How to you milk when you have more than one goat to milk

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

I have one milk stand and only two hands, lol.

How do you guys just milk one goat at a time? I do have a separate room, but when I go in there, I'm crowed out and it's just about impossible for me to enter and not let 2 or three goats in at a time. I want to practice "milking" my first timers, lol. I want to start feeding my pregnant girls on the milk stand, washing non-existent udders and brushing them. So how do I train them to come one at a time or is there a trick like having a tying station or something I need to build?

All suggestions welcomed.

Thanks, Melissa

Who is loving the separated Buck Pen. I can sit with my girls and not get stinky!!!!

Boys are loving the garden scraps as their pen is by my garden.

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

and I need to know what to put in my goat kid pen? Pregnant goats + milking = new goat kid pen.

 

[freemotion]

You need to learn to lead each goat out one at a time, while blocking the rest at the gate. It was chaos at first, but mine know it is their turn when I call them and that I will protect the lower ones from the queen at the gate if I've called their name. I find it easier to let the called doe through the gate "naked" and then latch the gate and quickly put a collar and leash on her to lead her to the stand. To train for this, you can start by putting a collar on before going to the gate, call the doe with the collar, maneuver her through the crowd, let her out the gate without the leash, then give her a tasty treat from your pocket and put on the leash, then lead her to the stand. Doing this several times will train them to wait outside the gate while you latch it, and not dash around eating your garden plants. I do have one doe who will slowly, slowly walk across the yard to the milking stand in the garage instead of waiting, but she never deviates from the path and waits for me to catch up by going verrrrrry slowly until I get to her and put the collar on. Way cute.

On occasion I still have one extra doe slip out the gate but since they stop, I can catch the offender and shove her back in with no reward. Then when it is her turn, I make sure my demeanor is very rewarding, to emphasize that she gets the goodies only when she obeys.

Working with your does long before you need to milk them is very wise. Mine were a dream on the milking stand the very first time. I've trained three ff's so far.

Don't over handle their udders when they are young, I've read that you can actually stimulate a false pregnancy or lactation type of thing, so just a quick cheap feel is all that is needed. For the pregnant does, do even less. They may become super touchy about their udders as their due date approaches, don't worry, they will get better. Sometimes you can tap-tap-tap on their butt or back while they are eating on the stand and cop a cheap feel without getting smacked by a hoof if that is a problem. But just getting them into the milking stand = food routine will be a big help once the big day comes.

Goat kid pen: Small openings in the fencing, they get their heads stuck in the 4x4" squares. Go with 2x4" for safety. Put in a few items for them to jump on and off of, but not too high. Keep climbing toys away from fences so they don't get used as launching pads. Put a small house for them to hide in just in case it sprinkles before you get to them. This will be enormously helpful during those ominous days when rain is threatening and they've been cooped up too long. Make sure there are some good shade trees, too, if possible. Look around for anything they could jump in or on that could entrap a head or a foot or a leg, as they will find it and it will be disastrous. I wrapped a two-trunked tree with hardware cloth for this reason. They were obsessed with running up the side of that tree and determined to get hung in the crack.

Separating the buck is a must in my book. He should not be harassing pregnant does. But mine will live with the does for a few weeks/months once everyone is bred according to my schedule, then taken out when the first doe is at about the 4 month mark.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

How do you guys just milk one goat at a time?

One at a time! Seriously- if you let more than one goat into your parlor at a time you're going to need blood pressure meds. Like free said- I let them out of the gate one at a time, milk, and lead them back. Then on to the next. I don't tolerate crowding at the gate- ours opens into the pen and they figured out pretty quickly that anyone within swinging range is going to get nailed with the gate. You'll be surprised how easy it is to let the right goat out once your girls know their routine. It's helpful to milk in the same order as well.