# Toggenburg Milk Bitter?



## Pinky (Feb 21, 2009)

We found a goat that is 3/4 nubian and 1/4 toggenburg. Despite using clean and proper milk handling rules, the milk has an ever so slight bitter taste to it. The goat is eating pasture, hay and dairy ration 2x a day at milking time.

I was looking at the fiasco farms site for causes of bitter milk and one thing they mentioned is that toggs can have bitter tasting milk. Is that true? How frustrating because she's a great milker and I can empty her so easily and so fast. Now if only her milk tasted better. :/


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

some lines do, but others do not are you feeding a sweet feed with Molasses as that will sometimes impart a different taste. Is this your only doe in milk? In otherwords are you comparing her milk to another goat on the same feed?


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## Pinky (Feb 21, 2009)

Yup there is molasses in it. I don't have another goat in milk but my cow eats the same feed and gives me melted icecream for milk. I know they are different animals, but the bitter taste is just off. It wasn't that way in the milk I have had from nubians at my friend's farm.


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## dvm-mommy (Feb 5, 2009)

Pinky said:


> We found a goat that is 3/4 nubian and 1/4 toggenburg. Despite using clean and proper milk handling rules, the milk has an ever so slight bitter taste to it. The goat is eating pasture, hay and dairy ration 2x a day at milking time.
> 
> I was looking at the fiasco farms site for causes of bitter milk and one thing they mentioned is that toggs can have bitter tasting milk. Is that true? How frustrating because she's a great milker and I can empty her so easily and so fast. Now if only her milk tasted better. :/


At the risk of sounding entirely pessimistic...subclinical mastitis will often-times present this way at first. Sunbclinical meaning, there are no systemic signs of doe being sick (fever, red, hot udder, swollen, etc)..and ANY bad bug can cause a subclinical mastitis. The biggie being Staph Aureus as the infamous instigator. Pseudomonas is another one that likes to fly just under the radar. I am quite sick of both.

On the positive side of things....weeds in pasture will impart off flavors also. Dandelions are a big one. We discovered this on our own. Out of balance minerals (not enough or too much) can also cause off flavor.

and of course..I guess this could just be this goat's "normal" taste- though I sure hope not!!!


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## Pam V (Jan 3, 2009)

I was posting about a little bitter taste, too.
So how does a person go about testing for sub clinical mastitis? If its the CMT, I did that but will again.
Dandelions! We are really getting alot of them. Would be tough to go pull them all out, too :/. Combine them with a little pine...
Minerals. We just got the good one so if that, it should improve. Copper bolus is coming up soon. 
Pinky- post your findings. Maybe it will help my girl, too.

Pam


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## Dacaree (Jan 31, 2009)

Milk tasting off/bitter was the reason I sent my milk in to be tested. It wasn't staying as fresh in the fridge either. Sure enough, staph.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

send in a milk sample to LSU and find out for sure the address is in Goat 101 and then call them to find out exactly what to do.


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## dvm-mommy (Feb 5, 2009)

Dacaree said:


> Milk tasting off/bitter was the reason I sent my milk in to be tested. It wasn't staying as fresh in the fridge either. Sure enough, staph.


Oh Dacaree...I am sorry 

So very frustrating....


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## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

If you are close enough to your state lab, they may also run a milk test and sensitivity for free....save the shipping.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

We have tons of dandelions and all sorts of obnoxious weeds and no off flavors.


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## dvm-mommy (Feb 5, 2009)

Anita Martin said:


> We have tons of dandelions and all sorts of obnoxious weeds and no off flavors.


Maybe our OHIO dandelions are more potent than the ones in VA???

haha...j/k

no seriouosly though...we didn't have a bitter taste but we did some specific testing (threw a BUNCH of dandelions in their pen and they GOBBLED them...next mornig's milking- strong flavor. Did it again..that night's milking...same thing. With-held the damdelions...milk completely normal the next milking- and so on and so forth. I tried it again after a few weeks with the EXACT same results. So I know for our goats and with that much dandelions...it does play a role in the milk flavor. I do not call it "off" so much as "strong". Sort of like pure grass-fed milk ..it has a different taste. Not bad- but different.

Now..perhaps in the pasture with them nibbling here and there, it is not noticeable- dunno.


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## Dacaree (Jan 31, 2009)

Lori,

That's ok. It's all better now. It is not something I want to go through again, but now I know what to do just in case. Just sent another sample in to make sure everything is okay. I believe it is though (pray, pray, pray)


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

Some Toggs do have bitter tasting milk. Kaye White says it is only in the purebred lines - however even 1/2 Togg and 1/2 Nubians did not taste good either. My sister and brother in law used to raise purebred Toggs in the 1970's and their milk was yucky.


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## Odeon (Oct 26, 2007)

My mom had Toggs back during my 4-H days, and one line we had, gave HORRIBLY bitter tasting milk! All of the does in this line did.

Ken


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

People who make cheese really like the stronger tasting milk of some of the Toggs for this.


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## Pam V (Jan 3, 2009)

Lori-
Thanks for the quote from Anita. Mabe I'llexperiment. The dandelions did just come out big, right now. 
I decided to start my own thread but thanks, Pinky, for letting me ride along. It is good information.
Pam


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

But Sondra does the bitter translate to cheese or just the flavors of say the sheep milk cheeses like manchego? as if you added lipase????
L~


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