milking question

[KimM]

How long after a doe freshens do you start taking the milk for drinking?
This is more out of curiosity but does anyone use the colostrum for consumption? I see cows' colostrum for sale for alleged health benefits and was just wondering. Being so rich, wouldn't it make good cheese or something?
Please don't laugh! Ahh well, go ahead, I can take it.

[Jubel]

It can take up to 10 days for the milk to taste right.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Technically most does are in milk by the 5th milking, so the 3rd day after freshening it's milk. You can easily tell by nuking milk, if there is only boiled milk at the end and not little erasers in it, she is in milk.

Colostrum is a valuable comodity to others with orphan animals, zoo's, vet clinics and body builders. At $60 a gallon, I wouldn't be making it into pudding or any of the other recipes you can find all over the internet for use of colostrum. Google it, it's a delicacy in many countries. My body builders use it to repair muscles...does it work, I have no idea and dont' care they came to me vicki

[steff bugielski]

I milk out any extra at day one. I drink the colostrum myself. It has valuable health benefits and it does not taste bad. I also sell some for 2x what I am selling milk for. Usually there is only a little left for me.
I find milk is milk around day 4-5.

[KimM]

So if you were to collect colostrum to sell by the gallon (or half gallon or whatever size) for orphaned animals, would you heat-treat it first and then freeze it?
I'm not milking yet. It's just something I wanted to know about ahead of time.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Yes I sell heat treated colostrum in 20 ounce water bottles, about 16 ounces in it for $10. I also use my 1/2 gallon milk jugs I sell milk in to sell colostrum raw to dog folks, to minature horse folks, to other places....and then I sell 1/2 pints that I get from the same place Bordens that makes my 1/2 gallon milk jugs to sell frozen raw colostrum to people.

I only collect the first 12 hours to heat treat for goats, for other sales it is all the milkings I can do in the fist 24 hours. I only sell for humans or for other livestock colostrum out of young milkers, I don't even use it in my own herd. Vicki

[hoofinitnorth]

Yes, you can drink the colostrum but I think it's an acquired taste. I think it was Rockefeller that drank human colostrum or breast milk every day for several decades, IIRC.

If your herd is tested negative for CL, CAE, and Johne's, your market will probably find no need for heat treated colostrum. Remember, Johne's is not killed by pasteurization.

[KimM]

Originally Posted by hoofinitnorth

Yes, you can drink the colostrum but I think it's an acquired taste.

I have to admit that once I tasted a tiny bit of horse colostrum and it reminded me almost of sweetened condensed milk, not quite as sweet though but pretty good.

I think it was Rockefeller that drank human colostrum or breast milk every day for several decades, IIRC.

AAACKY!!

Remember, Johne's is not killed by pasteurization.

Oh wow, I did not know that. Thank you.