Originally posted by H1ght3chHippie
There is not a single animal on this planet which would ever drink the milk of another species.

I feel the same way. The problem is every-time I ask a lactating woman if I can have some they roll there eyes at me. Oh well.

Originally posted by Bedlam
The fix for mastitis is milking. You can't NOT milk a dairy cow that's producing, it's cruel. I can tell you from long experience growing up on a farm, that cow will let you know it's time to get your butt out of bed and get to work.

Actually, if YOU were breastfeeding your baby, and YOU got mastitis, the doc will tell you to let the baby nurse, not to pump and discard. Apparently 'pus cells' are no issue.

@Golf66 - did you grow up on a farm too? I swear there's a conspiracy to select farm kids...

We are having a snowstorm today so I was out taking care of business thanks for answering Minnie's questions.

You are correct to be certified organic I have to track all feed purchases as organic in origin. There is a margin of 10% that they allow for times you might not be able to get the right feed or hay.

The cows/goats are subject to random blood testing. I take the blood and submit it along with tag numbers to a lab. They test for growth hormones and antibiotics. If I have to give one of the ladies antibiotics she has to be removed from production for the duration + 6 weeks to allow the drug to leave her system. While I don't need a vet to perform this process I have to keep records of antibiotic purchases and uses and dosage - any miss match it records is a fine or loss of certification.

This is a loss of roughly 7 gallons a day for 42 days. I can't sell it for human consumption. I give it to a local pork producer as a supplement for his hogs. We barter for things...

I take care of my cows as they are a significant investment an average quality Holstein at peak production is worth 2.5K. I don't dock tails or knock horns I have footbaths in and out of the milking facility. They are not stall raised (other than on days like today) they know where the "udder relief" comes from and are more than willing to show themselves in when they are ready for milking. They also get a little grain as an incentive.

I have hardly ever had a case of mastitis (perhaps 4-5 in three years) in bovines; however it seems the caprines are more susceptible to it. Factory farms get the problem because they often don't have enough equipment for the number of cows which means they go too long between milking. Also, being large operations they often have transient staff who take shortcuts in cleaning between the ladies which spreads the bacteria that often causes it.

As for the pain associated with mastitis Bedlam is correct that you can't go without milking them at all it will just get worse as the pressure builds. However, I use a topical analgesic and hand milk them if I get a case. It takes longer but if you don't treat them right they will sour to the milking equipment and this makes them harder to work with later when they are healed.

I also have a certain number of ladies who are allowed to keep their calves for half of the day and I only milk them once. These are the ones I will later integrate into my own herd. I let them feed out for 90 days as they develop family bonds and learn from their mothers regarding the walk-up milking process.

The bulls get sold off after they get their colostrum and are able to bucket feed themselves. I try to home to them individuals who will let them live natural lives until they become food. I don't deal with veal operations or factory farmers. It is just a sad fact of life that it is a death sentence to be born male offspring of a dairy breed. I used to raise some angus steer for beef until I discovered “the secret” which is while Holstein steer produce less beef in the same amount of time it has a wonderful taste and texture. So if you ever get a chance at a cheap dairy bull (sometimes as low as 150.00 a head) take it – feed it out on grass for 18 months and try it.

Originally posted by H1ght3chHippie
See, 75%-80% of all humans on this planet CAN NOT process milk proteins, yet they call it "Lactose intolerance" as if being able to process it was the norm.

There is not a single animal on this planet which would ever drink the milk of another species.

Milk is poison, pumped full with growth hormones and antibiotics. That alone should keep you from drinking it.

Agreed
2nd line

Human milk is supposed to have the right proteins for human digestions. From that standpoint, any other type of milk is unhealthy.

Originally posted by

Agreed
2nd line

Clue get one....

I sell a lot of goat milk as a universal milk replacer for orphan animals. I sell a lot of it for that purpose even to the local wildlife rescue. They feed fawns, racoons, and even rabbits and squirels with it.

Goat’s milk is almost a universally tolerated substitute for the natural milk of many species. Dogs, pigs, (and many other animals) and even human babies who don't tolerate cow’s milk.

As for the ideal human milk replacer - there are horse farms that specialize in providing mare’s milk to human infants who won't tolerate anything else. Actually, any of the equines donkey etc., have the same effect.



You have no idea what you are talking about.

As I said before there are entire cultures that survive on milk protein. The Bedouins in the Sahara use camel milk and the nomads in Mongolia get a good portion of their protein from horse milk.

Adults Don't Need No Milk.

Did you ever see an adult animal still sucking on it's momma's tittie? If so then you've witnessed one disturbed and sick animal. But for real milk is only cool when ur a little baby and ur momma produces the milk. Once she stopped producing milk that means you've had enough! Milk in the stores contain so much hormones and what not that it should be labeled as poison. I stopped drinking milk a few years ago YUK!

If you really want fresh milk without all the BS in it then raise the animal yourself so you know it's not bad for ya health

Milk is gross. Full of a bunch of chemicals and more than likely came from unhealthy cows living in terrible conditions at a factory farm.

I never drink it.

Absolutely. In fact that was Hitlers next tactic for world domination.... have everyone drink milk.

Yes, its sarcastic.

Originally posted by Dyax-

Originally posted by H1ght3chHippie
See, 75%-80% of all humans on this planet CAN NOT process milk proteins, yet they call it "Lactose intolerance" as if being able to process it was the norm.

There is not a single animal on this planet which would ever drink the milk of another species.

Milk is poison, pumped full with growth hormones and antibiotics. That alone should keep you from drinking it.

Agreed
2nd line

Humans produce the enzyme lactase to digest lactose! Members of a number of North African and Arabian populations retain the ability to digest lactose, so they have "lactase-persistence." Lactase persistence evolved independently in Africa and in Europe, due to populations having a long history of dairying (a cultural practice). Also, cows have not been the only source for supplying milk throughout human history.

Simply because no other species drinks milk into adulthood, it does not mean it is "unnatural." If you apply that logic, then humans would do a lot of things that aren't "natural."

So would milk that is not "pumped full with growth hormones and antibiotics" be an acceptable part of our diet?

I think like most anything else you might eat or drink, it just comes down to individual physiology and personal preference.

Regardless of the source.
If you like milk and it works for you, go for it. If not, then don't.
Personally, I'm not a fan of milk, so I don't drink it.

Not really a big deal.

Supposedly Human beings are only supposed to ingest milk while they are infants. After that period Milk becomes poisonous to our body's. The reason is milk contains a sugar called lactose that the human body is unable to digest by itself.

Lactose is a disaccharide (sugar made up of two units) consisting of one glucose unit and one galactose unit connected by a beta linkage. Lactose is digested in mammals (like humans) only with the help of an enzyme called lactase which cleaves the lactose in half… allowing the individual sugars to be absorbed by the body.

The problem here is that there is a limited amount of lactase produced, and as humans age, many stop producing it altogether, making it harder and harder to digest the lactose sugars in milk. Eventually, many adults become lactose intolerant.