Milk still undrinkable....help!

[TxMex]

My little FF dwarf nigerian still has undrinkable milk. I have wormed her and given her a copper bolus. I'm even giving her some sweet feed since I know that used to affect the flavor of my cows milk. She has a lovely udder for a FF and is doing great on the milking stand. I would really hate to dry her up early.

Any suggestions? I know some animals just give off flavor milk. I'm hoping there is a solution to this problem. Help!

[DaniR1968]

How long ago did she freshen? Also, please walk us through the milking. What do you clean her udder with? What do you milk into? Are you getting the milk inside and cooled off fast enough?

[TxMex]

She freshened on valentine's day. Difficult birth that ended up in a stillborn. I administered oxytocin for her to pass the placenta.

I wipe her down with a wet washcloth. She has been shaved, so there isn't any hair in the way. I milk into a large glass measuring cup. Strain immediately and put into the refrigerator. Something like 3 minutes from end of milking until milk is in refrigerator. Milk is completely sealed, so there is no way that it is picking up off odors from the refrigerator.

[Alice In TX/MO]

What is on the wash cloth?

Do you use a teat dip afterward?

Have you had her tested for mastitis?

Do you sanitize or wash your hands immediately before starting to milk (not before going to the goat pen)?

Do you milk the first quirts into a bowl for the cats or dogs and examine it for blood, flecks, clumps, etc?

What are you using for straining the milk?

Your Nigerian Dwarf needs hay and a very small amount of clean grain, not a molassesed grain.

[DWH Farm]

I would have it tested. The only time I have had off tasting milk the doe ended up having subclinical mastitis. The nasty milk was the only symptom. I see that you are in AR, are you near Fayetteville? The U of A tests, they even have a drive thru..

[LoneStrChic23]

We always brush Tootsie off, wash her with an iodine udder wash I bought from Hoeggers, milk, strain and chill in the freezer or ice/alcohol slurry. I bring Wet wipes (Wal-Mart brand....says antibacterial wipes for hands and face) to clean my hands with after I get her prepped for milking so my hands are clean before milking.

Always milk the first couple of squirts into a strip cup and let the cats have it.

I strain with a milk strainer and filters from Hoeggers.

I use Fight Bac teat spray after milking.

I never chill milk in the fridge unless I'm giving it to my bottle baby.......anything we drink is chilled in the freezer (I swirl it around every 15 minutes or so so I don't get a slushy) or in the alcohol/ice slurry.

I also never use the same cloth to wash the udder with....... I bought a pack of microfiber cloths at Sams and use a fresh one each miking, bleach wash and never use fabric softener on them.

Milk is fabulous....very creamy, slightly sweet and no smell

[Laverne]

What exactly is the taste. Salty, goaty, bitter? Does one side taste bad the other good?

[JDog1222]

How long does it normally take for the goats milk to start tasting good, after they kid?

[DWH Farm]

Originally Posted by JDog1222

How long does it normally take for the goats milk to start tasting good, after they kid?

We usually wait about 10 days but I have tasted it sooner and it was fine. It can vary by goat, though..

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Your Nigerian Dwarf needs hay and a very small amount of clean grain, not a molassesed grain.

This is a big one for goat keepers. Molasses is added to grain for it's iron content. Very beneficial to horses and cows, but iron inhibits the absorption of copper.
So in spite of mineral and bolusing - if your goat has a high-iron diet it can still be copper deficient.

No one's mentioned yet - what kind of plants does she have access to? Right now the greenest things around me are the new cedar tips and wild scallions everywhere. I don't milk my goats, but I would fully expect that to give the milk a funny flavor if I did and I'd have my milking goat penned away from it and I'd probably spend a lot of time grubbing it all out.

I'd go down to the feed store and get a strip test for mastitus (lol, working in a cow dairy made that my first step with anything off) and then I'd follow her around and see what she's eating. If the plant smells strong or rank it is likely to pass an off flavor on to the milk. Goldenrod will sometimes as well, though it's not strong smelling in itself, it depends on how much they eat.

Perhaps everyone else already knows also if she's penned near a buck?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Bucks do NOT make the milk taste bad. That's an old myth that we are *trying* to dispel. Bad milk handling with a buck nearby can contaminate the milk. Don't pet the buck's face and then milk your does. <YUK!>

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Bucks do NOT make the milk taste bad. That's an old myth that we are *trying* to dispel. Bad milk handling with a buck nearby can contaminate the milk. Don't pet the buck's face and then milk your does. <YUK!>

Easy killer! Smell carries is all. Yeah, if Mr Stinky is 3 feet away in the next stall - that's the same as sticking it in your fridge next to the onions. You don't have to dunk an onion in it - the smell just carries.
And you'd be surprised how many people stroll past the buck and just casually give him a little pet and then go on and milk and never think of it. If an animal shoves it's nose at me and I'm not thinking I'll just automatically pet it. "Swampy" dogs have caught me unawares more then once.
Come on - confess - you've done it... then bit your lip, prayed it was just mud and went to wash.

Not trying to "spread myths" or start a fight - just trying to cover all bases. I haven't seen TxMex's barn so how do I know she doesn't have to walk past the buck on her way to milk?

[TxMex]

No buck on the premesis. Though she has a large pen I rarely see her 'grazing'. Didn't know that about the iron in the sweet feed interfering with the copper. I'll change her feed and see if that helps. Thanks!

[CaliannG]

The big thing is: Have you tested her for mastitis yet?

You have mentioned changing her feed, giving her copper, etc., but I see no mention of the big thing that so very often throws off the taste of milk. Sometimes, the ONLY symptom of sub-clinical mastitis is bad tasting milk.

Have you tested her for mastitis yet? Until mastitis has been ruled out, that would be the reason I would go with, as it is THE most common reason for bad tasting milk.

[coso]

Bucks do NOT make the milk taste bad.

I agree, but I agree with Otter also, proximity is intoxicating. Bucks pee on themselves, and on the does and on you and on anything else that gets in their way when they are in rut. They rub on the does and on the doors to the barn etc, etc. I still have to put does up and get them down off of stands and wash udders. Keeping everything clean with a buck in the mix is a lot more difficult then without. That is why I keep my bucks seperate.

P.S. I have done it both ways.

[steff bugielski]

Enough is enough,
Maybe if you do not wash your hands the smell of the buck might get in the milk provided you let the milk run down your hands into the pail.
Kinda like saying if my DH has bad breath that my breast milk will taste bad.

The milk is contained in the udder and does not pick up smells. If your milking area stinks well then that could very well taint the milk but it should not smell . That alone is your problem.
I have and always have had a buck or two running with the girls. My milking are is clean and fresh smelling. My buck even goes up on the milk stand routinely to get his hooves trimmed. It still does not smell in there.

Health of the animal is the first thought for bad tasting milk.
Next look at sanitation. Is your pail and strainer and jars sanitizer not just washed, prior to use?
Do you wipe down, wash the udder and use a teat dip?
Do you wash your hands before milking?
Do you strain with a new single use filter and cool down to 45F within two hours?
How does the milk taste right from the goat? milk some into a cup and taste it.
Do you like goat milk?

[nehimama]

Originally Posted by TxMex

She freshened on valentine's day. Difficult birth that ended up in a stillborn. I administered oxytocin for her to pass the placenta.

I wipe her down with a wet washcloth. She has been shaved, so there isn't any hair in the way. I milk into a large glass measuring cup. Strain immediately and put into the refrigerator. Something like 3 minutes from end of milking until milk is in refrigerator. Milk is completely sealed, so there is no way that it is picking up off odors from the refrigerator.

Putting the milk directly into the fridge *may* be the problem here. Simply refrigerating does not chill the milk quickly enough. Grade A dairies must chill the milk to 38 - 42 degrees WITHIN 30 MINUTES. Here's what works for me:

Ice water bath directly after milking and straining. I use glass jars in a 5-gallon bucket, surrounded by ice and those permanent blue ice blocks. Then cold, COLD water up to the necks of the jars. My method works for me, and I use it every milking. Never get bad-tasting milk.

That said, I did have a doe once whose milk I just didn't like. Sometimes you get one like that.

Hope this helps.

[motdaugrnds]

Well, the first thing I would do is take a bucket of warm, soapy water (with some Hydrogen Pyroxide in it) out and wash her entire udder well (and up between her back legs and udder). I would then wash my own hands thoroughly with warm water and soap. Then I would squirt a tiny bit out of each of her nipples and send samples of the rest (both sides) off to have her milk tested. (Knowing me, I would probably also take a sip to see if it tasted salty.)

I simply would milk and discard the milk until I heard back from the testing lab.

TxMex, from what you've told us, I don't see any reason to suspect the sweet feed or grazing. (I do think wiping her off with plain water is not as efficient as washing her with warm soapy water.) Not really knowing much about your goat experiences, I am wondering (like Steff) if you "like" goat milk. (Some people think it simply isn't good...duh!) I am also wondering about the size of your goat's nipples compared with the size of your own hands and what care you give your hands prior to milking. (Now don't get angry please. I am trying to help; not hurt.)

You did say you have no buck around. Since others have brought this up and there is a slight controversy about a buck's influence on milk, I must add my experience with this issue. We have two (2) herd bucks we keep with our does most of the time. Neither buck smells except when they are in rut; and they get baths during those times. This means we do NOT have smelly bucks! Thus, there is no buck smell in our barn influencing milk production. (Now maybe this isn't true with other herds. I simply don't know how bucks in other herds are tended to. I can only speak for our herd.)

Again, TxMex, your doe's milk needs to be tested and cleanliness needs to be examined.