I don't like goats milk!

I don't like goats milk!

A normal response we got at markets and shows, and so understandable, let me explain.

Goats milk can have two flavours. The main one is a slight lemon taste, the other is goat musk.

If you drink musk free goat milk it will have a mild lemon taste. This taste is transferred to the cheese and cream. When sampling our cheese cake, tasters commented on the lemon flavour, yet no flavouring was added. That means if the goat is right, and the husbandry correct, goats milk tastes slightly lemon. If you do not like lemon then you will not like goats products.

The musk is different and determined by the goat keeper. Musk is a pheromone communication between goats. It signifies health status, breeding cycle, and breed. The musk glands are behind the horns. Goats rub the back of their horns on twigs and branches to leave a musk trail. Goats that have a large range or sparse vegetation will have more musk. Plains goats, from lowland areas rich in vegetation have less or no musk. Non dairy goats stink.

The more mountainous the goat the more the stink. That stink gets into the coat, meat, and milk.

The French Alpine, LaMancha, and Nubian goats have low risk of goat musk. Swiss Alpine, Saanen, are more prone to musk.

The Saanen goat produces more milk than the Anglo Nubian thus is better for milk production. The Anglo Nubian has thicker milk suited for cheese and cream. What the goat keeper wants to do with the milk is crucial in selecting the right goat for them.

In general if a breeder goes for milk production, they generally are not keeping the milk, but selling it on, by quantity. More milk, more money. If there is a choice between a low yielding goat with clean milk or a high milk producing goat with a musk taint, the high yielding will be kept and bred from. They are not the ones using the milk, or get use to the taste.

UK goats

These range from Saanen (High yield low fat) descending yield to Toggenburg , British Alpine, Golden Guernsey, and Anglo Nubian (Low yield high fat) .

Cheese and cream makers favour Anglo Nubian. The best cheese and milk comes from a breeder that uses the milk themselves. It is very hard work keeping the goats and making cheese. Energy and time means a small producer can only keep 40 goats at the most, if they are using the milk. The milk and cheese will be taint free, unless they are a masochist. More than 40 milking goats the breeder is selling the milk, and not interested in taste.

For a smallholder to keep taint free goats they first need the right Goat, Alpine to Anglo Nubian. The next is to remove the scent glands by de-horning the goat. This is done by a vet before they are 9 days old. Horns are not desirable if the goat is handled. I have a few scars near the eyes from handling Cashmere goats.

The male goat is a smell to avoid. Males should be kept separate from milking goats except for mating. We mate every 2 years. Further south you can get away with mating every 3 years. After 10 they are not mated again and can be milked until they dry naturally.

Tips for a would be goat producer.

Taste, Taste , Taste the milk from the goat you want to buy, or its Mother if buying a kid.

If buying from a winning show goat remember they score the conformation, and milk yield, not the taste or temperament, some show goats can be hard to milk Prima Donna's .

If you have bought a horned smelly, Don't panic, De-horn the kids taste the milk when the kid starts to milk. If taint free you can feed the new kids the smelly milk and use the good stuff yourself.

I hate smelly goats milk. That is why I bought my own goats.