# Flakes in milk at milking



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

It seems it is always something...:GAAH:
I noticed a couple of flakes in the milk at straining. They had tiny blood spots on them. I didn't think to take pics but I did the soap test and both are negative on that. I can't test the milk in a lab right now, but I do have a TSC gift card that I could purchase ToDay with.
Should I treat both does? I strained both separately and they both had a couple flakes. One is a FF, the other is an old pro.... Or wait and see if it is nothing? They both have freshened at the beginning of the month. No hot udders, no swollen areas, just the flakes with tiny blood spots that are red. I found 3 of these flakes...
Should I just give them some vitamin c? Right now I have 4 kids drinking this milk, so I really need it.
What should I do?

Oh, does are acting fine, eating well,drinking well.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We had the same thing happening last year. It ended up being that their teats were just super dry and flaking and bleeding (just like your hands get cracked and bleed when they are badly chapped) Check for that....


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

You mean it was visible on the outside?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yep. Once we started LOOKING for why there was blood in the milk. I freaked and panicked thinking mastitis and it ended up just being dry, chapped teats that were bleeding. We put coconut oil on them and it cleared right up. Look closely cause it's really hard to actually SEE it...unless you find a spot that's actively bleeding. Did you nurse your own children? If you did, remember how sore your nipples got at first....and then would kind of crack and bleed when your child nursed (sorry guys...TMI for most of you I know LOL) Same thing, basically....


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would give them vitamin C. I would also check their teats over carefully. One of them could have burst a blood vessel.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

:lol: How could I forget that?! Hahaha......yeah, I'll check when I milk Daisy tonight. I hope that's all it is....seems weird though that they both started at the same time..........


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Oh, and it really wasn't noticeable except when we were milking. The reason I'm thinking this is because you say it was "flakes" and that's what we were getting. There would be some pink tinged milk, but there were also the "flakes" like you are talking about.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

Don't be afraid to drench a little of their milk back to them just in case.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

how much vitamin c?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

HerdQueen said:


> Don't be afraid to drench a little of their milk back to them just in case.


Ok, I know I've seen this mentioned before. What does that do? I've never had to "drench" I've had to protect my milk from them just plain old drinking it! LOL


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

HerdQueen said:


> Don't be afraid to drench a little of their milk back to them just in case.


Forgot about that! Thanks Erica


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I give one 500 mg chewable tablet per day.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

It's on the shopping list...


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

So tonight's milking went like this....
A little "flaky" plug came out, followed by pink milk....
I plan to drench her in the am with her own milk, but how much? I will be getting Vit C and being sure to try and milk her 12 hours apart. I could potentially do 3 milkings, but she is already milking at 17 days fresh, a pint and a half to two pints, at each milking.
She is a FF so I am probably not milking her right since her teats are smaller....


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

uhh.....I read happybleats had the dosage somewhere.....not quite sure where. im' thinking something like 1 tsp or tbsp.?

Carmen, apparently drenching with the "bad" mastitis-ey milk kick starts the doe's immune system to fight off whatever illness she has in her udder


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

give her 30 cc twice daily of her own milk..she may just drink it up from a dish, if not drench it...if there is any bacteria her body will make antibodies against it...sometimes its all that is needed...

coconut with vit e does wonders for chapped teats and udder....


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Will do in the am, Thanks Cathy. I sure hope it's nothing....but ya know, I did get her udder floor a few times when trying to milk.Very hard to get just the teat yet... Her and I have no "routine" yet


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

happybleats said:


> give her 30 cc twice daily of her own milk..she may just drink it up from a dish, if not drench it...if there is any bacteria her body will make antibodies against it...sometimes its all that is needed...
> 
> coconut with vit e does wonders for chapped teats and udder....


I really need to start a goat notebook and write all of these things down. between you, goathiker, and a number of others, I would have about 100 pages of old time, home remedies by now!


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

^ Agreed! I have notes scribbled on pieces of paper everywhere


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

i JUST found one of my old notebooks...i think I'm going to have to start something in that!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Well good news this morning...Daisy's milk had just a couple of blood specks...no pink tint. Hopefully it will clear up on it's own here....and I milked for the first time without pinching her udder floor :leap: Starting to be more routine and getting a "niche"


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is good. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just broken blood vessels.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Tonight there was no pink, but a flake with some spots of blood on it. Very small bits of blood. The flakes look like dried milk??


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yay....I think...

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

good news!!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

happybleats said:


> good news!!


I'm with Carmen....Yay, I think :scratch:


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## Cactus_Acres (Sep 24, 2013)

She doesn't happen to have any tiny cracks right on her teat orifice, does she? Last year when we first got our doe, she had a tiny scratch on her teat orifice. Not fun for her or us. My doe is nursing her babies this year, and sometimes they aren't so gentle with their momma....


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I don't know...I'll look in the am...


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

No, no cracks....this mornings milk looks good! Hope it continues....Daisy is giving almost 4 pints a day as a ff..:wahoo:
No flakes from Heidi either this morning but it looks like she got a fresh scratch from her babies...


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Sounds like it's good news!! Wow! Daisy is doing great for you!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I am super excited about her....now to get my saanen bred this year! Her mom was a dairy farm goat....ray:


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

How's the herd integration going?


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## Hurkett_Hill_Farm (Jan 12, 2014)

I had flakes of dried blood last summer in the milk. I was freaking out as I thought of mastitis right away. I found that the black flies were chewing away on the goats and their bellies were just caked with dried blood. I use an essential oil horse fly spray on them which they hate to try to give them some relief. I also had to wash not only their udders but their whole belly before milking. They didn't really enjoy that either  I would strain the milk out right away which took most of it out and I wouldn't drain the jar as what rehydrated was settled in the bottom. 


Sent from my iPad using Goat Forum


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Good to know ahead of time...right now we are still in our ice age :hair:


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## SlapHappy (Mar 27, 2014)

nchen7 said:


> i JUST found one of my old notebooks...i think I'm going to have to start something in that!


I don't have Microsoft Word but I have Open Office.

I have been copying tips from here and pasting them on pages in that. Then I plan on organizing them and printing them out.

People actually still write notes now days? LOL

Not me. Not when I can go to the notes and organize them by cutting and pasting. hehe


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Carmen...love the avatar 
Well Daisy's milk is clean,clear and good  Whatever was going on, it is good now.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> Carmen...love the avatar
> Well Daisy's milk is clean,clear and good  Whatever was going on, it is good now.


Thanks. One of my favorites of Lizzie and Cyclone.

woohoo! on the clear milk! I bet it was just a broken vessel and the flaky stuff was just dry skin cells you were knocking off while milking. Heidi's milk still got that bitter taste?


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Not sure....the kids have been getting it all and then some....but even if it is, I may just use her to help feed Daisy's kids next year. Her milk is really good and I don't have to "mess" around to get it right.
As for integration, I have had the saanen in with Daisy during the day, and with Daisy and Heidi overnight.So far no one is lame, or hurt or dead :/ The alpine is still on her own because I have noticed she is not drinking much, if at all....so I want to keep her where I can monitor her closely.
Good news is all babies are doing pretty well and the boys are having no trouble right now. The only things I am worried about now are integration of Miss Bossy  and her intake of fluids.

Today is freezing rain so it would have been bad to do anyway....they'd all kill each other in the shed. I need to make a second shelter area for the ones who get kicked out.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Just wanted to post a couple pics of my ff's udder...
Here she is on a 12 hour fill...and after. Lots of mud where we are right now, look at her udder from walking to the garage! I do know about the sore spot too  Not sure how it happened though! I got 4.5 pints today


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Nice


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks Carmen....how's the soap making going?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Going. Couldn't hardly get trace today and not sure how this batch is going to turn out. Did the rosemary/mint again....guess I'll know tomorrow


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I'm still waiting....I just need the oils still...if I can sell my chickens I have on CL...the oils are mine!


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yay! They'll sell soon....and you'll be joining me in crazy soap land. Lol


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Oh man, I hope so!
I started giving friends my lotions to try out...hoping they will want to buy more.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yeah. I've been handing out sone soaps. Hoping I get start selling some and help pay for goat stuff....at least a little bit. Hehehe


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I hear ya....after working as a CNA for 16 years and all the unpleasant smells that came with the job.....I love making lotions and soaps! :lol:


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Ha! I hear ya on that! I worked as one for a couple years


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I just had to get out...got burnt out....now I'm broke but lovin it :lol:


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I met my hubby and got remarried. I miss the patients...not so much most of the people I worked with. LOL


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I do miss some aspects, but after that long, I needed a break. I quit a year ago...


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

SlapHappy said:


> People actually still write notes now days? LOL


yep...call me old fashioned, but I like to write stuff down. if I don't, I don't remember.....



kccjer said:


> Yeah. I've been handing out sone soaps. Hoping I get start selling some and help pay for goat stuff....at least a little bit. Hehehe


welcome to the dark side of being a soap nut! :dazed:


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