Hello, I'm very new when it comes to owning goats. I just got my two does in the summer and now I'm expecting my first batch of kids at the end of march!!! I can't wait till the little kiddys are here and I get to try my hand at milking and cheese making! Which brings me to my question. Is it necessary for me to test my does for Tuberculosis in order to drink their milk raw? I live in California which is not TB free, but all the reported cases of TB has been with cows not goats. I would prefer not to pasteurize for many reasons, mainly it's easier and healthier.
I have done a HUGE amount of research about TB testing and the loses you can face if the test comes out "suspect."
What I would like to do is either drink the raw and be slightly worried, or home pasteurize and lose out on the health benefits of raw milk.
One more thing- the ranch I got my does at milked their goats for food. I don't know if the pasteurized or not.
I have searched the web for almost a year now trying to find a strait answer for what I should do. So I'm hoping someone here will.
Replies
A state is considered TB free when it has been 24 months since the last reported case. For California it has only been 12 months.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Wow, I didn't realize that I live in one of only two states that's not TB free.
Thanks for all the help!
And there is this:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/downloads/e...
Looks like everyone is free except California and Michigan. It changes a bit from time to time. Texas used to be on the list as not being free, but it's clear as of this list (Dec. 2013).
In Illinois, if I go to the Dept. of Agriculture website, they have the info on there. If you search online for something like "Oregon goat TB status," you'll get a few links that look relevant (but I didn't check them out).
How do you find out that you are in a TB free area?
If I had known that I am in a TB-free zone, I would not have had my girls tested for TB. Now, because of the test, they are on some sort of federal list which I did not realize would happen. I have a bit of paranoia about that with all the big-dairy funded opposition to raw milk even though mine is only for my own use. I was trying to be totally responsible and had them tested for everything so I could assure potential buyers they were "clean" even though I knew they were because of where I purchased them.
I'd talk to the people who sold you the goats. Ask them if they've tested for TB. If their herd is TB-free, then your goats should be fine.