I know that some of you are just starting out and getting your first milk goats, so I thought I'd put up a little lesson about how to milk a goat properly. This routine is what I use every morning and night.
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| Give her some grain |
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| make sure your pail and jug are squeaky clean :) |
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| I use antibacterial soap water as the teat cleaner. Just spray both sides of each teat |
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| Use a clean rag to wipe the teats with. |
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| Put your thumb at the base of the udder, followed by your index finger (don't go up too high or you'll wind up pinching her udder...and that wouldn't feel too good :) |
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| Place your middle finger on next |
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| Follow the last step with your "ring" finger. |
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| And last but not least, your pinky finger! |
Of course, this is a step-by-step process that you'll get better at as time goes by, but this is just an educational post for all the newbies. Once you've been milking for a couple years, your milking technique will get faster and probably not look exactly like the steps above, as you will develop your own personal technique.
Careful technique insures you will get all the milk out of the teats and not shoot it back up into the teat, which can cause serious problems, such as mastitis.
Anyway, that's your short lesson on how to milk a dairy goat!
Thanks for reading :)
-Hannah
Shared: Barn Hop #42
pretty goat udder :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Thanks Sam :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice and concise.. I have never tried from behind, needing to sit beside, and listen to the rumbles of the tummy as the grain goes down.. will start using your spray bottle idea for cleansing..
ReplyDeleteI have never milked from the back either always at the side. my lamancha's hate to have their hind legs touched when milking. If they are they stomp. which means if you are not paying attention (like when your teaching your 4 and 6 yr old to milk) the milk goes to the hog..lol I also "strip" the teet at the end and run my fingers (index and thumb) to make sure ya get most of the milk. have fun milking me and my kids do! :o)
ReplyDeleteI seen this before & thought it was a joke! I've raised all breeds of dairy goats, the kids showed dairy goats in the county 4-H, and we showed goats in the ADGA. In all my life I have never seen anybody milk a goat or a cow from the rear. Is this something new, maybe a new preppie trend, or do you think we are all fools? I didn't fall off no turnip truck yesterday. I heard my father call people that do this, "the blind leading the blind"!
ReplyDeleteMilking goats from behind is a "back saver" and once you get the goats used to it, which didn't take very long, it's normal. I don't condemn anyone for the way they milk :) As the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat!
ReplyDeleteWhat is normal? How can it be a back saver? I'v set on the same stool & milked several goats, never have to get up. Just call their name, lean over put some feed in their bowl and wahla, fresh milk! I will give you credit, great pictures. So, who taught you how to milk a goat? This isn't how you really milk a goat, but if it works for you, then by all means keep doing what works.
ReplyDeleteNow that the newbie goat farmer knows this is the new fad way to milk a goat, post some pictures of the goats. Nothing more beautiful to a real homesteader than a nubian dairy goat with a full udder!