How much milk from ff nubian?

[norseofcourse]

I've been reading your thread from the start, and it's great to see the progress and the success you've had

I milked my sheep for the first time last year, and I also had a hard time at first. It was great when I finally had some success, but I was still getting very small amounts because I was leaving the lambs with their moms. When I finally started separating them overnight and milking in the morning, I got a lot more milk! I will be doing the same routine this year, starting much earlier in their lactations, and I'm looking forward to this year's results.

Hope things keep going well with yours!

 

[Moody]

It sure is tough at first!

Yes she is standing better but not perfect. She does not eat all I give which is the same amount as before kidding (which is one full 10 oz milk replacer cup full)
And I've added alfalfa pellets. She doesn't eat all of it and starts to fidget about 5 min in, but I learned to have her udder clean and be ready to milk before I even add the feed.

Today I didn't even get the 2 cups I got yesterday. Maybe 1.5-1.75 cup. Baby started calling her and she really wanted to get back to her.

 

[Southern by choice]

It sounds as though you may have poor orifices.
When you milk the teats out is the flow smooth and you get a nice long smooth flow? It sounds like her orifices may be small or poorly formed.

Do you have any pics of her udder? Teats?
How is your hand placement? Sometimes it is technique.

Even with a single on this is not usual even for a FF Nubian.
Is she purebred Nubian? Cross?

Our Nubian- now she is not a ff but we can milk 1/2 gallon am in a few minutes... we share her kids with her... and depending on much they were on her in the daytime she will give 1qt (if they have been on most of the day) - another 1/2 gallon.

 

[babsbag]

I agree with @Southern by choice about the orifices. I am milking by machine and I have some does that milk out in 2 or 3 minutes and some that take 7 or 8 minutes and give less milk. I have one right now that I am hand milking on one side only and it take me about 10 minutes to get 2 cups. She is a FF also but the stream of milk that comes out is just a very fine stream. It is a trait to look for in a doe when buying them...wish I had known that years ago.

 

[Sweetened]

I was thinking she was tough to milk as well (tootsie was), but without her having another goat to compare with it's hard to know.

 

[Sunny75]

I can't imagine taking that much time and getting that little. I can milk out our Lamancha Blossom (2nd freshner) in under 5 minutes and get 2 quarts, but she lets down almost immediately and as long as there is food in front of her she is a dream...

 

[Moody]

I took some pics this morning and will try to load them later today.

This morning I used a timer, again. I got 1/2 cup at 5 min of 2 handed milking. Then I took about 30 seconds to dump that into a clean jar since she started moving a bit and I knew a foot in the bucket was a possibility. Then I started again and had another 1.5 cups at the 10 minute mark. The whole time I used both hands to milk, only stopping to move bucket for a second while she fussed and she did hit the side and ruin the milk in the bucket, good thing I dumped some earlier. I quit at 10 min, brought baby in to nurse while on the stand.

I Have no experience but from videos I have seen, it looks like the stream is thin. I get some good milking for a bit but it just doesn't fill the bucket like on the videos I have viewed. Her left side milks easier than he right but I am using my right hand there so that may be the difference.

 

[Sweetened]

I would say she has small orifices then for sure. So she may be a great producer but getting that milk out is not going to be easy. With the right buck i would think that could improve??

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Keep it up. You are already getting more milk and the more she milks and produces, the more her capacity will increase, teats lengthen, and I would say even the opening will widen. She may get better and you will too. Milking with both hands takes some time and you will have some very strong hand---who needs a nutcracker, just have Moody give it a squeeze.

 

[Moody]

Lol. I will have strong hands!

This was before milking