Questions about milk & cream

[Mini Horses]

I must be strange but, I see no taste difference in my goats milk day one or seven -- so long as it is handled properly! I milk into jars; put this into freezer for fast chill, leave in glass in a very cold frig. I do mark dates & time, plus name of doe on jar -- paper sticker on lid to use, by dates. I have even purposely held milk to 14 days, then opened to taste. Was fine. I do not pasteurize, drink raw. Normally I keep each does milk separate. But do mix when cooking, making cream, butter, cheese, soap...etc. No kids or grands want to share milking or milk, ever. It's my own love. I do sell to a few people, one has a soap business, as well as homemade cheeses & fresh eggs, from free range hens. Mostly I use the milk on the farm. Chickens, pigs & cats love clabbered milk.

Handling is everything...milking to using. A jug from frig, opened & set out on table, won't hold as long as out/pour/replace. That's true for even store bought milk. I don't have youngins to have those things happening. There are differences in every home.

 

[SageHill]

I must be strange but, I see no taste difference in my goats milk day one or seven -- so long as it is handled properly! I milk into jars; put this into freezer for fast chill, leave in glass in a very cold frig. I do mark dates & time, plus name of doe on jar -- paper sticker on lid to use, by dates. I have even purposely held milk to 14 days, then opened to taste. Was fine. I do not pasteurize, drink raw. Normally I keep each does milk separate. But do mix when cooking, making cream, butter, cheese, soap...etc. No kids or grands want to share milking or milk, ever. It's my own love. I do sell to a few people, one has a soap business, as well as homemade cheeses & fresh eggs, from free range hens. Mostly I use the milk on the farm. Chickens, pigs & cats love clabbered milk.

Handling is everything...milking to using. A jug from frig, opened & set out on table, won't hold as long as out/pour/replace. That's true for even store bought milk. I don't have youngins to have those things happening. There are differences in every home.

Add me to that no difference list. I don’t have goats but get goat milk from my neighbor. Seriously I can’t taste the difference and that goes from the day I get it to even a week later. She did tell me to pour what I want and put it back in the fridge and not to let it sit out at all.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I must be strange but, I see no taste difference in my goats milk day one or seven -- so long as it is handled properly! I milk into jars; put this into freezer for fast chill, leave in glass in a very cold frig.

Nope - you're not the only one. When I'm milking, DH and I routinely drink milk that is up to 10 days old with no problems or change in taste. I don't even put it in the freezer first - straight to the extra fridge that is kept at 33 degrees. Good handling, chilling asap after straining, clean glass jars... no problems!

 

[dairydreams]

Ok that's good to know that it could vary by goat.

I did locate some beautiful doelings about 3 hours away...time to kick fencing construction into high gear, lol! Is there a comprehensive checklist somewhere of what to have before you bring goats home? Or do y'all have any "must have" suggestions? Or in that regard, anything that might be on such a list that I shouldn't bother with?

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

I am relatively new to goats myself, but here is my list of necessities. I didn't buy all of this at once though! I already had a lambing kit for our sheep, and I waited until a few weeks before kidding to get the milking supplies. The other things I bought one by one at necessity (or when I figured out that I needed them), though I wish I had them on hand in the first place.

Hay- we feed ours free choice bermuda since they don't have access to pasture
Alfalfa/grain/BOSS - we give a mix of goat feed/alfalfa pellets/BOSS 2x a day to lactating does, less and once a day for dry/pregnant does
ACV to add to the water
Loose minerals and mineral feeder - we use Sweetlix minerals
Shelters- my does are in an old pole barn with access to a small yard, next spring (Lord willing) they will be in a 1 acre pasture with a big pallet barn. My buck is in 4x12 pallet barn that was super easy to build. He loves his little pallet platform and ramp outside and pretty much spends all day on it. It took me and my dad and sisters one day to build the 16x32 cattle panel/t-post pen and the shelter

Milk stand
Hay feeders - like this homemade one that is screwed to the barn wall, or you can buy ones that hang from fences or shelters

Water buckets/troughs
Food dishes (I like the rubber ones best, or you can get the ones that hang off of the fence)
Toys - if you give your goats something to climb on, they will be happier and less likely to be always finding a way to escape. If they are bored, they will try to find a way out of the fence (not to say they won't still get out....)

Medicine cabinet:
Must haves:
Vitamin B12 injectable
Copper boluses
Dewormer (we use Land of Havilah or homemade herbal dewormers or for maintenence and I keep Ivermectin on hand for emergencies) The kids get LOH 3x week for Cocci prevention, the adults get it once per week unless I suspect a high worm load
Probiotic powder - I have used both Probios or the one made for goats. I give this about 2x a week or in times of stress like birth, weaning, moving, etc. I also keep it on hand in case of bloat or for bloat prevention. My goats escaped and knocked over a closed bucket of chicken feed while I was gone. I have no idea how much they ate, but I gave them a double dose of probiotics and some baking soda drenched, and they were fine the next morning and ready for their breakfast.

Optional, but nice to have:
Selenium Vit E gel/ or BoSe
Red cell to treat anemia
Replamin gel

I keep all of those in my medicine bin, plus 22 gauge needles, syringes, a drench gun (a life saver! we were using the plastic syringes to drench, and they are horrible and break. I was going through one per week before I finally wised up and got the drench gun with the metal applicator on the end) and all the items for my lambing/kidding kit.

Kidding supplies

Gloves and lube
1 or 2% iodine for dipping navels
Kid bottles and nipples
Towels
Nutridrench

Milking supplies:
Stainless steel pail or pot
Milk filters
Chlorox bleach for sanitizing
Teat dip (1% iodine) and cups
Teat wipes (I just use clean rags in hot water with a drop of soap and lavender EO)
Udder balm (optional, but good for when your kids are weaned or during cold weather. It is antibacterial and makes teats buttery soft)

I hope this list helps a little (and isn't too overwhelming), and your fencing endeavors work out well! Goats are a lot of fun.

 

[Ridgetop]

Fun times are a'comin'!

 

[Alaskan]

Is there a comprehensive checklist somewhere of what to have before you bring goats home? Or do y'all have any "must have" suggestions? Or in that regard, anything that might be on such a list that I shouldn't bother with?

For me.... depends on what you are bringing home...

If just the doelings... that means they are young and growing, not pregnant and not lactating...

So...I would see if the current owner would worm them a few days before you buy them (try to reduce the parasite eggs you bring home). And make sure that they are wormed with a true wormer... not an herbal something.

Ask what parasites the current owner currently sees in their herd, and what dewormers they tend to use and what they look for.

Ask the person you are buying from... or your local vet or feed store... if your area is low in copper and/or selenium.

If your area is low in copper... then you need to know when the doelings (or whatever goats you buy) last got a copper bolus. And then plan to give them a bolus (it is a little copper pill) once every 4 to 6 months or so... depending on their needs. Luckily copper deficiency is pretty easy to see.

As for selenium... if you are low... it depends on how low your area is... you might get by with just a selenium paste once a month. The paste isn't as bioavailable as the injectable. If your area is very low in selenium, you might want to give an injection shortly before kidding in addition to the monthly paste.

You will also need loose minerals.


But... with doelings, all you need are dewormers if needed, the copper and selenium if your area is low in them, loose minerals, excellent fence, a shelter, and halters and leashes.

I do like a medical kit for livestock in general....

But milking and kidding stuff can wait if you are just getting doelings.

 

[oaksandiron]

Thanks for asking! So 20ft x 160ft or so, divided to rotate, still wouldn't be enough for 3-4 goats?

Dis laomer: I have not read through the whole thread, yet.
I have 4 goats in a cattle panel pen 16x16, and it was destroyed in one day. I did not intend for mine to be mobile, however, it is more like a last ditch effort to keep my naughties confined. It is electrified along the inside, including the gate.

ANYwho, in my very limited experience, even one goat in a 16 x 16 will eat it down to nothing in a day, or what they consider nothing. *insert eye roll* My best results for daily rotation came from using a roll of electric netting (back when they would stay behind it *insert another eye roll*) that is 164' in length. One roll would give a day's worth of browse/graze to five goats (2 being dwarves) in all but the most heavily brushed areas. Heavy browse would last them 2 or 3 days before they decided they were done and starving again.

 

[Ridgetop]

What breed of goats are you getting?
Are they all does or are you bringing home a buck?
What age are they?
Are they in milk?
Are they pregnant?

All things we need to know.

 

[dairydreams]

Wow y'all are so sweet and helpful, I truly appreciate all the information and experiences!

I decided not to go with the does I mentioned earlier, beautiful as they are. There are just too many red flags with the owner (not very responsive, not answering my questions, saying they come from "good milkers" but then unable to tell me how much the dams milked out)...haven't had the heard tested in almost 2 years...for the record I'd be more than happy to dish out some money to have them tested before I purchased them but with everything else it just seems like a bad idea. In my gut I just have a bad feeling about it.

So I'm back to waiting and keeping my eyes peeled, which is fine, and makes getting things in order less urgent and consequently less stressful. I'm assembling a list of everything and pricing everything out (thanks everyone!). I'm so intimidated by it all, but I remembered how intimidating the idea of getting 50 ducks was when we started our farming journey, and as intense as brooding 50 (which turned into upwards of 60, then eventually 80) ducklings was INSIDE OUR HOUSE (to include changing out two brooders twice daily, because my goodness were those cuties messy!) -- we did it. I did the same thing then; reading up a ton and preparing for everything I could, but experience is always the best teacher. And yes, it would undoubtedly be cheaper and much less work to just buy eggs at the store or even from local farms, but it's just so much more fun and rewarding to do it ourselves. Plus you can't put a value to the food security aspect, nor the ability to make the best quality eggs knowing your feeding your birds the best you can.

ANYWAY....sorry for the rant...

To answer the question about what I'm looking at, I'm just keeping an open mind at this point. I think I've settled on Mini Nubians. If I get a couple this year, my hope is a bred doe and perhaps a doeling, or maybe two bred does, with the intention of keeping at least one baby (or two) once she (or they?) kid. If I wait until spring, I'm hoping to get a doe and her kid or maybe a couple kids and kid share while I "learn the ropes". Adding a wether is also a possibility but I would really like the first goats I get two to be does. Ultimately I'd like to just keep a small herd of 3-4 goats, probably ideally with 2 in milk at a time, but who knows. Impossible to say how I'll feel after this journey starts.

I have contacted a few local MN breeders though and let them know I'd be a new goat owner and am looking ideally for mamas with babies in the spring. A few have told me that depending on how kidding goes, they may be letting go of some does with their babies at that time. So for now I'm just playing the waiting game and in the meantime keeping an eye on local classifieds.

I did see a very beautiful pair of does that are a couple of years old locally, but they are not bred. One has never been bred. My hesitation is they also both have their horns. Honestly I couldn't care less but I have had a couple of owners tell me to avoid horns if at all possible, especially with (human) kids around. I know that's a somewhat controversial topic but should I be worried about horns in older goats? I intend to breed to polled and disbud when the time comes, but hadn't considered this scenario of older horned does.

Oh and on the fence....we decided to set up a new barn for them, create their main paddock around the barn, then have 3 paddocks coming off of that one to rotate them on. We understand all of it will probably be eaten down & beaten down in no time, and we will be bringing in hay, but I still want to rotate them through the paddocks. For one reason my hope is to mitigate some parasite loads, but also to just have a chance to clean out each section and have a place to move them over to while I collect manure.

Some more questions............

Is there a universal hay I can feed to bred/lactating does and non-lactating? Is alfalfa too much for doelings? Can I put out free choice hay for everyone and just supplement lactating does on the stanchion?
I am just so confused as to how to feed the animals with different nutritional needs without keeping them separated. My thought was to keep the ladies together on free choice hay, then just take the mamas/mamas to be onto the stanchion for extra nutritional needs...

Also regarding copper, could I do an annual bolus preemptively or will it be harmful if not needed?
About how long would a 25lb bag of loose minerals last?
Sprinkle baking soda on food or feed free choice?

sorry for writing so much! I think my husband is getting tired of hearing me rant about goats so I appreciate y'all listening/reading!