I am milking 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats. One kidded in March, and the other in May. Together, I am getting about 1 and 1/2 pint a day total with twice a day milking.
As soon as the milk cools, it gets a layer, very thin, with the consistency of pudding skin, for lack of a more descriptive term, lol. It can be picked up with a fork, not thick liquid like cream. It doesn't have an off smell, or color. I haven't tasted it, though. When shaken, it will dissolve back into the milk.
Is this the beginning of a cream layer separating? I have a friend who has Nubians and have never observed this with their milk, but wondered if it is the butterfat content difference?
Thanks!
Replies
yep - that's cream ^^
Glenna - I read that post when I was looking for this info! Very neat!
Deborah - I think you are right, the key is leaving a lid off. It almost seems to form a dry layer on top. With a lid - not so much. Yay for high butterfat milk! :) Kitty was bred this past weekend, and Lily is in with her fella now. Can't wait to see the babies these girls produce in 5 months! :)
You'll get that a lot faster if you don't have a lid on the jar or bottle. But butterfat is getting really high right now. If I remember correctly, one of your does it out of Vera, and her butterfat was at 7.6 on the last test. Scarlet (sire is AJ) is at 8.2%. And it's just going to keep getting richer over the next couple months. Some of our does are literally "off the chart" by December because our lab only goes up to 9.9%.
Last year, quite by accident, I found out how to separate my goat's milk though I was not able to duplicate in milk from another Nigerian Dwarf even though her milk is just as rich as Capri's. I had to brag and this was discussed at:
http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com/forum/topics/milk-brag
And, yes, it is just as rich this year and when I want butter, I can get it separate like that again. Go, Capri!
(And some times, it will separate enough to get some cream for butter in just three days in the frig without freezing (if it lasts that long!).
Thanks! That's Antiquity Oaks genetics for ya - both does! ;)
Rachel Whetzel said:
You're welcome!! I'm fairly confident that's what you're seeing, is the cream. :) Congratulations!! You have a creamy milker! lol
Thank you for posting that - it is after it is chilled, and happens within a few hours. I don't let it sit more than a day or so, so haven't seen what I would call a 'cream line' form. It filters and pours very easily and smoothly. But, what I am seeing is VERY much like what is clinging to the spoon at the end of pouring the cream. Thanks!
Lisa
Since you say it mixes back in when you shake it, I would bet that you're just seeing the cream.
Are you seeing this after you've refrigerated? I can't picture what "pudding skin" looks like... but there is a video if I can find it, of a gal separating her cream and I'll try to find it for you so you can see what it looks like.
There IS a layer of thicker cream at the top of NDG milk, so I'll find the video, and you can see for yourself if it's the same. Otherwise, if it's thicker than in the video, you might be dealing with something like Mastitis. You should be able to see some curdling though, when you strain the milk I would think.