LMK17
Loving the herd life
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?
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?