Is goat milk supposed to be very foamy? My goat's milk is not. She freshened eight days ago. The breeder I bought her from seemed to think that if the milk is not foamy that she could have mastitis. However, I am using a strip cup and there are no clots or stringy bits at all and her milk is not thick or off colored. It has no smell at all. It tastes fine, and her udder is not hot or sore to the touch. One side is bigger than the other one and it gives a lot more milk than the other side does, though. (It takes me about twice as long to milk the bigger side out.) That half feels the same as the smaller half, just bigger. This is my first expereince with dairy goats so I am not sure if this is in the range of normal or not... what do you all think??

Thanks in advance...

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 13, 2002

Answers

I also wanted to add that my doe is acting the same as usual and she is not off her food.

Thanks again.

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 13, 2002.

Hi Leighanne, Mile foams in the bucket when a person is able to milk very quickly and each squirt is forceful. This is almost never the case when a person is learning/beginning to milk. Could this be the case? You could find out very quickly if you have a friend who is an experienced, strong milker. Have that person milk your goat, and see if the milk is foamy then. I really think that is all that is going on here. We have trained new people several times over the years to take over the milking when we needed the vacation. A novice milker usually doesn't end up with foam in the bucket. Also, my husband seems to be a stonger milker than I am; at least there is more foam on the milk and it takes more time to break up when he milks.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), March 13, 2002.

Thanks, Diane, that could be the case! I just started milking the day after she freshened, so I am a beginner. I am getting faster but it still takes me a good fifteen minutes to milk her out.

Is it normal for one half of the udder to be larger and give more milk than the other??

Thanks, Leighanne

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 13, 2002.

I think Diane has picked up on the problem.

With the lopsided udder sounds as if someone let her nurse kids before. The kids will pick a side and demand more milk from oneside than the other, making it stretch larger. If the milk smells and tastes fine, especially warm, than you do not have masitits. Subclinical staph mastitis, will taste fine, but have no keeping quality. Sounds like you are doing a great job with the doe! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 13, 2002.

Thanks Vicki-- I appreciate the answers. I am really loving these goats (I am probably hooked for life), but with this being my first year with them and all, every little thing worries me. I sure do appreciate the encouragement. I am trying to do everything right, but the knowledge I have is all from books, not from actually *doing* and experiencing, and there is a difference. I am thankful that this forum is here.

Thanks again!

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 13, 2002.

I have ahd a few does like that, not many with a little loppy udder from the kids nursing on one side for preference. In fact I had 2. The one was areally heavy milker and her teats were very plumb at the ends so it wa shard to nurse. SAs for the foam, yeah, its from milking fast, but can also be butterfat, the foamier the better I think. Watch for mastitis for precaution.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 13, 2002.

Just one more thought. I've had a couple of does that milk less on the left side. Sometimes a little persistence and massaging will get them to let down more, but for some reason it does not come as quickly on that side for these particular does. Also, the left for some reason seems to be an easier side for the doe to self-suck, actually reach around and take a little drink herself from time to time.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), March 14, 2002.

i agree with the inexperience answers-my milk didn't foam when i first started milking, either-now it does and it's because i milk quite a bit faster than 4 years ago. quite a few of the dairy goats i've milked (mom has goats, too, for 15 years) have had uneven udders- it's normal-i have uneven udders, too-always had more milk on one side than the other-same side, all 4 children-she may have had an infection on the smaller side in the past that has limited its supply- if she seems healthy, relax. it takes a few years (lifetime) to learn "all there is" as i'm sure everyone knows.

-- laura (okgoatgal@hotmail.com), March 14, 2002.

LOL, Laura! My husband said the same thing about me ( I'm still nursing baby #5), and not to worry. I sure do appreciate all of your ideas and help. This forum is a blessing.

Thanks again!

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 14, 2002.

Well, I got foam tonight when I milked. I was in a bigger hurry than usual and I looked down and low and behold there was foam in the pail! Also I have gotten a lot more milk the last three milkings; almost two quarts at each milking so we are getting close to a gallon a day. Plenty for us and the cat and the chickens and the puppy! When we are no longer homeschooling I hope to make some cheese and try soapmaking....

Thanks for all the help!

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 14, 2002.

I don't know how old your children are, but around here homeschool mothers bring their children to my house for cheese making. I would think both cheese making and soap making would be excellent homeschool projects.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

I know that we will all do the cheesemaking/soapmaking together, whether it is during the school year or not. I'll bet it is a really neat thing to do with the kids. It is just that right now I am totally swamped and cannot take on any new projects. My kids' ages are 6, 5, 4, 2, 11 months, and I am pregnant with #6.... I am doing as much as I can with the hubby, the kids, the chickens, the goats, the house, and the cooking... I am not complaining at all; I love this happy, busy lifestyle. But the thought of cheesemaking NOW kind of overwhelms me. Tonight is another night of chaos as my husband is taking my 6 year old son to the ER to get a popcorn kernel out of his ear.... my 5 year old daughter told on him tonight because he asked her to suck it out of his ear with the vaccuum cleaner!! This does not have a lot to do with goats or cheesemaking or soapmaking but it is keeping me occupied til they get home.....

Thanks for listening to me ramble on and on....

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 14, 2002.

Shoot I think the vacume cleaner idea is brillian! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 14, 2002.

Scratch cheese making and opt for survival course LOL. Hope everything came out o.k. (pun intended) Sounds like you really have your hands full. blessing and good cheer!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

Well, the popcorn kernel remains.... the ER doc says he has to see a specialist to get it out. We aren't really sure how long it has been in there; we get a few different stories when we ask. We know that our four year old son put him up to it (He said, "Well, Daniel showed me how!"), so I think I will have a flashlight out tomorrow checking everybody's ears (I am scared of what I will find!). Next week this will be really funny.... and remember that the kid with the smart idea to suck out the kernel with the vaccuum cleaner is the same kid who stuck popcorn in his ear in the first place! As my husband is fond of saying, "Maybe he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer...." Anyway, we know that he won't be sticking anything in his ears for a long, long time!

It is way too late here and I think I need to go to bed but wanted to update the popcorn/ear saga. Thanks for listening!

-- Leighanne T. (robertt@click1.net), March 15, 2002.

Oh gosh, that reminds me of when my 8 (now 12) year old had something in his ear...I looked and it was a tic tac! Iwent to three doctors, none of them knew what to do about it, because it had swollen up from him trying to wash it out with water, and he would NOT let the doctors touch it. Finally they gave me some medicine that dissolved it, after a few days.

I always remember a line I read in a book once - "you have to have nerves of steel to be a parent".

-- Dayle K. (isabelle1805@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.