Milk Letdown

[Brynn]

I am still fairly new to milking, but I'm finally getting my sea legs!

I feel like when I massage to stimulate milk letdown, I'm not doing it quite right. I watch the kids udder bump smacking the anterior/superior side of the udder. There is a definite rise in temperature of the udder when I feel like I did a good job.

How long should I try to stimulate the milk letdown?
Is it more of a gentle massage or a jostle/bump like the kids do?
Do you focus on the entire udder or just the anterior/superior side?
Is there a stroking downward motion at all? I don't do it, but on some animals I've read you stroke towards the teat.

Other information: first freshener ND goat being milked 1-2x/day

Thank you!

 

[newbiekat]

I usually take a baby wipe and clean off the udder before we milk. To brush off any loose hay, hairs, dirt, etc... While I am doing this I am massaging the entire udder. Not quite as forceful as the babies. But I go all over. On the teats, front, back, sides... And then once I get rid of the baby wipe, I do it again until the udder has dried. Then I start milking. Probably takes about a minute total. Maybe a little longer.

Don't know if this is right or wrong, but we have been doing it on the 4 we milk and it works for them...