Most forgiving goat's milk?

[simka2]

I have been reading some of the threads and read a post where someone said when they taste goats milk it screams, "GOAT!" I do not think I will be able to do that very well.

So, in your infinite wisdom, what breed of goat's milk is the most forgiving and non-goating tasting for this beginner.

I am all lined up to get a friends Nubian in milk, but I want to make sure I am not setting us up for failure. Please be honest with me....and tell me if I would just be better off getting a sheep.

PS, my friend owns a dairy and is going to be giving me the complete rundown, she has already mentioned that they milk directly into a container surrounded by ice. I love goat cheese, but I need to find an animal that is going to be versatile for us...milk, yougurt, ice cream and cheese products.
Thanks!

[francismilker]

My personal opinion of goat's milk is that it all depends on what, how, and sanitary conditions of feeding and milking. Goat milk that screams "goat" is caused by something. It's sometimes easy to figure the root cause of it and sometimes you'll pull your hair out with what mineral they're difficient in to solve the problem but it can be done if you're determined.

I don't think there's one breed that's better than the other. I've been milking sanaans, lamanchas, nubians, and alpines for a couple years now and my whole family says they can't tell the difference in taste between goat's milk and one of our jersey milk cows. I've heard from some that toggenburg milk has an off taste but I can't verify it.

[mabeane]

Nubian milk is pretty good and before I had a Nigerian Dwarf I thought Nubian was the best but....no, I mean no, goat taste in my NDs ever. Tastes like rich Jersey milk. I will never go back!

[gracie88]

Don't forget feed as well. My LaManchas never quite taste not-goaty (and I'm good with that) but there is way less goatiness in the winter when they are on alfalfa and grain rather than the summer when the bulk of their diet is browse.

[LoneStrChic23]

Sample the milk from the doe you're considering before purchasing. Any time I've ever had "goaty" milk is when something was off.... improper sanitation of milking equipment (solved when I purchased the dairy sanitizing kit from Hoeggers), unsanitary milking practices (when my 6 year old was learning to milk..lol), mineral deficientcy (we use Cargill Right Now Onyx minerals, copper bolus 3-4 times per year) or milk that is not strained & chilled quickly.

I'm currently milking an Alpine & the milk is delicious...... I've even had people who hate goats milk & goats cheese drink it & never knew they were drinking goats milk.

[mygoat]

It isn't mentioned much, but some goats naturally have stronger tasting milk because of an enzyme some produce called 'lipase'.

My raw milk is NOT the norm. It lasts maybe a day in the fridge before it turns goaty tasting. They overproduce lipase. When I pasteurize it right after I milk, the milk tastes just like cow's milk but just a little sweeter - for about 2 weeks before it starts going bad. The lipase enzyme is denatured when heated, so it cannot break down the milk to cause the bad flavor. From what I understand this is by NO means common anymore, but was selected for in some breeds like alpine and toggenburg because it is apparently desired for milk for cheesemaking.

MOST goats milk will taste like cow's milk, just varying degrees of sweeter. As long as you handle it properly and chill quickly, you should have absolutely NO problems with goaty taste. Do not use storebought goat's milk to judge - it usually tastes horrid.

[Creamers]

I have had a lot of different breeds' milk, and the handling and diet has been the same on some - I've always talked to a lot of people on it, and Nubians and Nigis usually get the best feedback, and this is followed by Saanens and Lamanchas. Alpines, for me, are consistently more goaty than others.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

My saanens have the most normal tasting milk. I have had alpines, and theirs tasted slightly 'off', comparitively. The toggenburgs I once had, YUCK! That is why I got rid of them. I also have obers, and their milk is fine.

[texican]

I think the breed of goat with the best milk is the 'clean goat' breed. Clean udders, clean milking area, no bucks anywhere near the does, clean pail, fast cooling, and cold fridge, make all the difference.

[ccfromnc]

Dumb question maybe but how far do bucks need to be away from does to not affect milk taste?

Our buck area is adjacent to the doe area but not connected. Do they have to make bodily contact or is just being nearby enough?

[francismilker]

Originally Posted by ccfromnc

Dumb question maybe but how far do bucks need to be away from does to not affect milk taste?

Our buck area is adjacent to the doe area but not connected. Do they have to make bodily contact or is just being nearby enough?

I think as long as you keep them from getting close enough for the buck's urine to make contact with the does body you'll be fine. I know it seems like we can all smell our buck pens for miles this time of year but I'm pretty positive it's the pee that ruin your milk concerning buck issues.


Another thing on flavor for me is to keep free choice baking soda out in the goat's pen. They'll treat is as a mineral and only eat what they need. I was mixing it in with the feed daily but have started leaving it out freechoice and they're just taking a small amount.

[NataliaTwoDoes]

We just started milking ours and not a single family member could taste the difference between the goats milk and cows milk only the texture which was described as creamier, more like half and half. We have had it raw though, I have not had raw cows milk to compare it to, just the storebought kind. We have Nigerian Dwarf Goats.

[DamnearaFarm]

Believe it or not, i'm having an issue regarding the taste our saanen's milk. Not the 'tastes goaty' complaint. My husband deems it 'flavorless, like pouring water on cereal' and has stopped using it entirely. I honestly think he's full of it- I seem to have pretty highly developed taste buds (and can't eat a lot of things because of it) and to me it either tastes like milk or goaty. And yes, i've tasted goaty-ness when other family members think it tastes fine.
Everyone else is fine with the milk so I finally broke down and bought him a gallon of 2% (what we used to use) yesterday. I opened the jug and the smell was REALLY off putting. How the heck can he drink that crap?!?!?

[Alice In TX/MO]

The buck in the doe pen issue is an old wive's tale. As long as you milk cleanly, the bucks can stay with the does. That is, if YOU don't mind their behavior.

If you decide to pen them away from the does, distance doesn't matter.

[nehimama]

Since August, I've had my buck in with my milking does. Not a HINT of buckiness or goatiness in the milk. And he REALLY does STINK. It's all in the cleanliness of your milking operation.

[missythemom]

I personally like Nubian milk, but that being said, it really is a combination of factors that can affect the taste of the milk. What type of hygiene is used, are the implements used to milk with clean and sanitary? What type of feed is used? There are those few things that need to be considered. I have tasted milk that had a bit of goatiness for flavor, but it was easily remedied through a bit of detective work.

[Cyngbaeld]

I've found that minerals are the biggest issue in taste of the milk. If the does are the least mineral deficient they will go for the strongest tasting weeds and it comes thru in the milk. Being a bit absent minded, I sometimes let their minerals run out and the taste of the milk reminds me to get the goats their minerals "toot sweet"!

[ccfromnc]

Thanks for the answers to my question. That puts my mind at ease that we don't have to reconfigure everything!

[simka2]

Originally Posted by Cyngbaeld

I've found that minerals are the biggest issue in taste of the milk. If the does are the least mineral deficient they will go for the strongest tasting weeds and it comes thru in the milk. Being a bit absent minded, I sometimes let their minerals run out and the taste of the milk reminds me to get the goats their minerals "toot sweet"!

This makes perfect sense to me! Thank you for connecting the dots the for me on this particular issue.

[LearningLife]

Our stinky bucks are in a pen adjacent to the does' pen, and there isn't a trace of buckiness or goatiness in the milk. Our NDs have very creamy, sweet milk. We keep the girls and their milking area clean, practice good milking techniques, and cool quickly after milking. Milk stays good in the fridge for a week or more.