Milk Goat - crash course needed!

[Wildsky]

I pulled out my stainless steel mixing bowls, they came with my pots and pans and I've never used them

The one is well big enough to put on my head! they have plastic seal tops, the only problem i can see is there isn't much of a flat bottom on them, they could be nudged over pretty easily. But it will work for now.

I don't have any glass bottles or jars I can use for storage, I might be able to find something at walmart on Saturday - or I will be home with the goat and hubby will have to look for me.

 

[Wildsky]

As far as milking goes, I'm not 100% sure my hands will hold up - I suffer a bit from pain in my wrists and thumbs when I knit or crochet for longer than 5 minutes.

 

[big brown horse]

I'm a litte late, but CONGRATS!!

Rebbetzin that is a great idea!!!!

 

[Wildsky]

I'm a litte late, but CONGRATS!!

Well I haven't got her yet, but soon. Already I was thinking on where the heck to find a boyfriend for her

Poor girl is an only goat where she is, I'm not sure where they got her from, how she got "in the family way" and I don't know what breed she is or how old she is. I do know she is not a Boer, she doesn't look like my big fat boy at all.

I'll take lots of pic's when she gets here!

 

[Henrietta23]

As far as milking goes, I'm not 100% sure my hands will hold up - I suffer a bit from pain in my wrists and thumbs when I knit or crochet for longer than 5 minutes.

Me too. Hasn't been a problem so far. In fact it will probably be good for you! <Is she persuaded yet?>

 

[freemotion]

I can't knit anymore, but I can milk, so give it a try for a couple of weeks before using that rig. It can be rough on the udder, so for her health, your hands are best if you can do it. Don't you have some children that could milk? My brother was milking a cow at age eleven, and she gave four gallons a day!

I filter with one of those fine gold mesh coffee filters, the kind that fit on a mug to make a single cup. I got it at the grocery store for about $7. I put it in a funnel if I am filtering into something small, like baby bottles, or right on top of the jar for bigger jars. It works great, although after a year of heavy use, it is a little clogged with milk proteins. I need to get another one, but it still works! And when I started using it, I didn't know not to rinse it with either hot or cold water, but only lukewarm, so as not to set the proteins or the fats.

I milk into canning jars as they can go right into the dishwasher. It takes me about three minutes to milk, even with switching jars. I store milk in recycled one liter glass juice bottles, or in gallon jars...some scrounged from a restaurant, some bought at WalMart (cracker jars, but the lids are not watertight...but they just sit in the fridge, so it is not really a problem.)

You could also milk into one of your stainless steel pots, which would save a purchase for now.

I made my milking stand from scraps, made my cheese press from scraps, and made my molds for a fraction of the price of purchasing them readymade. I just found containers at a discount store that will make great Camembert molds for $0.88 each!

What you will need to buy is something to feed her, a good cheesemaking book, and cultures and rennet and other supplies. Right there you can be looking at close to $100, so save where you can!

 

[Blackbird]

OK, now I need directions on how you made your molds and cheese press!

I guess I have no more info to add to the crash course, most has been pretty well covered!

 

[freemotion]

I guess I should post pictures, but we can't on this old computer. You'll have to wait with eager anticipation for when our good computer is .... good again!

Remind me in a week or so, hopefully we will be up and running by then.

 

[Wildsky]

What you will need to buy is something to feed her, a good cheesemaking book, and cultures and rennet and other supplies. Right there you can be looking at close to $100, so save where you can!

I found a place for cheese making supplies, but it will have to wait a little while (till an unemployment check comes in)

We have hay for our horse and current goat, but its not so good anymore from all the recent rain. We have a contact for really nice hay and alfalfa, but we're waiting for the cuttings to start. (we'll then get 100 alfalfa and 100 prarie hay square bales (about 60 pounds each) and that we make last a year, with the help of big round bales.

So for now, I asked hubby to pick up some alfalfa cubes or pellets at the feed store, and some sweet feed. I will also give her some sunflower seeds and some treats from the chicken scratch bin. (while I'm milking her) we have a flat side bucket I'm going to try fit onto a milk stand.

We have 4x4 cedar planks and lots of pallets (used to store hay off the ground) and lots of plywood. We'll put together a nice little platform for milking, I'm not sure how high to make it, I figured a foot or so (2?) high would be good and make it easy for me to sit and milk her.

 

[freemotion]

I think there are plans on www.fiascofarm.com. It sounds like you will be good to go!

Is your cheesemaking place a store? So you don't have to pay for shipping??? If so, YAY! I have to plan my order and try to get everything at once so I don't have to pay shipping more than once or twice a year.

Do a good search here on ss, too, there are lots of discussions about goats and some on cheesemaking. On BYH, too. Oh, I hope some of you get as obsessed with it as I am, so we can really exchange some tips and ideas!!! Woohoo!!!