# Goats Milk?



## animalsRawsome (Apr 25, 2011)

I would like to drink the milk from two does that I just bought. Do I need to be worried about any diseases or anything? Right now I'm just milking them and feeding it to some bottle babies, but they're almost ready to be weaned and I'd like to drink the milk. Thanks for any advice!


----------



## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

Drinking raw milk has it's risks and it's benefits...depending on who you talk to  

If you're concerned you should heat treat it.  If you don't know the history of the goats, I would heat it until I could have them tested.  That's just me though.


----------



## Our7Wonders (Apr 25, 2011)

Here's a website to check out:   www.realmilk.com

wanting to drink good healthy raw milk is the only reason we got goats.  Enjoying them immensely was a bonus!


----------



## Okie Amazon (Apr 25, 2011)

Best hot chocolate EVAH!!!! Enjoy.


----------



## Ariel301 (Apr 25, 2011)

The biggest reason milk pasteurization was started was because of tuberculosis, cows get TB and humans can get it from drinking infected milk. I'm not aware that TB is a problem to be worried about in goats, and you'd notice if your goat was really sick. People were drinking raw goat milk for millenia before pasteurization, and hardly ever getting sick from it. Today we actually get a significant number of sicknesses in this country from pasteurized, storebought milk, (it begins to decay when exposed to air) but practically no illnesses from raw milk, despite what the "officials" want to tell you. 

Enjoy your milk.


----------



## animalsRawsome (Apr 25, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Drinking raw milk has it's risks and it's benefits...depending on who you talk to
> 
> If you're concerned you should heat treat it.  If you don't know the history of the goats, I would heat it until I could have them tested.  That's just me though.


what do I have them tested for? 
Who/where will test it? 
Thanks


----------



## DonnaBelle (Apr 25, 2011)

I have drinking raw goat's milk for 2 years now.  No problems.  

If you wish to do some research on heat treating the milk  to ease your concerns, that would be good too.

DonnaBelle


----------



## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

animalsRawsome said:
			
		

> elevan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Johnes was be my primary concern as it has been linked to Crohns Disease and IBS in humans.

I have personal experience with family members who have Crohns or IBS and drank raw milk for years (goat and cow)...so I just err on the side of caution on this.

Probably 99% of the time raw milk will be fine...

You can draw the blood yourself and send it to a lab (google for resources)...my vet will draw and send to a lab for me.


----------



## animalsRawsome (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks everyone. 
I think I'll draw some blood and have it tested just to be sure.


----------



## freemotion (Apr 25, 2011)

Chances of Johnes are very low, so let us know when the tests come back how you like the raw milk!  The results are pretty quick.


----------



## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Chances of Johnes are very low, so let us know when the tests come back how you like the raw milk!  The results are pretty quick.


I will say that I agree    You have a better chance of encountering it in a cow than a goat...

animalsRawsome - I just want to say that it was not my intent to alarm you or cause any concern.  As I said probably 99% of the time things are fine.  I just personally choose to err on the side of caution as I usually end up being the 1% person who gets something weird...my DH has suggested that I "be put back in for repairs" several times  

Please do let us know how things go.


----------



## animalsRawsome (Apr 26, 2011)

Okay, I'll let you know.
I do drink the raw milk from one of my does that I raised at my house. Tastes just like cow's milk to me, still is alittle weird to think it came from a goat though. In a blind test, don't think I could tell the difference though.


----------



## helmstead (Apr 26, 2011)

I highly recommend testing your goats for TB and brucellosis if you intend to drink the milk.  Just a prudent thing to do.  I hadn't heard that about johnnes...but that's a good one to test for in any herd, anyway!

We do drink the goat milk raw and love it.  I don't like to cook with it, I've found it gets a bit goaty after being warmed.  But, cold, OH MAN it's so yummy and sweet.  We've changed a LOT of people's minds about goat's milk!


----------



## freemotion (Apr 26, 2011)

Do a blind taste test with cow's milk from the store....most people say the store milk has a slight chemical taste.


----------



## Okie Amazon (Apr 26, 2011)

I love the richness. I am and always have been a milk-drinking machine! I am one of Braums best customers, but as soon as our puppies stop getting most of our milk, I'll be back to drinking just goat milk (raw).


----------



## ksalvagno (Apr 26, 2011)

If you are going to draw blood and do testing, you may as well test for CAE and CL too. So test for CAE, CL, Johnes, TB and Brucellosis. Can get expensive but getting a disease would be even more expensive.


----------



## elevan (Apr 26, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> If you are going to draw blood and do testing, you may as well test for CAE and CL too. So test for CAE, CL, Johnes, TB and Brucellosis. Can get expensive but getting a disease would be even more expensive.


----------



## animalsRawsome (Apr 26, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> If you are going to draw blood and do testing, you may as well test for CAE and CL too. So test for CAE, CL, Johnes, TB and Brucellosis. Can get expensive but getting a disease would be even more expensive.


CAE, CL, Johnes, TB and Brucellosis it is then. I probably won't have time until this weekend to draw blood. And I still have to find out where to send the blood/what to send it in? I'm in Lower Michigan, anybody know off of the top of their head?

Thanks for the great infor everybody!


----------



## Ariel301 (Apr 26, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Do a blind taste test with cow's milk from the store....most people say the store milk has a slight chemical taste.


I sold a goat to some neighbors a week ago, and gave them some milk to try. They bought goats with the intention of raising them for dairy products...but they were nervous about the milk lol. I brought them a cold sample, and after they drank it, they exclaimed "It tastes like milk!" What were you expecting it to taste like? 

I can't stand the taste of store bought milk. It makes me nauseous.


----------



## elevan (Apr 26, 2011)

animalsRawsome said:
			
		

> ksalvagno said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


See this link for more info on how and where to send labwork for goats


----------

