I have had my goat cultured twice in the past two years. Both times the culture has come back positive for "coag negative staph". The vet says this is not the trouble-causing staph aureus, but only skin flora contaminant. The doe gives tons of milk, but keeping quality isn't the best - 4 or 5 days before I start to get a slight goaty taste in unpasteurized milk. Is this the expected keeping quality of unpasteurized milk, or has anyone had coag negative staph cause problems with their milk? Thanks.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), September 08, 2000

Answers

I have found that around 5 days is the longest my milk keeps without starting to develop unpleasant flavors. I always fed milk to the chickens when it was 2 days old and replaced it with fresh.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 08, 2000.

Laura, your goat milk should have the same keeping time as any milk, and I have made cheese with milk that was just over a week old. If she were my doe I would start her on the Lysign vaccinations. This is for staph. You give one shot now and one in 14 days, 5cc and it is given IM. You then time your boosters from then on to be given at 3 weeks before she kids, just like your CD&T shots, to boost the does immunity and also that of her colostrum. Another great reason to always pasturize your milk to your kid goats, this is exactly the reason does freshen with and have percoucious udders that are lopsided from staph. I would also start using Pirsue as a dry cow treatment on everyone in milk. I know that I probably do things a little more aggressively than some, but I know that this works, since it has worked for us. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 08, 2000.

Isn't the keeping time shorter on raw milk than on patuerized milk? When I have pasteurized the milk somehow tastes flatter, but it stays at the same flat taste for a whole week. Now that I haven't any kids to feed I am using it all raw and it starts to "goat- up" in four or five days.

I guess this just broadens the question, huh? Sorry Laura!

-- Doreen (liberty546@hotmail.com), September 08, 2000.

ANY raw goat milk will taste goaty after a few days! If the goat guarantees a good supply, why not replace the milk for human consumption daily or every other day and then feed unused portions to dogs, cats, pigs, calves, chickens and other fowl. Works fine with me. And I have great tasting milk daily. Karin

-- karin macaulay (kmacaulay@co.brazos.tx.us), September 15, 2000.