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Barnyard Buddies:  How's the milking going?  |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
 Posted - May 09 2008 : 07:55:48 AM
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Going real well here now. I still have to tie 3 legs but she doesn't seem to mind at all. Production is up slightly 5 1/2 cups this morning!!
I finally got a cream separator and you can catch that story on my blog. Too funny!!!
DH will fix me a stand to attach it to today when he gets home so we can have it secure to maybe avoid spills.
Have any of you gals ever used a separator for goats milk? I was wondering how long it will take to get enough cream to actually make butter.
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2008 : 07:58:42 AM
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Becky- I am not sure if a cream seperator will work for goats milk as it is naturally homogenized. I know you can get some for butter and such, but from my friends who have dairy goats- they said it takes a lot of work and takes a long time.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2008 : 1:39:24 PM
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Hey, Becky! Glad your doe has learned who's boss. ;) Things are about that way, here, too. I only milk in the morning still, and am getting an average of a gallon total. I'm pretty happy with that!
Good luck with the cream separator. Funny story on your blog. ;) I hear it can work. I'll be interested to see. As for me, I am just skimming the top inch or so the next day (the visable cream that's risen, as little as it is!) and putting it in a jar in the freezer. I don't know if this will work, but my hope is to collect enough to eventually make butter. We'll see!
Funny Farm ramblings http://happydalehobby.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2008 : 4:13:18 PM
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Emma enjoying the clothesline is such a wonderful picture, it reminded me of my childhood home, we had a big clothesline in the back yard of our house,
There were six big elm trees behind the line. I always enjoyed running through the clothes and the sense of being so small in this wonderful spot, especially because the elms were so magnificent....and huge. Your milk story was very funny, I'm sure things will work out better next time. Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2008 : 4:09:42 PM
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My sis in law uses a cream separator for her goat's milk..and it works great.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2008 : 3:07:54 PM
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Sorry ladies I hadn't forgot about you! I have been soooooo busy making butter!! Jus kidding!!! I did however make some this weekend with 5 days of milk. I know it is supposed to be separated asap while still warm but we had to learn how to use the darned thing. I just heated the milk that was in 1/2 gallon jars and separated them and then churned out "1 pound" haha of the most beautiful pure white butter you have ever seen or tasted. I didn't have anything but regular food coloring and it wouldn't mix with the fat in the butter. I have a handmade butter printer that holds 1/2 pound so I have 2 pats!!! We always called the double size from mine a pound anyway.
I used the old crank Dazey churn and that was fun too. My daughter Robin (farmgirl1) gave it to me for Christmas!!!
It really took some time to get used to the thoughts of white butter. It looked like cream cheese. It is really good, if not it would definately not be worth it unless I had a lot more milk coming in. I have added a new nubian doe yearling and I am searching for her a friend to make some babes soon so I will not run out of milk. I would like to add the 3rd doe too.
Thanks for the comments ladies!!
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2008 : 3:28:36 PM
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Becky-
You can grate a carrot into your milk or cream before your churn, swish and then strain and squeeze through a bit of cheese cloth doubled up or flour sack. This should put some color into your butter. I know the pioneers would use this method for winter butter when the cows weren't getting as much fresh food and their butter got pale.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2008 : 11:17:38 AM
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Thanks Alee I may try that! It is good butter anyway it's just that we get used to the fact that butter=yellow! hahaha
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2008 : 06:23:24 AM
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Becky,
what kind of a cream seperator did you buy? I had bought one many years ago and sent it back. It didn't work well at all. I have Nubian goats and they have a pretty high butterfat content. I know if I let a half gallon jar sit 2 days I usually have about 3/4 to an inch of cream that has risen to the top. But its a slow process.
I did make butter a few times and its the best butter that I had ever had. I know you can buy butter coloring from goat catalogs but I kinda liked it being white. I thought it looked neat that way.
With the cream seperator about how much cream are you gettting from a gallon of milk? I am getting very interested in making butter again. But would love to know what kind and how much money. I don't want to go into this blindly again..lol. Would love to hear your input.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2008 : 04:56:22 AM
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Linda,
My separator came from ebay. It is a Plava 2 brand and is a hand crank model. I had to pay $263 but I could probably have waited and gotten one cheaper. The guy that had this one up for auction has sold may separators just like this one for from $130 up to $180 but someone came in at the last minute and was determined to get this one. I however was more determined because our tax check had just came that day!!! I still saved a LOT even at this price. You can also just google cream separators and find them new for over $400. Watch the shipping prices it can be horrible, I only had to pay $18 for S&H.
I used 5 days worth of milk. I get 1/2 gal a day from my doe, I wish more but she got pretty sickly/poor and is now improving greatly and is a lot healthier now than at first freshening but I am not looking for to much increase in production cause it's probably too late in the game. She has now been fresh for 3 months. So 5 days minus some used for cooking and drinking, so I would say around 2 full gallons or a little bit more.
The cream separators have a little screw on the side that you set the thickness of the cream that you desire from light cream to heavy cream. My dh loves buttermilk and he remembers from growing up on a dairy that his mother would use the lighter setting so it had more milk in it and made better buttermilk as opposed to the heavy which left skim milk and pure really heavy cream. We used the lighter selection and had a little over a quart of great looking cream. It did not appear to be too much milk in it either.
So I guess about a pint of cream to a gallon with the lighter setting. It yielded what we considered a pound of butter as we did not weigh it. The normal size "old timey butter printers" the round ones made out of wood we always was told held a pound of butter and the one I have is 1/2 as tall as the older ones my mother-in-law used. I had exactly 2 printers full.
The butter is pure white as I mentioned above but it is FABULOUS!!! We did not let the cream sour so it was sweet cream butter. Of course the buttermilk was not very tasty for my dh out of sweet cream but it made some good bread, it was very thick and rich.
You are supposed to separate the milk while it is still warm directly after milking. I did not chose to do that because when I only get a quart at each milking it is way too much hassle to clean the separator after each milking and it worked OK this way. I may have gotten more cream if we did it while fresh from the goat but I am not so sure about that. When we first got the separator we tried it out on warm fresh milk and spilled a lot but didn't seem to be getting any more cream than when we warmed the milk the day we churned it out. The milk has to be between 98 and 100 degrees to separate properly. I warmed my jars of milk in the sink with warm water.
I have one of the big Dazey Churns with the "Egg Top" and it holds I think 8 quarts but I still had enough cream to reach the dasher properly. We did a lot of hand cranking that day!!! It was fun though. I wish I had a couple gallons milk at a time coming in and I would definately separate asap after milking and make plenty of butter for everyone to enjoy. We are savoring this butter for those special times like hot fresh homemade bread!!!! Yummy!!!!
How many goats are you milking and how much are you getting at each milking?
I am hearing that people are having great success with freezing their cream until they have enough to churn but I haven't tried that. My daughters and their families are now drinking the milk too so it is going to be hard for me to be able to keep enough milk to be able to do as we did this last time. I just have to increase my herd I guess!!!
Now this is MY first experience making butter myself so this is just my story. I did however watch my parents make butter from our cow while growing up and then I married a dairy farmer and lived there for 7 years and saw it each day but I just never had my hand in it. I wish now I would have paid more attention!!! I will keep you posted if I find some way that works better.
Good Luck Linda!!!
Farmgirl hugs!!!
Becky
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 05:27:19 AM
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Hi Becky,
thanks for all the info.I don't recognize the name of that cream seperator.Was it made for cows only ? I think the one I had gotten was from Hoegger goat supply. It was a hand crank also. They had an electric one but boy was it way more expensive. I have tried freezing the cream but if it stays frozen for to long it starts tasting weird. So I kinda gave up on butter making.
I have 9 does and 14 kids and 2 bucks. One of my does is retired. I had 6 freshen this year. I had a set of quads and 1 set of triplets. So right now I am not getting any milk to use. Instead I am bottling the quads twice a day and the trips to make sure they get enough to eat.I also started kidding in March this year. I use to kid in January but its too hard on the goats moms and to hard on me anymore........So milkin will come later for me when the goat kids are older. After that I will probably be milking at least 3 a day. I have had 2 customers the last few years who get a gallon of milk a week from me. I am not suppose to sell it but we have an agreement so it works out fine.
With grain prices the way they are I may only keep 2 milking. Its costing me around $210 dollars every 6 weeks for grain. I have a custom mix made that around 1175 lbs at a time. The price is killing me. I may have to cut back on my goats but they are like family to me. In the winter time I am not feeding as much grain but having mother with babies on them and creep feeding the babies it takes allot of feed.
Well sounds like what you are doing so far is working great.Is your cream seperator have all those thin metal layers in it that you have to take apart and clean? The one I had was like that. They were so thin that I cut myself on them. It was very hard to clean. I don't think it had a cream adjuster on it.I know when we put the milk in and did the seperation and later chilled it........I remember what was suppose to be cream was just milk. It didn't look any different from the milk in the jar. That was why I sent it back. I would have put up with the cleaning and all but no matter what we did it just didn't seem to work.
Take care Becky and super thanks for taking the time to tell me your experience with your machine. Sounds like fun. Would have loved to have been there to watch the whole operation.
Hugs
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 8:41:28 PM
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Linda,
I think there is only one separator for both cow and goat milk or even sheep! It really sounds like yours didn't work. It is clear what is cream and what is milk coming out of the spouts with mine. As far as the adjustment screw, I also thought they all had it.
I also have a mill close to me (a mile) that I get most of my feed from but he will not custom mix for me. I have one about an hour away that will custom mix but it has to be 1000 lbs and with only one milker right now it would go bad before I used it up. Saphira would love to try to eat it all up though!!!!! I feel ya on the price of feed!! I have 62 mouths to feed each day counting my dh and I.hehehe
Let me know if you take a notion to get rid of some does. I made a trip to Ohio by myself one day and hauled back 3 angoras!! I would love to have about 5 milkers year round!!
Congrats on the quads!! Saphira had triplets and that was awesome. I was used to fainters and they usually only double!!!
Good luck with finding a separator. I really like this one and it is very light weight and easy to carry around yet not fragile. It does have all 11 plates in it as will most of them and is a pain to clean up and put back together. I wouldn't mind it if I had more milk at each milking though.
Take care,
Becky
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2008 : 06:28:46 AM
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Ok, so I had skimmed/ saved about a pint of cream from the tops of my bottles and jars in the morning, and cranked away with the butter churn. After a while of cranking, it was *almost* there, and just wouldn't turn, so I dumped it into the Kitchenaid and got it to turn in just a couple minutes. Less authentic feeling, but I was after success. Beautiful pure white butter; I put it back into the pint jar and in the fridge and it's tasty. My kids licked the paddle. (Blech!)
Funny Farm ramblings http://happydalehobby.blogspot.com/ |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2008 : 5:00:14 PM
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Ah... goat butter. Goat ice cream... goats milk soap... those are MY dreams too! I also want to learn to make my own cheese and maybe even yogurt. Have any of you ever tried to make any of those other things?
I have 7 pregnant does right now. What's the best way to get does who RUN from you onto a milk stand without breaking any legs? (theirs AND mine!) None have ever been milked before, (except one, and that was only once or twice for milk to feed a goat kid) but that's what I bought them for five years ago, so it's time they started earning their keep. Any suggestions? ~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2008 : 7:02:25 PM
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Tracey- I would seriously suggest getting them used to coming to you for grain and hay. If they associate you with food then they will love you. Goat love is easy to buy! ;D
Do your goats have collars on?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 04:56:52 AM
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Tracy,
I have made yogurt with goats milk and also chevre, ricotta, and motzerella. It was not hard at all. I ordered my cultures from Caprine supply. The directions were on the cultures. I had trouble with understanding one of them and just called and asked them. They are really helpful. They supply everything to do with goats and they also have goats too. They have a very big selection of cheese making supplies and cultures. They are also online. I love their catalog........lots of good info in it.
As far as the goats go I have Nubians and they are always following me. I have them on a feeding routine twice a day. The mothers get more grain then the dry does. So they go into their area to get grain and the dry does have been trained to go into their area to get fed.The kids eat with the moms and also have a creep feed area only they can get into. It only took a few days to get everyone use to the new routine. Then I let them out and put hay into the feeders. Usually I sit down on a milk crate and spend a few minutes just watching them and making sure I haven't missed any problems like someone not eating which means they are sick. That gives them time to come up to get petted and loved on. If you spend a little time sitting with them everyday and also have a few animal cookies or ginger snaps they will get use to you and the attention. It shouldn't take too long.
I love my goats and they are quite spoiled. Some of my older does still try to get in my lap. But at nearly 200 lbs....which some of my girls weigh thats too much for my legs to take....lol.
When you first start milking your goat alot of them don't like being put into the stand.I make sure they have feed to eat hopefully to distract them. Mine have stomped and tried to lay down and I just keep calmly working with them. Usually I don't get much milk the first few times. It usually gets stepped in and spilled.No matter how bad they act I give them a cookie and tell them they did good and pet them. You want to make the experience as pleasant as possible. That way they will start to associate milking with grain, cookies, and lots of attentions. Most of them will take to it by the end of the week. Some sooner some a little later.
What kind of goats do you have and can you pet them and handle them at this point ? Anyway hope this helps.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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Farm Girl 2
True Blue Farmgirl
108 Posts
Becky
Willis
VA
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 12:05:03 PM
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Tracey, you will never be the same after you start milking 7 does!!!!! Just kidding you will love it. I have no problem catching my goats but I do have a problem keeping them off of me!! They will try to jump a 4 foot wall to get into the milk room if I am in the barn because that is where the milker gets her grain and the dry one knows that she will be getting her grain during the milking (on the other side of the wall though). When I open the gate my milker will run me over to go up in her stanchion and stomp until I get the feed in there for her. Nubians get very impatient!!!
I am going to attempt some cheese making soon! I wish my goat gave as much milk as Mona, Aunt Jenny's Jersey cow!!!!!
Loving Living Simply!
http://sunnymorningfarm.blogspot.com |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 11:10:19 PM
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Thanks for the great advice ladies. I guess my girls are from the "SNOBBISH" set. Trust me, I've got the food bribe thing down pretty well (it's how I train ALL my animals--- two of my horses even come at a whistle!) I do spend a lot more time with them, just sitting and watching them. They will all come up, gather round, fight for the cookies (they LOVE the carrot/raisin/molasses horse cookies. Even the dog!), STEP on me if need be, but as soon as they have their cookie they take off like a shot!
Only 4 girls (I have 12) will even come near me. One is actually all over me. (not sure if she "took") Her half sister (NOT bred this year) has her moments. The other two girls are retired from breeding, one becuase of age, the other because of chronic kidding problems. The rest will only let me get so close, or I get one good pet in before they take off. Maybe kidding will change their personalities somewhat. If not, I guess I will just have to invest in the horse cookie company and keep trying!
Oh, they are Nigierian Dwarf's and only ONE wears a collar. She's also the one who likes me the LEAST. Cookies won't even work with her. Sad, because she's the one I paid the MOST for!! (sigh)
Becky-- if your goat starts to produce as much milk as Mona, you better call Ripley's Believe it or Not!! (does that still exist?) Hugs to all~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 04:14:21 AM
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Tracy,
the lady up the road from me has Nigerians too. She complains that they keep getting out of her fencing and getting into her fruit trees. I helped one of them when she had trips. She had one turned sideways and she had never gone in before to deliver goats before and was afraid to try. I was afraid too because these goats are so much smaller than Nubians. But I managed to turn it and delivered them all safely. I was a nervious wreck but it worked out fine. They sure are cute little goats. She has bought a few Nubians and is thinking of crossing the Nigerian buck with the Nubian does. She is hoping for a mini Nubian. I don't know if thats how they get them or not.
My goats all have breakaway collars I purchased from Caprine Supply. They are plastic and come in different colors. They break off if they get hung in a tree or something. They goat has to be at least 50 lbs for it to work right.I hope they will train to milk.At least they will come to your....thats half the battle.It sure would be nice to have milk to do something with. My friend says her Nigerians produce about a quart of milk. That seemed pretty good for their size.
Some breeds of goats are more friendly than others. Nubians... at least mine are that way are very friendly. I noticed the Sanans,Alpines, Toggs,and the Lamachas are gentle too. I think the Lamanchas were some of the sweetest goats I have every been around and super gentle. I have often thought of getting a second breed but that means another buck to have to keep. Not ready for that,already have 2.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 06:55:49 AM
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I milk Oberhasli goats at the ranch and they are super sweet and _very_ _very_ smart! Oh my gosh!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2008 : 11:09:13 AM
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Funny you should say that about the La Manchas Linda. I posted on the "Toggenburg questions" forum about the breeder I met at the county fair yesterday. She raises 4 breeds (Toggs, La Mancha, Saanan and Nubians) and I REALLY liked her La Manchas! Those "ears" (or "lack" thereof) just CRACK me up!! And the does were just SO SWEET!!! I am SERIOUSLY thinking about that breed.
As for Nigerians, they are GREAT little goats! They CAN be a handful at times, but then, what goat ISN'T? Even my favorite little doe is a real pain in my butt sometimes! And yes, they DO produce quite a bit of milk for their size and the butter fat content of that milk can be as high as 6%! (the highest of ALL the dairy breeds, though the percentage will vary from goat to goat just as it will in the larger dairy breeds.)
Oh, and I'm glad you were successful with the deliveries for your neighbor. What an Angel you are!!! I don't get scared about things like that anymore, I just DO them. The animal is going to die for sure if you don't help them, and you can always call the vet AFTER the delivery is successful if something gets "damaged" in the process. Or else don't even TRY, get the critter to the Vet ASAP!
About breeding a Nigie buck to Nubian doe's--- yes, that IS how you get "Mini" Nubians, but it's not likely to happen with the first generational breeding. I think the breeders who now "specialize" in Mini-Nubians breed 2ND generation (and 3rd, 4th etc..) mini-nubs to another 2nd (or more) generational line. You're more LIKELY to get the fixed traits of the smaller nubians, whereas, in the FIRST generation of "Mini" crosses you still get 50/50 sized kids. Oh, trust me, I've studied my genetics. Funny how I didn't get it AT ALL in High School! Wonder if they'd let me re-take that class now? (LOL!)
I am very familiar with Caprine supply. I get their yearly catalog too. Thanks ladies!!! Hugs to all ~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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QueenofQuiteAlot
True Blue Farmgirl
865 Posts
Dalyn
Milk 'n Honey Ranch
Central, WA
USA
865 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2008 : 8:53:06 PM
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I only keep my friendly girls, and if they don't cooperate on the stanchion after training, they go...my back goes out too much to fuss with naughty goats anymore.
I ONLY feed grain on the stanchion, so they know if they want it, they must go there.
Goat milk is wonderful *U* I love kefir, icecream, yogurt, and lots of soft cheeses. I didn't care for the goat cheddar, but the mozzarella was so yummy.
I wake up in the morning and have my coffee with goat milk in it, and all's right in the world. *U*
Dalyn
Muckboots 'N Aprons Chapter
~Hick Chicks Soap Barn ~
www.hickchickssoapbarn.com
Homespun Raw Goat Milk Soaps 'n More
http://muckbootsnaprons.blogspot.com/
http://proverbs31nubians.blogspot.com/ |
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Barnyard Buddies: How's the milking going? |
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How's the milking going?
