Milk machine troubles

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Hi all! So, we’re still having issues with our one goat, Busty, making too much milk for her triplets. She gets engorgEd, and is sometimes not able or willing to nurse. I followed different advice on here...to just milk her a tad and then put the kids to her, to milk her out a lot twice a day, etc. We ended kind of going with our gut right now based on her actions. She hates it all. We milk her as much as she will allow, and let the kids nurse. She’s definitely feeding them without our help, but, she needs relief from the milk. And they come scurrying over when we put her on the stand. She lays down, she cry’s, etc. yes, we feed her, etc. Anyways. We bought a milk machine. A pretty cheap one on Amazon, but it said it was amazon’s choice. It had the exact same description and picture as the more expensive ones. Anyways. We’ve used it three times. We get her flowing first. It seems like....at first..nothing happens. Then, it’ll flow great...super for like, a minute. Then peter out. I’m too scared to do it by myself. Chris basically massages her udder while its going to make the milk flow. The whole time I’m on edge beca she’s not happy. Nothing much comes out, after 10 minutes, we give up, hand milk and then let the kids nurse. We always start the machine before we put it on now. Th3 first few times we didn’t, and it was harder. Any ideas?

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Are her teats wet when you start? And mimic what the babies do with your hand on head butting the utter. And are the teat cups the right soze?

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Are her teats wet when you start? And mimic what the babies do with your hand on head butting the utter. And are the teat cups the right soze?

They’re not wet, but we can do that. The cup size looks right. Why the head butted, just to get her ready?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

You got to bump the udder like the kids do so she will let her milk down..watch them hit and give her a head bump or two before she feeds them....that's what you need to do too.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Also watch as her udder empties with it if it sucks to much in it will hurt.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Ok, so we’re still having issues with the dumb milk machine!! We know the milk is IN there, and if we hand milk, it flows, but the machine is not doing it’s job. Tonight Chris got so frustrated he dumped the 3tbs of milk on the floor after working on Busty for awhile. So, should I return it and try a more expensive one, even though they all have the same write up? Our goal is not to get milk for us, it’s to help the goats. But it’s almost time to wean the kids, and I really should get to weaning Sugar in the other barn...she’s three mths now. So, don’t I need a new machine to get their milk and put the milk in a bucket to teach the kids how to drink from a bowl? Does anyone have a cheap one they like and I could convince a Chris to buy? I could even secretly put in some of my own money...he’s just sooo stubborn! BUT, his cheap ways have afforded us a beautiful way of life...for that, I am grateful! But I still want a quali milk machine!!

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Ok, so we’re still having issues with the dumb milk machine!! We know the milk is IN there, and if we hand milk, it flows, but the machine is not doing it’s job. Tonight Chris got so frustrated he dumped the 3tbs of milk on the floor after working on Busty for awhile. So, should I return it and try a more expensive one, even though they all have the same write up? Our goal is not to get milk for us, it’s to help the goats. But it’s almost time to wean the kids, and I really should get to weaning Sugar in the other barn...she’s three mths now. So, don’t I need a new machine to get their milk and put the milk in a bucket to teach the kids how to drink from a bowl? Does anyone have a cheap one they like and I could convince a Chris to buy? I could even secretly put in some of my own money...he’s just sooo stubborn! BUT, his cheap ways have afforded us a beautiful way of life...for that, I am grateful! But I still want a quali milk machine!!

Oh we bump the heck out her udder. We even squeeze her side to help it flow. I think it’s just just junk.

 

[Mini Horses]

I see no gauge to monitor pressure. It could be too much pressure and uncomfortable for her. Also, see no pulsator....which helps with pressure as when sucking by kids.

I use a hand controlled pressure pump, with gauge, so I am able to control pressure and intensity. mine decreases pressure and I pump by hand to alter length and intensity.

Yes, kids butt to tell her to "give it up". She will.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

I had one doe the milk machine would work for the other nope it would milk her half way and stop i would finish her by hand. Her teats were much smaller then her sister both in length and width the smallest cups i had didn't work on her when she was half way. The machine would start to suck in to much. Mine didn't have a pressure control. Dansha farm milker is the one i had https://danshafarms.com/product/brute-milking-kit/. I still have just need to take a part and fix it from lack of use and order new hoses and cups for it.

 

[farmerjan]

I am no expert on goats. But there may be a problem with her own body not producing enough oxytocin to cause and sustain the milk letdown. It happens in cows. Not seen often, but does happen, and seems to be hereditary. Had one cow on the dairy I used to milk on that would let down about a gallon (8-10 lbs) then just quit. Gave her 1 cc of oxytocin and she would milk another 4-5 gallons (40-50 lbs.) of milk. Her daughter inherited this defect.
Perhaps that is why the goat is not "getting milked out" and why she is fighting it so much. I don't know. I would think that 1/4th cc of oxytocin in the muscle of the rear leg, wait about 1-2 minutes, then see if the milk flow gets more and better. We also use it to make sure an animal that has mastitis has complete milk letdown and gets totally milked out. Sometimes that is better than anything to prevent a mastitis flareup if the udder on the cow is harder than normal when they come in for a milking before any clinical signs of mastitis actually show up in the milk.
Also I agree with the butting of the bag. Have you ever watched goat kids or lambs go running up to their mother and butt the living daylights out of them, to actually lift them off the ground? It is to get the milk flow and the release of oxytocin which gets the milk letdown going.
There are also some animals that just don't like being milked. They need to be culled.