Is raw goats milk from a negative tb and brucellosis goat safe to feed to a baby, or for a pregnant woman to drink? I know goats milk in general is better for young kids, but could the raw stuff be harmful? I read in a goat book about campylobacter, which can make people who aren't used to raw milk sick and feverish. Has anyone heard of this or experienced this? Does raw milk taste different from pasturized? I would like to avoid pasturization, but if ya gotta, then ya gotta. I'm jumpin the gun a little here (I don't even have a goat yet!) but I would like to know if I should by a home-pasturizer. Also is a seperator absolutely neccesary to get cream from goats milk? Is there any way to do it with out this expensive piece or equipment? Thanks!

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), March 04, 2001

Answers

Response to raw goats milk?

If this doe was from your own herd, that you had raised from several generations and through your own management than yes, it would be safe to drink the milk raw. Several threads back I listed all the disease that could be found in raw goats milk, and the list included lots of diseases that most of us would be very hard pressed to diagnose, let alone spell :) You would be perfectly fine drinking raw milk, I for one would not feed unpasturised milk from a new goat to an infant.

A pasturiser is a luxury item, milk can be pasturised in any pot, heated slowly enough to 165 degrees, even a cheapo pan would not scorch the milk, double boiler set ups are really slow, but work fine also, and you can use just two nesting kettles with water in the larger one. Now a cream seperator is another story all together, as I only make butter as a novelty item just to show you can for demonstrations, to make this regularly, yes a seperator is nearly a necessity. Stick with a good breed with high butterfat, if you expect to make much butter, Nubians, LaMancha's and those crosses coming from Nubian. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Response to raw goats milk?

I can't add much to Vicki's post.We drink it unpasteurized and wouldn't have it any other way.Assuming the goat is healthy,unpasteurized is actually better for you.It still has all it's enzymes undamaged.Cream seperator is the way to go but you can churn whole,soured milk to get butter and a lot of buttermilk.

-- JT (gone2seed@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Response to raw goats milk?

See if you can find the book "The milk of human kindness is not pasturized" by Dr William Campbell Douglas It takes most of the fear away from raw milk. I dont have goats right now, but when I did we always drank it raw.

-- roxanne (roxanne143@webtv.net), March 04, 2001.

Response to raw goats milk?

I have always heat treated my goat's milk to 140 degrees, stirred thoroughly then chilled quickly in a 38 degree fridge. I have never had "goaty" milk using this technique and it stays fresh for several weeks. I also have customers who have weaned their infants from breast milk to my goats milk....never had any sickness problems. When I have heated milk to 165 degrees, I always seem to detect that "processed" flavor, so I try to keep it no hotter than 145 at the most. I also use the double boiler technique. Sure would love to have a cream separator, though!! I use the skimming method. Good Luck!

-- Marcia Webber (HrMr@webtv.net), March 04, 2001.

Elizabeth, We drink raw milk and my 15 month old was fed raw milk from 4 months on. Never a problem. I am a stickler about being clean while I milk and keeping my animals in a clean environment. Milk is sterile in the udder, it is what it comes in contact with and how quickly it is cooled. The problem is that warm milk is a perfect breeding place for bacteria so quickly cooling is very important. We have not had a problem. Pasteurizing kills some very important enzymes in the milk.

-- Cindy (ourfarm@gateway.net), March 05, 2001.

When I was little, the doctor TOLD my Mom to feed me raw goat's milk. She had to drive over 40 miles to a woman who was willing to sell it to her (I had TONS of allergies). So long as you know where its from and are sure of the doe's health - its the next best thing to the REAL thing!!!

(I gave it to my daughter, too, and HER doctor told me that it was not only healthier than cow's milk, but also easier to digest, and 'naturally homogenized.'

Incidentally - there is no real reason for the pasturization of cow's milk.... or goat's milk... other than as a preservative. I worked in a grocery store. We stocked THREE MONTHS' worth of milk in our dairy case - only putting out for customers the stuff that would go bad within a week of stocking. I quit really quick when I found that out!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 05, 2001.