But as they say, it’s the tone of voice that’s important, so if you can talk soothingly while reciting the ABCs or the weather forecast, go for it. I assume you’ll get a much smaller amount at each milking, maybe none on occasion. I understand. So, before we talk about how you milk a goat, let’s talk about how you teach a goat to become a milker. She’ll start to kick at my hand, but I won’t move it. Here we are going to describe more about how to milk a goat by hand. (I say “most” because it is not impossible.) After that squeeze firmly (never hardly). I don’t usually wrap my fingers around shorter teats. Don’t be hard on yourself if you get more milk on yourself than in the bucket and if it takes 15 minutes to get a cup of milk the first few times. This is why I recommend milking a doe that still has kids nursing. We have built diy goat shelters, homemade goat milk butter and homemade goat milk cheese in previous posts on this blog. You want them to associate the milk stand with happy times and positive images, so that they will be beating down the door to get into the milking parlor — really. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/a-beginners-guide-to-goats/. For those that have hand-milked goats for some time, I can see that grin as you recollect spilled milk, milk running down your wrists and arms, and perhaps a dancing goat or two. Pasteurization doesn’t help because dead bacteria don’t taste any better than live bacteria. My ultimate goal is that all of my does will run into the milking parlor and jump on the milk stand, and I will be able to milk them without even closing the head gate on the stanchion. Why? Some people say that you should let the doe lick birth fluid off your hands and she’ll let you milk her, but that’s not necessary. Perhaps you have always dreamed of providing your family’s milk supply. First, let’s talk about what to avoid. The kid can have everything the doe produces all day long, so is getting about 50% of the production that way. With my Nigerians, I have three different techniques that I use to milk them, so when a couple of fingers get tired, I can switch to a different technique without missing a beat. OR wrap your other fingers around the teat to force the milk out of the orifice. Watch my 8 year old daughter’s video on How to Milk a Goat (And while you’re there, be sure to … However, you  may only get a few squirts, and that’s fine. For good-quality production, dairy goats should be milked twice per day, 12 hours apart. I love all the great benefits I get from them. Unsubscribe at any time. We're breeding our Nubians for the first time this fall, and they're more spirited than our Alpine. Then put the doe back with her kids, and they’ll take care of getting the rest of milk. There are dozens of different ideas on how to clean the udder, but we have used nothing other than a wet washcloth, using a clean quadrant for each doe. If you give up now, it will be much harder later on. If you get it done in the next month or two, you might still be able to find a few goats for sale. I will start getting them use to the stand. Especially first fresheners won’t produce much more than what their kids can consume. This is why it’s good to have a general idea of how much a doe is producing — in addition to long-term goals, breeding, and culling decisions. Wash the teats of the nanny goat to make sure they are not caked with dirt, mud, feces, or debris of any type that the milk will have to flow through to reach the bucket. You are brilliant! You’re not going for volume. It’s about supply and demand, and a single kid will demand as much as it can, but it it’s still nowhere near as much as what twins would consume. In fact, if the finger doesn’t turn red from you simply wrapping your pointer finger around the finger, you need to squeeze harder. Goat’s milk has been consumed for thousands of years, and in recent years, goats are making a strong comeback. If you are squeezing and no milk is coming out, that means you don’t have a good seal at the top of the teat and the milk is going back up into the udder. Keep scrolling! Previously we have described about how to milk a goat. But it’s been years since we’ve had a doe that took longer than three or four days to settle down and let us milk her. We’re hoping to get goats next year. If you are just learning to milk, it can be helpful to have someone hold one of the hind legs because most goats cannot kick the bucket over if they only have three legs on the milk stand. To nurse and still take what 's left over once a day separating. T produce much more than one goat because they are herd animals and rarely... 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