Milking Equipment Question? (Cows vs Goats) (Livestock - General)

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Hi all,

Well here comes another stupid questions from the new homesteaders! Three questions really.

The first one is about goats vs. cows. I know the pros and cons of keeping both, but what about quality of cheese and butter. Does butter from goats cream taste like cow butter?

Second, is the only way to get the cream seperated from goat's milk by using a cream seperator? Holy shomley are they expensive!

Third, all the "books" say to use a stainless steel bucket, stainless steel strainer with those store bought filter disks, wash using "udder wash", dip the teats after milking with the "teat dip", wash your pail and strainer, etc. in alkaline wash and once a week use an acid wash, rinse it in dairy disenfectant, and let air dry. Okay....seems to me like this milking thing will cost...oh....$10.00 a gallon with all that..LOL. How do the "real" people do it? I don't want us getting sick from bateria, etc. but surely there is a better/cheaper way. We are not out to sell Grade A milk. Just for our own family use (family of 6).

I'll bet you "seasoned" homesteaders get the biggest kick out of us newbies! You all will never know what an inspiration and help you all are...especially to the new kids on the block! Thanks again!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), April 26, 2001

Answers

Response to Milking Equipment Question?

I haven't done cheese yet, but butter from goat milk is good! I just let the milk sit in a glass jar for a day in the fridge & then skim the cream off the top. It takes a long time to get enough to make butter. If you want to make a lot of butter, than yes, you should get a cream seperator. Check auctions for a used one. I do use a stainless steel bucket & strainer. Buy one, they last forever & are a good investment. You can wash the udder with baby wipes if you want. I personally do not use teat dips. I have never had any trouble not using the dip. I also just wash my equipment in warm soapy water & rinse it in bleach water & then leave it to air dry. If you are worried about the bacteria you can pasteurize. This can be done on the stove with a double boiler. Water in the bottom pan, milk in the top. I bring the milk to 165 degrees, stir to make sure it is all that temperature, & then cool quickly. I usually sit it in a sink full of ice water to get it cooled down fast. Then I put it in jugs & sit in the freezer for about half an hour to get it cooled down. Date it, put in the fridge & drink! There are 7 people here & using the goat milk has saved us a lot. With milk being almost $3.00 a gallon here, the goats are sure earning their keep! I have also started to make soap & feed any extra to our pigs. **Note** If you want to make cheese, I don't think you are supposed to pasteurize because it kills off the bacteria needed to make the cheese. Someone else will have to answer that one!

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), April 26, 2001.

Response to Milking Equipment Question?

I've never noticed any difference between cow's or goat's butter other than the fact that goat's butter is whiter. We've raised both dairy cows and dairy goats. Cream from goat's milk does take longer to separate, but you don't really need a separator...just patience! I do use all stainless steel milking equipment, mostly because it is easiest to sterilize. I use baby wipes also, but when I buy a new box of wipes, I pour some udder wash in the container and they're ready to use. I don't use teat dip at all...ever! After using my milk pail, I rinse with cool water then wash in hot soapy water that has some bleach in it. Then I turn upside down to dry. It's really not that involved once you get a routine going. And don't worry, we were ALL "newbies" at one time!!!! Good Luck!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 26, 2001.

Response to Milking Equipment Question?

As a "newbie" I went by the book, teat dips and all. Now, many years later, I am very glad I use the stainless steel because it really is kinder to the milk and easier to clean. Vinegar does the same thing as the "acid washes" to take care of any milk stone. I, when I am milking more than just one or two goats, have a little bucket with warm mild soapy water and a stack of wash clothes and just use a clean washcloth for each doe. I bought this huge "economy" pack at Sam's club many years ago and am still using the same batch. I then just toss them into a "diaper pail" to be washed with bleach when I need more. I have never had a case of mastitis and stopped using teat dips years ago. I wash my buckets and totes with dishsoap and then squirt with a diluted bleach solution, rinse and air dry. I pasturize all my milk, just because. I find that it keeps longer and by keeping longer I have more cream without using the separator. I have a separator but only use it when I am milking over 4 or 5 goats as it is such a pain to clean. I have made just about every kind of cheese in the cheese books at one time or another, some good, some wonderful, some awful. It is a lot of fun. Just jump in and try and remember to write down what you did with the aged cheeses especially so you will know what you and your family like. And most importantly....have fun. Oh, and I have never been sorry I bought my pasturizer. Big investment item, but when someone asks me for milk for their lactose intolerant baby or elderly dying mother, I never have to worry that something would be in the milk. I have been using the same one for 10 years.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 27, 2001.

Response to Milking Equipment Question?

We also use wetones to prewash the udders, we also shave the udders, bellies and rear, so its simple to keep them clean. After milking we do post dip/spray, I just use a horse sprayer filled with water and about 3 tablespoons of clorox, this disinfects the teat end and helps close it faster. Buying a Hoegger stainless steel pail with half moon lid, will last you the rest of your life. Easy to clean and completely seamless. We simply don't have milk stone, perhaps its the well water. I do run my pail through the dish washer maybe once a month. I strain through a stainless steel screen that my husband found for me, that I shape into a funnel. Keeping your barn clean is the biggy, no amount of udder preperation or for that matter, no amount of iodine on a kids navel at birth, is going to keep bacteria away if your barn is gross. Cooling the milk is the next step, and with much more than 1 or 2 goats, taking that trip back into the house to keep the milk cool is better idea than finishing all your chores with the milk out in the barn. We milk over ice filled soda bottles during the heat of the summer, and take each batch of house milk in after every milking. I also try to stay away from gooping up the girls udder with to much udder butter, though I did use sunscreen on my lighter colored LaManchas. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 27, 2001.

For washing the udder, I went to the thrift store and bought a couple of flannel sheets. Cut into approx. 8-inch squares, on the bias so they wouldn't unravel - PRESTO! Permanent washcloths. I use hot water and a very little homemade soap to wash.

For a pail, any stainless steel pot will do as long as it's low enough, big enough, and stable. I like a three-quart pot. Long handles are a problem as they can easily get knocked and tip the pail. Get a lid that fits the pot and cut a half-moon section out of it. I used a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool. Be sure to smooth the edge so it won't cut or hide germs.

I do use teat dip, maybe because everyone I know does, but I got a teat dip jar from the Jeffers catalog, and a bottle of Nolvasan concentrate. I've been milking for two or three years and have almost killed half the jar, which cost around $10.

One of my best investments was a California Mastitis Test kit. Cost around $20, but WELL worth it for the peace of mind it brought. As a newbie, I was totally paranoid about every little thing, and without the test would have spent many, many more dollars at the vet than I did. I'm calmer now and, coincidentally, my goats are less expensive. ;-)

My filter is a Big Mouth plastic funnel with a snap-in plastic grate, available where kitchen items are sold. I think it's supposed to be for making yogurt cheese. I use real milk filters because they're clean and cheap and they strain milk SO much more quickly than boiled squares of cotton sheeting (what I started out using).

Hope this helps!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@seedlaw.com), April 27, 2001.



Oh yeah, and two magic words: Bag Balm.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@seedlaw.com), April 27, 2001.

One good idea I found for both udder washing and for cheesecloth is unfolded, single-ply diapers (the cloth kind). I bought mine at Wal- Mart several years ago and they work great. Also, there is a stainless steel strainer available in the Betty Crocker catalog (On all the Betty Crocker products they have the Betty Crocker points on the side and the phone number to call for a catalog) for about $10 and some points. I've been using a very mild bleach water wash for my teats but my father-in-law (who happens to be a retired extension prof.) pointed out that bleach only works on non-porous, non-organic surfaces, not necessarily on goats! A mild soapy water wash is probably more effective. I play with fire a little when it comes to cleaning/disinfecting my equipment. I use a light ammonia solution to clean the equipment and bleach to disinfect it. If ever these two compounds should mix, the combination is deadly. I have no milkstone problems.

-- Sheryl Adams (radams@sacoriver.net), April 27, 2001.

Well, I have a Jersey milk cow. I chose cow over goat for several reasons. #1, cows dont get out all the time like goats do. goats take incredibly high and fool-proof fencing, if you dont want to be on a merry chase every day or two! #2, My hubby hates goat milk. I dont mind it, but I do like the flavor of cow milk better. #3, I was raised on Guernsey milk. The beta carotene content is incredible! the reason for this is because the Jersey and the Guernsey are not able to turn the Beta Carotene into Vitamin A, as all other breeds can. Thus, their butter and cheese are very deep yellow. Also, you get the added nutritional benefit of the high beta carotene content. I am serious, put a Jersey or Guernsey on summer grass and you will see the milk turning yellow as it streams into the bucket: towards the end of each milking the butterfat is higher.

I use food-grade 2 gallon plastic buckets to milk into. We got them free from the local grocery store bakery. I wash them with antibacterial dish detergent and hot water immediately after each use. Have used them this way for a year, and they are still as good as new.

I found a place to get used linens from a laundry rental company. (They service hotels, etc.) I get thick white towels -some have stains- and tear them into fourths. I zigzag the edges on the sewing machine, and voila! I have cow washing cloths! Before each milking, I wash her udder with plain warm water, and dry her off if it is cold weather. I just wipe her off with the damp towel if its hot. (Hey, you may think this is slap-dash, but it is plenty clean enough. I used to work on a dairy farm, and trust me, most dairy farmers dont even wash their cows anymore!... My parents used to only brush the loose hairs off before milking.)

I strain the milk using a bounty towel. No other brand of paper towel works for straining milk! Their fibers are too close, and the towel isnt strong enough. I take that bounty towel and fold it into fourths, to make a square. I open it into a funnel shape, and fit it into the opening of the jar, and hold it with one hand, while I pour the milk through it. It filters it wonderfully.

I use glass gallon jars that came from the local sandwich shops. Pickled peppers come in them. My hubby just made the rounds every week to every shop, asking them to save them, and picking them up. (This was in preparation for Y2K.)I have about twenty to thirty of them, I think, I am not sure.

My cow had her calf 5 weeks ago. She really is a good producer-way too good. I am getting 5 gallons a day above what the calf is taking. (the calf has remained with her and gets fed as nature dictates. The little one is perfectly healthy.) As it is illegal to sell raw milk in Virginia, I am "giving" it to 3 families, who in return are "giving" me between $2 and $3.50 per gallon. I allow them to determine the size of hteir own gift, just to avoid trouble. lol

I still have way too much milk. I am going to have to get a little pig or another calf. As it is, Pearl requires about $9.00 worth of feed a week. I am getting all our own milk (about 4 gallons a week= $12.00) plus recieving about $30.00 in 'gifts' from my friends. (lol) This makes it that my cow is currently giving me somewhere close to $35 a week profit.

Concider the fact that since she is a registered Jersey (she cost $650 -I used inheritance money), her heifer calf, which is also a purebred, will be worth about $400 when she is weaned. I would say Pearl is paying for herself pretty fast.

Now all that extra milk, I have been trying to turn into cheese. Ask me in about 3 months how it turned out. Oh, I did make some fresh Mozerrella a while ago, and it was really good. I froze enough to carry us over the winter.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), May 02, 2001.


Karen, You'll have to make up your own mind as to whether you want a cow or a goat. It's all a matter of personal preference. If properly taken care of, there should be no taste difference between cow's or goat's milk. Like I mentioned before, goat's milk does tend to be whiter. Many folks will tolerate goat's milk better if they tend to be lactose intolerant. As for my experience, I had more problems with my Jersey and later on, my Holstein cow escaping than my goats!! Seems like they always prefered my neighbor's cornfield! Bummer! My goats are contained within two strands of electric tape and my milkers never even attempt to get out. Occasionally, a yearling might run thru it...but only once! Then came breeding hassles with my cows. I either had to get them to a bull, or get the A-I technician out here at the right time. It's easier for me to borrow a buck for the month of Oct. or Nov. Sometimes I keep my own which is easier than keeping your own bull!! And, all totalled, my milk costs me about $.35 per gallon and I sell it for $4.00 per gal. Bottom line is....I'm just too old to hassle with a 1000lb.+ cow now!!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), May 02, 2001.

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