# Toggenburg Milk?



## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

I remember reading that toggenburg milk tends to be "strong." Does this mean strongly goaty tasting (like goat cheese)? There's a Saanen I am considering buying, but may have to buy the Togg along with her (package deal). I am not a fan of goaty milk though, or even goaty-tasting cheese.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I don't like my saanens milk. I don't like the flavor (both my saanens milk tasted the same and both were up to date on copper and mastitis neg). I do however like my saanen/nd mixes milk and my ferals milk and the nd's milk. I've never had toggenburg milk.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Can you taste their milk before you purchase?


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## camooweal (Jun 27, 2015)

We had a Toggenburg doe, Heart, and her milk tasted as good as any cow's milk. 

People would come and we'd give them Heart's milk in their coffee or tea without telling them and they were never any the wiser! Others who were offered goat's milk knowingly would look at it suspiciously but once they'd tasted it, they always said how much it was like cow's milk and came back for more.

camooweal


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I bought 4 Toggs in 2010 to start my herd. I was really disappointed when I first milked Shasta as it was quite goaty. The good news is that after I had her awhile and fed her good alfalfa and a little grain; her milk improved tremendously. ChaCha, the other doe I bought with her, also pure Togg, had some of the sweetest milk I have ever tasted. I still have ChaCha's daughter who is Togg/Saanen/Nubian. She is my best milker and it has wonderful taste as well. Shasta's daughter also gave sweet milk. So I have become convinced that it is largely what they are fed.
The best thing would be to taste the milk before if possible. But I would not hesitate to buy another Toggenburg.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

The reason both Togg and Saanen have a bad rep with the taste of their milk is because by breed, they have some of the lowest butterfat. But as mentioned, you poor some good protein feed to them and it will up the butterfat levels and clean up the flavor.


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## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

Thank you, everyone! The Togg is not bred yet, so I can't taste her milk (and around here, it wouldn't mean much, since a lot of people don't seem to know about loose minerals). I'm going to consider all of this. I really don't need two more goats. But need and want are usually two different things, haha.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Just a side note. I loved my Togg's personalities. Angel and her boys are always in line for hugs in the morning. They do not bellow all day like the Nubians. I sold off all my purebreds because they could not tolerate our valley heat. I really miss them.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

luvmyherd said:


> Just a side note. I loved my Togg's personalities. Angel and her boys are always in line for hugs in the morning. They do not bellow all day like the Nubians. I sold off all my purebreds because they could not tolerate our valley heat. I really miss them.


I sold all my Nubians because I couldnt stand them screaming at me every time I walked out of the house. I am in red bluff, Hell's shade, so far the only ones that don't do well are the ones about to kid so I've had to change my schedules. I brought them from Monterey but thinking if I found a local purebred breeder it wouldn't be a problem? I housed a togg here over summer from Reno, she ended up aborting and I'm almost dead sure it was because of our heat wave.

Back on topic, I loved the one Togg's milk, tasted like cows milk. I only had one though to try out.


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## Hollowdweller (May 5, 2011)

I think it depends on the line.

I have saanens and most (but not all) of the Togg milk I have tasted was more goaty. 

I had a saanen doe, a grade with very goaty milk. Her daughter also had it so I culled the line.

I had a friend with a commercial dairy and she said she had the most trouble with the Toggs, esp the ones closely related to Stoneybrook Cavalier.

Also always heard Toggs related to the herd of the Sandbergs was strong.

I always try to buy bucks from dairies or where I can taste the milk. I think that milk flavor is very heritable, not only the goaty thing but also sweet, nutty, etc.

TDG has more experience than me so I'd defer to his opinion but I always heard that since the goaty flavor was the fatty acids in the milk breaking down that high butterfat did not prevent the goaty flavor. Although for sure higher butterfat will make the milk more creamy.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

You're right Hollow, its a heck of a lot more complicated then just butter fat. I guess an easy way to describe it is this way. Take a farm raised cow and just butcher it. Take a farm raised cow and finish it out on grain. Even if the cows are on the same farm and closely related, there is going to be a gamy flavor to the cow that wasnt finished. While the finished cow is going to taste like store bought meat. The old saying "The fat is where the flavors at" is completely true.

What an animal (including game animals) eats is the most important factor in the flavor of both meat and milk. So if you can flavor the fat to your liking, you will change the over all taste. Witj a lower amount of fat/butter fat to do that, you compound the gamy flavor and or goaty flavor.

If you can follow what a commercial cow dairy does as close as possible, the more likely you are to have a "cow" tasting milk. High protein feed. Mineral supplements. Milk the animal BEFORE feeding. And give as much time between when they last ate to when you milk them. The longer, the cleaner the flavor of the milk should be. If all this fails, then you might need to cull or change which animal you get your milk from.


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