Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
The longer you milk the goat, the bigger the teats will get. It takes time.
Updated 3/29/12 Melissa Farm Picture Journal *New Pictures Pg 10*
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Zanzabeez
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Congrats on your new kid! 
He is adorable.
Your doe's teats should improve and get larger/thicker as you milk her through the season. Just keep at it and don't give up, the longer you milk her the better her teats should become.
I milk my ND and had 3 FF that I milked last season so maybe I can offer a tip that would help you out? When you are milking, are you pinching with a couple of fingers or using your hand to milk more like you would with a larger breed goat? I milk my girls using the same hand motion as I would a large breed goat, closing off a ring at the top with pointer and thumb and then closing the rest of my fingers. I just use less fingers depending on teat size.
It works best if you sort of push your hand up against the udder at the base of the teat before closing your finger ring. It seems to help the milk flow into the teat better that way. I also found that my girls milk out more quickly if I reach the near hand through from between the back legs since it helps me push up against the udder better.
Does can hold back milk from you and it does sound like your doe is probably doing this since the teats are not filling well. So she needs some help with letting down for you. You can use the side of your hand/thumb to bump or massage the udder to help get her to let down her milk. Bump like you are a kid asking for milk to let down, not too hard but firm enough to push up into her udder. You can also massage the udder itself to help get things flowing. One of my FF last year did the same thing. She would try to hold back milk but with massaging and bumping her udder, she would eventually let down. After milking her for about a month, she started to let down as soon as I would start to milk and would milk out very quickly. Don't give up, you will get there!
Tracy
He is adorable.Your doe's teats should improve and get larger/thicker as you milk her through the season. Just keep at it and don't give up, the longer you milk her the better her teats should become.
I milk my ND and had 3 FF that I milked last season so maybe I can offer a tip that would help you out? When you are milking, are you pinching with a couple of fingers or using your hand to milk more like you would with a larger breed goat? I milk my girls using the same hand motion as I would a large breed goat, closing off a ring at the top with pointer and thumb and then closing the rest of my fingers. I just use less fingers depending on teat size.
It works best if you sort of push your hand up against the udder at the base of the teat before closing your finger ring. It seems to help the milk flow into the teat better that way. I also found that my girls milk out more quickly if I reach the near hand through from between the back legs since it helps me push up against the udder better.Does can hold back milk from you and it does sound like your doe is probably doing this since the teats are not filling well. So she needs some help with letting down for you. You can use the side of your hand/thumb to bump or massage the udder to help get her to let down her milk. Bump like you are a kid asking for milk to let down, not too hard but firm enough to push up into her udder. You can also massage the udder itself to help get things flowing. One of my FF last year did the same thing. She would try to hold back milk but with massaging and bumping her udder, she would eventually let down. After milking her for about a month, she started to let down as soon as I would start to milk and would milk out very quickly. Don't give up, you will get there!
Tracy
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Melissa'sDreamFarm
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Thanks Tracy. I did figure out that she was not letting her milk down. I put the kid on the stand and gosh I got a pint of milk in no time. I just have to be patient and have the kid there with me. I need a goat baby backpack or frontpack, lol. That way he's there and not in my way.
Skye kidded Sunday morning, I promise pictures tomorrow, it's been a crazy weekend.
ETA: Another blue-eyed buckling.
Skye kidded Sunday morning, I promise pictures tomorrow, it's been a crazy weekend.
ETA: Another blue-eyed buckling.
3kidsmom
Exploring the pasture
She looks well loved to me. The gestation for a goat is about 5months. I can hardly wait to get some more goats!! I miss having them.
Zanzabeez
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Great!!!! I am glad to hear she is letting down for you nicely now!Melissa'sDreamFarm said:
Congrats on another healthy kid too! I am looking forward to pics. I need another kid fix.....
Sigh, all of these kidding threads make it harder to wait for the 1st of my girls to go. 14 days until day 140.... Can't wait!!!
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Melissa'sDreamFarm
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Finally got a new phone and some pictures to share. The first one is of Jenny, my boar goat. She was given to me by a friend who strictly dam raises. Jenny is quite skiddish. I am the only one who can touch her and she will eat out of my hand. She had her baby this morning when I went out to milk. She's in the shelter that holds the hay box. I could not get her to come out and she did not want me messing with her baby. I got "shown the horns" every time I tried to touch the baby. She would lick my fingers but no touching the baby. So I guess they will be fine in there. It's no where near the water bucket, so I brought her a small pail of water and a bowl of grain and went off to work.
When I say "shown the horns", she tucks her chin to her chest and puts her horns up. She never butts me or hits me. It's more a posture thing and tells you to back off.
Jenny, you can only see an extra leg under there. I'll get more pictures this afternoon. It's a muddy mess in my neck of the woods and I had my work clothes on by the time the sun came up and the baby was standing up nursing. The baby's mom is boar/nubian mix and the dad is a Dwarf Nigerian.
Annabell supervising my handiwork.
Skye and her baby boy Junior.
Millie and her boy Jose Cuervo running away, of course.
Baby boys playing. Dawson is getting big.
And my favorite picture of the weekend, my son Tyler and my "baby" Butter. If you wash the blankets on the couch and fold them up and fix it really nice, I can guarantee this will happen....
When I say "shown the horns", she tucks her chin to her chest and puts her horns up. She never butts me or hits me. It's more a posture thing and tells you to back off.
Jenny, you can only see an extra leg under there. I'll get more pictures this afternoon. It's a muddy mess in my neck of the woods and I had my work clothes on by the time the sun came up and the baby was standing up nursing. The baby's mom is boar/nubian mix and the dad is a Dwarf Nigerian.
Annabell supervising my handiwork.
Skye and her baby boy Junior.
Millie and her boy Jose Cuervo running away, of course.
Baby boys playing. Dawson is getting big.
And my favorite picture of the weekend, my son Tyler and my "baby" Butter. If you wash the blankets on the couch and fold them up and fix it really nice, I can guarantee this will happen....
Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
I'm going to sound all lecturey. Please don't take it personally. It's a question of safety for you and your goats.
Her protectiveness is OK to a point, but your "bossiness" is necessary for the health of your herd. Giving shots, trimming hooves, checking bottoms, milking, whatever you need to do, she should NEVER be allowed to intimidate you for HER safety and for yours.
Don't let her "show you the horns". When she does you need to tell her that you aren't going to hurt her baby. FIRMLY, nudge her aside and pick it up and inspect her baby. PERIOD. You are the queen goat. And she needs to know that you won't hurt her baby. That way you can handle her and her baby when you need to.
IF she gets testy, FIRMLY nudge her aside again. And keep nudging her aside firmly until she gets the idea that you won't hurt her or her baby and that you are IN CHARGE around the farm. She will understand that. She knows where her food comes from and she really, deep down, trusts you. She knows internally that you are her caretaker. But when you back away from her she is confused about her safety and is not sure who her protector is.
Her protectiveness is OK to a point, but your "bossiness" is necessary for the health of your herd. Giving shots, trimming hooves, checking bottoms, milking, whatever you need to do, she should NEVER be allowed to intimidate you for HER safety and for yours.
Don't let her "show you the horns". When she does you need to tell her that you aren't going to hurt her baby. FIRMLY, nudge her aside and pick it up and inspect her baby. PERIOD. You are the queen goat. And she needs to know that you won't hurt her baby. That way you can handle her and her baby when you need to.
IF she gets testy, FIRMLY nudge her aside again. And keep nudging her aside firmly until she gets the idea that you won't hurt her or her baby and that you are IN CHARGE around the farm. She will understand that. She knows where her food comes from and she really, deep down, trusts you. She knows internally that you are her caretaker. But when you back away from her she is confused about her safety and is not sure who her protector is.
Mamaboid
Loving the herd life
Thank you QM, I was sitting here trying to figure out how to word exactly the same thing without sounding bad or hurting anyone's feelings. You just cannot tolerate this from your goats. You must show them who is boss, or they will be boss. This doesn't mean being nasty to them as QM said, it just means being firm, and letting them know that you WILL handle the situation whatever it is.Queen Mum said:
Now, on to those really pretty goats and that adorable child and pup. Great pics and congrats on the new baby.
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Melissa'sDreamFarm
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Thanks for your advice, but my personal safety comes first. I have to wait until my husband is at home to help me. In case I need to be rushed to the ER.
Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
tee hee. She really won't head butt you. She put her head down like all goats do. She was giving you the look. But point of fact, she would in all likely hood have not touched you. That is why you need to firmly nudge her aside. Because you need her to know that you won't take that from her. It sets the precedent. Goats are only really dangerous when they get up on their little hind legs and "stand up tall". Or when they back up with their heads way down low. Then you just need to step in and put your hand on her shoulder and nudge her aside firmly.Melissa'sDreamFarm said:
You are safe doing that. Do it with confidence. You would be really surprised how well it works. It's a confidence thing. When you are afraid, you make her afraid. Just swallow your fear and be confident. Just remember you LOVE her. And she loves you.
BTW, just because men are bigger doesn't make them tougher. Just watch 10 guys trying to change poopy diapers and you will see just how tough guys REALLY are.
