# Breed that produces cow-like milk?



## skylavaulter

I really WANT to like goat's milk but I have to be honest, I can't get past the musky flavor and aftertaste of it - to me, it actually tasted like the smell of a goat. Ew. We are trying to homestead here (and I say trying quite emphatically haha) and I'd love to cut down on the expense of milk - we drink a lot of it! So, I am looking into getting a doe to use for milking, hoping at least I can use it for the kids and maybe some soap. But what about me?! :mecry: I'd love to know if there's a breed out there that produces milk similar to cow's milk. I've heard nigerian dwarves have milk like that - is that true?

ETA: We tried raw goat milk last year, thinking maybe it was just processed store-bought milk that tasted "goaty", but I didn't care for that either. I'm not sure what breed of goat that farm used - their small store front was by the road and you couldn't see their herd from there. I never thought to ask what breed the milk was from. It never occurred to me that different breeds could produce different flavored milk.


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## nancy d

If it has been handled properly; cooled down filtered & stored in glass containers it shouldn't have any musky flavor, regardless of breed UNLESS they have eaten something that affects flavor.


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## happybleats

There are breeds that have stronger taste....we have saanen and lamancha and milk i great..I hear Toggs milk is real strong..not sure about nigies..but nigies do have higher butter fat...

but handling your milk is key to clean sweet milk...get it cold as fast as you can...we use a ice bath...we milk...strain and set in ice water all in the barn..clean tools and buckets are a must as well...the only difference we taste in our milk vrses. cows is ours is a bit sweeter...we love it..


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## Dayna

My best tasting milk comes from my Saanen/Nigi mix. She has milk that tastes like "cows milk". People don't believe it when they are at my house, have some and I tell them its goats milk.

I also chill it fast, use sanitized containers (I use a bleach rinse after washing) and filter right away.


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## AvyNatFarm

In my experience, it's heat that gives the milk the goaty smell/flavor. If I don't pasteurize my milk, it doesn't taste goaty at all. My Nigerians do have very rich milk that tastes similar to raw cows milk but doesn't taste like commercial cows milk, if that makes sense. :thinking:


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## skylavaulter

Thanks! I wish there was a dairy that I could taste test milk from near me  There's not a lot of dairy goat farms in southeast PA unfortunately.


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## skylavaulter

AvyNatFarm said:


> In my experience, it's heat that gives the milk the goaty smell/flavor. If I don't pasteurize my milk, it doesn't taste goaty at all. My Nigerians do have very rich milk that tastes similar to raw cows milk but doesn't taste like commercial cows milk, if that makes sense. :thinking:


Yes I know what you mean


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## Bree_6293

skylavaulter said:


> I really WANT to like goat's milk but I have to be honest, I can't get past the musky flavor and aftertaste of it - to me, it actually tasted like the smell of a goat. Ew. We are trying to homestead here (and I say trying quite emphatically haha) and I'd love to cut down on the expense of milk - we drink a lot of it! So, I am looking into getting a doe to use for milking, hoping at least I can use it for the kids and maybe some soap. But what about me?! :mecry: I'd love to know if there's a breed out there that produces milk similar to cow's milk. I've heard nigerian dwarves have milk like that - is that true?
> 
> ETA: We tried raw goat milk last year, thinking maybe it was just processed store-bought milk that tasted "goaty", but I didn't care for that either. I'm not sure what breed of goat that farm used - their small store front was by the road and you couldn't see their herd from there. I never thought to ask what breed the milk was from. It never occurred to me that different breeds could produce different flavored milk.


I have the same problem with goat milk/ cheese. I tried goats cheese and all I could taste was buck smell! Then tried some of the milk from the store and again.. Buck smell taste.. Haven't been game since then. Love the idea of adding a dairy goat to my herd, but don't want to waste a dairy goat... I really want a ND but to get one in Australia right now is so expensive :/


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## TDG-Farms

We have mainly alpines but lamanchas are even better. But its really more of what you feed them then anything else. Though Toggs are notorious for bad milk. The longer you give them between eating and milking, the cleaner the milk will taste. The higher quality feed you give them, the better the milk will taste. The right loose mineral will also help clean the taste of the milk up.

Our milk is pooled from 20 different does and our milk tastes even better then cows milk. Its just a hint sweeter and more creamy.


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## FreedomStarr

I like Nubian milk... I REALLY like mini lamancha and Nigerian milk, but they are just so hard for me to milk out. It tastes like half and half to me, really rich and sweet. I have one mini mancha for my super creamy milk, and several Nubians for drinking milk. I think Nubian milk tastes much like cows milk, but better. From what I've had of standard lamancha milk, it is pretty darn good too. Alpine or saanen- I felt like I licked a buck.


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## skylavaulter

"Alpine or saanen- I felt like I licked a buck."

:slapfloor:


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## Tenacross

My favorite tasting goat milk came from a fullblood boer.


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## lilaalil

I have a Nubian/ Nigerian cross, and her milk has no goatiness whatsoever. I don't know what causes that goaty taste in storebought goat milk, but we have never had a trace of it, even when we keep the milk around for a few days, or make yogurt. Her milk tastes way better than storebought, non-organic cow milk, and pretty similar to most storebought organic cow milk. 

Before I got goats, my family laughed when I said I'd make goat milk ice cream, but they are not laughing now. I think they are waiting for the ice cream


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## ksalvagno

Like TDG Farm said, diet and proper supplements play a huge roll in taste.


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## goatygirl

It also depends on where they keep the buck on their property the smell of the buck can affect the milk.


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## lovinglife

My bucks are close to my girls and I never experience goaty milk. I did once when I didn't realize they were out of mineral, now I make sure the minerals are always full and fresh and my milk lasts up to two weeks tasting far better than any cow milk, just sweet smooth wonderful clean milk. I have Nubians and love the milk as do many others who have had it. Don't give up on it, see if you can taste really good fresh goat milk even the milk from a doe you are interested in buying, then you will know you can handle it.


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## Goat_in_Himmel

Hey Bree, before adding a dairy goat to your herd, why not just sample a bit of milk from one of your does with a kid on her? If you don't like it, no investment down the drain. If you do, can you milk the goats you already have?


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## ThreeHavens

I've found other than keeping an eye out for mastitis, keeping up on copper is the biggest factor of taste here.

When my girls are up on copper, their milk is sweet, and creamy. Like cow's milk I guess, just better in my opinion. I have Nigies, so the butterfat is through the roof, lol! I have had Lamancha milk too - also sweet, but less creamy.


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## skylavaulter

Well we are buying a nubian doe in milk with two 3 wk old doelings by her side this weekend. I plan to try her milk when we go down to see her. Here's hoping!


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## milkmaid

FYI, I have found that the only dietary factor that makes my Nigerians' milk taste bad is a severe copper deficiency. Copper bolus takes care of that in a few days. Their milk is delicious, better than any other goat milk I've tried, WAY better than store-bought cow milk. Nigerians 100% recommended. 

Other things that people say affect milk flavor - molasses, herbs, wild plants, etc. - don't affect mine at all. Not sure if it's the breed or what.


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## GreenMountainNigerians

My Nigerians have very clean tasting milk. No funny aftertaste or goatie flavor at all. My grown kids were not thrilled to try it but were all so surprised that it tasted like their cows milk. Same with my in laws. They had bad tasting cows milk before too. I suspect some of it might be genetics?


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## Bree_6293

Goat_in_Himmel said:


> Hey Bree, before adding a dairy goat to your herd, why not just sample a bit of milk from one of your does with a kid on her? If you don't like it, no investment down the drain. If you do, can you milk the goats you already have?


Will their milk be similar to a dairy? I will try that first then  my next doe to kid is an Australian mini, then in from October- February we are hoping our boer girls will kid. I will wait and try from both first then decide  thanks for that idea  so it's just making sure they have their minerals all the time, taking care of copper problems and that's about it?


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## luvmyherd

>>>>>But its really more of what you feed them then anything else. Though Toggs are notorious for bad milk.<<<<<
Our starter herd was 4 Toggs. Shasta, her 2 and ChaCha a 9 month old at the time. I was so excited to have instant milk. I milked her, chilled it and sat down with a cookie. It was total grass and goat:hair:! I was so disappointed. I tried being extra careful and chilling it in small amounts super quickly. Nothing helped. We kept drinking it for health and financial reasons but we bought a Nubian/Saanen buck hoping her next babies would have better milk. 
We also bought a pregnant Nubian hoping to improve the taste of our milk.
Well, as Shasta began eating our hay and browse and grain I started to notice an improvement. It was not just *getting used to it* it was really better. Then ChaCha was bred as was Shasta's daughter. Both were PB Toggs and both had some of the sweetest milk ever. (Unfortunately, they could not handle the Valley heat and I sold them up north.)
My herd now consists of 2 of the Nubian's daughters, one PB, one 3/4 Nubian 1/4 Saanen, a granddaughter also Nub/San, and one of ChaCha's daughters who is Togg/Nubian/Saanen. All have really good milk but mixed together it is better than anything I have tasted.
I guess my point is; I agree that what you feed goes a long way in the taste of the milk.

I do not like goat cheese much but we really strive to be self-sustaining so I make it and we eat it. One trick I have learned is not to age it. I make hard cheese in the press after adding salt and spices. After it is pressed I wrap it and freeze it except for what we are going to eat right away. Still not as good as cow cheese but acceptable. Once in a while I spend the $30 for two gallons of raw cow milk to make cheese.
As far as butter and ice cream and yogurt that the milk has sat around a bit; it all comes out fine. Even pudding that is cooked has no goaty taste.
Good luck in finding something that works for you.:yum:


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm

I have Oberhasli and Nigerian goats. The only time their milk has ever tasted bad is when they have been in close proximity to the bucks.
I feed them a non-GMO sweet feed and quality grass/legume pasture with hay supplementation when needed.
I have made cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and (when milk stockpiles in the fridge during summer) had up to 2.5-old-milk. NEVER have I tasted a bucky/goaty taste.
The cheese, milk, yogurt, and kefir from the store tastes NASTY. Yuck! I read somewhere that some forms of pasteurization can cause the taste to come in.


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## Goat_in_Himmel

Bree_6293 said:


> Will their milk be similar to a dairy? I will try that first then  my next doe to kid is an Australian mini, then in from October- February we are hoping our boer girls will kid. I will wait and try from both first then decide  thanks for that idea  so it's just making sure they have their minerals all the time, taking care of copper problems and that's about it?


The quantity of milk might be less, or it might not (as I know nothing about Australian minis, except what you've shared!), but it will be milk. From what I've read, meat breeds tend to have richer milk, if less of it. And, how much milk are you likely to go through a day? Do you really need a gallon milker?  Since you're taking good care of your goats, and getting minerals into them--I've been watching the transformation--it might be tasty milk, right now. Or, it might be even better once you get hold of some copper. I don't know, I'm not there!  (Frankly, I don't know why any company wouldn't send you copper boluses from overseas, so long as you paid the extra postage--but you say you've got a new source lined up, I think I read? Hoping that works out.)


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## Bree_6293

Goat_in_Himmel said:


> The quantity of milk might be less, or it might not (as I know nothing about Australian minis, except what you've shared!), but it will be milk. From what I've read, meat breeds tend to have richer milk, if less of it. And, how much milk are you likely to go through a day? Do you really need a gallon milker?  Since you're taking good care of your goats, and getting minerals into them--I've been watching the transformation--it might be tasty milk, right now. Or, it might be even better once you get hold of some copper. I don't know, I'm not there!  (Frankly, I don't know why any company wouldn't send you copper boluses from overseas, so long as you paid the extra postage--but you say you've got a new source lined up, I think I read? Hoping that works out.)


I just want the milk for house hold use and for making soap! So I probably don't need a dairy goat  thank you  I do hope I am taking care of them well! Yes the copper boluses are quite painful! I don't understand it either! They will send some of the shipment but not all of it :/ but hopefully this last source works out. One company has said I can get it sent to some one in America and then they are allowed to send to me but they won't.. (Jeffers I think that was). I have been considering this as here we don't seem to have very much health care for goats. I do have a friend in America so Ican ask her about it  my first girl is due in about 20 days so once she is settled I will try milking her and see what that taste like  she has more dairy heritage in her, where as some of my others come From meat lines. I was given a girl recently that I think is a boer/ Nubian cross. She has just been with the buck so when she freshens she might be perfect for being the house miller


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## groovyoldlady

I have tasted "off" goat milk, but so far ours has never tasted goaty. Ever. We're not perfect, but we do try to keep everything as clean as is reasonably possible and we try to chill the milk immediately after milking. Our milk this year tastes fabulous - clean and sweet. Likewise my cheeses do not taste goaty. 

We have one Nigerian and one LaMancha and mix their milk together. MMmmmmmmmmmmm!


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## melbah1

My goats are mixes of Saneen, Alpine and Oberhasli. I have won over many people who have had bad goat milk experiences! I agree that its about keeping it clean and chilling it fast. I have been selling milk (legal in Oregon) for arround 6 years and have learned how to keep that goaty flavor out of it. We use sanitized glass containers, and strain the milk and chill in ice water. In my experience, the ice bath makes all the difference.

My whole family loves it and our customers prefer it over cows milk. I also have several customers thst have severe digestive problems (so I am OCD about keeping it clean) and it is amazing how much it has helped them. One new customer is buying for her grandaughter who is celiac and has had part of her intestines removed. After three weeks on some goat milk, she gained two pounds.

Our milk is not as high in fat. I prefer it over the nubians and nigies for that reason. We drink alot of it so we prefer the lower fat content.

all that to say... I hope that it works out, it can be so good and good for you. Let us know how tasting it goes.


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## nigies4ever

The best milk I've ever tasted came from a La Mancha and a Nigerian Dwarf, pooled together. It was sooo good...

I have to agree with others, the more heat the milk gets, the more goaty it will taste. For this reason, we probably won't be pasteurizing our milk.


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