Hi Everyone. I have had my goats since Sunday. The farm i bought my goats from kept the buck in the first floor of the barn directly under the does. The doe I am milking was also recently bred. My problem is that the milk taste like the buck smelled. How long will it take for this flavor to leave the milk?

Also have update on my new goats. I find that the nubian is very sweet and quiet while the togg is stand-offish and bleats alot. The nubian is the boss of the two.

The nubian is very nice looking for her age (she is 9) she still looks like a young goat. I got her because of the nice looking kids she has had. The togg is a nice sand color and she is sweet but only when she wants to be.

Thanks again. george

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), November 28, 2001

Answers

Oh the ole' bucky smell. The smell should dissapiate soon, its probably from the smell of a buck on their coats, do they smell like a buck from being with him? If not then the smell might be related to your milking procedures. Are you using plastic or metal to milk in? Then how do you strain and take care of the milk after? The best tasting milk comes from milking into a satinless steel bucket then immediately straining and then flash cooling inot the freezer for 20 mins (don't forget it like i do) and then refrig). I also use glass jugs to put the milk in a spalstic will hold off flavors. Oh and what are you feeding them? That can sometimes give an off flavor.

I probably should share this funny story about bucky milk. I was a newbie to goats and it was late in the yr, the does were bred an ddrying off. i ahd some extra mmilk and eggs and we had just butchered ahog so i had sausage. i decided to make quiche for dinner a sit wa seasy and quick and I could also get rid of the excess. i made this quiche and then baked it, I detected a off smell but didn't think much. i got the quiche out of the oven and then proceeded to have dinner, about died when we ate it, it tasted like buck! ewweeeie.

-- Berncie (geminigoats@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.

Agree with Bernice. Did you worm them and then feed the milk to the dogs or the septic for the withdrawl time? Do they smell like bucks, if it is to cold for a good bath and vinegar rinse how about some of the remedies folks came up with for someone else on here and use Frebreeze or baking soda brushed through the coats. When stressed which these goats are, they aren't eating their grain, hay and minerals like they should and won't make as nice of tasting milk as they normally would have. Make sure your hay is sweet, you grain contains no animal protein, fat or by products and that your molassas isn't sticky. Perhaps put some baking soda out for awhile till they get used to their new lives with you.

Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Hi Bernice. Your story was funny. Did you eat the whole thing?:-)

The does do not smell real bad just a little bucky. I can not smell buck smell on me.

I wash my hands, then the does teats. I make sure my hands and the does teats are dry before i start milking. I milk into a pyrex glass mixing bowl. After milking i go directly to the house where I have a glass pitcher sitting in ice water (with ice cubes) i strain the milk through dairy strainer between two canning funnels (got the idea from the book "Story's Guide To Raising Dairy Goats." After the milk has chilled I put the milk into the fridge.

I have been feeding the milk to the dogs and chickens until the buck flavor goes away.

george

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), November 28, 2001.

Sounds like you ahve the procedure downpat, so thats ruled out. Now to look at as vicki mentioned, wormer, etc? If that rules out too then it is probably the buck smell. If the buck smelled a sbad as our alpine buck a few yrs ago then I can see why, he didn't earn the name :Stinky" for nothing, LOL:):0 Nope, we didn't eat the quiche, the dogs dined on it.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.

Hi Vicki. I was told by the people i bought the goats from that they had just been wormed. I am feeding Caprine Challenger and I don't know if it is sweet hay or not. What kind of hay would sweet hay be? I asked for the best goat hay they had and it cost $5 a bale, it smells sweet. If i feed baking soda how much should I feed?

Bernice, the milk taste exactly the same as the buck smelled. It left a very strong taste in my mouth that i could smell at the same time YUK! I'm brave so figure that in time milk flavor should change to the better.

George

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), November 28, 2001.

George, why don't you try applying some baking soda to the outside of the goat? It's a good deodorizer. I think this weekend is supposed to be warm here (a relative term, I'm sure), but you may be able to wash them then. Treat them as for skunk spray (vinegar rinse, soap and water, vinegar rinse). Despite not being able to drink the fruits of your labor, are you having fun yet?!

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), November 28, 2001.

Hi Sheryl. I have decided to do the baking soda bath this weekend. I am having a great time with the goats. They're lots of fun to watch. If it weren't for all of you I probably wouldn't have them. All i had to do to convince my partner was to mention your post to me when I ask for what kind of farm animal to get.

george

-- (bngcrview@aol.com), November 28, 2001.

Hi Vicki. I was told by the people i bought the goats from that they had just been wormed. I am feeding Caprine Challenger and I don't know if it is sweet hay or not. What kind of hay would sweet hay be? I asked for the best goat hay they had and it cost $5 a bale, it smells sweet. If i feed baking soda how much should I feed? ....................................

Yes being just wormed at home is fine. But them you take them to your farm, they hollar, they pace, they wonder just how long they are having to stay in this new god for saken place that no matter how nice it is is not HOME! During this time the worms that the previous owners had under control, become activated and start multiplying rapidly. Wormers do not kill all of the worms, most are pooped out alive just waiting for our goats to reinfest themselves with them. Others are put to sleep by their moms, these are called in arrested development. Times of stress, and hormones, adreniline from fright, and oxytocin for kidding, all are times that worms use to become activated and mature, having more babies and sucking the blood from your does. So you need to reworm them. Asking the previous owners what works in your area is a good idea.

No clue what Caprine Challenger is but sounds like a meat goat feed. Check the label for animal fat, animal by products or animal protein. Already chewed grain, pellets, don't give the does as much nutrition as grains. Sweet hay is exactly that, hay that is bright green, smells sweet, not musty or makes you sneeze from mold. Baking soda like your mineral mix is simply put out in a corner of the feeders free choice, or fed in mineral feeders.

Did you taste the milk from the doe before you purchased her? If there is a huge change, ask the previous owners what they are feeding. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Caprine challenger is a Blue Seal product and is available only in the east, actually east and south to NC. We used to feed caprine challenger after w ewent off our speciality mix, it was OK, but I believe that we had better health and results with the speciality mix we had made because it was fully balanced.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.

Hi George, Just an idea - you might want to look again at the cleanliness of everything that touches the milk. Sterile is best. If sterile is not possible, after washing thoroughly, rinse equipment very well in scalding hot water and air dry upside-down. Also, five minutes between milking and beginning to chill the milk can make all the difference.

When I'm milking for humans, I bring the ice water right to the goat shed and strain the fresh milk directly into a glass jar, then immediately put the jar into the ice water. Then I milk the second goat. If I wait until both goats are milked, I can definitely taste the difference.

Also, you might want to rig some kind of cover for your milking pail. It will give you a smaller target to aim your milk streams at, but will keep more of the hairs and dust out of the milk.

It's hard to believe just how sensitive milk really is until you've tried some that hasn't been handled properly.

Another hint: Around here, people use coffee grounds for getting rid of buck smell on their hands. I wonder whether grounds brushed through the does' hair might not help. But I'm betting casual cleanliness or less than healthy goats are the real issues here.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), November 29, 2001.

Oops! I meant PARTIAL cover for the milking pail. Darn hard getting that milk to go through a whole lid! LOL! I got a steel lid that fit my steel pail and cut a piece out of it, making sure to get rid of all the burrs and sharp edges. It now has the typical half-moon shape of a goat milking pail lid.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), November 29, 2001.