Milking questions

babsbag

Herd Master
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
7,886
Reaction score
9,317
Points
593
Location
Anderson, CA
This isn't a very fair comparison though as the goats are not milked every day or 2x day... every other day or longer is not producing the same volume... and I know you ;)... you will throw them on that stand if they get too full! :plbb

But I haven't always milked every other day, or even once a day....I used to be a "normal" goat owner and milk two or three goats twice a day. I dam raise most of my kids and will sell the kid "cold turkey" at weaning and the doe doesn't necessarily get milked. Depends on the doe and if I can catch her or not. This year I started selling off does that I couldn't catch but up until this spring I had goats that I had never milked. I ended up with a couple of very sore teats on two FF last year that had singles and wouldn't let me milk them. Eventually I had to hobble them and almost hog tie them but not until the teats cracked from being so full, it was a mess. Mother and daughter too.

I don't intend to milk year round in the dairy so when we are done, we are done. And yes, there will be some cold turkey drying offs, I can guarantee it. It won't pay to milk a few and keep it, and it won't pay time wise to milk and toss it. Also, goats being goats it will have everyone in a tizzy if I only milk part of them.
 

babsbag

Herd Master
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
7,886
Reaction score
9,317
Points
593
Location
Anderson, CA
@babsbag I'm interested to hear how it goes after this year! Every other day... Wow that's a new schedule! Ha ha

It is a schedule that works for me. Building a dairy takes a lot of time, as does growing a garden, canning produce, raising goats, raising chickens, etc. I can only eat so much cheese and it doesn't take much milk to make soap. I needed the milk for some bottle babies and this was the cheapest way. I was milking 20 goats and tossing milk like crazy. I am now milking 10, sometimes 11 when she will let me catch her, and I have just enough milk for the kids. I would like to milk one or two every day before I stop to see if the curd problem goes away but it is also a pain in the neck to milk one or two by machine and it is a pain in the arm, literally, to do it by hand. But I might still do that. I have one that is just coming into milk now and really really needs me to milk her, but she hates hand milking. Gosh these animals are difficult.
 

NH homesteader

Herd Master
Joined
Jul 9, 2016
Messages
3,815
Reaction score
3,857
Points
353
Location
New Hampshire
That all sounds so exhausting! So you have the kids stay with them when you aren't milking? Kudos to you on building the dairy, that sounds like way too much work to me!

Also interesting about the curd problem.... Hmm.
 

Goat Whisperer

Herd Master
Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
4,832
Reaction score
6,567
Points
463
Location
North Carolina
I can't imagine having to go out and catch goats to milk them :th

All of ours know their names so when they are in the field eating hay all I have to do is call them. Except the OCD or ADD goats, they pace the barn until it's their turn.
 

babsbag

Herd Master
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
7,886
Reaction score
9,317
Points
593
Location
Anderson, CA
I have always let the does raise their kids and used to separate them at night and milk every morning. This year I pulled the kids I wanted to keep and either starting milking the does or sold them. I sold quite a few goats that were brats. As the kids got to weaning age and I sold them I had to start milking the dams but I was spending 2-3 hours a day milking for no good reason. So I started milking them every other day, and some I just stopped. It has been an interesting year, I had intended to have the dairy done but it didn't happen. I have way to many goats out there but I am hesitant to sell too many of them for fear I will be looking for goats next year, and I don't really want to do that.
 

NH homesteader

Herd Master
Joined
Jul 9, 2016
Messages
3,815
Reaction score
3,857
Points
353
Location
New Hampshire
I think one of my goats has OCD. I can't change anything without her freaking out. She's the only one who had a hard time being put in a new, brush filled pen. Poor girl was from a home with 2 calm adult humans and 2-3 other older calm goats. Then we bought her and she's gotten used to pigs squealing, a 3 year old human, 2 crazy dogs and tons of chickens. It took a while though!
 

Southern by choice

Herd Master
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Messages
13,336
Reaction score
14,682
Points
613
Location
North Carolina
So glad I asked this and I have so much to think about now! So what is a full lactation for a Nigerian? It's 10 months typically for a standard right? Or did I remember that wrong?

@Goat Whisperer that is awful!

@Southern by choice good point about recovery of milking. I hadn't thought of that. And... Next year when I want to get into meat goats I'll be researching all this about boers... Hmm... I am having a hard time finding kikos around here but boers are easy to find. Perhaps not worth it by what you say!

@babsbag I'm interested to hear how it goes after this year! Every other day... Wow that's a new schedule! Ha ha

When on milk test 305 days is what is required... that is why people say 10 months.

10 months for any breed. Standard, Miniature, or Dwarf.

Keep in mind. A goat can milk for 10 months but out of those 10 months is the doe consistent? For example- I'll use a Nigerian.
Leaving out protein and butterfat and all the other stuff...

Doe A gives 3# day BUT after 3 months goes down to 2# and a month or 2 later goes down to 1#

Doe B gives 2 1/2# day and after peak goes to 2# but stays steady all the way through til 9-10 month mark.

Which would you pick?

I just plugged in random numbers... but the point is most of us for home use want a consistent animal. Not 4-5 months of milk in the pail and the other 5 not worth milking for.

HOW you milk determines a great deal as well. You learn what works for you and the goat. You may find a particular goat does better one way over another.

For us Millie (our unregistered Lamancha) is our go to goat.
We don't need to milk her. She has a single on her and her single is huge... she doesn't spend all day with her mom either. Once we dry all the other does off we will milk her. Her production will increase and she will take us through the winter and while everyone is kidding and we are feeding bottle babies. We have milked her a few times because we make certain recipes with ONLY MILLIE MILK! :) Her daughter, our Mini is just as awesome. As a FF she milked a full 10 months with phenomenal consistency. We had to FORCIBLY dry her off. It was a pain. Both her and her mom really don't need bred every year they will just stay in milk.
 

Southern by choice

Herd Master
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Messages
13,336
Reaction score
14,682
Points
613
Location
North Carolina
Forgot to add.

KIKOS are the best goat ever! :thumbsup

Seriously. They just LIVE!
No fuss, no muss. I wish all my goats were like kikos.
I just said this yesterday to my DH.

When we move I hope to increase our herd and do more with them.
@TAH has a great link to where they are getting theirs. I may have to look at them as well. We test our meatgoats for CAE, CL, and Johnes but don't know of anyone else who does. I think the people TAH found does.

I like their personality as well. Ours are sweethearts!
 

Southern by choice

Herd Master
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Messages
13,336
Reaction score
14,682
Points
613
Location
North Carolina
LOL We are keeping her doeling fom this year.
We have her first kid that was a mini sold her others and she was bred for standards to our Lamancha Buck (VERY NICE BUCK) ...

We have friends that their one child wants Millie- it is and I quote- "the ONLY milk I like mommy... Millie milk!" :D
 

Latest posts

Top