Livestock Milking the goat!!

ioujc

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
I FINALLY got it figured out!!

I put her on the deck of my mower, lean over her, placing my belly and chest lightly on her back. I massage her udders gently and use a warm washcloth to wash them and get all the dirt off. She is happy with this position and seems to feel secure with my body over her. She doesn't stomp her feet or put them in the milk or seem to have any pain when I do it this way>>>>>in fact, she has been happy>>>Prancing, running to me and sitting/standing in front of me>>>when I come out to milk her.

I am SO glad we got this figured out!! I was about to give up!!

Her milk is AWESOME!! VERY creamy and sweet! It is delicious!! I have been giving it to the dogs and cats and they love it>>>push each other out of the way to get a taste!!

NOW>>>>that I have this figured out, I can start to actually use the milk for me!! I hope to make butter, cheese and have milk to drink!!
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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Good job! Are you using any sanitizer in the wash water? You can buy udder wash (and post dip) at tractor supply. Just a small "glug" in enough water to clean her is all you need. Most are iodine based... the water should be like a strong cup of tea when their is sufficient sanitizer to kill bacteria.

But even more important is a post dip. Again, most are iodine based, although I think there is another type which uses chlorhexadine. We always used the 1/2% iodine post dip, and we won the quality awards for our co-op most years. I once had a vet ask me where our "mastitis group" was. His jaw literally dropped when I replied to that we had no chronic infected cows, and hadn't seen an acute case of mastitis in over a year.

They won't hurt the baby if she sucks. The reason its important is the teat orifice opens (by relaxing a sphincter muscle) to allow the milk to flow. For a few minutes after she's empty, the muscle stays relaxed, and if she lies down in manure or other contaminants, bacteria can gain access to the udder and cause mastitis.

Most of the butterfat is produced near the end of milking, so make sure to gently strip her out to get that rich cream!

I can't wait until our 3/4 Dexter, 1/4 Jersey heifer freshens in early May! We sold our milk cow (half Jersey 8 year old) and decided to start fresh with a young cow again. But boy, do I miss Cocoa! Her milk was SO rich... I got a pint of heavy cream off every gallon of milk! I'm hoping the new girl can match that, but I'm doubtful. I can't wait to start making butter and cheese again....

Summerthyme
 
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