# How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got Milk"



## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

The guy I bought her from said that by upping her grain and alfalfa intake she will come in milk again even without being bred. He says he did it last year and was getting just shy of a gallon from her by milking her twice a day.
Mindy does seem to like me a lot and i know how to milk a horse, but how to I go about politely asking her for some milk?


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## meluvgoats (Apr 19, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

That seems a little odd but if it works why not? Well you should know the milking technique from the horses so do what he says and see if it works. its kinda up to you to decide if she likes you.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

I'd like to hear more input from people who have tried this before. but I'll give her a week or two to get to know me and I'll start grooming her all over. I've got Udder Butter to smoothe on her udders and soothe them.
I don't have a milking stand yet, and I know she's used to one. She has huge horns and knows how to use them. I'm going to really have to gain her confidence for this, I know.
I will probably give her an extra ration of grain when I do "udder time" with her cause I know she got that on the stanchion.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

I just started with what will be my game plan if I don't get any better ideas.
Mindy loves me and wants me to be with her, scratching her.
So I went in with her and scratched her withers good and petted her a bit, working my way down to her udder. When I touched her udder she pulled away, so I got up and walked away. Mindy followed.
So I started over, scratching and petting. Got to her udder and again she pulled away. So without a word I stood up and left the pasture. Mindy was left half climbimg the fence, calling to me. I didn't look back.
We'll do this again tomorrow morning after feeding and after she is well done eating her grain.
I won't try any actual milking. I just want her to accept me handling her udders.
What do you guys think?


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## meluvgoats (Apr 19, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

Very good idea!!! Do it everyday until she lets you touch her udders


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

That sounds good... another suggestion is that you scratch scratch scratch closer to the udde3r... the instant you feel her tense up go away a little, then closer, then away then closer. If she makes progress with out tensing/stressing then go away a lot and scratch her withers. Just another thought to add to what you already have going on (which sounds very good)
M.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

Yes, as she gets calmer, stands completely still as i scratch her I will do the get closer too the udder thing. Today she is still so new and nervous. She moves around a lot just because everything is new to her.
THings will get better with time.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

She wasw better, twice this evening. After I took Summer out of the pasture.
I scratched her whithers and down her side to her udder and she had no reaction when I trailed my fingers along her udder. I did this twice.
Third time she stepped away when I touched her udder and I immediately got up and left the pasture.
I'll keep this up several times a day, so she gets regular attention leading to my goal of udder touching. I'm not just going to make it all about the boobs though. I want to cultivate a relationship with this beautiful, intelligent doe.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

That is great! You are doing a fantastic job with her before you know it you will be milking with out tying just sitting out in the middle of the pasture! Good on you!
M.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

THat's the first goal; let me milk anytime. Then we get serious about collecting milk and feeding Pan, making cheese and other stuff .
Then I need to find a good alpine buck to breed her to this fall, if I have my druthers.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

Mindy was really good for me this afternoon. With her head in a bucket of grain she didn't care a bit as I worked my way down to her right udder. She let me hold it and even gently pull, not quite milking her.
I'm very pleased with her today .


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## meluvgoats (Apr 19, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*

try milking her soon!
I bet she'd let you if she is eating grain!


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy?*



meluvgoats said:


> try milking her soon!
> I bet she'd let you if she is eating grain!


Well I did; and she did!
It was really cool.   She was really good for my fumbling, newbie self :laugh: .
I went with really casual and took her a small bucket of grain, dumped it in her bucket, then I set the feed bucket under her. I only milked her a little, cause I just wanted it to be a good experience.
But the milk I got from her was a nice opaque white. It looked like real milk


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

Cool! congrats! :stars: :stars:


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

THanks Miranda!
Now I've got to get organized LOL.
She definitely needs to build more udder in order to produce any significant amount regularly. And I'd really love it if she could make enough milk to feed Pan .


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

Any advice/tips would be greatly welcomed!


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

no actual knowledge... lol but I'd guess if you just kept building up her confidence and once she is completely comfortable if you milk her out twice a day or something she should eventually increase production....
M.


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## meluvgoats (Apr 19, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

thats really good!!! Congrats :wahoo: :clap: :leap:  :hi5:


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

THank you guys!
But I think it's going to take us a little more time before we get to the "milking her out, twice a day" step.
We both need to get more confidant with each other, but I think we're off to a good start .


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

Is this doe cae negative? FOR SURE? If not...or you don't know...I would pasteurize the milk before you feed it to him. You don't want to accidentally expose Pan to anything.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

She is not cae negative that I know of. What is cae? Can a vet test for it?
Right now I'm not getting much milk from Mindy. I've kind of put trying on hold till I've got a stand built cause she's used to one and she's rather figity.
Thanks for the heads up on the cae. I wouldn't want to do anything that made Pan sick!


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

Yep, a vet can draw blood to test for it. Glad someone mentioned it. CAE is caprine arthritis encephalitis, its a nasty disease passed through the milk and more common in dairy goats (though all goats can get it). Basically the main form is the arthritic form, which adults will get, where they get a bad arthritis in the joints, mainly the knees which swell up and which is why the old common name for it was 'Big Knee'. Its very painful and if the goat becomes symptomatic she usually ends up being put down. Part of the problem is that they dont all show symptoms, and it they do its usually later in life. The symptoms can show up with their first kidding (the stress brings it on) or they might not show any symptoms until they are 10 years old, or they might never show any symptoms. But every kid who has drunk milk from that doe is likely infected. So you see it can be a real problem. Pasturising the milk makes it safe for the kids to drink without transmitting infection, and most dairy goat breeders will test all their does to know that they are cae negative and that the milk is safe to feed to kids.

The less common forms are the encephalitis form which affects young kids and is usually fatal, and in the adult it can also cause 'hard udder' where the udder is hard as a rock but no milk.

To be honest regarding milking her, I've got a couple does who will come into milk without being pregnant, and I tried everything I could last year to build them up to a normal milk yield, with very poor results. I got about a litre at the most. My personal opinion is its just not worth the extra time and feed, if you want Mindy milking properly I would just mate her (you can probably find someone with a buck who she could go on a 'date' with until your little man is big enough).


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

*Re: How and when should i try milking Mindy? *Update: "Got M*

Okay. The vet is coming next week to wether Pan and I'll have him draw blood on Mindy to test her for cae.
I think you're right about waiting for her to be "with kid" before I try to get much milk from her. She's a gorgeous doe, she'd make beautiful kids. I can wait. I'll find the perfect stud for her.


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