# Goaty milk



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

Several months ago, we purchased our first dairy goat. A first freshened one year old lamancha grade. She has toggenburg in her lines several generation back. The first two to three months the milk tasted fantastic. The last month or so the milk has started to taste very goaty. We did not change our milking or storage process. She has however been getting more browsing time due to this time of year. Her diet is still mainly 3rd cutting alfalfa and pasture grass with some small amounts of various weeds like dandelion and clover etc, that are lightly dispersed throughout the pasture. The first several months we had her, her diet consisted of 3rd cutting alfalfa and timothy hay, not much browsing to be had with the colder weather. Through early to mid spring she was getting a fair amount of browsing in and the milk tasted good. 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

May I ask, what is she getting for minerals? Does she have a temperature (indicating an infection such as mastitis)? Is she in heat? Is she around a buck in rut?


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Minerals, especially copper is usually the culprit.


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I agree, Karen. And if she has had inadequate mineral supplementation, the timing of the turned milk fits. That is why I asked about minerals first.

The doe may be receiving minerals, but something interferes with the utilization. Or she may not be receiving the minerals in a form she can utilize (oxides?).

But a mastitis can also taste "off" and since we can not taste the milk itself, we can only ask questions about all causes.


----------



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

mariarose said:


> May I ask, what is she getting for minerals? Does she have a temperature (indicating an infection such as mastitis)? Is she in heat? Is she around a buck in rut?


She does have free access to loose mineral salt for goats. She also has an all stock tub lick. We bolussed her with copper and cobalt 2 + months ago. At every milking she gets a milking goat specific grain, the same grain mix that the previous owner was feeding, with all the recommended minerals. No buck around, with another 4 month old doe and lambs. Can't imagine she would be in heat. She had a temp of 101.4 this morning and a negative mastitis test.

Thanks for your quick response


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Are they loose minerals or a block?


----------



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

mariarose said:


> I agree, Karen. And if she has had inadequate mineral supplementation, the timing of the turned milk fits. That is why I asked about minerals first.
> 
> The doe may be receiving minerals, but something interferes with the utilization. Or she may not be receiving the minerals in a form she can utilize (oxides?).
> 
> But a mastitis can also taste "off" and since we can not taste the milk itself, we can only ask questions about all causes.


When tasting the milk there is a slight saltiness taste at first and then that goaty after test after you swallow. Could you please expound on what you mean when you say oxides or other issues that could be preventing the utilization of minerals. I did have a blood tox screen done to check for mineral levels when we had her test for ca,cae. The only thing lacking slightly was the copper. The lab did say though that it is not uncommon for the blood to test low, that the most accurate test is with a liver biopsy, as the copper is stored in the liver

Thanks


----------



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

ksalvagno said:


> Are they loose minerals or a block?


Loose


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Wait, when you say mineral salt, do you mean it is a salt with some minerals mixed in? Like a trace mineral salt? if that is the case, then that is not giving her all the minerals she needs. The salt makes it self limiting. In the analysis, the lower the salt, the better. My mineral mix is 9-11 percent salt. Well, one of them anyway. The other is around 15 percent salt.

Please tell us a brand name/formulation so that we can look it up online and maybe see for certain what you are using.

Some forms of minerals are easily taken up and used by the body, and some are not. Oxides are not. The copper used in the bolusses are oxides, that is one reason blolusing is safe.

However, if most of the ingredients in your loose minerals (not the analysis, the ingredients) are oxides, then your goat is not using them well.

This is one of the ones I use http://www.co-opfeeds.com/ourcoop08/feeds/products/goat/productDetail.aspx?fm=73&typeID=12

The other one is Cargill's Right Now minerals, Onyx formulation. http://www.orangegrovecoop.com/images/E0209301/Minerals.pdf

High iron or sulphur content in your soil (and therefore your browse) or water can interfere with the uptake or utilization of copper and selenium.

The salty taste first is a good clue, and you've been very thorough in your reply. This will help us.

How do you know she is not cycling? Heats can be really subtle this time of year, and without a buck around. It is not likely to be the cause of off tasting milk that lasts more than a few days, I agree. But it might be part of more than one thing going on.

The people here are great. We'll help you sort out what is going on.

My husband is facing surgery, and I won't be back for a couple of days. But I'll check in with you when I do come back home.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The culprit is probably the solid chunk of molasses that is sold as a protein lick. Molasses makes milk nasty and makes the goats not digest their food as well.


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I've never used one of those livestock tubs, not even for cattle. Goathiker, does Molasses make the milk taste salty at first?

My husband's surgery went well, he is in the ICU now and I am back home.


----------



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

mariarose said:


> I've never used one of those livestock tubs, not even for cattle. Goathiker, does Molasses make the milk taste salty at first?
> 
> My husband's surgery went well, he is in the ICU now and I am back home.


Good to hear.

The following pictures are the lick tub in question and the grain mix we feed at milking. I hadn't heard or read anything about molasses causing milk test issues. Several people I know feed their milking goats a sweet feed during milking.

Thanks


----------



## Tstarks (Jun 25, 2017)

mariarose said:


> Wait, when you say mineral salt, do you mean it is a salt with some minerals mixed in? Like a trace mineral salt? if that is the case, then that is not giving her all the minerals she needs. The salt makes it self limiting. In the analysis, the lower the salt, the better. My mineral mix is 9-11 percent salt. Well, one of them anyway. The other is around 15 percent salt.
> 
> Please tell us a brand name/formulation so that we can look it up online and maybe see for certain what you are using.
> 
> ...


Purina goat chow mineral

Thanks


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Tstarks said:


> I hadn't heard or read anything about molasses causing milk test issues. Several people I know feed their milking goats a sweet feed during milking


Yes, I feed a sweet feed sometimes, and also warm water with molasses is recommended by some here for birthing recovery. Goathiker, I believe, was not saying that all amounts are a problem, but a large amount could be an issue.

It is the salty taste that is throwing me, and I feel it is a vital clue. I wish people with more knowledge would jump in with information, and I'm sure they will. I'll keep looking for an answer. What test did you do for mastitis? Was it a CMT test? A strip cup/visual test?

I really think that this is linked to nutrition, still, and I will look into those minerals you mentioned. I've never fed them and I've heard others say they are not great (Some Purina stuff seems to ride on the coattails of the Purina name, without being excellent in themselves).


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

First remove all molasses from her diet and see if that corrects the taste.


----------



## Shadow11 (Jun 27, 2017)

Learning a lot here. Didn't know that molasses would affect the taste of the milk.


----------



## NicoleV (Dec 12, 2015)

There's probably something in the browse since that's the only thing that changed. I bought a goat from a person who said that ever since she moved to a property that had a lot of juniper trees that her goats would browse on, all the milk started tasting goaty. When I first tried her milk after I brought her home it did taste goaty. But in a few weeks, it tasted fine because I was feeding her a different diet and no juniper trees.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Goat Forum mobile app


----------

