# raw milk



## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

Do ya'll drink raw milk? Are there any concerns about it?


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## Pam B (Oct 15, 2007)

My whole family has been drinking it for over 10 years now. Our goats have been TB tested and I run a mastitis test on the milk once a week to make sure it's not got any nasties in it.

Just like any food product that you put into your body you want to make sure it comes from healthy animals. Other than that, fresh milk that hasn't had all the good stuff cooked out of it is very healthy for you.


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## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

I do agree. The old people say that it is the way to go. I'm just thinking that I don't want to get the family sick. What are the test you do to make sure there isn't any bacteria and what not in the milk?


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

We also drink raw milk. . . . I've never pasturized our goat's milk.


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

We have only ever drinken raw milk.. wo do not test our milk yet.  

We haven't died yet.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

We use ours raw, I do test the does for TB and Brucellosis just to be safe, but the biggy is just having healthy animals, keeping everything clean, and cooling the milk down quickly.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have never tested but I do drink the milk raw. Never had an issue.......been drinking it off and on (sometimes years straight) since I was 12.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I don't test my goats but do make sure they are healthy, We've been drinking raw milk from my does for 7 years now., and I was raised on raw goat milk, never had an issue yet....besides that, pasturized goat milk is just gross...imo. It has a "cooked" flavor that takes away from the natural sweetness as well as all those good things in the raw milk.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

We've been drinking raw milk ever since we've had goats and we haven't gotten sick from it yet. Raw milk has certain important enzymes in it and those enzymes are killed during the pasteurization process. A farmer did an experiment once where he took raw milk and pasteurized milk and put E Coli bacteria in both of them and let them sit for a week. A week later, in the pasteurized milk the E Coli had multiplied while in the raw milk the enzymes had destroyed it.


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## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

That is what I'm thinking also. However, I don't want to be wrong. I will not only be drinking it myself. I'm married, have a two year old daughter, and a little baby boy coming in March. So I do beleive I need to get my ducks in a row.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

raw goats milk has been used for infents who cant digest their moms milk or cows milk for years. It is better for small children then formula or cows milk.

It is never bad to be safe --- so if you are worried/concerened you can have your doe tested and do a periodic mastitis test.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

We sell raw milk to customers from the city and we have two moms with two babies(both a little over a year old) and they've had their babies on goat milk since the babies were about 5-6 months old. Their babies cannot tolerate cows milk or soy formula(that stuff is bad anyway) and they have flourished on the goat milk.


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## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

That's kinda what I'm after , the right test to give them, and where to get it done.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

The only issue with a child consuming goat milk that I know of is the fact that there isn't enough folic acid in goat milk for a baby to get what the daily reccomendation is...supplementing with a vitamin would be a good thing.
Mastitis tests can be purchased thru any goat supply company as far as any other tests for the milk, I wouldn't be able to help you there.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I drink raw milk in my coffee every morning and we cook everything possible with raw milk and Liz has awesome recipes also for goats milk!!!


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## Victoria (Dec 20, 2008)

Yep, raw is the way to go. We tried pasturising it and it tasted...wrong. 
Our friend down the road drinks raw, never tested either and she sells it to a lady with a small child w/ alergies to cow milk..


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## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

Thank ya'll for comments. The new baby get the good stuff from mom. I'm bless that the wife breast feeds so I don't have to worry about the baby. I just want to drink some good old fashion goat milk and not have to worry about getting anything. Yes and I know there are ALOT of things brought at the store that I have no idea what is in them.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I commend your wife for doing what is naturally best for your children....not many do. Also, let your wife know that goat milk actually has more calcium and other good things in that would benefit all of you. :thumb:


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## BeeLady (Dec 12, 2008)

The big fear about unpasturized milk is TB. In the United States, or at least in Texas, there have only been two COW dairy herds identified with TB in the last several years. Most states have NO TB in their dairy herds. But if you are a certain age, or hear your parents or grandparents talk about raw milk, the big issue in the past was TB.

I have no idea about TB in goat herds but figure its probably the same. As was mentioned earlier, you can have a blood test done by the vet for TB. I think bruccelosis (abortion disease) was also mentioned; I believe this can cause undulant fever or something like that in humans. All COW heifers that are sold for use as mama cows, at least in Texas, are vacinated for this disease. This disease is also not too common any more, at least in COW herds. I don't know about goat herds but suspect it is not common. If your dairy goat is kidding regulary and not losing kids early in pregnancy, it would be highly unlikely the doe has this disease.

You can have your dairy goat tested for both these diseases and the chances are real good your goat will have neither disease. Then you are OK; if you want to be supersafe, you have your dairy goats tested every time a new goat, doe or otherwise, is brought into the herd.

I don't know of any other diseases that can be transmitted through milk. There may be others. I am like you, I would like to err on the side of caution. But I also know that these diseases are fairly rare now, whereas 50 or 60 years ago they were something to worry about. Now, I think I'm going to "risk" it and just drink the milk! However, I might feel differently if I had young children and just have the tests done.


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