# Milking Boers?



## LMK17 (Feb 1, 2018)

Anyone ever milked and/or tasted milk from a Boer?

We have a handful of Boers.  Honestly, I have no real use for them.  They clear *some* brush on our place, they are *kind of* useful in our grazing system, and we *might* sell some eventually, but they essentially came with our place and are honestly more like big pets at this point than useful livestock.  I was considering getting a dairy goat and letting the Boers provide company for the dairy girl, but the another milk goat thread mentioned trying to milk meat goats, so...

We currently have 3 pregnant does.  Rather than investing in a dairy goat at this point-- to be honest, I've never had goats' milk or cheese that I like, so I'm hesitant to go out and purchase a dairy goat-- I'm considering trying to milk one of the Boers a few weeks after she kids.  Figure it's a low cost way to see if our family can transition from store bought cows' milk to homegrown goats' milk.  I do realize a meat goat isn't going to produce as well as a dairy goat; that's fine with me for this little experiment.

My main concern is the taste of the milk.  Again, I've never liked goats' milk.  I've had store-bought goat milk, which I know has a reputation for being nasty, but I've also sampled goat cheese at the local farmers' market, and I found that too goaty, too.  I know that certain breeds of goats are known to have stronger or milder tasting milk.  Anyone know where a Boer falls on that spectrum? 

And has anyone successfully transitioned their family from 100% cows' milk to 100% (or nearly so) goats' milk and cheese?  Any tips?

Also, here's a total newbie question:  You pasteurize BEFORE cooling the milk, right?  So milk, filter, etc, then pasteurize, then quickly cool, right?


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## Mini Horses (Feb 1, 2018)

Years back I had a large herd of Boers here in VA....brought in from TX.   This is when the breed was first introduced and in quarantine, basically.   Anyway........they were for meat.  Meat sales, that is.   During my trip there to make my purchases, I also went to a farm VERY active in goats and I bought some Nubians who were implanted with FB Boer kids.   All came back to VA shortly after.

When they kidded I did milk both -- to same colostrum "in case" -- and to actually taste.    The Boer milk is quite a bit richer in taste, more sugars/butterfats.  Their kids are born fairly large and consume a good amount to grow quickly.   The Nubians were from a dairy herd, heavy milk producers, large animals, so very good for raising the kids.   Their milk was not as rich to my taste.  It was like full dairy, as opposed to 2% many buy.

I had never had goat milk but was a big milk drinker.   The Nubian was more to my liking for straight up drinking.  Now, I have both Nubian & Saanen goats.  My preference is the Saanen milk!!   Nubs have a little more fats so for cheese it is nice.  Niggies are a touch too sweet for me, great for cheese.

I would suggest that you find a local with goats being milked and taste test.    There are a lot of members here who live in TX, surely someone is close to you with some goats.  For me, the Saanen milk is as good as any cow milk I have ever had.  It is not off flavored.  I milk and cool at once.  Personally I do not pasteurize.  Also my Saanens give about 1.5 gal per day each and will milk beyond 10 months if I want to keep them going.   Kept one going almost 15 months and she dropped to about 3/4-1 gal.  Thought I'd never get her to dry up!!


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## Goat Whisperer (Feb 1, 2018)

I think @ragdollcatlady milked boers. Maybe she’ll chime in. 

I would try it. 
Make sure they are not running with a buck though- it makes the milk nasty 

You can pasteurize before or after you chill the milk. I don’t have time to pasteurize in the morning so generally chill the milk and pasteurize when I have time. 

Chilling the milk quickly is important, those that deal with off flavor milk after pasteurizing often times do not chill the milk fast enough. 

Sanitary milking practices and milk handling is very important as well.


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## LMK17 (Feb 1, 2018)

Goat Whisperer said:


> I think @ragdollcatlady milked boers. Maybe she’ll chime in.
> 
> I would try it.
> Make sure they are not running with a buck though- it makes the milk nasty
> ...



Yeah, no bucks here, just does.  When we bought this place, the previous owners split their herd.  About half stayed here, and half went with them.  This past fall, we bred our does to one of the young bucks that were born here last year, but we took the girls to him.  Just does on this farm, so no worries about yucky buck milk. 

I'm thinking I'll pasteurize immediately and then cool the milk in our ice cream maker.  Should work just fine for the small-ish amount I'm expecting to get.  I'm excited!  

So, from a sanitation standpoint, I'll want to disinfect the teats, strip some milk/inspect, then milk, then clean/moisturize the teats again, is that right?  I'm thinking that once the kids are a few weeks old (like a month?), I'll lock them up at night and milk first thing in the morning before reuniting Mom and Kid.  Kids are due mid-April.

Before I get started, what should I test my goats for? To be honest, as far as I know, they've never been tested for Johnnes, CAE, or CL.  (We've had these girls for 7 months; previous owner did not test them, and I haven't gotten around to it, yet.)  Probably should do a TB test, too?  Anything else?  All we've done so far is vaccinate for CD/T.


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## Latestarter (Feb 2, 2018)

I tested all of my adults as soon as I got them home (or shortly thereafter) before I started drinking the milk. I have Lamanchas. I tested for CL/CAE/Johnes. Results took about 10 days. If you can draw the blood yourself, the tests are not that expensive. If not, perhaps your vet or vet tech can draw for you and you send it in. I had the vet do it all as they charged $5 more than the tests would have cost me and I didn't have to buy blood tubes, packaging, chill packs, postage, etc. Mine cost I believe $35/goat. You could really drop the samples off as I believe you're in the general area of Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory  https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/  The link has the test pricing as well.

I was always told get the milk chilled as fast as possible as the primary concern. Everything else can wait. The quicker you get it cooled, the longer it will taste good and the better it will taste overall. If you've read @babsbag s journal about her jumping the moon dairy, she recently posted how fast you have to cool and the "grades" the milk is assigned based on same. I filter as soon as finished milking then refrigerate... That rates an "E" grade  But I'll tell you that it tastes as good or better than dairy purchased raw cows milk and noticeably better than store bought whole milk. I drink it raw. At peak my girl (only milked one) was producing just less than a gallon a day at peak (morn/eve milking) and when I started drying her off, she was doing about a quart a day w/one milking. She was a first freshener.

I wash teats and udder (and my hands) with very warm water w/liquid dawn, then dry teats, udder & hands. I then try to NOT touch any other part of the goat until milking is complete (It's harder than you might think). Some folks use a little bleach in their solution. Others use ready made sanitizing wipes like you'd use on a baby's butt. I then strip a couple of rounds onto the ground to make sure there's no blockage, the milk is warm, white (no blood), no chunks, no smell, etc. Some bring paper cups and strip into them to inspect. Then I milk into a stainless steel pail/pan/container. I then applied a coating of bag balm to the teats, washed my hands with the left over warm water and dried them with the towel, then headed to the house and filtered then refrigerated the milk.

I think, if you do a blind taste test, you'll either not be able to tell the difference, or will choose the goat's milk as the store bought (better tasting). Providing of course that you handle properly and cool quickly.


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## babsbag (Feb 2, 2018)

I haven't milked Boers but there milk is supposed to be very rich and delicious. 

They do make and actual strip cup you can buy, it has a screen in it so any clumps in the milk are caught in the screen and easily seen. I spray the teats with Fight-Bac after milking. I have also heard that it is good to feed right after milking so the goats will be standing up while the orifices on their teats close; less chance of mastitis.  But mine get grain on the milkstand so that aren't too interested in hay after that.


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## LMK17 (Feb 4, 2018)

Thanks again for the advice/thoughts!  I'm really getting excited to give this a try!  I've gotten a bit attached to these goats, but it's been hard to justify keeping them.  If we can milk them *and* if we enjoy the milk, then they can earn their keep!  

We're about 2.5 hours from the testing lab, so probably not worth the round trip drive.  Anyway, I really ought to establish a relationship with the vet.  We have the vet chosen, but the only thing we've used them for is a quick recheck when one of the puppies got bitten by a copperhead last summer.    We vaccinate ourselves, and I can draw blood, no problem, but we haven't had the vet out for anything livestock related.  Probably no time like the present.  

What would you all say is the bare minimum in supplies that I should have before the first milking?  We really have nothing right now.  I don't want to break the bank for what I consider an experiment.  On the other hand, don't want to sabotage my efforts by not being prepared.


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## Latestarter (Feb 4, 2018)

I suggest a sturdy bucket/bowl to milk into... glass or stainless. A 2nd receptacle to have warm/soapy/chlorine enhanced water in to wash udder and teats with. A towel to dry same as well as your hands after washing. Most who milk have a milking stand for their girls. I just clip mine to the cattle panel fence. No sense building/buying a milk stand if you're not sure you're going to continue. Most here use a spray called "fightbac" to spray the teat orifices after milking. I simply give them (teats) a nice coating of bag balm afterwards. I'm sure that or even vaseline will work for a few times while you determine if it's something you'll continue with. When I started I used a funnel with a coffee filter to filter the milk. Not as efficient as spending the bucks for an actual metal milk funnel and the associated filters. Some use cheese cloth, but I think the pores there are much larger than a coffee filter. I filter the milk into canning jars. When done I seal them and put directly in the fridge. Normally the milk is warm so as it chills it vacuum seals the jar.


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## Goat Whisperer (Feb 4, 2018)

LS gave some good info, but I have found the bag balm attracts dirt. I stopped using it  and went to Dynamint udder cream for chapped udders. Teat spray/dip is used to disinfect the teats after milking.

I use fightbac because it’s easy, and I like chlorhexidine over iodine. I keep a gallon of chlorhexidine on the shelf for other use.  It’s effective against gram positive and gram negative bacteria and does not become inert when it comes into contact with organic material (bleach and iodine do, however). I do like that the fightbac chills the teat (which will help close of the orifice) and also blows off any milk that is still on the teat. It’s worth the $11 to me. One can will last a long time, and I use it on so many things.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/fight-bac-22oz


I would be concerned that Vaseline could seal in unwanted bacteria.

Below is a link for some SS milk pails.
You would probably be fine to get 2, 2 quart pails. One for milking, one for the udder wash. If you don’t want to continue milking, the pails can be repurposed.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/stainless-steel-pails

I really like the mini strainer from Hoegger supply. They are great for small quantities of milk! I think it was around $15 + $8 for 300 filters.

You can use just about anything for a strip cup.

We use 1/2 gallon mason jars. But quart jars might be better for you. You can get these at walmart. You can’t ever have enough jars- they can be used for many things.

For the udder wash- we use soap/bleach water. If the goat has dirt on her udder I’ll usually spray fightbac and wipe with a paper towel, then wash with the udder wash.

We test our goats annually for CAE, CL, and Johne’s.


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## LMK17 (Feb 9, 2018)

I could totally use a stand/head catcher for the goats.  Even if I don't continue milking, I could use one for shots and hoof trims!  (Currently, DH holds one by the horns while I administer the treatment, or vice-versa.)  Any recommendations for ready-made stands or plans to build one?  Please and thank you!  

The goats are kind of friendly, but they only tolerate so much petting.  And the other day, I tried reaching down toward one of the girl's udders, just to see how she would respond.  She tried using her horns on me.  Bah.  Any suggestions for calming a reluctant milker?


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## Latestarter (Feb 10, 2018)

I clip their collar to the fence, making sure the head is as high as it can go under tension so they can't lower it. Obviously a milk stand would hold them by the head, so much safer with respect to horns. But they can still kick out/up/back/fwd... all around and some choose to lay down... You may have to tie down the rear legs by the hocks to the milk stand as well, at least initially, until she figures out that you're not trying to kill her and that you're not going to give up/give in/stop.


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## BCBunnies (Feb 14, 2018)

I milk both a Boer doe and a Toggenburg. In all honesty I prefer milking my Boer. She tolerates it better (my Togg likes to kick where the Boer just sighs and figures if she stops fighting it will be over sooner), the flavor is milder (my in laws think it's cows milk), and she gives more with less effort. I keep kids on them full time, but for nearly the same amount of milk I milk the Boer in the morning and the Togg twice a day. The Boer was a second fresherner with a singleton and my Togg was a first freshener with a singleton. We bought a used clipping stand and built a feeder to go in front of it. That was our least expensive and less back breaking option. Maybe check local 4-h youths for a used stand if you want to keep on with milking. I second the mason jars for milk storage, and I even milked into the jars in a pinch. Good luck milking and keep us updated on how it goes.


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## Latestarter (Feb 14, 2018)

Welcome back @BCBunnies Been a Looooooooooong time since your 1st post!  How would you describe the flavor of the Togg milk? I ask because many have stated (categorically) that Togg milk has a very strong "goaty" flavor. I've never tasted it so have no idea. I have had Lamancha and Nigie milk. Both were just fine to me


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## LMK17 (Feb 25, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> ... You may have to tie down the rear legs by the hocks to the milk stand as well, at least initially, until she figures out that you're not trying to kill her and that you're not going to give up/give in/stop.



I had to LOL at that comment!  The goats are definitey over the top with their reactions to just about everything!  So much fun trying to trim hooves or give meds or whatever.     I still enjoy them, though!



BCBunnies said:


> I milk both a Boer doe and a Toggenburg. In all honesty I prefer milking my Boer. She tolerates it better (my Togg likes to kick where the Boer just sighs and figures if she stops fighting it will be over sooner), the flavor is milder (my in laws think it's cows milk), and she gives more with less effort. I keep kids on them full time, but for nearly the same amount of milk I milk the Boer in the morning and the Togg twice a day. The Boer was a second fresherner with a singleton and my Togg was a first freshener with a singleton. We bought a used clipping stand and built a feeder to go in front of it. That was our least expensive and less back breaking option. Maybe check local 4-h youths for a used stand if you want to keep on with milking. I second the mason jars for milk storage, and I even milked into the jars in a pinch. Good luck milking and keep us updated on how it goes.



Thanks for chiming in!  That's all really great to know, especially that it fools your ILs.  My children have already begun complaining that they don't think they'll like goats' milk.    So, the milder the better!  Also a good tip on the used stand from 4H.  Thanks again!

I'm thinking I'll test the does for CL, CAE, Johnes, Brucellosis, and TB.  Perhaps I'll split the difference and have the vet run the TB (since I'm pretty sure only they can do it?), and then I'll draw the other samples and send them off, depending on the price difference.  Darn vet charged me $100 more this past week for dog meds than what 1800PetMeds is selling the same thing for.  Kind of ticked me off.  I mean, I get that they mark stuff up, but $100?!? Plus they're vaccinating for like 75% more than what I can get the shots for at the feed store.  Maybe need to find a new vet... 

In other news, the does are due mid-April, but only one really looks to me like she's pregnant.  I'll post pics soon to get ya'lls take.


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## BCBunnies (Apr 25, 2018)

Sorry for the wait on the post, and thanks for the welcome back @Latestarter

 The Togg milk definitely had a little more flavor,  but nothing like I was expecting based on info online. We feed a good horse quality coastal hay and they get turned out to good green average Texas pasture. I think the taste of the Togg milk is mostly if they eat stronger flavored food. Such as I've seen her favor dandelions when they creep to the edge of the pasture. She wasn't in milk then, but I'm sure as many as she would eat, they would have imparted some flavor.
 Right now I'm milking out another Boer doe, second freshener with a singleton. Got an easy pint off of her on day 2 after having the buckling. I will be milking her once a day, since she is my wild doe and a hard catch. She stood like a perfect lady to be milked though for the first time trying her. Maybe she was playing nice hoping we would let her go sooner, or is saving antics for later.
 We are saving her milk for a couple of Nubian bottle babies, so I can't comment on taste of her milk yet. She did seem to have creamier milk than any I had previously milked.


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