Milking?

Bubbas Boys · #1 06/04/14, 06:54 AM

So, out girls ( 2 Nubians) are 1 week freshened. We are going to start separating the kids at night and start milking them in am as per advise on this forum. We really want to like the milk and are very excited to try it since we drink a lot of it. Can anyone give me the proper steps to make the milk the best it can be? How long can we expect the milk to last if we don't pasteurize? Any advise from people doing it would be great. Also, what kind of amounts can we expect? They are first timers!

nehimama · #2 06/04/14, 07:13 AM

Absolute cleanliness of your milking vessels and utensils is a must. ASAP, Filter into clean glass jars & put in ice water bath for at least 30 minutes. (A dairy thermometer can help you see when the milk has chilled sufficiently.) Some folks will just put the warm jars in the fridge or freezer. This just won't do! Grade A dairy results: bring the milk temp down to 38 - 40 degrees WITHIN 30 MINUTES. The fridge just won't accomplish this.

Once chilled, store the milk in the coldest part of your refrigerator. I've found that unpasteurized milk processed in this manner is good for several days. If it gets too old, the pigs or chickens will enjoy it, dogs, too.

I'm sorry, but I can't advise on how much milk to expect from your girls.

harvestmoonfarm · #3 06/04/14, 07:43 AM

I'd wait another week. I never separate until the kids are 2 weeks old. By waiting you can be sure all the colostrum is out of the does' systems, and also give the kids another week to grow before removing them from their dams for 12 hours each day.

Bubbas Boys · #4 06/04/14, 08:48 AM

Great advise Nehimama, and I forgot to mention that we are not separating until 2 weeks. They are a 1 week now and this Sunday night will be the first night of separation. Thanks

SnowGoats · #5 06/04/14, 09:40 AM

Another thing to be aware of is that some goats produce colostrum for a longer time. One of my does keeps up with colostrum production for nearly a month. If your milk is not tastey but has a bitter after taste that is probably the problem and give your does another week. And as the other smart ladies have stated, filter and cool your milk as quickly as possible.

lovinglife · #6 06/04/14, 02:10 PM

A good diet is very important for good milk, if they eat a lot of weeds or odd browse your milk may not be the greatest, plus they need good minerals and clean fresh water all the time. Just FYI my Nubian milk is the best! Good luck!

Bubbas Boys · #7 06/04/14, 03:33 PM

They are on a large dry lot and get alfalfa hay. I recently got some spent brewers grain for our feeder pigs and chickens, could I feed them some? What would be the results in the milk? Anyone know? What do I do to boost there copper? I have heard of copper bolus, but what is it and where do we get it? How often? Thanks

**mygoat** · #8 06/04/14, 03:49 PM

I offer a quality loose goat mineral free choice with decent levels of copper (Sweetlix magnamilk). I also copper bolus 2-3x per year - at least 1 month pre-breeding and 1 month pre-kidding. I don't like the 'goat' sized boluses available because they only make inadequate sizes (IMO) so I buy the copasure copper boluses for CATTLE, and open them up. I use a gram scale I bought cheap off of ebay, and the 'goat' size empty boluses from Jeffers to repackage them at a rate of 1 g per 22lbs body weight.

If you would like more milk, adding grain SLOWLY to the diet is a good idea. I usually start increasing grain intake the last month of pregnancy to support fetal growth as well as mammo/lactogenesis. Lactation is the highest nutrition/energy demand of ANY lifestage (yes, much more so than pregnancy) so if nutrition is limiting, they'll just decrease their output. In times of very low nutrition, they will dry up and allow the offspring to starve, even - not likely in homes with good care, but interesting nonetheless.

It's a balance as diets that are excessive in grain/carbs is not ideal either - the basis for any good diet should be forage, which you already have with the alfalfa hay.

grasser · #9 06/04/14, 04:42 PM

My wife puts one of those reusable ice packs in her milk bucket every milking before she even starts milking. This is instantly cooling the milk as she milks. Then she filters it and puts it in the fridge.
She gets about a gallon a day from her Nubian.
We haven't bought a gallon of milk in 2 months, saving our family of 6 around $100 so far...

Bubbas Boys · #10 06/04/14, 07:17 PM

We have 5 boys 9 and under so we are going through the milk like crazy. We are hoping that we can like the milk and the girls are giving a good amount. Thanks

Alice In TX/MO · #11 06/04/14, 08:40 PM

I get heebie jeebies at the thought of putting something like that in my milk. Sorry.

Clovers_Clan · #12 06/05/14, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I get heebie jeebies at the thought of putting something like that in my milk. Sorry.

Ziplock baggie of ice cubes also works well. Never had one leak but if it ever did, completely safe. Ziplock sandwich bags come sanitized.

Alice In TX/MO · #13 06/05/14, 06:46 AM

Single use, I can understand. Repeated use of a plastic product.... nope.

Just me, but I've never had trouble getting milk cool.

Bubbas Boys · #14 06/05/14, 06:58 AM

Oh ok. I thought you were talking about the spent brewers grain having negative effects on the milk. haha!

Alice In TX/MO · #15 06/05/14, 08:37 AM

The discussion about spent brewers grain is that it can be moldy.

Are you getting wet or dry grain?

Bubbas Boys · #16 06/05/14, 09:30 PM

The feed is wet

Alice In TX/MO · #17 06/05/14, 09:45 PM

Potential for mold is too great. I wouldn't do it. Mold can kill a goat.

wintrrwolf · #18 06/06/14, 03:02 PM

ok what kind of amount can you expect ...don't. Expect as low as a cup up to a gallon and you will be happy with anything in between.

NONE of my first fresheners have given me a gallon a day. My third year freshener has given me a gallon plus still fed her kids during the day.
My FF that I am milking now has been giving me 3lbs of milk a day, she is on a dairy ration with a little bit of BOSS and alf pellets, free choice hay/minerals, and rep plus, she is maintaining good weight, looks wonderful, and her milk tastes amazing!
My FF of last year gave me about a pound a day from once a day milking. Shared her with her daughter. Her milk had an aftertaste I did not really like. So this year I will separate her kid(s) and see if the flavor improves. I will say I had wanted to wait to breed her until she was over a year but she had other ideas and bred at 8-9 months.

There are MANY factors that can change volume and taste that is the most fun.

Carolinablue · #19 06/06/14, 08:26 PM

I've found that one key to good sweet milk is keeping their hoof trimmed and clean. If hooves aren't trimmed, manure packs in their feet harboring excess bacteria. This is what gives milk that goatee spell and turns people against goats milk.
I have been milking goats for a couple of years now, Nubians, and put in straight into a cold fridge. I have had milk to keep for up to a month. I sure don't sell it, but we'll use it ourselves and believe you me, I detest soured milk.