# oh no, Lucy...



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

We've been drinking Lucy's milk now for a week or so. It is fine...not as sweet as the NDG milk, but good. I pasteurized it, and it's been in the fridge for several days. Yesterday, I had some and it tasted very salty? Milked her last night and had that milk this morning. It tasted fine. I have about a gallon of the first milk...all pasteurized at the same time...but...I haven't tasted the other bottles. Don't really want to now, lol. Did I handle it wrong? It was collected over 5 days and then combined during pasteurization.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Did she maybe eat a lot of loose salts and minerals?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

According to my "troubleshooting guide" on different off flavors in milk..... A salty flavor can be caused by milk from a doe in late lactation or from mastitis.


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

Liz, is there a way I can obtain a copy of that "troubleshooting guide"? Sounds like a beneficial thing to have on hand!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

It's actually out of the book Goats Produce Too by Mary Jane Toth, it's in the very beginning of the book.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Well, she does not show any other signs of mastitis. And, it wasn't salty to begin with and the more recent milk tasted fine. I'm drinking it now. I'll have to take her temp, I guess. She's not acting sick, and I haven't changed her feed, she gets a 16% dairy grain and free choice minerals, and pasture. I am getting hay soon, so I'll start feeding her some alfalfa...she's too thin.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

I have found salty milk in four cases:

1. The doe was wormy
2. The doe was drying off. 
3. The doe had mastitis (subclinical, no other signs). 
4. The doe had a precocious udder and was not producing 'true' milk.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Ok, thanks everyone. I'll check her for mastitis and worms. She gets free choice loose minerals, but I don't think she over does it. The new milk is good. I had more this morning. She's a good girl and I want to be sure she doesn't have mastitis (!) that would be awful.


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