I must confess. Before we started milking our own goats, I had never had goat’s milk.
Risky?
Perhaps.
I guess there was that chance that I would absolutely despise the taste of it and then be forced to halt all dairy goat operations. But, I like to live on the edge…
After hearing multiple people passionately explain why they thought goat’s milk was utterly disgusting, I started to get a little nervous…
And then the day of reckoning came.
I milked ol’ Cinnamon and brought her milk into the house. After carefully filtering it, I placed it in a glass jar and put it into the back of the refrigerator. (You can read all of my raw milk handling tips here.)
Once it was nice and cold, I poured a teeny tiny bit into a glass.
I peered at it suspiciously-
It looked pretty normal.
I stuck my nose in the cup and inhaled-
Nothing abnormal there, either…
My husband and I stared at it for a minute more, and then I cautiously took a sip.
It tasted like…
Milk.
No goaty taste. No bitter taste. Just. Milk.
It’s rich and creamy, but most whole, raw milk is. So now I’m left wondering why goat milk gets such a bad rap…
Although I’ve never tried it, I’ve heard that the pasteurized stuff you buy in the grocery store, (ESPECIALLY the canned stuff) has a very goaty taste to it. I suspect that the store-bought version of goat milk has ruined many potential goat milk enthusiasts.
If you’ve ever had fresh goat milk that tastes a little bit off, there are a couple different factors that would be playing into the strange tastes.
1. Certain breeds may have “goatier” milk than others. Toggenburgs, for example, are said to have a stronger tasting milk, which is why they are preferred for certain types of cheesemaking.
2. A dairy animal’s diet can play a large part in the taste of the milk. If your goats have the opportunity to graze, they could be getting into weeds that have the potential to give the milk strong flavors. Now, my goats eat plenty of weeds without issue, but it just depends on what grows in your area. And if they eat lots of onions or garlic, those flavors could show up in the milk as well (but not always).
3. I’ve found that the longer the milk sits in the fridge, the goatier it gets. So, for best results, handle the milk properly, and drink it within a couple days. (It won’t hurt you to drink older milk, it just might not taste as pleasant.)
4. If you have a buck (intact male goat) in the near vicinity, don’t be surprised if your milk smells a wee bit “musky.” I didn’t really believe this until we borrowed a buck one year during breeding season… Phew! My homemade yogurt had an, er, interesting “bucky” undertone. No thanks.
And if you still can’t figure out why your milk tastes funny, check out this post with 16 possible reasons for off-flavors in milk.
So, dear goat-milk skeptic. I hope I’ve inspired you to give that goat milk at least one more try.
Find someone with a home dairy that handles their milk appropriately, and ask if you can sample a glass. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 😉
If the thought of fresh raw milk or home dairying intrigues you, check out some of my other posts:
- Why We Drink Raw Milk
- How to Milk Once Per Day
- Homemade Udder Balm
- 6 Tips for Safely Handling Raw Milk
- 20 Ways to Use Sour Raw Milk
This post was shared at Frugal Days Sustainable Ways
Your mention of weeds affecting the taste of the milk made me think of Napoleon Dynamite, where he’s testing cow milk.
“This tastes like the cow got into an onion patch”.
Hahahahaha!!
Lmao!! Thats hilarious! I haven’t seen that movie in a grip.
Oh the bucky taste is no myth! It will certainly make your milk less than tasty. Poor bucks, they spend all that time building up their seductive cologne, and us poor humans just can’t seem to appreciate it!
I’ve never been able to understand the whole “eww goat’s milk” thing. One animal’s udder is much the same as another’s udder if you ask me. I’ve always prefered goat’s milk for taste and for the fact that it doesn’t have to undergo the dangerous process of homogenization. (If you’ve never studied what homogenization does to milk, you should check it out. Scary.)
As for pasturized store goat’s milk, no it’s not goaty. Not usually. I’ve bought it a few times, and it’s fine. It’s just not as good as farm fresh of course.
I still have yet to try store bought goat’s milk… Don’t really see the need to, though, with all this fresh milk hanging around! 😉 And yes, I’m pretty brave when it comes to food, but I don’t care for “bucky” milk at all!
My two older boys were weaned onto goats milk. Saanan to be exact. Her milk was delicious. My father, who said he would never drink goats milk because of the taste got under my skin after repeating this umpteen times. So, I bought a quart of whole milk in the cardboard container and dumped it then put my goats milk in it and served it up to him. He couldn’t stop commenting how this quart of milk was soooo good. HHHHaaa.
I have purchased goats milk from the supermarket and yeuch!!!!Itreally did taste awefull. So people enjoy your own or someone whom you trust to be very clean and prompt with their milk. Darlene <
Hehe– this cracks me up! I think if most people just tried it, they’d be pleasantly surprised. 🙂
It has to be raw fresh and Nubian goats are the best fed the best Western alfalfa hay you can find
My Nigerian Dwarf Girls give the sweetest, best milk I’ve ever tasted..better even than my little Jersey cow and higher in butterfat…but…they’re little ..not quite up to my knee so don’t give as much as the bigger girls.
Hey Jill, my wife Morgan and I met you at Lehman’s, we were telling you how we wanted a milk cow and had tried store bought goats milk and didn’t care for it. We just got done listening to your podcast on goat vs cows milk and I must say, you are starting to convince us that we should start with a dairy goat (or two) before we decide we want to commit to a cow.
Thanks for all you do!
I’ve had both store bought and fresh. Store bought does have more of a “goat” taste to it I think. We love fresh! We started using it because our oldest son does not do well with cows milk, and have had no problems with our goats!
A main factor for taste of the milk is what the goats eat. Just like cows….. duh
I had always heard that goat’s milk taste funny, also. I am new to goats so just tried the tounge test with a drop the first time. I was surprised it tasted like normal milk. Now I drink it and make cheese from it. Yummy!
My goats do not eat alfalfa, just grass hay and goat chow. The stinky billy is in with the girls all the time. Still, no bad taste to the milk. They are Nigerian Dwarfs. Do you think the breed make a difference rather than the feed?
I’ve heard that different breeds have different tasting milk- like Toggenburgs for example. But I think it’s interesting that you still have good tasting milk, even with your billy in. What a nice surprise!
Ive had Milk from most ADGA breeds None have tasted Bad when fresh (and Clean) I do find Togg Milk slightly Saltier than others and all goat milk a tad more than Cow BUT Raw Goat Milk has Always been far Better than any Pasteurized goat or cow milk.
I LOVE raw goat’s milk! In my opinion, its better than cow’s milk.
I just found your blog. I love it. We started our journey with goats in September. My experience sounds a little like yours. I have always heard about the funny taste of goat’s milk. Unfortunately, we visited a distant relative that let us try her goat’s milk. I didn’t like it. It had a very grassy after-taste. With that being said, when my husband and I started looking into small livestock to for a small pasture that we have, we were divided. He wanted goats. I wanted sheep. After doing a lot of research (about sheep!), I talked with my local feed store owner about the costs of vaccinations and food for the sheep. She encouraged me to look into goats because they are easier to care for, more fun, and have (as my husband says) better personalities. So, I decided to give them a try. I jumped head first into them by getting 2 Nigerian Dwarfs. I picked them because of their size, reputation for good milk production, and high milk fat content. At first, we were just going to get myotonic (fainting) goats for fun, but then we noticed that our daughter was having a hard time digesting store-bought cow’s milk. We tried her on raw cow’s milk. When that helped. I was sold on the idea of getting milking goats. I knew that their milk could only be better for her. So, without hesitation, we got our goats. Our first milking was interesting. Like you, I was afraid to try the milk. I let my husband try it first. Then my daughters (who, by the way loved it!). Lastly, I tried it. I could not believe how “normal” it tasted! I had a ladies’ night at my home a few weeks ago and placed some out to use with coffee (labeled so no one that did not want to try it would) and everyone loved it! I do want to share a tip that helps us a lot. We have a small pan that we freeze a small layer of water in. I use it every time I milk to put under my milking pail so that the milk is instantly cooled. It really helped to remove any grassy aftertaste. It also helped to take the bucky taste out of it. We had a buck for a month at the beginning, too. What a way to jump into the world of goats!
Great tip with the water going to try that. Also I had a question when deworming a goat is it still fine to drink the milk in that time?.
With most dewormers there is a withdraw period, I don’t know what it is 3 days maybe? I use an herbal dewormer and it has no withdraw period.
What herbal dewormer do you use and how often? I’ve been getting info from local goaters but they all push all types of medication and vaccines:(
I just came across your website. I was reminded of my childhood. I was raised on goats milk ( and goat meat). I haven’t had any in quite some time, but I remember well that I didn’t like cows milk when we were visiting other people, so it must taste different. I don’t know what kind of goats they were, of the ones I remember two were white and one was black and white with floppy ears and “dewlaps”(?), she was also smaller than the others. We children enjoyed the goats, especially the kids. They are very curious and will follow a person around, lip clothing. nose into whatever you are doing. They will also eat lots of odd things. My Dad would often stake them out, I suppose to “mow” the grass and they occasionally got a hold of things they were not supposed to be eating. Well anyway, good luck with your goats, and enjoy them.
I’ve never has fresh goat’s milk – but I have had fresh goat 🙂
I would surely be willing to try, if I ever have the opportunity.
~ Dana
I just found your site today. We are just getting ready to begin our goat adventure. My daughter showed our neighbor’s goats last year for 4H, and now she wants to raise her own. We’ve already got rabbits and chickens, and we raise hogs for meat every spring, so why not? They almost have the goat pen ready, and as soon as the little babies are old enough, they will be here! 🙂
How exciting Chantel! Sounds like you have quite the little homestead going on! Keep up the great work!
having raised goats for most of my high school years goat milk is great. However if your goat gets into the weeds you will have an off flavor to the milk we just fed our goats good hay and sweet rolled oats as a treat during milking times.
Yes, I’ve heard that about the weeds. Although mine eat a lot of weeds and it doesn’t seem to affect the milk. My weeds must not be as potent. 😉
Wait!!! Will the mild taste “bucky yucky” even if he is in the adjacent pasture? Newbie here and I knew they couldn’t be kept together but our buck is living “next door”. I may have to make other arrangements. Rats. *slapping forehead*
arghhh! MILK, not mild.
Hmmm… I guess it depends if the pastures are touching. I think it also depends if the female is “aware” that he is in the area…
Our goat’s milk tastes fine. Some browse (pasture food) does affect it’s taste, like sage. But it always tastes like fresh, clean milk. I have read that having a buck in season will affect the taste, as ‘does’ (females) are excited by the unpleasant antics of the bucks, and physically relish in the scents. It eventually flavors the milk. We don’t keep a buck, but when we do, he will be housed in seperate, isolated quarters.
We have goats and our sons loved the milk until one day the containers were mixed up. They got a half gallon of older milk. Now we can not get them to drink it at all. But we still have our goats. Really enjoying your website.
My daughter started keeping Nigerian goats for the milk and I really laughed at your description of your first taste of the milk because I was the same! I am a true blue milk lover and when I was younger my 5 brothers and sisters always made me try the milk to see if it was going sour. I could always tell first so I figure I am a good judge of milk. My daughters goat milk is the best I have ever had. When we try to get goat milk virgins to try it I am always amused at their reluctance and then surprise!
Hi!
Your blog is great! Thank you! I want a milk goat so bad! I am nervous about the sheer quantity of milk and also I work 12 hour days which with drive time I leave at 6:15 and get home between 8-830, which puts twice a day milkings looking pretty undesirable. What do you do with all that milk? I would definitely make yogurt! And use it in our coffee!
Thanks Hayley- with your work schedule, it would be a little more challenging to milk, but it could be done. One option would be to leave the kids with the doe for 12 hours at a time– that way you’d only have to milk 1x per day (that is what I usually did). You can make yogurt, soft cheeses, mozzarella, buttermilk, and more! I used to think the goats gave a lot of milk, until I got a milk cow… Then the goat quantity looked very manageable. 😉
I am decided, I am taking the goat plunge this spring, hubbs has to tweak a few fences first and we need to set up a shelter. Whats your best advice for where to set up my future milking stand. You know as well as I do barns aren’t exactly spotless places, especially when there is almost daily horse and calf traffic in them.
Hi Hayley,
I have my stand in our barn, although it’s in the area where we keep our hay/supplies, and not where the animals live. I guess my advice is just to do the best with what you have! A hard surface like wood or cement is nice, since it minimizes a bit of the dust/debris, but not everyone has that luxury. Best of luck in your goat adventures! 🙂
I’ve read that once it’s heated up past a certain temperature, then it will taste goaty. We’re getting 2 oberhasli goats soon that are both due in April. I’ve been drinking raw goat milk for over 3 years and love it! I can’t wait until we have our own milk:) Thanks so much for sharing so much information.
I found you website today when I was doing more research on birthing and baby goats. You see my Alpine(Thia) just gave birth to two female kids. I love your site and will continue to refer to it. We got Thia when she was 9 months old and when she was 11 months we were given a buck who we named Joey. He is a French Alpine and what a stud, you know, like Joey from “Friends”. Well my problem seems to be that he is also part of the family now and we would like to milk Thia. They have been together from conception and now I am trying to keep them apart , but how far is far enough. For now I maybe doing cheese and not drinking it. Any thoughts? Thanks Mark
Jill, just a follow up on my last post. Again your site helped as Thia had one of her nipples get engorged and I had to milk that side three times until the the kids started to nurse on it. Thanks Again to your web site as I read the six things you learned and shortened my learning curve.
Yay– this makes me so happy! I’m so glad you are finding the blog helpful. 😉
So, my theory on people who don’t like Goats milk is that they have tried the canned stuff which, is disgusting. I got into Goats Milk because I have severe digestive disease and had read where Goats Milk is more digestible. So, I didn’t want to buy a quart and have it wasted if I didn’t like it so I bought a can. Bad Move on my part. It was horrible. Then I was introduced to Goats Milk Cheese which is wonderful. So, I wound up contacting a local Goat Dairy and getting normal pasturized milk from them. It was much much better and I quite like it. I have not tried raw as of yet, though since I am a baby homesteader I am going to concentrate on the garden first.
That is my guess, too. I’ve heard the canned stuff is nasty! 😉
Hi, I have recently quit my job to stay home with my small children. We are on our way to starting a small hobby farm. We have plans for our chickens, ducks and rabbit, but I would love to get a goat! I am interested in the milking, but I have a couple of questions. We live in Northern Minnesota and it gets very cold here (like -50 degrees). Does this affect milking? Also you mentioned the first time you tried the milk you carefully filtered it – do you filter it everytime you milk or did you do that because you were being causious? I have lots of questions and am just beginning my search for answers. I love your website and can’t wait to read more! KarLynn
Hi KarLynn,
The temps shouldn’t affect the milking too much. You might find the goats possibly not producing as much during a cold snap, but they should be ok.
I always filter my milk before drinking to remove any hair or bits of debris. I use a reusable coffee filter, but you can buy special milk strainers.
Cooling, cooling & cooling: Goat’s milk going “goaty” (or not) is all about cooling! We have several French Alpines, so we did some experimenting. If you get the milk cooled to 36 degrees F (standard refrigerators keep things at 35-37…a cheap fridge thermometer is your best friend here) within ONE HOUR of removing the milk from the goat, it will not taste goaty. (As others have mentioned, buck-nearness negates anything else you can do on this subject.) I’ve converted numerous “I Hate Goat Milk” club members to freely drinking it by ensuring it is quickly and properly cooled. Goat milk tastes no different from cow milk IF it is properly cooled. This is the downfall of a lot of store-bought goat milk- cow milk doesn’t go “Cow-y” if improperly processed, but goat milk does not allow that kind of lenience. Cool your milk as fast as you can once it leaves the goat!
One advantageous way of doing this: Drop one of those blue pseudo-ice packs in the bottom of your milking pail. This helps cool the milk far faster, and gives you a big head start when it comes to cooling if you have more than two goats. Just as with food, though, remember that your milk doesn’t magically drop to 36: It comes out of the goat at around 103, so it has a ways to go before it hits Non-Goaty-Land. Putting milk on the lower shelves will cool it faster- and DON’T put it in the door! Fridge doors are warmer than anywhere else in the fridge, and get more exposure to heat from opening than anywhere else in the fridge. Also remember that a full fridge is colder than a near-empty one (yes, you forfeit the look of “clean” shelves, but it’s a lot more energy efficient to have the fridge filled), so keeping your fridge filled means faster cooling of warm goat milk.
Yes– I agree about the rapid cooling. I’ve never had a problem as long as I got my milk in the house right away. however, I had heard some folks say that they suspect the breed of goat might have something to do with the taste– regardless of the temp. 😉
I bought some raw goat milk from some Amish. I wanted to try it before buying goats. I got it home and tasted it. It tasted like I had licked a goat. I was not impressed, at all. I ended up drinking about half of the quart, hoping I would come to like it. Never did.
I was telling a goat owner I knew about this. She told me that the buck was probably kept with her and that was why it tasted so bad.
Yes, bucks can cause the milk to taste pretty nasty… Or sometimes if the milk is older (1-2 weeks) it will start to develop stronger flavors.
I am a huge fan of goats milk, goats cheese and butter. Like u I was a little insecure about the taste since everyone always talks about the strong taste that the milk has to it. I was lucky to be able to baby sit my friends two dairy goats in the spring and during that time milked them and learned to love the taste and the richness. plus I fell in love with those two little characters…lol We are planning to get our own goats sometime soon….instead of buying a weed wacker 😉 I am new to this blog and I have to say … I REALLY enjoy reading it 🙂 nik
Yes- goats are good for taming weeds– although they will eat your landscaping too- so be prepared. 😉
Goat milk butter?? I thought you couldn’t make butter from goats milk. Something to do with the fat globules being to small, or too close together, or something. Have you made goat milk butter, is it the same as making cow milk butter?
Thanks,
Charlotte
the butter didn’t turn out as buttery as “buttery” as cow butter but it was good anyway. The hardest part was to get enough cream to make it worth it. I didn’t have a huge amount but still liked the result. All I did was filling the cream into a jar and shook it until it was butter…easy easy !!
Ah, good to know! I’ve wanted goats for I don’t know how long. A couple months ago, I bought some raw goat milk cheddar cheese, and it was the nastiest tasting stuff I’ve ever had. Tasted like old sweaty socks. Needless to say, I wasn’t sure if I wanted goats anymore.
Old sweaty sock– not good! I wonder what type of goat it came from?
A bad tasting goat – lol!
Ha! 🙂
My husband also had bad ideas about goat milk and goats in general. Fast forward 20 years when we were done with Dairy Farming, I still craved FRESH milk. So we bought a goat. The folks we bought her from let us taste the milk! YUMM!! we are back in business. Milk, yogurt, kefir, etc… Fresh milk for my coffee! We chill it as QUICKLY as possible. Strain it, jar it, and then into a pot with ice and filled with ice water, for about 20 minutes to chill it QUICKLY, then into the fridge. No goaty taste. We do NOT keep a Buck around. At all. Only once a year when she needs a “date”.
Yay! I am so glad that getting a goat and having fresh milk was able to change your hubby’s mind. I think this would probably be the case with most folks if they gave it a try.
Thanks for sharing this, Jill. Recently, God dropped a goat on our property…it followed my son home, and we have no idea where it came from. I am not sure what to do with it. It is a buck, and we went through a lot to keep him penned up. We have plenty of coastal grass, but he jumped on my car…I was not happy about that. I wondered if I could mate him. This has been really helpful! Blessings~Kim
Yes, I’ve heard stories of goats on cars! Ours haven’t tried that… yet!
My experience with goat milk was the goaty taste until I bought some from a backyard producer (Massachusetts) who insisted on careful handling of the milk and keeping it COLD. Since then, I’ve bought it in Iowa and New Mexico and found it to be very good. Since I was raised on cow’s milk (commercially-produced) I tend to enjoy raw cow’s milk the most but would have no hesitation in buying goat milk if that wasn’t available.
Yes- COLD is definitely key!
Thanks, Jill, for the helpful tips. I’ve been thinking about asking one of my goat-owning neighbors if I could taste some of their goat milk. I don’t really *know* any of them, though. My first introduction might be, “Hello, I’m a neighbor you don’t know. Can I drink your goat’s milk?” Hmmm …
I almost purchased a can of goat’s milk at the store just so I could taste goat’s milk, but I remembered something maybe you or one of your readers mentioned in a post about store-bought goat’s milk having a “goaty” taste.
I’ve NEVER tasted raw milk of ANY kind. I’m so excited to get goats. 🙂
Lol- That would be kind of funny. 😉 And yes- definitely avoid that canned stuff!
If someone came by the farm and said that I would probably start laughing and go get them a quart to take home. I’m sure they’d be happy to have someone new “converted” lol
I am so happy to have found your blog. I like that you start out saying you are a follower of Jesus. Thank you!
I am 54 years old and finally getting my dream of a farm. We just now finally decided not to sell our place on 82 acres but stay. WE have gardens first. Chickens now. My next dream (goal) is some meat goats and a milking goat…then some sheep and Llamas. A horse or two…and probably one cow. I am allergic to beef and am more of a fish person…No pond in my future- just a swimming pool to get into after morning chores. I appreciate your article on goat raw milk. I hope to be able to give it to my grandson and daughter.
I’m glad you found me too, Julie! And WAY TO GO on pursuing your farming dream- keep up the great work!
My wife and I have only been drinking goats milk for the last five years and not experienced any issues. You need to cool quickly, and mind the odors the milk could be exposed to, I love Goats Milk, and all the cheeses and butter.
My thoughts exactly Don! Do you have a cream separator that enables you to get the butter?
Yes we bought a cream separator. We were not sure it would be worth it, but the butter and Ice cream have been nice. We were milking three nannies until this spring, so were getting four plus gallons of milk a day. We sold one of the girls this spring and use some of the milk for the pigs as it was getting to be way too much. Last year I had to make hard cheese just about every day (4 gallons of milk) just to keep up. The only break I got was when Janice made butter or cottage cheese.
It’s hard to keep up sometimes, huh? Last fall after we weaned, I was drowning in milk! Not that I’m complaining, but… 😉
We never EVER have bad tasting milk. EVER. While we handle ours just like you do we take it one step further. We keep all of our mason jars in our freezer. The milk goes directly from the milking pail into a filter directly into a frozen jar then into the fridge. Perfect tasting milk every single time. 🙂
Ooooh… Good idea about freezing the jars- never thought of that!
I keep my jars in the freezer, too ! Helps to chill the milk faster. We have one doe and one buck right now. She had triplet boys, so we hope to sell them and buy another doe. My goal is to have 3 does. I hand milk , so I don’t want too many, lol. I keep my buck in a different area from my doe. We LOVE goats milk. We drink ours raw and I make cheese and anything else that uses milk ! I even converted our feed guy. He had some goats milk once that tasted awful. I talked him into trying ours with a bowl of chocolate cobbler. He cautiously tasted the milk and loved it. I explained to him about all the things that can make the milk taste bad. He asked me to bring some more , so his helpers could try it. I took him a mason jar of milk and it was so funny… they were passing it around (helpers and customers) like it was a jar of shine, lol ! Everyone loved it. I made quite a few converts that day !
I have to agree with others about cooling it quickly. My milk does not taste goaty even after several days as long as I put it in the freezer for 30 minutes right after milking, then after 30 minutes I put in refrigerator. Tastes great!
I like the freezer idea, but I’m always afraid I’ll forget about it! 😉
I’ve never had fresh goats milk, only store bought…once. It tasted very goaty and so did the goat cheese I bought so I’ve not bought either again. However, I’m not saying I’ll never have goats milk or cheese ever again. Just not those brands. We would like to have a couple of small goats for milk, but I’m worried that we’re already pushing it with having chickens (we live in the city). I was told Saanen’s give the best tasting milk, but they are large goats which we definitely wouldn’t be able to get away with! lol! I would like to have a couple goats from a dwarf breed for milk, but would hate to buy them and set them up here, only to discover that they produce goaty milk that no one will drink. What dwarf breeds do you recommend for the best tasting milk?
In a fit of pregnancy-induced idiocy, I bought some ultra-pasteurized goat milk at the store and was about half-way through the glass (and it was a BIG glass) before I realized, a) it was horrible, and b) it was about to make a second appearance. Needless to say, even six years later, I am NOT a fan of goat milk. We buy low-temp pasteurized goat milk from a lovely woman at our local farmers’ market and my kids love it. I take a tiny taste every now and again, and while I can see why people like it, I’m just not there yet! (All I can taste is creamy goat!)
Armed with these suggestions, maybe I should look a little harder for someone who sells raw goats’ milk from what… a goat-nunnery? … and give THAT a try!
Oh dear- pregnancy + UHT goat milk would be a BAD combo- yikes! 😉
30+ years of having goats – Milk is MILK! Goats milk from a Nubian, Alpine, Saanen, Nigerian, LaMancha, Sable, and even an Oberhasli, all tasts pretty much just like regular old milk as long as the goat is healthy, not eating anything offensive (ie onions, etc), and is handled correctly. But the only dairy breed that can give many people “eew factor” is from the Toggenburg. Mind you they are the oldest recognized registered goat breed. Their milk is prized for some types of cheese.
WE even own a few – but we DO NOT drink their milk – that’s the milk that feeds the other baby goats, calves, pigs, chicken, makes soap or even cheese.
Very interesting to hear your take on the Toggenburgs! I have only ever had Nubian milk. 🙂
Here in Spain, goat’s milk is purported to be part of the true Mediterranean diet, not cow’s milk. My eldest son, who was lactose intolerant as a baby, refused to drink anything else!
I didn’t know that about the Mediterranean diet– very interesting!
We just got goats a couple of months ago (a milking Nubian and her two kids) and I was definitely in the same position about the milk. I loved the idea of raw, unhomogenized milk, but wasn’t sure about the taste. Now, after drinking nothing but her milk for a while, I’m hooked! Store bought just isn’t the same…
You just can’t beat farm fresh milk, huh?! 🙂
Great post! We had about a dozen people over at our farm for the 4th of July, and I gave them all a sample of goat’s milk from our doe. Every single one of them liked it, and said it just tasted like MILK! Brought a smile to my face!
Ha– I love it!!
My heart is smiling as I read through your post!! We LOVE goats milk. Miss having it. We use to have Nubian’s many years back. They are a joy to have. Our now grown children grew up on goat’s milk. There are so many wonderful things you can make with the milk. A couple of our favorites were ice cream and fudge. I never tried a hand at goat milk soap, but sure love using it. Have fun! 🙂
Oh– I need to try making fudge with it- yum!
I love feta. I would love to taste the milk it comes from. Thanks – I going to check it out.
I didn’t have time to read each comment, but we have two bucks and our milk is fine, however, we made the mistake when we first got our goats of drinking the milk before the colostrum was all gone, and that is yucky. Gotta wait until their milk is fully in 🙂
Yes– I’ve heard colostrum is less-than-palatable. 😉
Hello,
I didn’t have time to read the many many comments, so glad your reaching so many. Just wanted to say that I was raised on goats milk. My mother had a heard of French Alpine goats and sold the milk to people with allergies etc. My first day in kindergarden I tasted cow’s milk for the first time and didn’t like it at all. When I came home I got 2 quarts of milk out of the fridge (one under each arm) and was frantic for real milk…(This is a funny family story that they tell at the holiday table sometimes). Goat milk is sweeter and richer than cow milk. Milk is milk, why are people so judgemental about things they don’t know or understand?? I took goats to the fair (as did my brother) before it was popular or acceptable…and got grand champion every year. I am proud to have this in my background and wish I was fortunate enough and had enough money to life on the farm again, it’s the only way to live!
Keep on doing what your doing!!
Jayne
You should be proud Jayne! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
What type of natural wormer do you use? Where do you purchase it?
Yes yes and yes! We had two goats eating the same hay/grain. One was fine and one was funky. Sold the one whose milk we couldn’t control the taste of. Cooling down your milk quickly will keep the bacteria from funkifying it up as fast too. As for the male goat. We put our mama in with him to breed a couple days a week for the day and her milk never got bucky. That one could be a hit or miss. People who come to our house are very surprised when they taste it that it tastes just like cow’s milk. I cook with it and heating it up would definitely make the taste more prominent if it were bad and it’s not. No one can ever tell I used goat milk. I am glad we can do this for my husband who can’t have cow’s milk. Only bad thing is that she is done for the season until she gives birth. We did try freezing some this year to thaw out and use later.
Goat’s milk was awkward at first, but we soon adapted and today we realize the enormous difference in our health. It helps promote the detoxification of the body in a very healthy way.
I needed to hear this! We are getting close to be able bring on goats and my main concern was that the milk would smell strong and not taste good. I house sat for some friends before I was married which entailed caring for all of their animals and milking their two dairy goats twice a day. I tasted the milk and it was extremely strong but she never said anything about filtering it (which I don’t think she ever did. Do you think filtering it might help with the taste well. They did have at least two bucks so that could have also been the problem.
Yes, I think filtering could help– and having bucks around is very likely what caused the milk to be off-tasting!
Hi Jill, first I want to say that I always learn someting from your page. When My son and daughter were in grade school I got our first goat along with her twins. She got alfalfa hay along with the horses, and I milked her daily. An old timer told me how to process the milk. First, straight after milking I took the milk in and poured it through the filter. Then, into it’s glass bottle and into the special container that I kept in the freezer. The freezer container was a round Tupperware container half full of salt water. I kept it in the bottom of the freezer and the salt water never freezes. So, in goes the fresh milk, which causes the salt water to rise and so about 3/4 of my milk bottle was submerged in the water. I left it there til we drank it. I only milked once a day. That milk tasted just like the cows milk I grew up on. Couldn’t tell the difference at all. Don’t remember the doe’s breed, but pretty sure she was not Nubian. So, that’s the secret and it truly works. Thanks again, Sandi
Accidentally stumbled in this site.
As a child I was a failure to thrive baby and couldn’t gain weight. As a teenager was many times mistakenly accused of having anorexia. I grew up on a family farm so plenty of good healthy food. But I was allergic to cows milk. When I began having Epilepsy Petit Mal seizure from being so extremely thin the Neurologist told my mom to fatten me up.
She went to a local health food store and they suggested goat milk & soy protein powder in smoothies.
My parents bought some goats which I milked 2 times a day.
I gained 30 lbs in a year and my seizures stopped. To this day at age 61 I still drink raw goats milk which I buy 2 gallons from a local farmer. I freeze mine in 1/2 gallon Rubbermaid beverage containers. Thanks for this blog.
Ms. Jill,
I have to say I think we are sisters. HAHAHA JK We just had our first birth and lost on our farm with a young maiden doe… Which means we are milking her already sooner than planned… With that said, I tried goat milk for the very first time in my life. I love it so much it is now a staple for my morning coffee and cooking and baking needs! Hello, Morning grits and eggs this morning!!! I have been reading your blogs for the last year or so and I have to say thank you soooo much for all of the information. We kind of jumped headfirst into the goat thing and we are both hooked!!!
So glad you enjoy the blog! We’re so happy to have you here in this community with us! 🙂
I have a question about goats milk. But background first…I am that person who can taste an off flavor in ANYTHING. Although after reading a lot about how to keep goats milk from being “goaty” we decided to give a milk goat a try. We have a pure bred Nubian who gives beautiful milk. I will admit I even though I could not smell any kind of off odor I was afraid to taste it and be disappointed. So I made pancakes using the milk. They were wonderful! No weird goatness. BUT after 30 minutes or so my stomach was NOT happy with me. I began belching what was a very distinct and strong goat flavor and thought I might be sick. After a few hours everything went away and back to normal. No one else who ate the pancakes or drank the milk had any trouble. Now QUESTIONS….What happened!?!? Is that a common issue? Can you be intolerant to goat milk products and not cows’?
I have never had an issue with any dairy products.
Please help.