After you collect the milk in your palm, wipe any droplets off of the mare s nipple. It will harden in time and you might mistake it for wax. With these few drops you can look at the color of the milk, check consistency, and taste the milk with the tip of your tongue. You can rinse your mouth with water if the thought of the milk residue in your mouth is unpleasant to you. To check the consistency, take your other hand' s index finger and dip it in the milk.
Colostrum is a milky color, very sweet and very sticky and stringy.
The first time that you taste colostrum, you will notice the sweetness and it will stand out in your mind. The mare will probably foal within 48 hours from the time she produces the colostrum. I start testing the milk as soon as I can express any fluid. I make notes on every test to try to detect patterns. We have foaled about 5 mares a year.