# Campylobacter?



## prairiegal (Apr 23, 2010)

So, we acquired our first 2 goats about a week ago. They are Nubians and due to kid sometime in May. They will be first fresheners.
The lady we bought them from seemed fairly knowledgable and has milked in the past. However, b/c of some family issues, her herd kinda has gone by the wayside for the last year or so.

My question is:
We really want to drink the milk raw. However, I want to be sure and take the proper precautions, since I don't know the goat's exact history. They had CD/T last year and I gave them their boosters last night. Is there any testing, etc, I should have done before we just start drinking their raw milk? 

I was talking to someone the other day who milks goats and they insist on pastuerizing because they are petrified of campylobacter. I haven't heard a lot of other people talk about it, but from the way this guy was acting, it is a very common problem and tons of people are getting sick from it. I'm skeptical, but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!!

Thanks!!


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

never heard of it - I drink my milk raw


----------



## Realfoodmama (Apr 13, 2010)

Assuming you take proper precautions, campylobacter shouldn't be an issue.

Campylobacteria is from fecal contamination, so unless you are not dumping milk that has been stepped in, or allowing goat pellets to fall into your milking pail, you are probably okay.

Keep your milking area clean and well ventilated and keep your pail cover on and you should be fine. Also, you can wipe off the udder and underbelly of your goat before milking with a warm wet cloth to keep any debris from falling off while you are milking.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I drink my girls' milk raw too...with proper milk handling from teat to fridge there shouldn't be an issue with contamination.


----------



## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

Yeah, like everyone else said--with proper handling there shouldn't be an issue. 

I drink my milk raw as well...and so does everyone that comes to my house...have yet to see anyone get sick and don't expect that I ever will.


----------



## MiGoat (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't know how people have survived since the Garden of Eden without the CDC, FDA and USDA telling us how to make our food safe. But really we have been made so afraid of raw food it is frightening to me that we think we can do it better than the Creator of the universe.
I am not being sarcastic at anyone here, it just makes me so frustrated how we're taught that raw wholesome food needs to be processed and overseen by the government before it's safe. I have done so much research about allopathic medicine as opposed to holistic and truthfully the dirtiness of what has gone on is terrifying. These government agencies are "captured" by the big pharma and big corporations. The reason pasteurization was implemented was so they could be sloppy in handling...and could ship miles and miles. But pasteurized milk is just as susceptible to contamination as raw milk. In fact raw milk has natural enzymes in it that fight the contaminants.
BUT when you pasteurize you kill all sorts of enzymes and good bacteria. 
I had never heard of campylobacteriosis until this thread. 
There is a statistic, 800 people from 1998 have gotten sick from raw milk. There is no death total "gotten sick" is how it's worded. If there was death I'm sure the FDA would have plastered that all over. BUT 800 people from 1998? How many people get sick yearly and die from the medicines they pedal to us? How many people get sick from Splenda the FDA has said is perfectly safe (it isn't it's a neurotoxin). 
This from Wikipedia:
"Campylobacteriosis is an infection by campylobacter.[8] The common routes of transmission are fecal-oral, person-to-person sexual contact, ingestion of contaminated food or water, and the eating of raw meat. It produces an inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea, periodontitis[9] or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain. The infection is usually self-limiting and in most cases, symptomatic treatment by reposition of liquid and electrolyte replacement is enough in human infections. The use of antibiotics, on the other hand, is controversial...."

Again I am not attacking or directing my sarcasm to anyone here. I am so tired of the lines we are being fed by our own government.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Another wonderful reason why it's great to be an American! We are free to do as we please with our own bodies and our own food , and I thank God that we have the resources to do so.


----------



## prairiegal (Apr 23, 2010)

MiGoat-
I couldn't agree more- this has been my soapbox for some time now. My philosophy is that if the CDC says something, I generally look into doing the opposite. I, too, am increasingly frustrated with the general population that refuses to think for themselves when it comes to food. 

My own mother-in-law (as well as most of the people I tell that we have bought dairy goats) is pretty sure I'm trying to commit suicide and kill my husband by drinking raw milk and butchering our own grass-fed beef. She says this while she guzzles diet pepsi and buys every form of ultra-processed food available..... It makes me crazy!!

However, since I am new to this, I wanted to make sure I'm not missing an important part of raw milk handling. I had suspected it was not something to worry about, but because of this one person's alarm over it, I just wanted to be sure.

My suspicions were confirmed with everyone's kind response and we are counting down the days until we can start drinking our raw milk!!!


----------



## MiGoat (Apr 21, 2010)

prairiegal..we're kindred spirits! I am so glad I didn't offend you. We're getting at such a dangerous time in our history (for freedoms lost)..and in world history*edited to say human history*(world government) and my soapbox at some point is going to be jerked out from under me. LOL (nervous LOL)  The more you research the more exciting you know the times are!


----------



## dannyduprey (Jun 8, 2010)

Several years ago I got deathly ill from campylobacter that was in undercooked chicken. Since then I've been extremely careful about raw chicken. That said, we have been drinking the raw milk from our goats for a good while now, with absolutely no negative effects. Good milking sanitation is important. Maybe start out gradually, e.g. a robust adult drinking a small amount of your goats' milk, before giving it to anyone with a compromised immune system. I think we all agree that the benefits of raw milk greatly outweigh the risks.


----------

