Milking and a few other random newbie questions!

[sunnyside]

Hello all!

Hope I am not being a pain!! We just got out two Nubians and one was in milk. This is VERY new to us, but we think we have the hang of it so far. I do have a few random questions though...

Is there any way at all that they will not kick the pail over???? The first day I lost every drop of milk right on to the floor! I was so proud of myself and then WHAM, all of it was gone. I am now trying to milk with one hand and hold it with the other. What do you guys do?

Also, how do I know when she is done milking? I give her a gentle bump when I think she is done to see if she has any more milk to let down, but me being a first timer at this, I am not to sure. How big should her udder be when I am done milking?

Today she seemed to be a bit fussy when I was halfway through milking her. Is she trying to tell me something? Am I hurting her? I will admit, I practiced on a rubber glove extensively before getting her and I am making sure not to pull down.

Finally, I have a nibbler!! She nibbles on everything and anything! How do you correct this (This is the younger one 7 mos, not the one I am milking).

Thanks so much in advance! Really looking forward to your thoughts!!!

 

[Bedste]

Are you feeding her while you milk? I hope so... this helps. Also you can get a hobble for pretty cheap.... online. It is made out of the same nylon that dog collars are made of...it has velcro strap that holds the feet still. I used one for about a month until I got where I noticed her shifting her weight and i was able to grab the pail. I still use the hobble when I can tell she is in a bad mood or if I am in pain (neck injury) or if I am still aslee p (lol) If she sticks her foot in and does not knock it over, I just give it to the chickens or the pig and start again. It takes some time but sounds like you are doing great. I am a fairly new at this too. From what I understand it is really important to get all the milk out. So I bump the udder and then milk some more. I massage the udder and get a bit more. I am not sure if it is absolutley necessary to get every drop, but I do.

About your 7 mo old nibbler, I have no clue. My girl is 6 years old and eats weeds and trees and flowers and all the grain she can get. I have to really watch her..... and keep her away from the chicken food.

Hope you get some better answers from others who know.

:0)

 

[freemotion]

My first doe was very kicky and I learned to milk pretty fast with one hand, the other hand holding a quart canning jar. I'd switch hands when one got tired. You can't lose much milk this way as you put one full jar out of reach and start a new jar. So even if she kicks one jar, you have one or two...or three....more nice jars of milk. Eventually I started to dare to put the jar down and milk into it. Then I started bringing one widemouth jar out and started with that one, since I could two-handed milk into the wide mouth jar when her udder was full, and the second and third jars could have regular mouths because it was easier to aim as her udder emptied.

Later, I dared milk into a stainless steel stock pot. I still have to make sure her feed pan stays full or she will kick and stomp. Before it is empty. She is the herd queen and knows it. I can slow her down with a bit of soaked beet pulp mixed into her grain, and I keep a can of alfalfa pellets nearby for when I am slow and she is fast.

The kicking hobbles go above the hocks, squeezing the Achilles tendon and disabling the kicking. I got a more violent reaction when trying to put the hobbles on and gave it up!

We've come to an understanding now...she gets the best food and plenty of it, and I get the best milk and plenty of it....poop-free.

When are you done milking? When you squeeze and nothing comes out, or it is consistently just a few drops. A good producer will always give one more drop. Kinda like a boy dog, he always has one or two drops left to mark that next tree. And the next one. And the next one. Never empty, always producing more. So you just have to stop at some point.

She also will sense your mood, and if you are tentative or nervous, which is normal when you are new, she will react to it. This too shall pass. Be the boss goat and fake it 'til ya make it.

As for the nibbler....all goats are nibblers. The youngsters especially explore their world with their mouths. What in particular is she nibbling that is a problem?

 

[imtc]

My girl was a huge kicker and I've posted my frustrations about her here before. Since then she has calmed down a lot and I am now happy with her. I purchased a hobble however they didn't work for me. She could either kick them off, or they'd cut her leg by her fighting so hard and rubbing against them and she would actually kick both legs with the hobble on way up over her head in a hand stand it would drive me nuts. What I ended up doing (and still do) is made a simple noose knot out of thick rope and tie one leg down....loop around the ankle and tie the other end to the legs of the table so she can't kick or move much on the stand. I also started milking with one hand while holding the cup in the other so I could easily move it out of the way if she got kicky. Always make sure she has grains to keep her busy and also milk her out. You'll notice the teat not filling back up with milk easily then massage her udder (you can be kind of rough....have you ever seen her kid nurse?....they are not gentle...lol.) But you always want to milk her out...it will keep her production up and also helps prevent mastitis. Then as far as the kicking.....DON'T give up. She'll eventually give in and do what she's supposed to. I never thought my girl would (and to think I was considering selling her out of milking frustration). Good luck

 

[kstaven]

Never have used hobbles on cows or goats. I learned to watch for the leg tensing and then grab the back of the leg firmly so they can't lift it and just keep right on milking. They soon learn that stomping or kicking isn't going to get you to stop.

Had a relative with a goat that loved to kick. He took a small stainless bucket and epoxied it to an 18" by 18" sheet of plywood. Goat tried to kick it over a few times and discovered that wasn't going to work. That ended that routine.

 

[Roll farms]

When they're just learning the milking routine I will tolerate a bit of kickiness.
After a day or two, they'll get hobbled (never had one it wouldn't work on, if put in the right spot...?) and that usually 'cures' the kickiness. I've only used it 3x in the 10 yrs since I bought it. Before that, dh was my hobble....they can't budge a 200# man who's holding the tendons just so.

Like KStaven said, you can watch their body and sense when a kick is coming, I just move the bucket out of the way, refill the feed pan, and continue...most of mine are well trained and only fuss if I let the feeder run dry. Creampuff stomps, Penny KICKS, and the rest just start to wiggle / sidestep / act nervous.

I honestly don't know how you guys who milk one side at a time do it. I'm a 'hurrier' by nature, that'd drive me insane, esp. w/ my heavier producers.

I know when they're done because...milk stops coming out. I don't strip them manually, but I do squeeze until they're empty, then dip and apply udder balm.

Our kids are raised being fed on the milk stand, and we 'fondle' their udders often. For them it's no big or different thing once they figure out that A) being milked feels better and B) there's always plenty of groceries up there.

I've also found a calm voice and encouragement do wonders. They sense aggravation and nervousness and respond in kind.

I have big fat boer does who *want* to be milkers, they know the routine and know there's food up there...so they'll wait there turn and hop up there just like the dairy girls. I give them a squeeze or two and let them think they did big fancy stuff and then send them on their way.

 

[Ms. Research]

I have big fat boer does who *want* to be milkers, they know the routine and know there's food up there...so they'll wait there turn and hop up there just like the dairy girls. I give them a squeeze or two and let them think they did big fancy stuff and then send them on their way.

You are sweet to take the time to do this for these boers. They just want to be part of the crowd it seems.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I have big fat boer does who *want* to be milkers, they know the routine and know there's food up there...so they'll wait there turn and hop up there just like the dairy girls. I give them a squeeze or two and let them think they did big fancy stuff and then send them on their way.

 

[freemotion]

That is so cute, Rolls!

I agree, the three does I raised are a dream on the stand and were right from the first moment I began milking them....because of the prep work I did with them as doelings. The kicky one....she was my first, purchased as a pregnant doe. Looking back, a lot of her kickiness was due to my inexperience, and a lot of it was due to her not being worked with properly in earlier lactations. She was always allowed to be the boss goat. She wouldn't even lead well.

One handed milking is a pain but if it is all you know, it isn't really bad. I could still milk out a gallon before one average song was over on the radio....so maybe 4 minutes? Although once I could do it in half that time.....there was no going back!

 

[sunnyside]

THANK YOU ALL for the words of encouragement!! Greatly appreciated! So with the advice I poured over this morning, milking did go a "bit" smoother for the morning milking. There was still kicking but I was ready for it this time!! I am thinking she is sensing my nervousness and feeding off of that. Still trying to get the feel for it. I just kept thinking I was hurting her and that was why she was fidgety (sp). Love the beet pulp idea...it takes me a really long time! Might buy me a few extra minutes. Freemotion....4 minutes?!?!?!?! Hope I can get somewhere near that time in the future!!!

Roll, that is TOO funny!

Thinking I may order a hobbler. My husband is now mine as well!

I practiced on that darn glove for weeks before we picked the girls up! Thought I would be better at it than what I actually was! LOL!