# milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's musky.



## The Acre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, I'm Jake... I have a Nubian doe who has milk that tastes kinda musky I guess. It's gross. The kids she just freshened with drink it a lot. Anyone know the cause of this?


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## kid'n'kaboodle (Mar 5, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

What do you feed her? What kind of pasture does she have access to?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

Has she been around or near a buck...?


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## The Acre (Sep 22, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

I feed her dairy parlor goat feed from our local farm supply store. I just made a hay feeder and will be feeding a lot more hay now... I should probably ween her into it, huh? She has half of an acre of good pasture shared with a wether (her brother actually). She just freshened and is a great producer. I'm sad. One teat also has developed what feels like a cyst. It is hard and flat though. We still milk around it and get a butt-load of milk still. It's just gross.
I bought "Today" treatment for mastitis but I'm hesitant to administer it;still hoping the milk comes back to it's sweet, wonderful taste.


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## The Acre (Sep 22, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

She has not been around a buck... but, she has been sharing a pasture with her brother who was castrated 3 weeks ago.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

If she just freshened she may not be done with her colostrum. I have had it take two weeks to get sweet milk. 
And yes, any feed change should be gradual.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

The buck smell on the wether, since he was just wethered 3 weeks ago he is probably still smelling like a buck, and the musky smell is most likely from the buck smell. It lingers, erk.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

It sounds like colostrum to me, how long ago did she freshen? Also, if the wether was a buck, that could still be it too. Does the wether smell bucky? I never even taste the milk until at least 10 days after a birth. Usually more than that.

Jan


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

I agree that if she's not at least 2 weeks fresh that it's very likely that there is still colostrum present, I don't use milk from my does til they are around 3 weeks fresh but have had to milk my does from day 1 due to engorgement, that "first milk" goes in the freezer for any unexpected uses with babies and milk taken early tends to have a "different" flavor as well as texture than milk that is taken after the first week.


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## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

I agree with the others. Either she might need a bit more time, or maybe it's from her pasture mate. I have a doe that has off-tasting milk for 3-4 weeks after kidding (A 3/4 Nubian). I have yet to figure out why she does that, but every year, her milk is always the same. Musky tasting until the 4th week maximum, and then it turns wonderfully creamy tasting.


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## The Acre (Sep 22, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

I am going to be keeping her with her mother only as soon as the kids are weaned. How long should I wait? My wife bought us these goats and I know nothing more than I've read in Storey's guides. Reading about goats and actually putting that read knowledge into use on our little farm are two different things. I always lack confidence. The little guy was just banded three days ago. What should I expect from the scrotum? Thank you all very, VERY much for your help. I'm excited to have a resource for goat information.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*



The Acre said:


> I am going to be keeping her with her mother only as soon as the kids are weaned. How long should I wait? My wife bought us these goats and I know nothing more than I've read in Storey's guides. Reading about goats and actually putting that read knowledge into use on our little farm are two different things. I always lack confidence. The little guy was just banded three days ago. What should I expect from the scrotum? Thank you all very, VERY much for your help. I'm excited to have a resource for goat information.


So glad that you enjoy TGS!

As far as your newly banded boy...you should check the area on a daily basis for sign of infection and to be sure the band is doing what it should...I spray my little guys with Blue Kote but have also used gentled iodine weekly to keep flies away as well as keep the area sanitary. The sac will swell the first couple days then shrink and flatten, separation normally starts to occur within 2 weeks and the shriveled sac with the band should be totally off in 8 weeks. Once that happens, spray him with blue kote again and the area will heal nicely.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

:thumbup: :hi5:


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## francismilker (Oct 22, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

You might try topdressing her feed with baking soda for a few days and then offering it free choice at the end of the feed trough. Sometimes mine get their gut churning improperly and things get kind of musky but the baking soda seems to help. Sodium bicarbonate is a major additive in dairy cattle feed. It helps the rumen. I know when their stomach acid ph gets off a little they kind of go into what my vet described to me as Ketoacidosis like humans with diabetes get when they begin to spill ketones into their kidneys.


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## Rev144 (Jan 22, 2011)

*Re: milk is tasting kinda grody... I would say like it's mu*

Also check her hay, if it smells the slightest bit moldy or musky, it could be the hay making milk taste ugly!


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