Kind of. This actually comes up a lot. And most of the time, by the time people finish the question they get a sheepish look as they remember that penguins are birds, not mammals.

But, nature’s crazy and sometimes things like that don’t matter. Granted, you’ll have to loosen up your definition of milk a little.

Although, not as much as you might expect.

Penguins make something called crop milk. Most birds feed their young by pretty much throwing up in their mouths.

Well, crop milk is just as gross.

And it might just be the next big weightlifting protein supplement. As well, it may be good for your immune system and gut bacteria.

So what is crop milk then?

In short, it’s surprisingly similar to mammal milk. It comes from the same hormone (prolactin) as in mammals and has similar benefits.

It’s high in protein and fats and used to feed their babies. But, it comes from the lining of the bird’s crop (a pouch in their throat).

It’s not just in penguins, it’s also found in flamingos and pigeons. And what you’ll notice about all three of these species, is they’re nothing alike. What penguins and flamingos produce is technically an analog to crop milk, but the principles and purpose are essentially the same.

Another common name for it is, “pigeon milk,” which doesn’t sound any more appetizing.

Unlike mammal milk, it’s not fully liquid. It’s a semi-solid, almost cheese-like substance. And instead of coming from a nipple, penguins barf into their baby’s mouth. In pigeons, both males and females produce crop milk, but with penguins, it’s just the males.

It’s actually much higher in proteins and fats than mammal milk:

Penguin milk isn’t the only non-mammal repping the lactose world. Sure the only true milk is mammalian, but we may have been a little biased when we named it. There are some cockroaches and amphibians that make their own versions of milk, as well as the discus fish.

Discus fish milk is extra fun because it’s made from the mucus that covers their bodies. For the first 3 weeks of their lives, discus fish feed their young with booger milk. Good for them.

So…Can you milk a penguin?

You probably shouldn’t. You saw March of the Penguins and if there’s one thing you noticed - other than how Morgan Freeman’s voice is the auditory equivalent of running your hands along expensive velvet - it’s that penguins have a rough go of it. That being said, you totally could.

Granted, it’s not the bucket and stool approach you can take to a cow. And some people might question just how you managed to get your hands on a penguin. But that’s not a concern for you, the world’s first penguin dairy mogul.

Even though there’s virtually no chance you’ll have the opportunity to milk a penguin, just to be safe, it’s probably best that no one tells you how to do it.

How to milk a penguin

One of the first challenges is that you have a pretty short window. Penguins only produce milk for the first ten days of the baby’s life, then they switch over to chewed up fish. Scientists are working on a solution, to provoke the production by stimulating the hormone prolactin.

Granted, they’re doing this with pigeon milk but it’s the same hormone, so their work could still work. As a note, feeding pigeon milk to chickens resulted in 16% bigger birds - which could mean big money for poultry farmers. So there actually is an incentive to find a solution.

The next thing you’ll need to do is to decide how to collect the penguin milk. It’s a secretion that comes from the lining of the crop in their throat. So unless you can get it voluntarily, there’s going to be some discomfort here.

Feeding baby penguins with a penguin puppet has worked in the past, so maybe the reverse could work. You could try to trick the adult into coughing up the formula by using a baby penguin puppet. But that’s gonna take some trial and error.

Your best bet is to just copy whatever they end up doing for pigeons. In the meantime, your hands are full trying to find a legal way to source your penguins.

Since penguin milk isn’t likely to hit the tables anytime soon, here’s another treat for you. It’s season 2 of Flavor of Love, when Deelishis’ (Delicious) father, aka Mr. Deelishis, orders a carton of pigeon milk:

Bonus - Can You Make Ice Cream Out Of Penguin Milk?

100% yes. You asked for it - and surprisingly enough, you’re not alone. Even more surprisingly, you absolutely can make ice cream out of penguin milk, and it’s super easy. If you can get the milk, you probably already have everything else you need at home.

Penguin Milk Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups Penguin Milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¾ cups sugar
• Preferred flavouring (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Mix sugar and penguin milk in an electric mixer until the sugar dissolves.
2. Stir in the cream and salt (add flavouring if desired) until combined.
3. Pour mixture into baking dish or container and place in the freezer for 4 min.
4. When the edges begin to freeze stir the mixture vigorously and return to freezer.
5. Repeat step 4 for every 30 min for 2-3 hours.