Do you like the idea of raising dairy goats but are afraid you won't like the milk?
There are many people who don't like goat milk or think they won't like it. As of 2020 there were millions of dairy cows in the U.S, but only about 450,000 dairy goats.
In this blog I will show you some of the reasons why goat milk from your own farm can be better than the milk you can buy in the stores, and some tips on raising dairy goats to have great tasting milk!
Why You May Not Like Goat milk
The main reason more people don't drink goats' milk is because if produced or handled incorrectly, it can taste very bad! It tends to have a "goat" aftertaste, which some people don't mind but most do.
The milk we get from our Nigerians tastes far better than typical store-bought cow's milk. It has absolutely NO "goat" taste and is very creamy and sweet. We have a friend who always thought she wouldn't like goat milk, when she tried some of ours, she couldn't believe how good it was!
What Makes Some Goat Milk Taste Bad
Goat milk can taste bad if:
it's stored too long
the goats are milked or housed in smelly area
if it's not properly chilled
if the goats are eating something very strongly flavored
if the milking equipment isn't clean
During the grazing season we move our milking stanchion around to wherever we are pasturing our herd, so our goats are milked out in the fresh air and are on a new
pasture almost every day.
Chilling
When you bring the milk in, put it in the freezer to chill immediately. You want it to be about 34 degrees when you take it out.
If the weather is very warm and you are milking more than one goat, it's a good idea to have a bucket of water with ice packs (you could use frozen bottles of water) in it nearby. That way you can set the collection container in it while you are milking the
other goats.
Storage
Goat milk can only be stored in the fridge for about 5-7 days before it starts to develop a "goat" taste. If you want (or need) to store the milk longer than that you can store it in the freezer. We do that all the time and it's just fine when it thaws.
If it Still isn't Tasting Good
If you are doing everything right and your goat milk is still not tasting good, they may be eating some kind of plant that is affecting the flavor of their milk. We have never had this problem, but it has happened to some people.
The best way to see if a plant is causing the problem would be to put them in a pen with only grass for a few days. If their milk starts tasting good, you can either just keep them on grass or try to figure out what plant is causing the problem and either remove it, or not pasture them in that area while it is growing.
Could it be the Breed?
There is a possibility that the breed could be the problem. Some breeds' milk has higher fat and sugar content than others, which makes the milk taste better. Nigerians are supposed to have some of the best tasting milk of all breeds, maybe that's one reason we haven't had a problem with the taste!
Health Benefits
Now that you (hopefully) know how to have great tasting goat milk, here are some health benefits of drinking it!
Easier to digest than cow's milk
Very low in Alpha S1 casein (the protein that is in cow's milk that many people are allergic to)
Contains high levels of short and medium-chain fatty acids
Contains natural antihistamines (which help ease allergic reactions)
Has more buffering capacity than over the counter antacids
Does not stimulate a defense response from the human immune system
Has high levels of selenium
Improves mineralization of the skeleton
Increases blood serum, vitamin, mineral, and hemoglobin (red blood cell) levels
Inhibits and prevents cancer
Contains probiotics and enzymes
Rich in vitamin K2
Good source of taurine
We plan to start selling milk this spring, if you were to buy milk, what size container would you choose?
Quart
Half Gallon
Gallon
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