Holachicka ~ Up till 3 am, but...

[TanksHill]

Chicka what great news. I am glad to hear your dh and kids like the goat milk.

Usually just before I crash at night I scan CL on my phone. Just to see whats in the free adds. I was telling dh that I just had to get a goat. Then I found a Nubian in milk, kinda local for sale. 200 bucks. I showed my dd 5yo who was snuggled up next to me. Then I found a couple of Tuff sheds for sale. Way over my budget. But dh says "what goes in a goat barn anyways?".

Hes gonna crack I just know it.

 

[savingdogs]

You will love having all that goat milk around, we adore it. My family at first wasn't going to "drink that stuff" and I "better just make fudge a lot because it was boiled and we don't want those germs".....

That was then, this is now:

Hubby: Why should we buy creamer or ice cream or yogurt or cheese anymore when you can make it?

Son: Is there more ice cream mom?

Other son: Mom don't forget to get chocolate milk powder at the store! (from the one who drinks 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk daily)

I got them started by pasturizing some of the milk and using it in boiled or cooked products first, such as the candy, and then went to pudding. My hubby really really fell in love with farmer cheese and that is our new staple, when I pointed out to him that he was consuming raw milk in his beloved farmer cheese because it is not cooked long enough to pasturize, he was sold and now drinks it raw in his "goat lattes" which he swears is better than any store latte.

As a side note, I had been having some unexplained digestive issues which I had not really addressed with my doctor. Well, after six months of having goat milk, I can say pretty much for certain that I've been lactose intolerant. Whenever I have products with very much cow milk in them my digestive issues return. I never in a million years thought I was lactose intolerant and only figured it out when goat milk became the basis for our diet instead of cow milk.

In addition, we just love the goats! So it is a win all the way around.

 

[Holachicka]

Oh! I have some helpful tips on cracking a DH! ! First, point out how the goats clear the brush... Then point out the hazards of having brush: fire risks, hiding spots and homes for some very unwanted critters... Oh, and if you have any poison oak around, they'll take care of that too! and consuming the milk from goats who eat the poison oak can help boost your immunity to it as well! AND you could train them as pack goats and take them on your trips to the desert to carry some of the burden (assuming you hike around)... They'll keep the weeds down... And are a great learning experience for kids! C'mon guys, I know there are more DH cracking tips out there! Lets see what you got!

SD, I think there is still lactose in goats milk, perhaps what you were experiencing was an intolerance to the larger fat particles in cows milk, or some of the crap they put into store bought stuff?

I am SOOO going to make ricotta today! I'll probably add to the container every day until I get enough to make something stuffed with it for dinner! Mmmm. Getting excited! ESPECIALLY since DH seems to be getting on board, having that support means the world to me, otherwise, I'm just the wierd wife trying to make him eat weird things !

I messed up my first batch of vinegar cheese, Couldn't find the thermometer and didn't heat it high enough, Picked one up yesterday and will be doing it right today!! Yay! Have a bunch of fresh strawberries so I'll be making the sweet kind...

I am a CL peruser myself! I love the free section and have scored so many times! Lets see, I've been given a bunch of telephone poles in great shap, we've used them for fencing and making sheds around the property. We got a 5 gallon bucket full of hinges (those are super expensive!) 3/4 inch playwood, A beautiful cast iron patio set (6 chairs) lots of bricks for the patio we are going to put in, And so much more. Just can't think of it now because the kids are itching to go outside and play... Off I go!

 

[savingdogs]

That was an interesting point about goat milk containing lactose. I think I found the explanation here though:
http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=38646 You were right! But I know physicians prescribe goat milk sometimes for lactose intolerant children so that is why I had that misconception.

All I know is I feel better. Day before yesterday I consumed cow dairy products all day and it occurred to me that I was doing so. The following day, my digestive issues returned full-swing. That was enough proof for me. Perhaps it is something in the homogenization process or, as that link suggests, several other factors that just make goat milk more digestible. We still buy some cow milk cheese because we have not yet mastered how to make all the different kinds of cheese we like to consume but other than that, it has been a lot of fun trying to use up all this milk and not buy dairy products, an interesting challenge. If you look around there are many ways you can use it and you can save more money cooking from scratch. We also have filled the freezer with it, so we can hopefully extend the normal lactation season a little more. We do have two does and four people and I'd actually like a larger herd and a larger freezer so I can do more of the same, I've caught the goat fever.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Laughing at Free here
She will always be ahead of me when it comes to milking outside or in the barn in winter.
Not happening for me! I am walking that goat into the laundry room. I suspect that udder would not keep my hands even remotely warm in 30 below temps!

 

[savingdogs]

BB, I use the laundry room full-time as my milking room, it rains too much to do otherwise! And I don't have a barn. The goat shelters are not a good place to milk, so we made space indoors next to a sink and where there is a linoleum floor. My goats have never ONCE dropped a single nanny berry inside or urinated in the house. And I love having the sink and counter handy.

 

[TanksHill]

Now that's a great idea!! I would have never thought of the laundry room.

 

[Holachicka]

OMG OMG OMG Mad vinegar cheese, whipped with honey in the food processor, spread some on graham crackers topped with slice fresh strawberries... OMG OMG OMG... Looks like the 20 lbs I lost in the last few months are going to be a challenge to keep off!!!

I'm thinking of making some more pressed with basil and sundried tomatoes. Might have to make some more pesto because my stock is out in my freezer. That would probably be pretty tasty! One question though, the cheese I made came out a little bit grainy, is this normal or sis I do something wrong like stir too much after adding the vinegar? Still SUPER yummy though!

Anyone know what to do with vegetable rennet? I need to get some books on cheese making and order some supplies for cheese making, If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. What kinds of cheese does eveyone normally make with their goat milk? I'm very happy with the panir, it seems like you can make a ton of varieties with it, but I'd love to try some aged cheeses as well.

DH is still too scared to try much more than the sip of milk I gave him that first day, didn't want to try the sweet cheese last might, I'll make him today!. DD isn't having any problem drinking the milk, as I was sitting there milking this morning, she kept whining, "I want some goatee milk!" DS is a little more stuck on cows milk (only because it's from a jug) so I funneled a quart into the gallon milk jug in the fridge (it was almost out) and he'll probably drink all that today, lol! He can't tell the difference, just likes to be difficult.

I'm looking for a few ways to cut costs for our feed. I found a couple of good looking sources, one is three way forage hay for 4.50 a bale, It was originally intended for horses, but the top of his stack got some mold, and the bottom of the stack was on the dirt, so we'll probably take some from the bottom because I think the girls won't care about a little dirt, but I beleive that mold is something to ba avoided?

Anyone mix their own grains? I'm buying elk grove goat chow at 12 per 50lbs, but I was looking into mixing my own to cut costs. I was thinking barely, oats, corn and alfalfa pellets but really don't know what would be best. I'm also going to cut back on the grain for my dry goats to a handful as I don't think they really need it, and focus on keeping my dairy goat producing her sweet milk! I'd love some ideas about this as well please! NEED to cut costs as much as possible.

OH! We tried the delicata squash last night! YUMMY! I was not expecting the TEXTURE to be like a sweet potato! Probably a good choice for people avoiding carbs! I made some browned butter with sage, and alsom a sauce of butter and brown sugar and tried both on the already roasted squash, the kids gobbled it up like dessert! (sugar mix)

Still working on baby steps with DH, I mentioned using under the kids playhouse as a place to milk, but he vetoed that, he wants farm animals to stay away from other areas... So I casually mentioned that some people use their laundry rooms for milking... You should have seen his face, shock then pure fear that I would try and bring a goat indoors... Lol!!!

SD, I'm so glad that you were able to find a solution to your tummy issues, I know they are no fun. I recently read that docs used to prescribe raw milk to people with tummy issues! Interesting... This was in the 20's and 30's from what I can recall.

 

[savingdogs]

Don't buy moldy hay! Your goats won't eat it and they shouldn't, either. We had some hay that looked perfectly fine but when you broke up the bale, it was moldy in the middle. They absolutely walk away from it and don't touch it. Or at least that is how mine reacted. I didn't even see the mold in the middle of the bale and couldn't figure out why they wouldn't eat until the next day when I found the mold. I would only buy that hay if they buy back any bales that are moldy.

I've been making farmer cheese with lemon juice instead of vinegar and we like the texture better.

If you buy "junket" rennet in the pudding department of the grocery store, it has several recipes that come in the box itself, including feta, mozzarella, ricotta, etc.

 

[freemotion]

Goats are rather delicate in some ways and you MUST give a lactating doe the BEST food and not skimp. There are so many ways to save a few dollars, hay and feed for your hardworking does are not the places. Get the best second or third cut hay. Sprout some whole grains to get more nutrients out of them. Rake up leaves for bedding to save there. Know what weeds and branches are ok in your area and cut a bundle for her once or twice a day and hang it up so she can eat all of it. Goats DO mind dirt. They are very susceptible to death from worms and their instinct tells them to go UP for their food, not to the ground. They will only eat off the ground if nothing else is available, or if they are trained to, such as throwing grain on the ground.

Arrange for feeding hay in a way that produces the least amount of wasted hay....but also use all wasted hay as bedding to get more from it.

Have a container on your counter and put all clean prep scraps in it for the goats. Carrot peels, bits of turnip, apple cores, broccoli stems, etc.

Find a source of free veggies. I get pumpkins/squashes in the fall after Halloween from the farm next door and store and feed them for several weeks, up to 4.5 months. I feed hundreds of pumpkins to all my critters.