terrible for milking again this year

[treeclimber233]

I bought a doe last year that I bred. When she kidded I had mono so I did not even try to milk for about 3 weeks. When I tried she was terrible for milking. Fighting so much I finally gave up hoping that if I started milking when she kidded this year she would be better. Well she kidded about a week ago and everything was fine on the stand (me milking and her eating her grain). The only thing that bothered me was she constantly keeps stomping with one front foot. Well tonight was a repeat of last year. After about 3 squeezes she kicked the container out of my hand. Then the fight was on as to whether I was going to milk or not. It was kick- slap, kick-slap for about 2 minutes: each slap a bit harder than the last. Then she lay down. Then she tried to bust out of the stand. I have a pretty sturdy stand and it was doing some rocking tonight. I think the only thing that kept if from turning over is it is against a wall. Then she got mad an stopped eating her grain. I massaged her udder for a bit (so I could get in the last "word") and then left her on the stand for about a 1/2 hour hoping she would eat her grain. Nope she did not touch a bit of her grain while she was on the stand. So I got her down and put her back with the others. The first thing she did was run around checking all the feed containers!!!!!! So I got her feed she refused to eat on the stand and she dove in scarfing it down like normal. What gives? Why is she suddenly refusing to let me milk and refusing to eat her grain on the stand? That is the same thing she did last year. Last year I refused to give her grain anywhere but on the stand hoping she would realize that was the only place she was going to get grain but she refused night after night to eat on the stand. Needless to say the amount of milk you get is related to the amount of grain they eat so am I looking at another year of no milk again? She lost a ton of weight last year because I kept trying to milk her even tho she was not eating her grain. I was determined not to "lose the battle" but I eventually gave up. What a brat.

 

[alsea1]

Maybe the goat thought she was getting repremanded for eating the grain rather than stomping and fighting.
If it was me I would be quite stubborn about it. I would get some chin straps for horses. Then four eye bolts. Install an eyebolt in each corner of the milk stand.
then rig up her feet and tie each foot to the eyebolt using the chin straps. Take care that she is tied fast but not being hurt. Then place feed in and let her figure it out. Then go to milking. Maybe talk soothingly to her even though you would just as soon smack her upside the head. LOL I figure eventually she will decide its just easier to settle down and eat her grain.

 

[treeclimber233]

I tried tying her feet down last year and she fought so much I thought she was going to break her legs. She throws herself sideways. If she falls off the stand she will break her legs. Leaving her in the stanchion for 1/2 hour doesn't seem to help either. I don't think she thinks I am hitting her to get her out of the grain. Short of beating them to death (just kidding) I cannot get them out of the feed in the field until it is gone. She has gotten into the feed room a couple of times and all the hitting in the world will not get her out of a bag of feed. She will just lay down on the ground and keep gulping. I always leave a collar on her so I can drag her out of the bag very easily. Well at least as easily as you can drag a full grown Nubian out of a bag of feed. I don't know what I am going to do. I just wormed her (forgot to 2 days after kidding) so I cannot keep the milk anyway for a week but I will keep trying to milk her. Will it be alright to give the milk to my chickens? I wormed with Val.....(Something or other like that. The bottle is at the barn)

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

Sure, give the milk to the chickens. They'll appreciate it!

Have you tried a hobble? I bought one last year, and figures that as soon as it arrives, the goat didn't need it anymore.

Also what I've done in the past is to let the kid nurse on one side while you milk the other. Sometimes mom thinks you are stealing her milk from her babies, and won't let you take a drop. If she thinks you are her baby, sometimes you can fool her into milking.

 

[lovinglife]

I had issues with my ff nubian, but she was scared, and laying down. I finally just got tired of fighting with her and hooked her to the fence outside, sit on my but and milk her. At first she still tried to pull back and jump around, I just got on my knees and leaned into her and continued on, no slapping, yelling or temper. After about a week she just up and stopped all the bad behavior and now she is a dream to milk. I use a pint jar to milk into, I hold it up close and she couldn't get it out of my hand so I could get her milked out. Just don't stop milking until you are sure you got it all, I think she will get tired of fighting. Make sure she does not have a sore teat or anything to cause the kicking. My doe started moving a little and I noticed they were really dry and wanting to crack a little, so I got a moisturizer and that fixed that. Just my uneducated opinion, hope maybe it can help in some way.

 

[babsbag]

I have one just like yours and to be honest I don't think the slapping does any good. I am not sure that goats associate the pain with "no" or understand the meaning of "no". I have smacked her a few times but doesn't seem to help. I have a nice bruise on my arm where she literally stepped on me while I was trying to hold her still. I have found that the sweet talking and lots of grain works better than me getting mad. It also makes her let her milk down quicker. Fortunatley she does love her grain and is pretty good as long as the bucket is full. I did use hobles a few years ago on one. You might try those.

I would't give up. While I don't think they know "no" I am sure that they know when they have won.

 

[treeclimber233]

Giving her more grain is not the answer because she is the one getting mad. Then she refuses to eat her grain. Even if I stop milking and leave her on the stand she will not eat her grain. I just walked away and left her on the stand for 1/2 an hour and she still did not eat her grain. But when I put her back with the other goats and offered her the same grain out of the same bucket that she just refused to eat on the stand she tried to gobble it down. She was better last night because I pulled out my hand milker. It was a fight to get it on but I did get her milked. But she got mad again and did not eat her grain.

 

[alsea1]

I'm thinking I would ignore her attitude and tantrums and get the milking done. If she eats her grain fine if not her loss.
I think after awhile she will get over it and behave.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I agree with Alsea.... Just try to practice no nonsense milking....I don't think slapping does anything but reinforce to her that the milkstand is NOT a happy place. Even though I have to admit that I slapped a doe once for kicking the milk bucket into my lap - purely a reflex...

I'd put the feed there, put her on the stand, use hobbles if necessary, and milk her. If you think she's going to lay down you can put a bucket upside down under her chest - that usually keeps them standing up. The less drama the better. I think she's learned that she can 'get away with it' and it reinforces to her that if she keeps acting up you will eventually give up.

Patience and perseverence go a long way.... good luck!

 

[20kidsonhill]

enjoyed reading this, I don't even milk, but I woudl for sure just tie her dang feet to the stand and get to it.