible. Just know it’s not the norm.
(For background, I’m a veterinarian and raise milk and meat and fiber sheep).
If you lengthen lactation even one month, you MUST *fully* milk every single day, no exceptions - that is more work than you might think - and provide the nutrition for it. Animals aren’t machines and aren’t any different than humans: you need nutritious food to continue chopping wood and building your house and gardens.
Something to consider is that while it sounds like you don’t want to slaughter or do factory farming methods, extending lactation is most definitely a factory farm method.
I don’t know that most people think of this, but extending lactation is very hard on the ruminant - it takes a lot of energy and resources to produce milk for the normal lactation period, never mind an extended one. And you are talking more than a season. They need a break. And deserve one. It’s the humane thing to do, like it or not. If you don’t, you will shorten their lifespan and happiness; and, you have to have very rich nutritious pasture year round to help produce that energy. Ideally you would plant both browse and graze for these ruminants.
Factory farms also add hormones to extend Lactation. Your local large animal vet can tell you how, if that’s the route you want to go.
Pushing nature too much is getting into factory farm territory.
Ruminants’ natural cycle is birth and death every year. You can and should sell the babies every year if you don’t want them. As the males grow, they end up fighting each other to the death each breeding season anyway- (and that’s what keeps the species strong, evolutionarily). But you want to avoid that blood bath and constant infighting by selling or butchering the males. Yearly. And keep only the best and healthiest.
It’s very permaculture to follow and use nature’s patterns to advantage, not change them, sorry to say.
If you want ruminants, you must be able to accept their natural life rhythms and *do your part* and act as the predator in the situation, which we humans are. Predators are supremely important. *We MUST do our part if we are to respect and honor and animals we keep*. (In the wild, this natural life and death rhythm is clear, beneficial to all parties involved, from microbe to plants to insects to birds to wolf and bear, and not “cruel”).
If you don’t want to butcher them yourself, as others have said, it’s very easy to sell them to someone who will, locally. Or donate the meat to a local food bank. After using the ruminants’ grazing and fertilizing abilities to mutual advantage. It’s amazing perfect food and free grazing and fertility for the local ecosystems.
Honestly in your situation, I would say keep the same sex ruminantS (never keep only one, they are herd animals) as pets and don’t milk or breed them, just use them for fertility in your veggie and fruit gardens, and buy your milk elsewhere. That is far more humane and no-kill, than extending lactation so much.
If you want milk from your own animals, allow nature to do it’s thing and learn from it - including that some practices that are no-kill are also cruel.
