doxiemoxie
Loving the herd life
Do you shave your does' udders? If so, how often?
To shave or not to shave?
- Thread starter doxiemoxie
- Start date
Meat Goats
Exploring the pasture
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
- Messages
- 38
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 11
Nope. Never have and never will though I don't milk. ha
WhiteMountainsRanch
Loving the herd life
Yes I did last year when I was milking. It really helps keep the udder and everything a lot cleaner for milking. I think I had to do it about once a month or so, darn hair grows so fast! 
sawfish99
Loving the herd life
We give ours a baby clip a couple of days before kidding. That is basically trimming the back end and around the udder. I also trim some of the longer hair under the belly. I have found it is much easier to keep the milk clean and prevent hair, dirt, and other contaminants from falling in the pail when the udder is clipped. We usually just use a #10 blade for this.
However, once show season rolls around, udders are clipped with a #40 immediately prior to the show.
However, once show season rolls around, udders are clipped with a #40 immediately prior to the show.
farmerlor
Chillin' with the herd
We saw a little tiny flame thrower that people use to clear the hair off their animals. I said NO WAY. Don't you think it will scare her or hurt her? Greg says she's going to be just as scared of the electric clippers. Don't know what to do????
goodolboy
Ridin' The Range
FLAME THROWER!!!!???? What??? 
What do you do when it starts to burn and she runs off thru the barn? Run?
I don't think I'll be trying that any time soon.
What do you do when it starts to burn and she runs off thru the barn? Run?
I don't think I'll be trying that any time soon.
farmerlor
Chillin' with the herd
I know, right? It's just a little thing and Greg says you don't have to even get very close and it just sort of singes the hairs. The salesman says it's a big seller but I don't know about you but I'm not steady enough with my hands to make sure I didn't actually touch her with the fire. What kind of crazy, nutso things will they come up with next?goodolboy said:FLAME THROWER!!!!???? What???
What do you do when it starts to burn and she runs off thru the barn? Run?
I don't think I'll be trying that any time soon.
Jeepn_girl
Just born
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2013
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 7
I saw the flame thrower on, I want to say, Dirty Jobs? Could have been something else though.
Anyway, it's a low heat flame and your just doing a puff or two and it singes the hair right off. Your not sitting there directing a torch at the udders. Only a couple cows on t.v. kinda picked a leg up when the guy did the fire, but it was because they saw the orange flame out of the corner of their eye and could feel the puff. They weren't burned.
I would love to figure out how to do that. My ewes have some hairy boobies and I'd rather not risk clipper burn trying to get a close shave. Although if I have to use clippers, I would..... Have to have my husband help steady them, they didn't like when I was shearing them and had to get to their nether regions.
Danielle
Anyway, it's a low heat flame and your just doing a puff or two and it singes the hair right off. Your not sitting there directing a torch at the udders. Only a couple cows on t.v. kinda picked a leg up when the guy did the fire, but it was because they saw the orange flame out of the corner of their eye and could feel the puff. They weren't burned.
I would love to figure out how to do that. My ewes have some hairy boobies and I'd rather not risk clipper burn trying to get a close shave. Although if I have to use clippers, I would..... Have to have my husband help steady them, they didn't like when I was shearing them and had to get to their nether regions.
Danielle
lovinglife
Loving the herd life
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2010
- Messages
- 463
- Reaction score
- 24
- Points
- 163
hmmmm low heat flame.... that's a new one... think I will stay with the clippers 
Oddly enough, singeing was common on carriage horses for winter trims of the body.
Horses would get way too hot with both long and short hairs when working. So at
the big stables, fancy stables, they would singe off the long hairs of a winter coat
to keep horses a bit cooler in work and easier to dry if they should get sweaty. Those
horses were stabled daily, so they didn't get cold with less hair in the field.
I have seen some of the old machines used for this, and it did take a steady hand to have
hair all end up the same length.
Quite interesting to hear of a singeing tool coming back into common use, on dairy
animals!
We use clippers on the sheep, Small clippers, just clean up the udder so lambs could find it.
As mentioned, no hair prevents udder and teats getting dirty or having things stick to the
hair as animals lay down and get up. It would be a lot easier to clean a clipped udder for milking, and
prevent contamination of the milk you are getting from the animal. Really easy to wash
and dry the udder that has hair clipped off.
If you do clip them fairly often, they should get used to it. Use SHARP clipper blades so
there is no hair pulling that dull blades cause. Put your own finger on the blades lower
side. If it is hot to your finger, it is probably too hot to use on the udder! So let it cool off,
use Kool-lube to reduce the heat, keep udder clipping a PLEASANT experience for the
animals. They will usually reward you by standing well in a short time, because the
process doesn't HURT.
Horses would get way too hot with both long and short hairs when working. So at
the big stables, fancy stables, they would singe off the long hairs of a winter coat
to keep horses a bit cooler in work and easier to dry if they should get sweaty. Those
horses were stabled daily, so they didn't get cold with less hair in the field.
I have seen some of the old machines used for this, and it did take a steady hand to have
hair all end up the same length.
Quite interesting to hear of a singeing tool coming back into common use, on dairy
animals!
We use clippers on the sheep, Small clippers, just clean up the udder so lambs could find it.
As mentioned, no hair prevents udder and teats getting dirty or having things stick to the
hair as animals lay down and get up. It would be a lot easier to clean a clipped udder for milking, and
prevent contamination of the milk you are getting from the animal. Really easy to wash
and dry the udder that has hair clipped off.
If you do clip them fairly often, they should get used to it. Use SHARP clipper blades so
there is no hair pulling that dull blades cause. Put your own finger on the blades lower
side. If it is hot to your finger, it is probably too hot to use on the udder! So let it cool off,
use Kool-lube to reduce the heat, keep udder clipping a PLEASANT experience for the
animals. They will usually reward you by standing well in a short time, because the
process doesn't HURT.
