Dairy Free?

Despite my best efforts, the milk supply did not increase in the dairy goat. Increased grain, increased calcium supplements, emptying the udder more often, I tried it all. She has turned 7 years old this year and I think her body is winding down. This is also the first year she's thrown a single. So I am making the call to stop milking and let her use her energy to just raise the little doeling.

In the next few days I'll be doing a lot of thinking and number crunching to decide if I will try breeding her again or if she will go into retirement. I have always thought does were retired around age 9 but I also have to take into consideration that she was a sale barn goat and wasn't in the best health when she first came here. She's been an excellent keeper and will live out her days here as a companion goat no matter what I decide.

If Ronnie does go into retirement, I'm not sure if I'll ever have a dairy goat again. The doeling looks more like the pygmy buck every day and will likely not be a milker. In order to get a dairy goat, I would have to buy one or keep breeding Ronnie to try for a dairy doeling. Even if I do breed her again, it will be two years before we would be getting milk from the kid- two years of feeding Ronnie, bucks, and kids with no return except meat from bucklings. On the other hand, we could buy a quality doe or wait it out. Then we would also have time to rig up some kind of milking shelter (hello- milking in the rain sucks!) and a kid pen to separate doe and kids at night.

So many thoughts! Sometimes the decisions are tough! Homesteading on a small property allows less room for mistakes. I can't keep "extras" until I know which way is going to work best. I've learned that putting a little more time, effort, and money into an animal pays off in big ways when there's little wiggle room but management plays just as big a part. Wise decisions matter!

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Oops- Help!

Well, now, who wants milk anyway? That's the question I've been asking myself this week. Our little doeling, who now has been named Midge, turned 3 weeks old on the 31st of March. When the kids turn 3 weeks old, I like to start milking. At that age I've seen them start nibbling on hay and weeds and I can tell whether they have gotten a good start on mom's milk. Little Midge is definitely healthy! But mom (Ronnie) is not producing very much milk. And that is probably due to error on my part.

I didn't take into account the new circumstances with this kidding: one kid compared to the twins or triplets of the past and a smaller breed at that. So Ronnie hasn't needed to make as much milk for this one little Midge(t.) I've only managed to get a few spoonfuls out of one side and about a cup out of the other each day.

Since our property is small and we don't have a barn (where stalls would be) I can't separate mom and kid. So I have started teat taping to prevent nursing at night. I've also upped the amount of grain Ronnie gets each day and I make sure to fully empty both sides of her udder when I milk.

I know her peak time hasn't arrived yet but I'd like to make sure it is good when it gets here. Anyone want to share tips on how to increase a goat's milk production?


**edited to add- Ronnie gets free choice grass hay and alfalfa pellets everyday. On the milkstand she gets approx a pound of oats with 2 hands full of BOSS. After milking I give her 2 or 3 Tums for a good job treat (with calcium.)

Getting Some More Culture

Well, now that I've mastered the art of sauerkraut making, I'm off on another culture experiment. This one involves dairy and hopefully will help with the milk overflow I'll be having next spring. I'm talking about Kefir. It's some neat stuff that is supposedly full of probiotic benefits. I figured, why not give it a try?

So I spread the word far and wide   posted on my Facebook page that I was looking for some Kefir grains to get started. And a few weeks later a friend of a friend contacted me with an offer of free grains. FREE! Woo hoo! I hit the jackpot.

I met the nice donor a few days later and took home my treasure of Kefir grains. And that began my journey into fermented milk. So far, as I learn about keeping the grains alive and the process of making actual Kefir, I'm using store bought pasteurized milk. But as I progress I will be using up the frozen raw goat milk I have stored and hopefully will soon have the fresh-from-the-goat stuff.

In the meantime, now is the perfect time to share your insights, tips, recipes, warnings, and thoughts about your own experiences with Kefir. Please share away!

In the Mud and the Muck and the...Hair

Follow up of the first day of milking:

I came, I milked, I conquered! It went pretty much the way I expected/remembered. Ronnie (short for Veronica, since the question was raised) was not a happy camper but settled down once she realized she didn't really have a choice. The hobble was more of a hindrance so I'm rethinking using it again. And the quantity of milk was small even for a middle of the day milking. I was left with a great curiosity about how this whole venture will pan out.

 The kidding happened way too early in the year so Ronnie has an abundance of winter coat and lots of udder hair. My first batch of milk looks like this

Blech!

Luckily the chickens aren't picky about hair in their food so they will get to enjoy this. I, on the other hand, am never going to drink milk like that. 

So today I went out and stood in this

Blech!

just so I could do this

Since it was the middle of the day again, I didn't milk her. I figure the clipping was enough stress for one day. But tomorrow morning, with a little luck, the ground will be drier and I'll get out there before the kids steal all the good stuff!    Goat milk?

Say "Cheese"

It probably isn't a good idea to blog while you're heavily medicated with pain killers. But I have been wanting to share this forever so I'm going out on a limb and praying I don't type anything that can be held against me later! Besides, I'm stuck in bed with nothing but a laptop. How many games of Solitaire can I play today? So without further drug induced rambling  ado, here's the pix of my first cheese making attempt.

I started out trying to make a basic cream cheese but I didn't have all the proper equipment and my milk supply is so small that I had to halve the recipe. And I'll blame those two factors on why I ended up with a semi-hard cheese. But I can't complain, it was definitely a good learning experience! And it's yummy-so far we've had it on scrambled eggs, pizza, salad, and just a plain old fork. I'll call that a win!
 And since I'm saying "cheese" anyway, I went yesterday to have pictures taken of my back. Hopefully the results will show the doctor where to give me a shot that will eliminate this pain and I can get back to real life!

Butter Fail

I skimmed and froze the cream from my raw goat milk from day one of milking after the last kidding. Let me tell you, it takes a long time for-oh-my-goodness-ever to get any useful amount. I always waited til the 3rd day after collecting the milk to skim it, so all the cream would have had a chance to rise to the top. Then I would carefully scrape it off with a teaspoon, trying not to miss a drop. I was exited to have half a pint of frozen cream by the middle of July.

 That week I had another special treat- my sister and two of her daughters were visiting from Texas. I thought it would be a lot of fun for the girls (ages 9 and 11) to help me make butter, 'cause you know it isn't really work if you're doing it as a guest... in another state.... with none of your friends around to see you doing it.

 So I thawed out the cream overnight. The next morning I scraped it all into a pint size jar and let it sit on the counter for a while to come to room temperature. Then we started passing the jar around so everyone could take a turn shaking. And shaking. And shaking. It didn't take long for the girls to get bored with it but us ladies stuck with it for about 20 minutes longer. The cream got thick but it didn't turn into a solid. By then even I was getting bored with it so I broke out the mixer and poured the cream into a bowl...and beat the daylights out of it. This continued for at least 30 more minutes. Now I had a very thick cream. But it wasn't anywhere near solid enough to wash it or form it. Hmmm.

 Instead of pitching my failed butter, I dumped in some powered sugar and vanilla and whipped it for a few more minutes. Wa La, whipped cream. Mmmmm. That. Was. Heavenly. After the taste test, I stuck it in the fridge to keep until dessert the next night. We scooped it over sliced peaches- yum!

 I don't know why my first attempt at making butter failed but I can't complain too much. I think I'll try again the next time if I ever have enough cream !

Home Yogurt Kit

Our milk supplier, aka Ronnie, has went above and beyond our expectations this year. Last year she produced about 3/4 pint per day at her peak. This year she's giving about a quart per day. That's hardly noteworthy to most people but for a mixed breed sale barn goat... I'm impressed. And my fridge is full of milk!
So yesterday I put on my milkmaid boots and made a batch of yogurt. I don't have a kitchen stocked with dairy equipment but I was able to improvise quite well. Here is the process that worked for me ( your mileage may vary)...

1. In a stainless steel saucepan, I slowly brought 2 quarts of raw goat milk to 180° (using my cheap-o candy thermometer to check.)
2. I let the heated milk then cool to 110°, stirring occasionally.
3. I poured the milk into a clean 1/2 gallon empty pickle jar, whisked in 1/2 cup store bought yogurt, capped it,  and placed it in a Styrofoam cooler.
4. I filled the cooler with hot tap water to the neck of the jar, put the lid on the cooler and then wrapped my old Carhart barn coat around the outside.

7 hours later, I had the creamiest, yummiest yogurt! I strained some overnight for thick treats and saved some of the runnier stuff for sauces, salads, and smoothies. Mmmm

And now I have my own yogurt kit- a Styrofoam cooler, a pickle jar, and a ratty barn coat.

Home Dairying Part 2

There have been a lot of fun and weird learning experiences this past week. I shared all of the stuff that happens outside with the goat. But a big part of my having fresh-from-the-back-yard milk, happens in the kitchen.
 First, let me assure you, I am very aware of the reason why pasteurization of milk was started in this country. I am not naive about the dangers of consuming raw milk. I do not now nor would I ever advise anyone to drink raw milk. That is a decision that (in my opinion) can only be made for oneself. I highly recommend each person do their own research before making that kind of decision.
 Here is my step-by-step process for the kitchen part of my home dairy:

1. While I am making the udder wash to take outside, I set out a sterilized glass jar with a funnel and a disposable coffee filter in the top. (I have a strainer on my wish list at the goat supply site if any of my dear children are wondering what in the world to get their wonderful, awesome, labored-for-hours-to-bring-me-into-this-world, mom.

2. I fill up one side of my sink with a bleach/Dawn dish soap/hot water solution. Then I go out to milk.

3. Upon returning to the kitchen, I pour the milk through the filter into the glass jar, set the jar in the freezer, and set a timer for 15 minutes.

4. While the milk is chilling, I rinse the milking bowl with hot water and then submerge it with the udder wash jar and the funnel into the sanitizing wash in the sink for a good scrubbing.

5. Everything then gets rinsed twice in running hot water and placed in a dish drainer to air dry.

6.  At the end of the 15 minute cool down in the freezer, the milk is then transferred to the fridge.

That is how I "process" my milk! Keep in mind, I am totally new to this. I would love to hear your tips and corrections!

Very first home milk

Home Dairying Part 1

 Ok. So we've got the milkstand built, the goat trained to jump on it, the formula for udder wash and teat dip memorized, and the general concept of how to milk down (still slow but getting there!) So it must be time to put all this knowledge to good use and actually get some milk from the goat to the fridge. You can visualize me jumping up and down for joy here if you want to- but I really don't recommend it! Just go with the happy flow!
 It all sounds well and good doesn't it? But if you know me, you know that this is a project filled with errors and some humor. Here's my step-by-step process so far.

 1-In my 5 gallon bucket I put the udder wash, paper towels, milking bowl (a small stainless steel mixing bowl) and a large plastic coffee container filled with alfalfa pellets and topped with grain and boss.

 2-I walk into the pen with the bucket and get mobbed by the goat who has been telling the whole neighborhood for the last 20 minutes that all I do is starve her "TO DEATH, DEATH DO YOU HEAR MEEEE?"

 3. I stand there til said goat realizes that if she jumps on the stand she will get food-approx. 2 seconds.

 4. I watch as the two little doelings race momma to the stand. One firmly positioned right under momma's udder, the other one right in front of momma's face on the food shelf.

5. After the little girl on the food shelf starts screaming (because she looked down and realized how far up she is) I set her down on the ground. Her sister then jumps down to check out her screaming sibling, they get distracted and go play. Then I can place the coffee container full of food in front of the starving goat.

6.I pour some of the udder wash onto a paper towel and give her a good cleaning.

7. Now it's time to pick the coffee container up off the ground where the goat scooted it as soon as the shock of a warm, wet paper towel hit her.


**Side note- the builder of the stand was sure I didn't need a hole cut into the food shelf to place the food container in. His mind will be changed when he gets back home,  Oh, yeah, we could put money on that one!

8. I salvage as much of the food as I can, put it back in front of the goat, lay a clean paper towel on the stand, place the milking bowl on the towel, and proceed to milk.

 9. I use my elbow to nudge a little girl away from the bowl of milk that she wants to investigate-very badly.

10. Hours later (maybe not hours, but a long time) I set the bowl out of the goats' reach, and dip the teats in the wash solution.

10. After releasing the goat, I pour the rest of the solution onto the stand to clean up all the milk that somehow missed the bowl, collect up all the stuff, and race to the kitchen with the milk!

Getting the milk out of the goat is just the beginning of the home dairy adventure. I can't wait to share Part 2 with you. But right now, I have to rest up and recover from everything that happened in Part 1!

Babies on the milkstand