straining milk question

lonelyfarmgirl · #1 05/04/08, 04:23 AM

what do y'all use to strain milk?

Ive tried a strainer with a metal net, holes not small enough.

Ive tried cheesecloth, but it absorbs the milk, and creates a huge mess, plus the foam clogs up the pores.

what other options are there?

steff bugielski · #2 05/04/08, 05:17 AM

When I was starting out i used a funnel with a coffee filter. Now i use a milk strainer and milk filters from http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/p...&cat=17&page=1

Alice In TX/MO · #3 05/04/08, 06:34 AM

Milk strainer and disposable milk filters. Worth the money!

Because I am only milking two or three, I have the smaller stainless steel strainer.

http://www.caprinesupply.com/shop/?p...400d9b29af569c

Rockytopsis · #4 05/04/08, 06:38 AM

I use a large men's 100% cotton hankie over my milk pail to catch anything that might fall into the bucket while I am milking then when I get it into the house I use a regular ss strainer and filters that fit. Worth the money I paid for it cause I don't have to worry about the milk.

Shazza · #5 05/04/08, 08:48 AM

I have an aluminium funnel quite wide..and Milk filters we buy through our Dairy goat society...a pack of 100 and each one can be used a few times so lasts for ages.

ozark_jewels · #6 05/04/08, 08:51 AM

Depends on what goat I am milking. If it is a steady old pro(no feet lifting), I stretch a clean straining cloth(thin washcloth) over the mouth of a glass jug, put a rubber band around it to hold it in place and milk directly into it. When the jug is full, take the straining cloth off, lid on and in the freezer it goes for a quick chill before pulling it out and leaving it in the *cold* fridge.
If its a new or jumpy milker, I milk into the SS bucket, then strain through the same thing described above. Works great.
Most of the goats I milk straight into the jug and that saves me a step.
Milking cows now.......I use an aluminum strainer and filters. Three-four gallons a milking per cow(three milk cows) is too many jugs to milk into, so I always use a bucket.

Shazza · #7 05/04/08, 09:24 AM

I dont strain mine till I take it inside though....when I milk I do it into a stainless bucket.

Alice In TX/MO · #8 05/04/08, 10:21 AM

Shazza, how do you clean the filters between milkings?

topside1 · #9 05/04/08, 01:34 PM

Big mouth stainer is what I use....$6.49 I think, and well worth the small amount of money. I'm milking 6 goats and that stainer works for me. Of course you need to add a filter....

//http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/canning.html

lonelyfarmgirl · #10 05/04/08, 07:05 PM

wouldnt using cloth present the same problem as using cheesecloth?
I put cheese cloth over the top of a jar with a rubber band, but it absorbs the milk , and ends up leaking over the sides, thus creating a horrendous mess. Ive also waited to strain till I got in the house, but ultimately the same problem.

I dont see how someone could milk into a bucket. foot in the milk every time. I always use a mason jar and milk one handed.

Shazza · #11 05/04/08, 07:07 PM

I wash the filters when I wash up the buckets and then rinse with scolding water...then hang it over the funnel to dry. They are tough filters.

Shazza · #12 05/04/08, 07:10 PM

I use a bucket and get the occasional foot in the bucket, I have two buckets one to milk into and the other out of harms way for pouring the milk in after each goat.
If I have one that continuously puts her foot in the bucket, i'm afraid she's the first to sell...

Alice In TX/MO · #13 05/04/08, 07:44 PM

Orange, my Alpine, is milked into a chilled ice-bath bucket. She is *very* careful about her feet.

Princess, my LaMancha, is touchy. I milk her into a jar and add the milk to the chilled bucket.

Then, I filter when I get to the house.

topside1 · #14 05/04/08, 08:40 PM

Training will cure most goats who has nervous feet...and if training fails then the doe packs her things....

lonelyfarmgirl · #15 05/05/08, 12:11 AM

my goats really arent stompy or anything, its just well, murphys law, ya know? so long as you hold the jar close to the udder, she will always be a rock, but the second you let go of the container, something will come dashing out of the bushes, and scare the bejeebers out of her, hence foot in the milk ,milk on the ground..sigh.

sammyd · #16 05/05/08, 02:01 AM

We milk into a bucket then use regular milk strainer pads that we buy at fleet farm. We only had one goat milking so we just folded the strainer into a cone and put it on the top of a quart canning jar.
We have a SS strainer that the pads will fit for when we get around to milking more goats.

Rockytopsis · #17 05/05/08, 05:22 AM

Just a little thing I learned about my Loretta by accident. I had always milked her from the left side and DH always had to hold her legs or I always had to milk with one hand and have the other on the bucket to avoid dancing feet.

We changed the position of the milk stand so we could get to bothe sides of the goat to do hoofs. I just happined to set down on the RIGHT side of Loretta and low and behold she did not mind it. No more dancing feet. Who knew she was right handed.

lonelyfarmgirl · #18 05/05/08, 06:22 AM

thats very interesting. I always milk on the goats right.

also, apparently I am in the minority. I dont mix milk from different goats. I weigh it seperately, and it stays in seperate jars. Its just the way Ive always done it. am I weird or something?

Cloverbud · #19 05/05/08, 06:51 AM

I milk from behind, and find that I can block a fidgety foot before it gets into the pail.

Tana Mc · #20 05/05/08, 07:01 AM

I have noticed that if you milk one teat at a time, they tend to pick up their feet more. If you place the bucket well forward and milk both teats with two hands, even the younger, higher strung does tend to just kind of crouch a bit and keep their feet down on the stand.

I milk with a machine but still strain my milk when we go inside. I use a funnel or strainer depending on how much milk we have. I have been eyeing one of those "in line" milk filters for machines.

Tana Mc