# May not be able to do goat milk...Is it just me?



## EggsForIHOP (Oct 11, 2010)

Okay...so I like goats, actually find them quite entertaining.  My mom had a couple when I was a kid, and apparently I drank goat milk no problem.  YEARS AGO though...from her goats...fresh milk....

SO...we've got the whole barn yard thing rocking...chickens, the horses...pigs....I'm liking this.  Not really lucrative, not really saving a ton.  But VERY satisfying in it's own way - I would much rather watch the chickens run the yard on a Friday night than go out and party - I'm an odd duck and proud of it  .  The idea of goats has been brought up recently - honestly now, my husband LOVES cabrito and drinks milk like it's going out of style, and I am a fan too, though not as much as him.  There are already goats in the neighbor hood, though I know they are not milked ever ('cause I asked).  

So...as an experiment...we* bought *a tiny thing of goat milk at the grocery store and guess what.  I personally found it yucky.  Sorry, but it tasted goaty, like how a goat smells, and while I like the smell of goat ON a goat, I DO NOT like it in my milk!  Couldn't do it, tried it with cereal, had to just say no. *Is it because it was store milk? Or is it me?*  Because if that's the flavor from the real deal fresh out the yard milk, it's maybe a no go with the goats.  BUT...if ya'll say that fresh goat milk is much better...then I shall locate some just for a taste test.   

i know, there's the whole soap/cheese making aspect as well...but we are only in the process of discussing this currently, and I wanted to do research on the milk thing first.  I like goat cheese, never tried yogurt from goat milk...I DO see other options here....but I just have to ask - is it supposed to taste that way?


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## Hollywood Goats (Oct 11, 2010)

It is the store milk, fresh goats milk tastes just like cows milk maybe sweeter.


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## ChksontheRun (Oct 11, 2010)

I personally find that fresh goats milk tastes no different from cows milk most of the time.  One day, they spilled their bucket of water (have that fixed now) and were a little dehydrated, that day it tasted goaty, and whey you have a buck in rut around the girls, it tastes goaty.  Otherwise, it is wonderful.  I do find that as it gets older, say 3-4 days old, it starts to taste goaty.  Maybe that is why it tastes that way from the store.  I know it can't be as fresh as 1-2 days old from the store.


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## Roll farms (Oct 11, 2010)

I don't know how they handle it before it gets to the grocery, but I did the same thing years ago (bought goat milk at the store), thinking "It will have been through USDA processes and be 'extra clean' and therefore give me a good idea of taste."  
I tried it... and it was GROSS.

In fact, I refused to drink our goat milk for years because of that.  I'd cook with it but never drink it.

Now I drink it daily and LOVE it.

Try some fresh goat milk from a person who keeps 'clean' goats / washes udders / cools the milk quickly...all of that is as important to the taste as well as what the goats eat.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Oct 11, 2010)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Try some fresh goat milk from a person who keeps 'clean' goats / washes udders / cools the milk quickly...all of that is as important to the taste as well as what the goats eat.


I agree 100%!!!  It should taste great!!  Even fresh cows milk will taste differant from the store bought.  So maybe you should try that too.  Fresh of anything taste differant from the store bought.  I cannot eat eggs out or from the store anymore, at all.  They are soooo yukky compared to fresh eggs.  So please dont give up!  When handled properly its delicious!


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## ohiofarmgirl (Oct 11, 2010)

> . Is it because it was store milk? Or is it me?


yep. our goat milk tastes like the freshest, cleanest, most creamy cows milk you've ever had. 

but if you dont like it - you dont like it. i'd say DONT base your conclusion on the store goat milk. and here's the thing -- if you dont like it (thats fine) but you can feed your whole barnyard goat milk and save a ton of money. so it would be worth it to give it a whirl. and goats in milk seem to be easy to sell... so whats the worst thing that could happen?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 11, 2010)

Raw goat milk handled properly should just taste like milk. I'm currently feeding my goat sage to help dry her up and it still tastes like milk. Store bought is pasteurized and who knows how it is handled or what those goats have been fed.


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## freemotion (Oct 11, 2010)

It was most likely pastuerized, maybe even UHT pastuerized, which would make it taste horrid.  I stopped even heating milk for my morning hot chocolate because if I forgot it for even a half a minute and it got too hot or even pastuerized, it tasted terrible.  The hotter it got, the goatier it got.  If it didn't get to that point, it still had a funny flat, cooked taste.  Ick.  I learned to enjoy my chocolate warm from the goat and drink about 16-24 ounces every single morning.


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## rebelINny (Oct 11, 2010)

The above post is soooooooooo true. The hotter it gets the goatier taste it gets. I make cheese and don't even bother eating the cheese that accidently got too hot cause it taste terrible. However the stuff I watch very carefully taste like mozzarella!!! YUM!!


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## warthog (Oct 11, 2010)

I agree with everything said.  I don't keep my goats for milk, but had to milk one out, due to congested udder.  The milk tasted wonderful, as someone already said like creamy fresh cows milk, only a little sweeter.

Good Luck and


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## TigerLilly (Oct 11, 2010)

I am so glad you posted this question! I was thinking about it but never got around to it...I did the same thing you did, EggsForIHOP; bought the canned stuff & mixed water with it like it said. Tasted just like my buck smells! I was very disappointed, to say the least. It's good news that I have something to look forward to. I'm hoping it tastes a whole lot different when it is fresh!


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## TheSheepGirl (Oct 11, 2010)

It does taste different when fresh and is pretty good according to my mom. I always thought it tasted goaty, no matter where I get it from. 

I used to like it a while back about three years ago.

I will admit that my friends Nubian doe makes good milk, but our La mancha pigmy doe makes gross, goaty milk. 

Do you think that could be the pigmy in her?


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## Aegipan (Oct 11, 2010)

Just chiming in to say that if it is handled right and your goats are healthy and well fed the milk is no different than cow milk. We had a similar experience with goat milk someone gave us - disgusting! Our own has mostly been excellent, although when I forgot to give the does minerals for a while it started tasting goaty. Oh and I don't particularly like any milk myself - but it is obvious when there is something wrong and the milk tastes goaty vs. when the does are fine and the milk is fresh and good.  Making it into cheese doesn't change the flavor so it's just as important to me to have the milk taste good. I don't like goaty cheese, either!

I disagree about heating the milk as I cook with goat milk all the time and it tastes just fine. I make "lemon" cheese by heating the milk to 185 and adding lemon, then straining and everyone loves it, no goaty flavor at all. So anyway, that's my experience.


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## Cadillac Jill (Nov 3, 2010)

The breeder from whom we purchased our goats has a commercial milking operation--supplying the goat milk that ultimately ends up in the grocery store.  She told us she hasn't purchased cow's milk in almost 20 years because goats' milk tastes so much better, but she wouldn't even consider drinking the vile grocery store variety because it tastes so horrendous once it's been processed for commercial stability.


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## Hobby Farm (Nov 4, 2010)

I agree with all the others.  It will take a little time to get completely used to the flavor, at least it did with us, but with proper cooling and cleanliness, should taste great.  We have been drinking it for 9 months now, and when I do happen to take a drink of store milk (cow) it tastes really funny.  Raw goat milk is one of the most nutritious foods you can consume.  The health benifits are extrordinary.  Last year my kids got sick frequently.  So far this year, only once or twice.  If you are able to take them on, I would go for it.  It's also a great supplement for other animals on the farm.  We are actually feeding out several hogs almost entirely on goat milk right now.  They are growing faster than a hog on soy/corn based feed.  

I was very reluctant at first, but 10 goats later, I'm very glad we added them.  Goats are very personable and sweet (most of the time).  If decide to get them, you need to have at least 2, as they are a pack animal, and lilkely won't be very happy alone.  If you only want one milker, find her a wether to keep her company.

Goodluck!


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## freemotion (Nov 4, 2010)

Or get two does and breed only one a year, then milk the other through so you won't have to dry your one doe off and lose three or more months of milk!


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## Hobby Farm (Nov 4, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Or get two does and breed only one a year, then milk the other through so you won't have to dry your one doe off and lose three or more months of milk!


Better idea than mine.


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## Island Creek Farm (Nov 6, 2010)

Hello...I'm a newbie here too...just wanted to chime in!

We bought two Mini-Nubians to milk, but they were young, so while we waited for them to mature, a friend brought us some "good" goat milk from a breeder in Atlanta.  IT WAS AWFUL.  I bought some at the store and it tasted the same...I was horrified, _*so I sold the goats*_.

Two years later, I went to buy some local honey and was persuaded to try some of their goat milk...fresh, creamy, tasted just like cows milk, only better!

The very next day, I drove three hours to pick up our "barbeque special", an Alpine doe that had ended up on a BBQ goat lot.  Within two weeks, I purchased another Alpine from a reputable breeder and after that added two more Alpine does. 

What I've learned...
1.  YES, handling is essential, you can't always trust how other people handle their milk.  
2.  Water intake is oh-so important!  Mine didn't like their water one day, and the milk was goaty.  
3.  Storage-three to four days and it CAN get "goatier", doesn't mean it's bad, just has a taste
4. Goats are so much fun to have, and I echo a previous sentiment that it is oddly rewarding to bring in two gallons of fresh, healthy milk a day!

You're going to learn a TON, learn things you don't want to learn and do things you never thought you'd do, but it is worth it in my humble opinion!


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## helmstead (Nov 6, 2010)

My bottle babies won't even touch store bought goat's milk...that stuff is NASTY!  Fresh milk, delish.  I don't heat treat it, either, because it then tastes just as goaty as the store bought stuff.


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## whetzelmomma (Nov 6, 2010)

Cadillac Jill said:
			
		

> The breeder from whom we purchased our goats has a commercial milking operation--supplying the goat milk that ultimately ends up in the grocery store.  She told us she hasn't purchased cow's milk in almost 20 years because goats' milk tastes so much better, but she wouldn't even consider drinking the vile grocery store variety because it tastes so horrendous once it's been processed for commercial stability.


I think that has a TON to do with flavor. I always tell my friends, if you've had "goaty" milk, you didn't have GOOD goat milk. 

"Try some fresh goat milk from a person who keeps 'clean' goats / washes udders / cools the milk quickly...all of that is as important to the taste as well as what the goats eat."

Great advice. I've had milk that sat in the fridge for more than a few days, and never notice a difference.  Another thing that I've read can make a difference in flavor is the butterfat content. 

ALSO: Don't keep your buck with your does if you have both. The stinky boys can "taint" your milk through osmosis. lol


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