# FINALLY got a milk goat! Questions - of course



## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

After years of dreaming about it, I finally got a milk goat yesterday. :bouncy:We milked her last night and got 1.5 quarts from her. She's an Oberhasli. My friend/neighbor has 2 Nigerian Dwarfs, first fresheners, that she'll be starting to milk soon. We're keeping our goats together and splitting the milk, taking turns milking.

I'm excited because I absolutely can not tolerate cows milk and haven't been able to drink any milk, eat any ice cream etc. for years. I crave milk so bad that sometimes I dream about it. I had a big glass of goat milk last night (absolute heaven) and I'm having it in my coffee today and the rest is currently being made into yogurt.

Anyway - between the two of us we're thinking we'll be getting around 1-2 gallons per day from the 3 goats? We want to make butter and ice cream. I'm considering getting an inexpensive electric cream separator. 

_Do you get more cream if you use a separator than if you just allow it to rise to the surface?_

It's been so long since I've had ice cream, my mouth is watering thinking about it. And cereal with milk!! My husband is picking me up a box of cereal today. Yum yum yum

Oh - and the goat. She is so sweet! After riding 65 miles in the back of the truck, she just hopped right up on the milk stand and was calm as could be. I've never milked an animal before. It was so enjoyable and she actually seemed to enjoy it, too. I'm getting ready to go see her - thinking about milking her twice per day. The people who had her before only have enough goats that they only need to milk once per day.


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## cdanna (Jun 13, 2013)

Congratulations  I just got milk goats too, a Oberhasli/Alpine mix and a ND/Kinder mix. I get about 1 gallon a day from them, they are both FF's....and they are kind of nuts, haha. I just keep telling myself, all 3 of us are new to this, we need to get used to each other then it will be smooth! 

I have tried skimming the cream and I think a cream separators gonna be worth it for sure. You'll only get a tiny bit each day skimming, it can take a week just to get enough to make a little butter. I'm definitely gonna get one of those Ukranian hand cranked ones I see on eBay. 


PS I milk twice a day and I dont think it is much more of a commitment than milking once a day. You have to be home everyday anyway! You'll get more milk out of her, too. 

Time for me to get off the internet and go milk now


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## d'vash (Apr 25, 2013)

fffarmergirl said:


> We're keeping our goats together...


Fun, fun, fun! :dance: 

Where are the pictures? 

I am hoping you meant to say _will_, as opposed to _are_. To clarify, I hope you are quarantining the new goat. It's probably best to deworm at this time as well.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Personally, I don't think separators are worth the expense and clean up time and tweaking for goat milk. 

I *love* making yogurt and cheese....all kinds. 

Milking twice a day is better for long term production. Not milking sends the signal for the body to reduce production.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

Just now noticed I had responses to this! The milking is going great. My friend and I are still thinking about incraesing to twice daily milking. The thing is, I'm still working part time and there are some mornings when she can't do it.

I've been having 2 big glasses of milk pr day. It's heavenly!


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Personally, I don't think separators are worth the expense and clean up time and tweaking for goat milk.
> 
> I *love* making yogurt and cheese....all kinds.
> 
> Milking twice a day is better for long term production. Not milking sends the signal for the body to reduce production.



I'd disagree. I love my separator. Take it apart and put it in the dishwasher and its simple to put together. Hubby prefers skim milk and we get enough to make all the butter, and a small part of the ice cream, we eat. If I could just learn how to make Blue Bell ish ice cream I'd separate all our milk. I could learn to drink skim....


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

cdanna said:


> Congratulations  I just got milk goats too, a Oberhasli/Alpine mix and a ND/Kinder mix. I get about 1 gallon a day from them, they are both FF's....and they are kind of nuts, haha. I just keep telling myself, all 3 of us are new to this, we need to get used to each other then it will be smooth!
> 
> I have tried skimming the cream and I think a cream separators gonna be worth it for sure. You'll only get a tiny bit each day skimming, it can take a week just to get enough to make a little butter. *I'm definitely gonna get one of those Ukranian hand cranked ones I see on eBay.
> *
> ...



That is what I have. It works pretty well, just make sure you have it up to speed when you open the valve or it will leak. It also has to screwed down to secure it.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

Thanks! We are currently only getting about 1/2 gallon plus 1 pint per day, and we're splitting it between us, so we'll probably wait just a bit before we get the separator. Will it work to freeze the milk until we have enough to separate and make butter?


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Congratulations on getting milk! 

Yes you can freeze goat milk. If you freeze it in "glass" jars, leave about 1/2 inch at top and do NOT screw lid on tightly...The milk will rise some in the middle and needs room to do so. You can also freeze it in ziplocks. (I usually "condense" any milk we have in excess of fresh use; then use it throughout months I'm not milking....excellent taste and can even "marble" some of it for cooking deserts and/or gravies.)

As for the cream separator, I have often considered getting one. Just have not done so yet.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Awesome for you, so happy you have the benefit of fresh goats milk, it is wonderful. I have an interesting goat milk story to share. When I had my last child, I was nursing, eating very well and I had oh so much milk...did not cross my mind there could be a problem. He would sleep 4 hours at a time only at night, so just twice for the long sleeps and ate all day every couple hours..I figured it was fine with his day nursing and he was a big baby... Well it was not fine, he was not gaining weight like my others had, I was confused and tried feeding him more often...by the time he was 2 months old, they told me he was a failure to thrive baby and might not make it? With my great diet and constant water plus I had more then he would eat? I was horrified but I knew a lady who I could get fresh goats milk from pronto..that boy became healthy and cherub like overnight! I do believe goats milk saved my son's life. Both my sons were supplemented with goats milk while they nursed but the other boy just ate around the clock, I needed a break. It is a health boost you can't get any other way and sure does make it possible for you to enjoy the many products you can make from it. 

Do post pics? :clap:


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

congrats on your milking adventure. i just now made a couple pounds of the stretchiest mozz, and then the whey is being heated for some fluffy ricotta. yum. we also had smoothies this morning from my own yogurt. goats are so wonderful! just the right size for a smaller family.

in my experience, obers can be hard to kid out. be careful not to breed them to too big a buck. their heads are big, like pug dogs, and they can have issues with tearing and just getting the kids stuck (c sections). some breeds have told me its not IF they have an issue, its WHEN. so be careful, but they make such lovely milk, are so sweet and i'd love to have a whole herd of them!! mine now is saanen, with a couple half saanen, half obie crosses, who turn out a pretty peachy color and still have a bit creamier milk.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

Romy, I have read quite a few similar testamonials from people who fed goat milk to their babies. Did you make a formula out of it? Do you have the recipe? We have a newborn here at the moment. She's doing fine but I'd feel more secure knowing she'd be OK if her mom runs into any problems nursing.

I got my ober from some Oberhasli fanatic friends who breed them and have a big herd of them. They're breeding for production and thinning their herd and selling some of the less productive ones. I'm thinking of getting a second one. They rent a "super buck" every year and asked me to please bring my girl back to be bred. She had babies in March and I was kind of hoping to milk her through and not have to breed her this next season. I just love her to pieces - she is so sweet, except when she tries to pull my hair out by the roots . . . . 

I have some feeding questions and I think I'll post a new thread.


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## StoneMaven (Aug 14, 2013)

Congratulations on your new adventure! 
After milking goats for the last ten years I got an old Westfalia electric separator I'd picked up off ebay a few years ago up and running last week. All I can say is, "WHY didn't I do this sooner?". I get a quart of heavy cream off the two gallons of milk I collect every morning from my LaMancha/Nubian mix ladies. I'd get a half pint from the same from skimming with a spoon. Now I just need to perfect my butter churning technique. 
I also milk once a day (mornings) but I let the kids run with their dams. If I want more yield for cheese making, etc., I pen the kids separate during the night and milk before turning them out. 
You will make more milk milking twice a day, but letting the kids nurse really keeps their dams producing milk and we can't drink more than 6-7 gallons a week anyway. With 3 boys in grade school, milking only once a day just makes sense for us. Bonus, I have _very_ healthy kids with no losses other than an occasional bit of predation by coyotes when my dogs get lazy. 
I don't exclusively bottle raise unless a kid gets rejected or is weak to start off. It isn't any more trouble to train them to the milk stand. I've had bottle kids that were fractious and dam raised kids who were bomb proof on the stand from the get-go so now I take the lazy path...If raising my own meat and dairy can be called that!


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