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Always wash hands and wear clean clothes when milking! Debris can fall into milk from your hat or clothes.
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Use a stainless steel bucket and milk strainer with paper filter.
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Before milking, apply a bleach water solution for 2 minutes to sanitize clean utensils. Use 1 tablespoon of household bleach in 1 gallon of cold water. Do not rinse. Make sure you also sanitize the glass jar and lid that you are pouring your milk into. Make sure the bleach is not old. Bleach loses strength over time (as much as 50% in 1 month), even with proper storage.
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Milk into your stainless steel bucket then pour milk through the filter and refrigerate immediately. The refrigerator need to be 45 degrees or under. 38 degrees is the best.
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When finished milking, rinse equipment in lukewarm water, then wash with hot soapy water (if you use dairy soap it dissolves better and leaves less residue). Rinse with hot water then re-sanitize with bleach water, warm or cold. Your milk should taste fresh and clean for one week if you follow these guidelines. If there is off flavor, you need to check yours goats for mastitis or be more careful when milking.
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There are bacteria that will survive cold and there are also bacteria that survive heat, so it is important to take as many safety precautions as possible when handling milk. You want your family and friends to be safe! Once you get into a routine it is easy.
