# Hand cramps



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

I do enjoy my time milking, but my hands are just cramping up with these little niggie teats. Is there a trick, or will my muscles just get used to it?


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I usualy milk with my index and thumb and if it is a bigger teat I add in my middle finger. I push the teat between the lower part of my index finger (where it joins the hand) with my thumb.

a little cramping is normal your hand will get use to the motion soon


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Maybe buy one of those squishy balls that you can squeeze with your hand.....it will help strengthen your hand ..so you can milk longer.... :wink:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I do as Stacey does....but it's a bit more difficult for me and took awhile to get used to it because I don't have what you would call dainty, ladylike hands! They are big and milking those little teats can be a chore....I use those clamp looking spring loaded hand strengtheners for the "time off" or as I do now....keep a girl in milk, so your hands stay strong. :greengrin:


----------



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

I milk like you guys do, I guess I just need to get stronger hands.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

as a young teen and I was milking guys would comment on how strong my grip was! :greengrin:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

You should see my forearms!!! LOL More muscle there than any female I know :ROFL: It takes time to get built up to the point that it doesn't cause your hands to cramp.


----------



## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Yeah it just takes time...when I first started milking my hands would cramp so bad, it was painful. They'll get stronger with time.


----------



## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

I agree, it takes me a month of milking for the camps in my hands to ease up, by they do.

I've always wanted to try the Maggidans Milker, it's supposed to be great for teeny weeny teats. http://www.maggidans.com/milker.htm If you have little extra cash rolling around, hee hee, it might be worth a shot.


----------



## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

IF you have a few dollars you can make one. Its not that hard either. I have made one based on someone elses but have not tried it.


----------



## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

I've thought about making one myself, Crocee. It's basically, a cattle drench gun, IV tubing, and the barrel of a syringe. I'ld like to know how yours works out.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I tried the one I made....didn't care for it, took too long and you still need to hand strip the doe.


----------



## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Well I may find out tomorrow. I am going to attempt to milk the doe who freshened on Wednesday. Shes got milk and I want some of it. I am going to lock the babies up and steal me some milk. If I don't milk her, her udder is never going to get bigger and I will always have to supplement those kids.


----------



## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

I really just like the fact that the doe cant get her feet near the bucket, that would be nice on my first freshners :roll: Of course knowing my does, they would just step on the tubing or crush the cup. I attempted to milk Glitz when she freshened this year, she would be sweetly chewing eating dinner, I'ld get her almost milked out and then CLANK, she's knocked over the entire pail and refuse for me to touch her, I cant tell you the bruises I have from that darn goat. I just know she was watching me cry over spilt milk snickering. :GAAH:


----------



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

"Never cry over spilled milk ". . . I swear that must have been said by some man after watching his wife go to tears seeing all her hard work go to waste when the goat knocked over the bucket! :wink:


----------



## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

My sister and myself were the only ones who could milk the Nigerians, I had to rest my hands after a little while and milk again but that is one reason we went with the Mini-Nubians though.


----------



## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

You need does with bigger teats. I have been there and done that. Had some that my hands would cramp up horribly. Used the Maggidan milker for them. Then they were gone. I couldn't deal with that long so I've weeded those lines out of my herd. 

Does with good teats are so much easier to milk and my hands don't cramp up at all. The maggidan milker is saved for FF who have smaller teats now, or if I can I avoid using it because its been more trouble than its worth.


----------



## PotterWatch (Jan 23, 2009)

I just wish I could milk a little faster. It took me almost 20mins start to finish to milk Bella today. She doesn't have big teats since she is a mini, but they aren't horribly small either. Her orafice size seems ok to me (not that I have much frame of reference), she just has so much milk on one side that it takes forever to get it all. Even when I quit, I'm sure I could have gotten more... I just didn't have the time! I don't know how much milk is a decent amount, but I am getting almost a quart from one side and much less than that from the other side that her doeling is nursing on.


----------



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

That is me too. It takes me so long to milk because I have to keep stopping. Yesterday I just gave up and put the kids on her and left her with the kids this morning. Tomorrow I will milk her again. She milks out easily, my hands just get sore.

I have thought about adding a Nubian to my heard.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

PotterWatch said:


> I just wish I could milk a little faster. It took me almost 20mins start to finish to milk Bella today. She doesn't have big teats since she is a mini, but they aren't horribly small either. Her orafice size seems ok to me (not that I have much frame of reference), she just has so much milk on one side that it takes forever to get it all. Even when I quit, I'm sure I could have gotten more... I just didn't have the time! I don't know how much milk is a decent amount, but I am getting almost a quart from one side and much less than that from the other side that her doeling is nursing on.


of a mini mancha you are getting 1 quart from one side? thats pretty good :thumb:


----------



## PotterWatch (Jan 23, 2009)

That's good to know. Being so new at this, I really have no idea if what I get is a decent amount or not. The last couple days, I have gotten a little less than a quart in the morning and about 3/4 of a quart in the evening. Almost all of it is from one side as her doeling is still nursing on the other side.


----------



## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

That little doeling may be taking a quick sip from the wrong teat every now and then


----------



## PotterWatch (Jan 23, 2009)

I'd be happier if she would nurse evenly :roll: . The teat on the side she doesn't nurse is a little smaller with a slightly smaller oriface than the other side making it take longer to get all the milk than if it were split evenly between the two. Darn goat!


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I do have to say that it's good that you are milking the side the kid is neglecting...it will keep her udder evened out and you won'tr have a "lopsided" doe with her next freshening. Besides that, getting that amount from one side is very good!


----------

