# Kicking milker



## goatgirl9716 (Jun 22, 2013)

What can I do to keep one of my first time milkers from kicking me or the bucket??


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

what i've read, to tie or Velcro her legs to something (fence post, milk stand, etc). or take away her grain until she behaves.


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## mlktrkdrvr (Dec 7, 2012)

I had the same problem 2 weeks ago. Our FF went BERSERK (kicked, jumped, laid down, screamed, tried to jump off the stand with her head locked in, fell off the stand, pulled- it was ugly) when I tried to milk her. I finally got my daughter to rub her belly and sing to her while I milked. If she would lay down I pulled her back up by her tail- maybe not the proper way to do it in goats but it sure works well with pigs. She is on day 15 of her lactation now and stands very nicely- until her grain runs out. I think it is just time and a lot of patients and practice. Good luck.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You can start with just working on getting her used to it and let the milk go on the ground.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I hobble, and also when anyone acts up they get their food taken away until they are behaving again.


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## keeponfarming (Jun 12, 2013)

First thing, Make sure you have a milking stand or build one! they are really simple and PERFECT for milking/hoof trimming or any time you need to be hands on, so build one if you don't already have one!....Then get them in it, feed them...Lock the head piece. and hobble time!! you can order it online for goats i got my pair from hoegger, Now i did need to punch another hole into it. because my goats where HORRIBLE! At being milked, kicking,screaming,bucking,biting,stomping, bad bad bad! i had to get them as TIGHT as i could, with food being offered and just go to work, they Will still kick if they really tried!...but you Can milk!.... for the first week i just milked and threw out the milk because they would end up kicking the bucket....After that they would stand well only with the hobble on....then about 3 months of working...They calming walk up, get locked in, eat and let me milk...no problems!  also i have a hand pump milker (faster then hand milking and cleaner!) i got it off ebay, my goats seem to prefer that over me hand milking...even when i had one goat that would always kick...she would be OK with that hand pump milker, but if i did it by hand she would have a hissy fit!


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I bought the Velcro hobble from hoeggars, it's great. I have a FF and we're still getting the hang of it. I put the hobble on and clip a rope on it and tie that to the leg of my stand. Some days she's better than others


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Here is a link to my miking tips page http://amped-goats.wix.com/ampg#!milking-tips/c7ja Hope is gives you some ideas.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

The first goat I bought in milk was 4 Weeks fresh. She was new to me and milking. She bounced all over, kicked me in the mouth once, it was bad. My husband would come out with me when he was home and push down on her behind to keep her still. In the mornings I put my foot on the stanchion and knee under her belly which put her back feet of the ground. It was uncomfortable for me but I could milk. Eventually she grew in that month to walk off my leg., but she also started to get used to the idea. It takes time and is frustrating but it is worth it


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

This years FF was much more difficult than last years. She jumped, hopped, kicked, stepped in you name it. After that, I decided to tie one leg, sometimes it worked other wise she'd buck up and move the whole stand. then I tied both legs. Each time I'd give her the chance to stand before tying, then one leg then the other. With in about 3 weeks, we were tying less and less. Now she runs in hops on the stand to get her grain.


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## ahead-by-a-hare (Jan 6, 2013)

My FF last year I only milked to even her out as she only had one kid. She bruised me terrible. I put a bucket under her belly so she couldn't lay down. This worked as long as she didn't kick it out with those back feet! I am worried about trying this year. My dad said just take a 2x4 drill holes in it run a roper through( reuse baler twine  tie her to the board. Most everyone has a board and baler twine around!


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I started getting my FF's used to the stand a few weeks ago. I fed them on the stand and pet them and touched their udders. The first one kidded on Friday night and I've been stripping one side since she had a single. Haven't put her on the stand, but she lets me do it nicely in the stall while she eats


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## fibromom (Mar 31, 2013)

_...stands very nicely- until her grain runs out
_My story exactly. I've tried hobbling her. OH MY GOSH. She turns into a crazed beast! It takes 2 of us_: _me to milk (on our beautiful stand my dh built to my specifications), my "assistant" to keep the grain coming, hand me stuff and run the milk to the freezer when we've reached our goal!As long as she's got grain and other snacks, we're good... but if I end up milking for longer than she has appetite, oh oh.I'm disabled so this whole thing is trial and error with lots of accommodations for me.BTW, PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US: The (8+ week old) twins were locked in their spacious, comfortable dog run, separated from Mom, 2 nights ago for their first times. Everybody did perfectly and WE GOT ALMOST 2 QUARTS OF MILK each of the next mornings!_ Cheesemaker/soapmaker I will soon be!
_


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## cdanna (Dec 17, 2012)

Man what a pain in the butt, I just wrote a long reply and deleted it!

I have two FF's that I got about 4 weeks ago. Cherry started off suuuper sweet, but over the course of two weeks started to go nuts on me...kicking, screaming, laying down, etc. I tried a bunch of different things I read about- giving her the grain first, giving her the grain last, tying her legs together, tying them to the milk stand, holding one leg and milking with the other hand, etc. What finally worked was I got a thick hobble and put it on her upper legs like on fiasco farms, and I gave her grain a little bit at a time instead of all at once. She is learning to be patient and that she cant kick with the hobble on.

My other one, Colleen, started out as a total nut case- she was a rescue and she wasn't used to anyone but the lady who saved her life, so it was totally understandable for her to flip out on me. My house mate sat on one side and put his arm around her to hold her down and calm her while I milked the first few times. I didnt try anything special with her, but over those same two weeks she got used to my presence and calmed down, now she doesn't give a hoot as long as there's grain in the bucket.

So basically, what works for one goat might not work for another. Take all the advice you read here and elsewhere and try it out, dont get discouraged (like I did) if it doesn't work, just keep trying until you find something that does.


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