Happy to be here from North Carolina!

[Green Acres Farm]

If you keep the kids out of a doe, you can put them in with her during the time you can't milk or will have to wait longer than usual. When I do that, I usually milk whatever is left anyway and give it to the dogs, so I don't have to go though the trouble of pasteurizing it, etc. That's the part I don't like.

 

[Ginger's Goats]

When the "demand" for milk decreases the production will as well. Some does are easy to build back up, others are not.

You also need to know your doe. Some of our very high producers simply cannot do a 24 hour fill. Those does absolutely much be milked every 12 hours.

You simply cannot (or should not) just "skip" a day just because you feel like it.

Of course! Thank you! And i was just wondering because, if we milk her in the morning, go to some festival across town, plan to be back by 8:00 PM (we're gonna milk at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM), and get stuck in traffic, get home at 12:00, pass out on the couch as soon as we walk in, Would this be absolutely suicide? (I know it differs between breeds. We're planning on a pygmy.) Thank you! I think i may have repeated myself... If this changes the result, lemme know! If no, Thanks for your knowledge! I appreciate you and @Green Acres Farm!!!

 

[Ginger's Goats]

If you keep the kids out of a doe, you can put them in with her during the time you can't milk or will have to wait longer than usual. When I do that, I usually milk whatever is left anyway and give it to the dogs, so I don't have to go though the trouble of pasteurizing it, etc. That's the part I don't like.

We already have two pygmies, and i think for our set-up, we can handle 4 average size goats, comfortably. We'll be selling the doe's kids after 3 months. So keeping them would be helpful, but we are happy to keep it a small farm, and if we kept the kids, it would get big, quick. Also, I know if you wait longer than 18 hours between milking, it's bad. If you pasteurize it, will it matter how far apart it is? (This may be a stupid question..) we where planning on pasteurizing it anyway since we're new.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

It depends on the doe, some does have plenty of space to do a sudden 24 hour fill while others don't. I'd do a "test run" first on a day you are home to see how the does do. If they are extremely engorged and/or leaking milk they can't go that long.

Truthfully I'd probably do the midnight milking. Wouldn't be the first time
When you only have a doe or two it's not a big deal.

 

[Ginger's Goats]

It depends on the doe, some does have plenty of space to do a sudden 24 hour fill while others don't. I'd do a "test run" first on a day you are home to see how the does do. If they are extremely engorged and/or leaking milk they can't go that long.

Truthfully I'd probably do the midnight milking. Wouldn't be the first time
When you only have a doe or two it's not a big deal.

Thanks Goat Whisperer!!! Really appreciate your help!!! One last thing, How long do you think it'd take you to hand-milk a quart or two out of a doe? I realize most people don't hand-milk, and if you can't answer this, you've helped more than enough already!!! Thank You!!! Have a great day!

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Depends on the goat, teats, flow, orifices, and the person milking the goat.

I hand milk all my goats and can milk extremely fast so it would probably take less than two minutes.

Running goats back and forth and cleaning/feeding on the stand takes longer than actual milking (for me).

I am faster than a machine, and while I farm sitting someone's alpine herd (all machine milked) I asked if I could hand milk too. I'd put the machine on one doe and hand milk the next- I always beat the machine. It was great though, cut down the milking time immensely.

 

[OneFineAcre]

@Goat Whisperer "helped" me milk mine once.
She is much faster than me

I had to hand milk the Togg's this past Saturday. It took me an hour to milk the 2 of them.
Takes Maurine about 8 minutes each.

 

[Ginger's Goats]

LOL!!! Okay! Great!!! Somewhere between 8 minuets and half an hour. LOLL!!! Thank You!!!

 

[Latestarter]

I hand milk one Lamancha, one teat at a time, takes about 10-15 minutes total, gives about a quart and 1/2 - 1/2 gallon.

 

[Ginger's Goats]

That's tremendous! Thank you very much! I strongly appreciate ya'll!!!