| Author | Message | ||
     Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 589 Registered: 07-2005  Rating: N/A |
Could it be a teat spur that has kinda spread out? Does will often have mathcing ones on both teats. I have had does with teat spurs farther down on the teat that with each freshening became less distinct until they looked like a thickening or a slight kink in the teat. Depending on the original location of the spur as the teat elongated and stretched during each lactation the spur would tend to change too. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Janette Cross New member Username: janettecross Post Number: 30 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Maggie the ice cream maker is a great idea and I have one that I've never used. The lumps are up where the udder meets the teat and she had them before I started milking. She is milking just fine though and doesn't act like it bothers her, so I'll just leave her alone. Thanks again. | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 588 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
Don't know about the lumps. I don't tend to worry too much about something if the goat is otehrwise fine. Could it be a reaction to the teat dip, teat wash or something like that? Cooling the milk by putting it into the freezer isn't really the best way, and only gets you to about the equivalent of Grade D milk. For home use and to get up to the equivalent of Grade B (many cheese dairies are this grade) is to put the container of milk into an ice water bath and put the whole shabang in the fridge. Water does a better job of transferring cold than air (really). If you can remember to jiggle or gently shake the container of milk and put it back in the ice water a few times in the first horu or so the milk will cool even faster. When I started doing it this way I found my milk stayed fresh tasting for many days longer and my cheese was much better! This year I am going to experiment with cooling the milk in an ice cream freezer, have one that sits idle most of the time. An ice cream freezer looks and works remarkably like a miniature commercial milk cooler...Instead of packing ice and salt into the cooler I will just put in ice and water (don't want to freeze the milk just cool it!). I think the metal cannister will do a very good job of transferring the heat out of the milk and by stirring it some the milk will cool evenly, and it should cool VERY quickly. The goal is to cool you milk to 40 degrees F in less than 30 minutes. When placed in containers (quart jars) in the freezer milk doesn't cool down to 40 degrees for nearly 2 hours. You can put the milk warm from the does straight into the pasterizer, it will actually cut down on the time it takes to pasteurize. And then cool the milk in an ice water bath. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Janette Cross New member Username: janettecross Post Number: 29 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: N/A |
I have a doe that kidded in January. She has plenty of milk, but she has developed nickel size lumps on her teats. They have a mass in them, but it is soft and moves. She is milking fine and the lumps don't seem to hurt. Does anyone know what this is? The second question is after I've milked I have been putting the milk right into the freezer to cool it down quickly. Can I put the milk right into the pastuerizer instead of cooling it first? (I hope that question doesn't sound too stupid) Thanks - JC |