Does your milk taste "goaty"?

dwbonfire

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I had found that my goats milk tastes great for the first 3 days, then starts to taste like a goat! For a long time I drank fresh, raw cows milk and a gallon would last me over a week and it never tasted odd to me. But for some reason my goats milk tastes funny in just a few days. Could it be what they eat? They get oats and purina goat chow which is a sweet feed, hay and grass and minerals. I'd like to sell some, but I worry if someone doesn't drink it up fast it will taste like a goat and they would obviously be unhappy! What could be causing this? Or is it normal for goats?
 

TAH

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Is in heat? If there are any Mint Pine Needles that can change the flavor of the milk.
 

babsbag

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I find that the biggest reason my milk goes "goaty" quickly is that I don't chill it fast enough. If you can get it down to 42° in 2 hours or less it will last much longer.
 

dwbonfire

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I bring mine right in the house, filter it and put it in the fridge. Never longer than 20 minutes after milking, and that long is rare.
 

dwbonfire

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Ok I'll try that, thanks! How long does yours stay fresh tasting?
 

TAH

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1 -1 1/2 Weeks. Hope it works.
 

ldawntaylor

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Two questions, is there a buck kid nursing? And, have you noticed unusual warmth to the udder or teats?

Both of these have been reasons for milk tasting goaty in my experience (almost 10 years). Another reason is something she/they browsed on.

If there is a tempurature difference noticed that can be a sign for mastitis whither beginning stages or sub-clinical.
 

babsbag

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Putting it in the refrigerator takes much longer to cool than you might think. It is 100° when you put it in there so you can bet 4 hours or longer to get it chilled. And of course the bigger the container the longer it takes. I either put mine in the freezer (and set a timer) or chill it in glass jars in an ice bath.
 

ldawntaylor

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I have a cousin who also has dairy goats (milk for her large family). She milks directly into a glass jar that is sitting in a bucket of ice. The jar has a filter on it to keep out debris and is refrigerated immediately after.

It is amazing sometimes how much variety there is in how people take care of their animals and what those animals produce.
 
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