# Milk won't go thru filter



## Candy (Jun 4, 2009)

Has anyone had milk not go thru the filter? We have a doe that her milk does this ever so often. When I pull the filter it is thick with yellow "cream". At least thats what I hope it is.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I have heard that milk won't filter properly if the doe has mastitis. Thick yellow cream doesn't sound like a good thing to me. I would have her milk tested when it does this. Does it taste okay? Other things that can make milk strain slowly are temperature (cold milk) and higher butterfat.


----------



## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

At times we have the same problem and it usually the morning milking. High butterfat is what we think.


----------



## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

I have to dip the foam off the top of the milk to help it strain faster. Those bubbles really slow it down. Goats convert carotene better than cows so that's why their milk and cream is so white.


----------



## Guest (Jul 8, 2012)

I have ND's who have very high butterfat and it goes thru the filter just fine... I would test.. if I were you.. yellow does not sound good...


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Agree with Barb, but honestly I wish they would make something, thicker than a papertowel but not as thick as milk filters...the further into lacation the worse they get! I am going back to Brawny (folded in half they are perfect) as soon as I have time to run to town, a friend who sold out gave me all her milk filters and I remember why I hate them SO much! But no thick yellow  V


----------



## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

Ugh, I hate this... Cold milk is the worst! 
Good to know about the paper towels..
I've found with the filters I use that if I flip them over before using them its a little bit quicker, don't know why. 

Just for curiosity sake, when did the doe freshen?


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

My ND milk goes through the filter fine, it's just slower than the other goat milk. Layton/Samantha, what do you mean by flipping the filters over?


----------



## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Those stainless steel coffee filters work good for straining milk. I used to use one, until my dog chewed it up and I was too cheap to buy a new one.

I'd wonder about yellow too.


----------



## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

I use one of the gold coffee filters most of the time, and have the stainless steel as a backup.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I strain before I chill cause I loose the cream if I chill it first...


----------



## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

I use a natural coffee filter in between 2 nylon strainers but sometimes the milk is really slow sooo I then use the "Vicki way' and use a good paper towel however now I will be using Brawny towels . My does are getting older and I also have Nigerians so my milk has more butterfat that filters slower. I use Dr.Naylor mastitis Indicators to test my does for mastitis just in case .


----------



## Guest (Jul 8, 2012)

Linda, I have doe that is named Bella Star... she is a ND...


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Linda Dr. Naylors cards don't work on goats...well they work, but by the time they do you KNOW you have mastitis  Your milking putrid milk onto them! Vicki


----------



## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

fmg said:


> My ND milk goes through the filter fine, it's just slower than the other goat milk. Layton/Samantha, what do you mean by flipping the filters over?


Well, when I pull the filters out of the box I flip them over to use them. It might just be a figment of my imagination but it seems to go through quicker. Granted maybe I'm allowing more "junk" to fall through that way. But I don't have 30 mins to drain a gal of milk at a SLOW drizzle. 
Sam


----------



## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

I use the 4 9/16 in Disks
In Line
Non Gauze
Milk filters made by KenAG. They come in an orange and white box. The milk runs through them in a nice steady rate and I have some decent bf numbers in my herd.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Brawny huh? I've always used Bounty.  I like that you can tear off half a sheet. They go further.


----------



## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I have been using a thingee from the auto parts store (got the idea from Sondra). I think it is an oil filter? It is a plastic funnel thing with a steel mesh filter. I like that I can sterilize it and the filter is fine like the non disposable coffee filters


----------



## feistymomma (May 20, 2009)

.Wow! You ladies are high rollers! Brawny....Bounty...... I use the stuff from Family Dollar! I do use two sheets at a time, though.The foam is the only thing that slows me down. And then I get impatient and start trying to squeeze and then everything goes everywhere and I have to re filter the milk......You would think I would learn.


----------



## Jo~* (Oct 26, 2007)

doublebowgoats said:


> I have been using a thingee from the auto parts store (got the idea from Sondra). I think it is an oil filter? It is a plastic funnel thing with a steel mesh filter. I like that I can sterilize it and the filter is fine like the non disposable coffee filters


Ok, so lets say I want to go in O'Rileys auto parts store and see about getting one of these things whats the best way to say what I'm looking for? I hate it when I have to resort to calling something a thingee LOL. Not that I never call stuff thingees cause I do that alot just not in front of a guy at the auto part store thats gonna look at me like I'm dumb. I mean I may be dumb about alot of stuff but he don't need to know that LOL.


----------



## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

:rofl I am that way too! :rofl


----------



## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

LOL. Here is a link to the one I use.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1288824
I took off that long hose and just use the funnel and blue and black screw-on part. There are probably even better filters out there though. Ones that don't have as many pieces?


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

feistymomma said:


> And then I get impatient and start trying to squeeze and then everything goes everywhere and I have to re filter the milk......You would think I would learn.


:lol I do that too. I've started just throwing away the foam. Might be cream, but so what? We've got plenty of cream in our milk.


----------



## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

Don't throw away those old filter's. Barn cats and dogs love them and get quite a bit of nutrition out of them. By the way, don't give these to a small dog or a puppy, they might get too big of a piece and choke. This is how my Amish neighbors keep the cats and dogs out of the parlor, they feed the filters after milking, away from the parlor and milkhouse.


----------



## Annie (Jun 10, 2012)

I use the KenAg disk filters too, put 'em in a wire strainer. I've found that dampening them FIRST makes the milk go thru a whole lot easier. I've use cheap paper coffee filters too, but never paper towels?


----------



## In it for the Bucks! (Mar 12, 2012)

I swear by the metal reusable coffee filters!!(set in a canning funnel to get into my wide mouth jars) Sometimes the foam builds up I just tap it on the funnel a few sitmes and it seems to settle it a little. Most of the time I get impatient and dump the foam for the pups.  Good treat for them and then I can get back to milking and not fighting foam.

Michelle, does that have a filter in it?? or do you have to add your own?? That looks like it could hold more than mine does. Might be worth the trade.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Feeding filters to dogs and cats doesn't really sound like a good idea, especially when you consider they don't break down in liquid...


----------



## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

That filter/funnel does have a fine mesh stainless steel filter in the blue screw on part, Cally


----------



## Horsehair Braider (Mar 11, 2011)

No one has mentioned this, so I thought I would just bring it up even though it's probably not the case.

I borrowed a neighbor's goat once because my own doe had died, and I had no milk. She was an Alpine and a very nice goat. Well, her milk would take forever to go through the strainer. I could not imagine why. Then I tried to make cheese out of it, mozzarella as I recall, and it would not form up into cheese. That's strange, I thought... then I tested her for mastitis. She had a very low level of infection in her udder. So the whole time her milk would not go through, it's because it was getting very slightly clumpy from a very mild case of mastitis. I went to the vet and got her some Today, infused her udder for the recommended time, and Hey, Presto! Her milk suddenly went through the strainer like a breeze and the cheese curd made up into cheese. 

Due to this experience, if a goat's milk will not go through the strainer like I think it should, I immediately suspect she has a very mild case of mastitis. Instead of changing my straining system, I infuse the udder with Today and next thing you know all is well. YMMV.


----------

