Author Topic: producing your own milk????  (Read 12382 times)

goat lady

  • Guest
producing your own milk????
« on: March 11, 2009, 11:21:40 AM »
how many out there produce your own milk for cheese making?

Bella

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2009, 11:32:47 AM »
Hi Goat Lady
Yes, I am producing my own milk (jersey), but only since July last year. It's been a very steep learning curve for me to get a handle on managing cows and all that goes with it.  I have two cows, but only one producing milk for me at the moment. The other one is nursing a calf (6 weeks old) and has had a recent rapid decline in her condition due to a bad tick infestation, so is not being milked. 

But I am enjoying the experience (I think!), and particularly the ability to experiment with cheese making. 

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2009, 12:51:22 PM »
Like Bella, I have been milking my own cow since July.  She is 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 Holstein.  As it was her first calf, and I had to learn how to milk, I started buying raw milk in December 2007 and started playing around with cheese and buttermaking, so that I didn't have to learn those things from scratch along with the milking.

I love having the fresh milk available and will really miss it when she is dry for April and May.  New calf late May/early June, so that is something to really look forward to, as well as more milk than ever.  It will be interesting to see how much she produces this lactation.

goat lady

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2009, 11:43:39 AM »
I got to say I'm jealous I would love a little jersey milk cow just to make butter but the hubby vetoed that said he'd have to build a bigger barn... Goat milk is hard to make butter with even with the separator. I was told canning the milk would be easier.anyone can milk ????

vlyons

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2009, 01:38:27 PM »
I'm currently milking 5 goats (3 nubians, 2 alpines) for about 2.5 gals per day. I make fresh cheeses and sell a lot at a local farmer's market.

cheers

vl

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2009, 01:43:42 PM »
Buttercup weighs about 950 lbs now,so she's not so little! Sweet gal, though, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

I do can milk, even though there are no USDA guidelines for doing such.  Jackie Clay of Backwoods Home magazine gave a couple of different methods.  I chose to Hot water bath mine for an hour after the water started boiling again.  I'm only going to be using it to make yogurt, though, as I don't like the taste of cooked milk.  I'm freezing milk for drinking, cereal, etc. for when my cow is dry.

Why would you need a bigger barn for a cow?  As long as you have a small place for a milking stanchion and she has a run-in shelter she'll be fine.  A three-sided shelter is enough even here in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.  Some cows will even allow people to milk them out in the pasture, but mine is too wiley for that.

homeacremom

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2009, 07:24:52 PM »
We have our own dairy goats here. Just freshened so in a few weeks the cheesemaking will start.

goat lady

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2009, 08:03:33 PM »
how many kids have you gotten??

Captain Caprine

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2009, 04:49:14 AM »
We produce all our milk or should I say our Nubians do.  We are drying one off right now in preparation for kidding (we bred very late this year) and milking two through.   Also going to have a first time mom with a Saanen X Nubian. 
CC

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2009, 01:50:53 PM »
No, I've never pressure canned milk.  It takes longer and I've been told that the milk turns brown and caramel-smelling/tasting, which doesn't sound very appetizing, even for yogurt.

goat lady

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2009, 04:32:33 PM »
You just got to love first time milkers :DIve had nannies freshen only nine more to go(just got to love the whole triplet thing :-[)

Megan

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2009, 07:19:00 PM »
I've got my own small herd (mostly Nubians).  The last one finally freshened.  ;D  Let the cheesemaking commence! 
I handmilk so jeez, the FF are so hard on the hands. :P

Captain Caprine

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2009, 06:26:35 AM »
I know what you mean.  My wife has two that she loves and she insists on breeding them.  They are sisters and both have pathetically small utters with tiny teats.  I refuse to milk the darn things.  My hands are too big and I can only get a few fingers on them.  The actually do milk quite well though.  I was just talking to my neighbor tonight and she has 220 little ones on the ground right now.
CC

homeacremom

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2009, 11:44:08 PM »
how many kids have you gotten??
I had a set of trips and one set of twins. I actually have one still to go- a FF oh joy!  ;) but her genetics are good in that department so we should have only a week or two of pathetic tiny teats. I hand milk as well.
I plan on picking up another doe in milk later on.
I really love my gals and they work hard for me. One is currently at 11 lbs per day (about 1 1/2 gallons) and the other had a rough kidding but is still up to 4.5 lbs per day. I should have no trouble hitting the 4-5 gallon of milk coming in per day in about a month.  :)  Right now those babies are sucking down the milk so cheesemaking has to wait.  ::)
CC, Are your neighbors goats Boer? I'd love to have a much bigger farm-more goats=more babies, but just happy to actually have a place of our own for now. Besides the fact that my helpers are still under 4 yrs old.  :D

Captain Caprine

  • Guest
Re: producing your own milk????
« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2009, 05:11:18 AM »
My neighbor has all American alpines