# Milk handling



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Some questions about how y'all handle milk....

Machine or by hand?

If by machine, what kind?

How quickly do you cool it after milking?

Fridge, cold water bath, or what?

What kind of filter do you use?

Where do you get filters?

Do you disinfect before milking, after, never, or both?

With what?

Do you use a strip cup? 

Do you wash the udder? 

If so, with what?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I'll go first...

*Machine or by hand?*

By hand.

*How quickly do you cool it after milking?*

Usually about half an hour, we don't have refrigeration/electricity at the goat pen, so we milk all the does, and then carry it all to the house, filter it and refrigerate it.

*Fridge, cold water bath, or what?*

The fridge.

*What kind of filter do you use?*

I've been using cloth napkins. I used to use cheesecloth. Interested in what others have to say.

*Where do you get filters?*

I have no idea where we got our current set of napkins :lol:

*Do you disinfect before milking, after, never, or both?*

Before and after.

*With what?*

A half and half mix of white vinegar and water.

*Do you use a strip cup?*

No. I keep the different does' milk separate, so if there was something wrong with the milk I would still milk them out anyway... I find it unnecessary.

*Do you wash the udder?*

Yes/sort of

*If so, with what?*

I wipe each doe's udder with a wet cloth, but no soap.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Ok here i go.....

I hand milk - but only a max of 8.

Trot it to the house after milking and refridgerate after straining into sterilized glass containers.

Fridge

I use the busy strainer with filters so I can strain right into the sterilized mason jars and mark lids.

Hoegers

Sometimes pasteurize on top of stove, but only in some occasions. For personal use I don't. And for cheeses going over the pasteurization temp I don't. Not for fudge either.

Since I hand milk and do each doe separately, I don't use a strip cup but glare into the first milk for each one and feel udder for temp, knots, etc.. :smile:

I use dairy wipes pre milking and fight bac after milking. Both are chlorhexidine i think.

Happy girls happy "crazy goat mom".:smile:


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

So do you still receive your orders from Hoegger?


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I ordered a ton of the filters at one tiime, so I really don't know what the turnaround time would be one this. I did notice that either Valley Vet or Jeffers offered a similar strainer and filters, but for the life of me I can't figure out which one. I figure if I run out of the filters, I will use a coffee filter, has worked in the past, although slower....


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

*Machine or by hand?*

By hand. I typically milk one or two goats and if two I milk both into the same pail unless there's concern about some issue (kicking the pail, off-tasting milk, loss of production, too much milk for one bucket, etc.). But this is very rare.

*How quickly do you cool it after milking?*

15 - 30 minutes.

*Fridge, cold water bath, or what?*

Fridge.

*What kind of filter do you use?*

3 5/8" mini filters.

*Where do you get filters?*

Caprine supply.

*Do you disinfect before milking, after, never, or both?*

Both.

*With what?*

Milk Check udder wipes before and Fight-Bac after.

*Do you use a strip cup?*

Yes.

*Do you wash the udder? *

Not unless it's muddy or has an injury, which is pretty unusual.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

I filter from my milking bottle into quart jars or half gallon - have a sink in my milk area filled with cold water. When my jars are full I put into the fridge. I always wash their udders with a warm cloth and I use Johnson's baby wash - a couple of squirts in a sink of warm water. Dry with a paper towel - fresh one for each doe. 
My first couple of milk squirts go into a cup so I can see what it looks like. 
I also get my filters and holder from Caprine Supply = use the 3 5/8 ones. Fit into the jars perfect.
Would never use cotton or napkins for filters. The filter needs thrown away after each use. I have seen that someone washes them off and reuses them. Doesn't seem very sanitary. Predip - I don't as I would think something could get into the milk from it?? - after milking I use Fight Bac. 
I use a Babson surge milker converted over for the Nigerians. I use a half gallon jar as a bypass so the milk isn't going into the big surge milker pot. There are pictures on my webpage of my setup. 
I fortunately have never had udder problems, no mastitis or chapping problems so everything has worked great so far. Hope that continues. 
Good luck on your new milking experience.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

By hand
15-30 minutes
Ice water bath in the fridge
KenAg milk filters
Local feed store
Disinfect before
water with lavender essential oil and tea tree essential oil
no
yes


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Bev - 
I wipe down their udders after I dip them before milking. 

I'll definitely be getting filters! I never thought my milk system was so great


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Machine or by hand? Hand (we only milked 3 does this year)


How quickly do you cool it after milking? Each girl has her own milk pan and the pan goes into our chest freezer immediately after milking. We keep it in there until 20 minutes after the last doe. Then we take it to the kitchen to filter it and store it in the fridge.

Fridge, cold water bath, or what? Freezer. ;-)

What kind of filter do you use? I buy the larger Schwartz filters and cut them into quarters. Then I use a small metal milk filter/funnel thingie to filter the milk directly into quart jars. The filters last forever this way!

Where do you get filters? Our local farm store. (Private owned, not TSC)

Do you disinfect before milking, after, never, or both? both
With what?
Antibac wipes from sam's Club for the preclean. And Fight Bac spray afterwards

Do you use a strip cup? We do a couple of squirts in an old sour cream container.

Do you wash the udder? Yes. 
If so, with what? The wipes mentioned above.

We also keep the udders shaved as long as we are milking...


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I hand milk. I get a container of about a cup of warm water with a bit of dishwashing soap and a generous splash of vinegar. I wet clothes and wipe down the udder and teats before starting.

I milk out, and I do use a metal strip cup just to eyeball the first squirts. I then take a shot glass full of my water mix and dip the teats.

I use a little bucket to milk the girls and pour that into a larger metal bucket. 

I use coffee filters. I chill in the fridge. 

My routine may evolve this year. I'll have 9 in milk instead of 2. I've been considering a machine.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Machine or by hand?

I milk by hand, though I have ideas of grandeur of one day getting a machine. 

If by machine, what kind?

How quickly do you cool it after milking?
15-20 minutes, after we get it to the house and strain it. 

Fridge, cold water bath, or what?

Freezer for about an hour. 

What kind of filter do you use?

Coffee filters. I set them inside of my stainless steel jelly strainer, it works great. 

Where do you get filters?

Grocery stores

Do you disinfect before milking, after, never, or both?

Both

With what?

I wipe my area down with disinfectant wipes

Do you use a strip cup? 

Yes, but it's not a cup, I use a stainless steel bowl. 

Do you wash the udder? 

Yes

If so, with what?

I use a home made spray with Castiles soap, tea tree eo, and lavender eo. After I use a cream I made from coconut oil, cocoa butter, the eos, sweet almond oil, and I think one other oil, but I'd have to look at my recipe.


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## Hollowdweller (May 5, 2011)

I normally make cheese or yogurt so I pasteurize the milk.

However when I am saving raw milk I usually milk using my milking machine so less dust has the potential to get in it.

Of course I wash the udder and all....

Anyway after I filter it into the gallon or half gallon glass jars I put them in the freezer overnight. This does not freeze the milk to the point that the jar bursts as long as I get it out early. But it does freeze it and cools it down pretty fast to start with esp on a half gal jar.

So then put it in the fridge, the ice chunk will keep the milk really cold as the jar thaws and the milk stays so much fresher.


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