# Simple? milking question from new goat owners



## spiral_72 (Sep 28, 2011)

Good afternoon! My wife found a Nubian goat got for sale locally by a nice family. Obviously we bought the fat black and white nanny (or else I wouldn't be here  )

We've been learning fast, reading, trying things, and generally trying to keep the goat in good shape. She give birth to two about six months ago, and is still producing milk. For us, milking the girl was a real pain for about one week, surely due to my inexperience and the nanny being in all new surroundings. The nanny has since calmed down a lot, with milking time more about gettin' a bucket full rather than being in a rodeo.

Now the the simple? question: The goat assumes a position, we clean, spray water/vinegar, use udder balm, etc, then I start with a couple shots from the teat on the ground (for each teat) before collecting any. GENERALLY the first few shots are hard to produce until I get a brown flake of some kind, then the milk flows freely enough. Rarely does the teat plug after the initial event, and it's not that hard to clear, just work the teat a bit while applying steady pressure with my hand, sometimes it takes good solid squeeze....

Is this just dirt covering the orifice you think? I've read all about blockages, but I wouldn't necessarily call this a blockage... It's definitely not red, PROBABLY not black, but every time I've seen the flake, it's been brown (we milk at 9pm with a light)

.....oh and my hands hurt after a week and a half of this!!!


EDIT: After reading some more, giving milk for six months sounds like an unusually long time. Maybe the previous owner said six weeks??


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Welcome from NJ :wave: 

I have only milked a few times so can't help you there but I am sure other here have some help for you.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I start milking once a day at 3 weeks fresh....the plug your doe has is normal, but it's likely heavy because you may not be stripping her totally out , leaving even a little milk in the teat will cause a plug of "thickened" milk to form, it's more likely discolored due to it doing it's job of keeping the duct free of dirt, etc.

I use baby wipes before and after milking, I also shave my does udders and bellies to keep the hair out of the pail and with short hair, it's less likely to collect dirt. I only use bag balm if my girls seem chapped or if a kid caused a scrape with teeth. 
Most dairy does will produce milk for a good while/ good genetics can have a doe producing longer than the 10 months they are expected to without being bred to freshen. I currently milk my does til the month they are bred...that's usually now and I dried them off a week ago after freshening in February.
Your doe could have very well freshened 6 months ago...they will stay in milk as long as they are either being milked or are still nursing kids and have a good quality diet.


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## spiral_72 (Sep 28, 2011)

Liz, you were very helpful and answered all my questions plus some. Thank you! Now I feel better about what I'm seeing.

We will ease up on the bag balm... we have the most moisturized goat around for sure! It does seem to help a little (for me) during milking over not using it. We purchased what I think is a nice stainless basic milking kit online, although it's not arrived yet. It's a 2qt pail, 200 filters, funnel, teat dip, and some other assorted goodies. Maybe it was a bit over priced, but I was tired of using the paper towel filter and the huge stainless mixing bowl. I couldn't find any of the stuff locally.

According to the family we purchased the goat from, she has been bred (now) three weeks ago. She was due to come in heat on Sept 21st, but we saw no signs of heat...... not that I really have experience with this sort of thing y'know  We might have some kids on the way!

Is it proper to call the goat a nanny? Or is Doe preferred by the seasoned professional?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Congrats on you first goat. They are fun animals to raise and are sure to give you some laughs. I wouldn't trade mine for the world.


Well to answer your last question. Nanny is a slang, many people use it but yes doe is preferred. Males are also called bucks like deer.

If the plug is just a little flake its just a plug they get that helps keep all the bacteria out of the udder. The longer you let the does go unmilked say 12 hours fill it gets thicker than if you were to milk her twice a day. I have one doe that gets a thick plug even after just a short fill time and she takes a bit to get milk flowing nice because of an old injury that cause some of the mammary tissue to slip down into the teat.

There is no perfect way to hold your hand just find a way that is more comfortable for you and your new goat. You will find ways to get milk to flow better with the least amount of effort. Every doe is different and requires a different technique to get a nice stream. Also if you want to try and get more out of her some does will hold back milk so what you do is bump her udder like a kid would do after it looks like you have milked her out. You hold your hand on her teat like you are going to milk but gently bump your hand up into her udder. It sounds like she is a little skittish about being milked so be careful to get her used to it or you'll loose all your hard earned milk from a stray hoof.

As for filtering milk you can also use coffee filters like the ones that clip into the unit not the disposable ones they make milk flow very slow and can be a bit of pain though they do get every speck of dirt.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

spiral_72 said:


> We will ease up on the bag balm... we have the most moisturized goat around for sure! It does seem to help a little (for me) during milking over not using it. ?


I wouldn't stop using the bag balm. It is easier to milk my goats when
I apply a thin layer of bag balm too. It probably has more to do with a
person's milking technique. You are just perfecting your technique and
things sound like they are coming along. The bag balm sure as heck
doesn't hurt anything and if it is making it easier for you and your
doe, then I would keep using it.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I milk 5 goats twice a day. Generally my girls are in milk for 9-10 months before they are dried off to get ready for kids and the next lacation.
One item you might want to consider, if you don't already have, is a milking stand. You can make one out of wood or buy a ready made one. They are invaluable for milking, clipping and medications! Get a milk stool the right height and your hands and arms will not get as tired milking!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Bag Balm allows bacteria to grow in a nice protected area inbetween the udder and it's self. This can cause you you all the grief of staff dermatitis and mastitis. If you do use it for milking you would be well advised to wash it off with soapy water afterward.


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## francismilker (Oct 22, 2011)

goathiker said:


> *Bag Balm allows bacteria to grow in a nice protected area inbetween the udder and it's self.* This can cause you you all the grief of staff dermatitis and mastitis. If you do use it for milking you would be well advised to wash it off with soapy water afterward.


My vet has told me the same thing with cattle. He stated that if bag balm is needed in order to protect teats from chapping or cuts that the udder and teat(s) should be cleaned before applying it and before milking next time with a good udder sanitizer. I rarely used it on cows and haven't had more than a couple instances where I felt it was needed on goats.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Welcome from WA!

I too am new to milking this year and had one stubborn goat to work with! It took us about two weeks to get used to this whole milking thing..she had never been milked before and I had never milked! Thankfully I had a woman neighbor who had 100 milking goats at one time and she was invaluable to me! Also the lady next dooe just happened to have an old milk stand that she sold me for $5! Much easier than tieing the goat up and sitting on the ground! Altho, I think I need a higher stool to sit on!

I have tentinitus and so milking was literally a pain when I first started! Now not so much. I think the milking has actually helped me! It is all about position and you will learn which position is best for you. My girl has an uneven udder as she had a single as a FF who only drank off one side. She had twins this year who drink off both sides, which has helped. So I have one really nice big teat and one smalll one. I am constantly squirting milk into my palm on the small side! It gets better and sometimes I can get into a rythem that is awesome!

I too had her plug up on me and it took a bit of work to unplug her. I only seperate the kids at night, they have her during the day after I milk her in the morning. I think this has helped me wiht the plug situation as now she doesn't plug up at all. I just use warm soapy water before and after I milk. 

Right now she is only giving me a quart of milk (down from 1/2 gallon) as she is weaning her kids and I had stopped milking her for a month when she was in high production. I will most likely start drying her up when I breed her in Dec.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Why would you put bag balm on before you washed the udder?
The first thing I do before I milk is wash the udder thoroughly with soapy water and then dry with a clean towel. Then I apply a thin layer of bag balm to the teats and then milk. I don't wipe it off when I'm done. I leave it. If bag balm has the ability to trap in bacteria, then it must also have the ability to keep bacteria out. At least that is my theory. I use the bag balm for two reasons. One, I have a lot of black berry bushes that the does get into often. Two, it facilitates my unorthadox milking technique. The application of the balm seems to help initiate let down. I have rather large hands and found the easiest way for me to milk is to clench the base of the teat with my thumb and forefinger and basically slide this clench down the teat. I do mix in the traditional milking motion in there a little. Not trying to change how anyone else milks, just defending what works for me. I have had zero trouble with infections of any kind with my does' udders.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I think your hands will get stronger as you milk more. I remember that hurting in the beginning. I think the rest of your questions are discussed plenty already. Welcome to the Goat spot!

Jan


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I think with the bag balm it's a difference of using a little to milk or slathering the whole udder just because. Bacteria could travel under the bag balm where it's interupted by hairs. Also washing it off at every milking and reapplying to a clean udder will disturb bacteria. 
Too many people use it like they are puttying a wall.
Where you live is going to make a difference too. Here it's wet almost always and to prevent infection or scald everything must be kept as dry as possible.
Also a confined goat is going to have more chips and dirt sticking to a greasy area than a pastured goat.
It always comes down to finding what works best for your herd, in your backyard.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

goathiker said:


> I think with the bag balm it's a difference of using a little to milk or slathering the whole udder just because. Bacteria could travel under the bag balm where it's interupted by hairs. Also washing it off at every milking and reapplying to a clean udder will disturb bacteria.
> Too many people use it like they are puttying a wall.
> Where you live is going to make a difference too. Here it's wet almost always and to prevent infection or scald everything must be kept as dry as possible.
> Also a confined goat is going to have more chips and dirt sticking to a greasy area than a pastured goat.
> It always comes down to finding what works best for your herd, in your backyard.


Makes sense. I don't use it as some sort of magical cure all. Bag balm is just petroleum and lanolin. I've used vasolene when I run out of bag balm. It's just how I milk and it hasn't caused me any problems when used the way I use it.


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