# Milk not coming down?



## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

So I'm on day two of milking.....


Yes, that means I have questions.

Actually yesterday I had an experienced milker come out and show me how she does things, just as an in person demonstration. That helped but, I still have questions. Lol.

So Peppy is a five year old ND. Kidded in September, giving a quart a day and I'm trying to increase her production as her previous owners were in the process of drying her off.

So, number one, she hates me. It was nearly impossible to clip her hooves but I managed, with a lot of wrestling. Even with wrestling I haven't managed to get b complex or probios into her, let alone a bolus...but I'll keep trying. She has also been really mean to my other goats, to the point that I built them a THIRD shelter yesterday morning because she kept kicking them out of the other two during a rainstorm. But, we'll keep working with her.


Now, her udders. One side I can hand milk fine, even with her tiny mouse teats. The other side though.... I just can't for the life of me milk it out. I can feel more in there, but it's almost like the teat doesn't fill back up afterwards. Does that make sense? The teat will be empty, but the udder will feel like there's more there. I have a homemade fruit jar milker that I can use in a pinch but I'd rather be able to handmilk. Is she just withholding on purpose or, is there something else I need to try? I do a lot of massaging and bumping to try and get a let down, just haven't been successful yet.....


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Do you have a milk stand? That will help contain her- then offer her feed. (some people feed on the 
milk stand, others don't, but for training- feed helps). Be patient with her. She will learn to trust you
then the milking will be easier. 

Just keep gently massaging her, bumping and milking. Probably patience is the main thing! Good luck! 
Hopefully, someone will have better ideas!


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

Goats Rock said:


> Do you have a milk stand? That will help contain her- then offer her feed. (some people feed on the
> milk stand, others don't, but for training- feed helps). Be patient with her. She will learn to trust you
> then the milking will be easier.
> 
> ...


Yes, I give her grain on a milk stand, and she'll eat, relax, chew cud.... Still won't drain that one side. It just permanently hangs lower than the other one and then has almost like a pouch of loose skin that hangs behind the teat....hard to describe but I will get a picture tomorrow.

But if you touch her feet or her head she'll freak out and kick like crazy. She's a grumpy ole goat. I managed to get 3 cups this morning, two cups after lunch, and another two cups tonight. Sooo maybe it'll continue to get better. Idk. I'm just worried I'm not getting everything.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

Some of my goats used to kick a lot on the milking stand, so I would just tie their feet together, then tie their legs down on the milking stand. That way they couldn't move anymore and eventually they got used to that and now I can milk them without any kicking.


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

Here's a before and after of our afternoon milking. I milked her at 6 this morning, got two cups, just now milked her at 2 pm and got just under one cup. Is there a way to even her out? Get her producing more? Can you tell from the picture if she is empty or not? Maybe that one side is just fleshier? Idk. I can't get a drop more. She is eating as much as she can on the stand three times a day, a mix of 18% sweet feed/noble goat mix and alfalfa pellets, then gets chaffhaye twice a day on top of as much hay as she wants and acv in her water. Utd on copper bolus, CDT, lid color is good..


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

Oh, and here's the loose skin on the bigger side. Normal?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It just looks like an udder not fully milked out. Is there an experienced milker who could come over and help you?


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

ksalvagno said:


> It just looks like an udder not fully milked out. Is there an experienced milker who could come over and help you?


I already had the person I knew come out to show me. :mecry:

And today she gave under four cups, then butted my three year old and knocked her over.

What do I do??? :GAAH:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Have her come back again and help you.


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

ksalvagno said:


> Have her come back again and help you.


She's an hour away and has five kids, I would really feel horrible asking her to come out again. Can you explain how you can tell that she's not milked out completely? Then I'll just make sure I massage and knead and work on it until it's resolved. What part are you looking at to tell?


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

Does she have a kid that she is still nursing? Or just left? 

Has she ever had mastitis? Or could she now? Does the milk look normal? No clumps or off color?

If it's just she doesn't know you, with time she should get better and hopefully behave better and let down better.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

jmez61690 said:


> She's an hour away and has five kids, I would really feel horrible asking her to come out again. Can you explain how you can tell that she's not milked out completely? Then I'll just make sure I massage and knead and work on it until it's resolved. What part are you looking at to tell?


Worse she can say is no or suggest someone else for you.


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## jmez61690 (Jun 16, 2015)

nicolemackenzie said:


> Does she have a kid that she is still nursing? Or just left?
> 
> Has she ever had mastitis? Or could she now? Does the milk look normal? No clumps or off color?
> 
> If it's just she doesn't know you, with time she should get better and hopefully behave better and let down better.


No kids, they were pulled and bottle fed/sold at birth. I'm not sure if she has ever had mastitis. I asked her previous owner what she thought and she hasn't answered, so I sought help from another friend who thought that everything was normal and that maybe the previous owner was using a milk machine that didn't work right on one side, and that she'll even out next freshening. Idk. I'm not overly thrilled with this doe but, it's giving me learning experience which is always valuable.

Her milk is perfect. White, creamy, smooth, delicious. There just isn't much of it. Under a quart a day after a week of milking 3 times a day.


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