Since the milking forum does

[BlackWatchLady]

not seem to get read much I have a few milking questions,

1. I am wondering if I am wasting my time,(and the milk) by milking my doe once daily and then after straining the milk through a coffee filter putting it into freezer bags and freezing it for possible future use for bottle feeding kids...Specifically, if the does reject babies.....

2. would same frozen milk be useable for making soap??


3. What would I need to do to make the milk "safe" for human consumption?? I don't have a stainless steel pail, or the fancy strainers( repeat I have been straining the milk through a coffee filter I place in a fine mesh food strainer )
What I milk her into is a plastic calf bottle...

I think I would need a teat dip//udder wash solution?? and a strip cup?? Would the teat dip be the samestuff as the udder wash??


Sorry if I seem to be asking dumb questions?

 

[helmstead]

1. I am wondering if I am wasting my time,(and the milk) by milking my doe once daily and then after straining the milk through a coffee filter putting it into freezer bags and freezing it for possible future use for bottle feeding kids...Specifically, if the does reject babies.....

I have a chest freezer FULL of frozen milk...it's insurance!

2. would same frozen milk be useable for making soap??

Yep!


3. What would I need to do to make the milk "safe" for human consumption?? I don't have a stainless steel pail, or the fancy strainers( repeat I have been straining the milk through a coffee filter I place in a fine mesh food strainer )
What I milk her into is a plastic calf bottle...

No need to hide, that's what we do when we want to drink it, too...cheap coffee filters and a strainer. If the thing you milk into can be sanitized daily, it's fine.

I think I would need a teat dip//udder wash solution?? and a strip cup?? Would the teat dip be the samestuff as the udder wash??

I wash down with baby wipes soaked in rubbing alcohol...(new idea, used to use paper towels soaked in bleach water) and then use Fight Bac instead of a 'dip' afterward.

 

[elevan]

I wash down with baby wipes soaked in rubbing alcohol...(new idea, used to use paper towels soaked in bleach water) and then use Fight Bac instead of a 'dip' afterward.

Interesting idea...
What type of baby wipes do you use? Sensitive? Do you just open the container and pour rubbing alcohol over them? Or...?

 

[helmstead]

Interesting idea...
What type of baby wipes do you use? Sensitive? Do you just open the container and pour rubbing alcohol over them? Or...?

Big container of whatever is on sale + 1/2 cup of alcohol...totally not my idea, but sounded brilliant. The bleach water works great too, but we go through a LOT of paper towels...

 

[elevan]

Interesting idea...
What type of baby wipes do you use? Sensitive? Do you just open the container and pour rubbing alcohol over them? Or...?

Big container of whatever is on sale + 1/2 cup of alcohol...totally not my idea, but sounded brilliant. The bleach water works great too, but we go through a LOT of paper towels...

This has me curious, so next time I'm at the store I'm gonna check labels...might just be able to use Lysol wipes (the moisturizing ones)...maybe...

 

[helmstead]

I don't REALLY see why not...

You can ALSO buy the blue chlorhexadine and use that in lieu of alcohol...we keep that in case of staph derm.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

We've been using coffee filters too! However, since I have actually been tolerating goat milk (problems with cow) and want to continue milking, I went ahead and spent the $25 bucks to get a real mini-strainer and filters from Hoegger Supply and am waiting on its delivery. Not sure how much better it is than what we were doing, but we will see soon.

As far as wipes go, I use Huggies with some kind of lotion on them (they come out of the container more easily than the generic ones so I spend a few pennies more for it). So far, so good. Of course, I have only been doing this for two weeks now and the more experienced members surely have better tips to offer

 

[helmstead]

As far as wipes go, I use Huggies with some kind of lotion on them (they come out of the container more easily than the generic ones so I spend a few pennies more for it). So far, so good. Of course, I have only been doing this for two weeks now and the more experienced members surely have better tips to offer

You need some sort of disinfectant on your wash/wipes...to prevent things like staph.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Okay, I totally understand needing to disinfect, but MAN! if we should be wearing gloves when using bleach or lysol because of the damage/irritation it causes to us... how does it not do the same to our beloved does & cows?

ETA: any homeopathics out there know of an all natural disinfectant??

 

[elevan]

Okay, I totally understand needing to disinfect, but MAN! if we should be wearing gloves when using bleach or lysol because of the damage/irritation it causes to us... how does it not do the same to our beloved does & cows? [url]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused004.gif[/url][url]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused004.gif[/url][url]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused004.gif[/url]

ETA: any homeopathics out there know of an all natural disinfectant??

I've never experienced any irritation from using lysol wipes...and my hands get irritated by a lot of things...

And bleach when diluted in water is only mildly drying (not irritating) to the skin.