I have recently entered the homestead life. I have never had livestock and have a question about our Goat's milk. I read that I need to start milking on the 4th day after freshening occurs. That will be tomorrow. I was wondering, do I need to have this milk tested for TB or any other diseases before serving to my family. I have all supplies that it calls for: stainless steele milking pan, filters, gaot milking stand and udder wash. Now I am just afraid to serve it. Is it safe if my Nubian goat is very healthy? Thank you, Karole Oh.... I guess if I do need to get it tested where would I go?????

-- Karole Schoepf (Biz3boymom@aol.com), February 12, 2000

Answers

Karole, hopefully all the goat milkers will be along shortly to answer your questions. In the meantime, can you call the people you got your goat from? How about any goat raisers in your area? Your vet should have at least some of the answers too. Shame it is the weekend, county extension office and/or nearest agriculture college are always a good choice for help. I'll try going through what I have, but it is mostly dairy cow related.

Wish there was some way to set off an "Emergency Homesteader Alert" on everybody's computers. Actually I'm thinking that the goat should already have been tested for TB. Do you have the health certificate or any records from the previous owner? Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), February 12, 2000.

Wow, thanks Gerbil. I just knew you guys would come up with some good solutions. I can always just start the milking and just not drink it till we find out. I will call the college and the vet. We'll start there. I already called the extension office, they acted like they truly didn't know what I was talking about. Oh well, we'll try on Monday and I will pratice till then. I will call the previous owner. He is so helpful. Karole

-- Karole (Biz3boymom@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

I never did have any of my goat's milk tested for anything. And I never pasteurize. Raw milk is much more healthy. I believe as long as your goat is healthy and you keep clean quarters, clean equipment and clean hands, then drink it. If you are still afraid then pasteurize it until you get used to drinking milk from your own animals. As far as when to start milking, in my experience, I let my doe raise her kids for two months, then sold them and then started milking her. In my opinion, 4th day or 4th week, it makes little difference.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), February 12, 2000.

After sending my previous answer I thought I better clarify. If you are going to take the kids away from her and raise them seperately, yes, you had better start milking right away, otherwise she will dry up. If you intend to let her raise the kids, you might not get a whole lot of milk out of her until they are weaned. I let my doe raise her own kids until I sold them. I waited until they were sold, then I started milking her. She then gave about 2 qts a day from milking her in the morning and evening.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), February 12, 2000.

I started with goats myself last year. I never even heard about having to test for any disease before you drink it. As for my family, we seperated the kids right away, put them under a heat lamp, and milked the doe shortly after kidding so we could feed it to her babies. As for drinking it yourself, go ahead and wait a few days till all the blood,etc. will be out of it. I sometimes seperate the cream out of it and then pasturize it at ( I THINK 160 degrees ) before we would drink it. But, let me remind you - we didn't always do that! From what my friends tell me, the milk will taste as good as the feed you give your animal. I haven't had a bad glass of milk yet, but we are careful as to what they eat. They get a variety but nothing that would alter the taste. For us - we enjoy a COLD glass of milk.

-- Pat Mikul (pmikul@pcpros.net), February 12, 2000.

Karole, my anwer to you is not going to be a popular one because it will go against everything the media and most medical establishments would tell you. The reason your goat has not been tested for TB is that the disease is nonexistent among goats even when cattle have it, and in our country where the cattle are also screened for TB beccause they are much more susceptible to it, it would be about like getting hit by lightning three times in a row if it did happen, and you can believe that if anyone had gotten TB from goats milk in the last ten or twenty years the media would have scared us half to death until we were afraid to have a goat alive in the US! There was one case recently where some goats in the southwest did get Brucellosis, they were all killed and investigations are going oon about that. They were meat goats in an isolated area and it is the first case of this in goats in the US that we have seen in years and years. What I am saying is that these two diseases are extremely uncommon, even when the cattle have TB the goats seem to have a kind of immunity to the disease even when exposed.They used to be preferred to cattle because the milk was safer. Your goat should be tested for CAE and Johnne's, but these are diseases that affect the goat and not you. You could also have her checked for listeriosis, not common but nice to know about and that does affect humans and will make you miscarry if you are pregnant aand drink the raw milk. If you are really,really, worried you can pastuerize the milk until it is tested. We have raised most of our 6 children on raw goats milk that wasn't tested and they are all much healthier than most kids.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), February 12, 2000.

Many, Many thanks to all of you. My son and I will start as soon and the sun rises. :) Karole

-- Karole (Biz3boymom@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

Let me add a couple of things. Make sure your buck if you have one is kept as far away from the milking area as possible and cool the milk immediately after milking and straining. I strain the milk into sterilized canning jars and put them in a pan of ice water until the ice melts. Just putting it in fridge won't cool it quick enough. My Amish friend who doesnt use refrigeration puts it in a pan and runs cold water over it for several minutes. We have been drinking unpasturized goats milk for a long time and its really good stuff. It makes wonderful icecream and cheese.

-- Peggy Carr (wclpc@cookeville.com), February 12, 2000.

You can also milk your doe then let the kids have the rest"goat kids that is "She will build by supply and demand .It all depends on how much milk you need.To me its easier to milk once or twice a day and then let the kids feed them selfs .Its a little more involved , you have to make sure the kids get enough and you get what you need.when and for how long to keep them seperate ?For example you could keep them together at night , then seperate in the day milk then return the kids .You decide ,in any case good luck.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), February 13, 2000.

HI!!!

Heres how to go about getting your goat tested for TB if you would like to, and don't forget "Bangs' or Brucellosis too. They are in the same test. Although most states are TB and Bangs free we test as we show our goats and are on DHIR test for milk production. I have the vet come out, so call a large animal vet in your area, then arrange for him to do the test. Its just like with people, you test one day and then he returns to read a few days later. As for milking, whew!!!!!!! its kidding season for me and we usually wait a week before we use the milk, but everyone is different. i start milking on the day the kids are born so as to increase and promote milk production. After I milk I bring it into the house, strain, and chill immediately in .... gotta go, another doe kidded. good luck, e-mail me if you'd like

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), February 13, 2000.

The first milk a doe gives is the colustrum which should be fed to the kids, excess can be fed to other other animals. By the 4th day the colustrum should be gone and the milk fine for feeding your family. I have never had any milk or a doe tested and have been raising and milking Nubians for 10 years. I chose not to pasteurize either.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), February 13, 2000.

I need to clear something up. I was in a hurry as another doe had kidded. I think I gave people the impression we milked after kidding and used the milk. The kids nurse right after kidding and up to 3-4 months old. I like to make sure they get a good start. We do milk them after kidding but do not use the milk. I do not use the milk for 7 days for the table. I mentioned chilling it before I had to go, chill the milk immediately by placing in the freezer for about 20 mins., then refrigrate. It tastes just as good as cow milk I think. By the way, that was doe #3 and all 3 does who kidded yesterday had twins.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), February 14, 2000.

I agree with Rebekkah's answer. We have exported animals in the past and have never herd of a goat with TB. If you have a pair of clipplers for cutting your boys (children) hair you might want to shave your does udder, belly, back of her legs and under-tail. It makes for cleaner milk. We use wet ones, to clean the udder first, you can make them yourself with Bounty paper towles, and we spray the teats afterwards with a solution of water with a couple of tablespoons of bleach in it, splurge and get yourself a chemical spray bottle from Jeffers (can 1-800-Jeffers) ask for their Livestock, Equine and pet catalogs. The spray bottle comes in neon colors and will last forever! Dollar store ones will leak all the time. This closes the orifice so bacteria can not get up inside. During the hot summers I freeze milk in plastic soda bottles with the lids on tight!! I milk directly onto them in my stainless, halfmoon lid milk pail. You will love all that you can do with your excess milk! caprinesupply.com has an excellent catalog, and a great book, Goatkeeping 101, also Mary Jane Toth's cook books for cheese are great! Vicki McGaugh

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 14, 2000.

Hi all, This has been my first time asking a ???? on this forum, I really enjoyed all your answers and have been able to make some really good decisions as to how I would like to manage my small herd. I am really looking forward to reading other post and making this a frequent stopping place. Thanks to everyone. Karole

-- Karole (Biz3boymom@aol.com), February 14, 2000.

With regard to the colostrum issue and when milk is fit for human consumption, I have found a better indicator to be when the doe's milk begins to froth in the bucket as my goats are individual and different when the milk changes. Colostrum doesn't froth at all being thick, usually yellow and vital to the new kids' health. If you have extra, freeze it in 1-2 oz. portions against the day a doe doesn't have good colostrum, a limited supply or dies. Vets in my area will pay $10 and up a pint and then mark it up to save fancy pedigreed foals so don't let it go to waste.

-- Marilyn (rainbow@kits.net), February 18, 2000.

this answer is for Pat Mikul, All I want to say is Please be very careful with the use of heat lamps in the barn. My aunt used a heat lamp for her 5 newborn baby goats, they somehow tipped it and burned up in a devastating fire, killing all the babies, farm tools, etc. Bring them in the basement, breed later, anything!!! It just scares me to think of this type of fire again. Please be careful!!

As for the goat milk, I have never had mine tested , nor the breeder of my goats has either. If you are worried, pasteurize it, if not use your usual precautions, and enjoy!!!

cara lewis cnllewis@email.com

-- cara lewis (cnllewis@email.com), February 18, 2000.

Karole, If any goat ever test positive for TB, then the test is probably wrong. If this will ease your mind do this. Take the fresh milk directly to the house. Strain into a two quart micro-wave safe container. Place a plastic "Saran Wrap" cover over it. Set into micro-wave. Place the temp. heat probe in and set the "temp control at 160 degrees. At off buzzer, stir and reset oven. Remove milk and pour into sterile quart canning jars. Set into freezer for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove, Label and set in food compartment. Keep the milk cold, not old. Use the older excess milk to make a wonderful egg custard pie. You'll love it. JR

-- James R. Jones (jr3star@earthlink.net), February 19, 2000.