Is this milk normal?!?!?

KimM · #1 05/04/06, 09:21 PM

Dana, my doe that is due this Saturday, has milk that is SUPER THICK just like Elmer's glue. It's white, not clumpy or bloody, no odor or anything like that but I have never seen anything like this!

Please tell me this is normal colostrum for a goat. This will be her third kidding.

The reason I'm checking her milk is, there are test strips that measure the amount of calcium in colostrum and you can predict when a mare will foal within 12-24 hours. You take .6 cc milk and mix it with 3 cc distilled water and dip in the strip and see how fast and how many of the 5 square pads change color. I've used them for 13 years with complete accuracy and so I thought maybe it would work for goats too. (I only milked out about a tablesoon.)
The thick milk just sat there in a glob in the water, I had to stir it up very thoroughly to get it to mix.

According to the test strips, the other doe (her first time) should kid within 24 hours.....presuming that the test strips work the same way.

Her milk is like normal regular whole milk.

homebirtha · #2 05/04/06, 10:49 PM

Our goats' colostrum is pretty thick. I wouldn't say it's Elmer's glue thick. But it's thick and really sticky and gooey. i.e. It's very hard to get off your hands or a bottle without soap. KWIM?

dezeeuwgoats · #3 05/04/06, 11:22 PM

It is normal! I had a goat that had colostrum so thick - it was hard to get it out of the teat. It was exactly the consistency of glue. Unreal texture, almost pudding. It took forever to milk her out that first time. I hear that the older the doe - the better quality the colostrum, so I try to save a bit out of my older does, as it is more potent, for those babies (of all species) that miss out on colostrum.

niki

KimM · #4 05/05/06, 09:32 AM

I'm not totally forum literate......what is KWIM stand for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebirtha

Our goats' colostrum is pretty thick. I wouldn't say it's Elmer's glue thick. But it's thick and really sticky and gooey. i.e. It's very hard to get off your hands or a bottle without soap. KWIM?

KimM · #5 05/05/06, 09:38 AM

Yes, almost like pudding! She is a 4 year old so that makes sense. Someone local that milks their dairy goats said that the thicker the colostrum, the higher quality and more rich in antibodies it is. I don't know if they know that for a fact or if they're just assuming but I just wanted to make sure that the milk would be safe for her kids. Maybe I will try to save a little and freeze it. She's got an udder like a jersey cow!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dezeeuwgoats

It is normal! I had a goat that had colostrum so thick - it was hard to get it out of the teat. It was exactly the consistency of glue. Unreal texture, almost pudding. It took forever to milk her out that first time. I hear that the older the doe - the better quality the colostrum, so I try to save a bit out of my older does, as it is more potent, for those babies (of all species) that miss out on colostrum.

niki

dezeeuwgoats · #6 05/05/06, 09:55 AM

It definately is a strange experience, that first time! I remember wondering if I had been given a goat without an orifice in one teat.....becuase the milk wouldn't come out. THAT'S how thick it was. When I finally did get some out (I don't know how a kid could have), I looked at this custardy glob in the milk bowl and it was kinda startling.....

Niki