# Can you just stop milking?



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm thinking ahead here. My girls are only three months old so I'm a long ways from milking. But...

I'm wondering, if I were to start to milk them and then had to stop for some reason can I?

Can you just quit milking after two weeks or a month or three months?


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## susanne (Nov 13, 2007)

delete


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

if there is like one day you cant milk for some reason yes you can just stop but you wont have a happy goat. You will need to milk them out again as soon as possible.

If you just stop all together you could end up with a goat having mastits plus being extremely uncomfortable. Drying them off is a process so if you know by X month you will need to have them dry, start at least 2 weeks before then the process of drying them off, sooner if they are producing a lot.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have pygmies that I milk and the process for drying them off is the same as a "dairy" goat...at least for my girls. As Stacey said..you can't just quit, it's a process and if you plan on not milking then let her kids on her till old enough to wean on their own or know when you need her dry. I know alot of dairy owners will continue to milk til their girls are 3-4 months pregnant but I like to have mine bred dry...and know that if I plan to breed in November I start to dry them off in September by going from 2x a day, and decreasing the grain to once a day then every other day for a month then during the every other day milking I decrease grain again to a 1/4 of what they had been getting and milk every 2 days to the 2nd week of October and no grain and no milking and they are dry and ready to breed the end of November.....it's a process no matter how you choose to do it.


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I should have explained - the reason I ask is because I do want to milk them BUT ... I have Radial Nerve Entrapment and Ulna issues in both arms. If I get started milking and then find I physically can't do it I need to know how to handle the situation. I would have to have my family help with the milking to dry them off and was wondering how long that would take.


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## susanne (Nov 13, 2007)

delete


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

thats understandable. Have you checked into making one of these:

http://www.dunnmilkingfarm.com/milker_under__10.htm


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks Stacey for posting that link!! It definately looks like something to try, I have a touch of arthritis and at times it's harder and takes longer to milk and with Angel having dinky teats and hoping next year makes them bigger it will really help with her! It looks simple enough to "build" too!


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## susanne (Nov 13, 2007)

delete


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm sure it will, but with just the "touch" that I have and the work that I do it will help with "conditioning" my hands when I do get to work 20 minutes after milking in the AM...they won't be as tight feeling when I get the mornings breakfast sausages ready.. :greengrin:


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

Great link Stacey ... I can make some movements without much pain and some I can't. That looks easy enough to try out if I need to someday.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Cinder, milking is basically squeezing and releasing...if you can find a soft ball to squeeze and release, it may help when you do decide to start milking...will get your hands used to the action and help build strength. :greengrin:


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

i tried to make that milker for the nigerians.. it didn't work at all


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Worked VERY WELL for me!! I'm excited about this


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

That is an awesome link! Thanks so much for sharing it! I cannot wait to try it!  I spent a lot for the Udderly EZ milker and I do not really like it, it works okay but not nearly the way I thought it would. I'm going to try this one though. Thanks Stacey!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

It works well as long as you can keep the suction going and BTW...a 20cc syringe works better than the 60 for nigis!! You still have to finish by hand but I was amazed at how this worked!


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

*Re: Can you just stop milking? / Hand milkers*

Did anybody save the info from the above link: http://www.dunnmilkingfarm.com/milker_under__10.htm

I've spent about 2 hours researching past posts about hand milkers & the above link got a lot of kudos, but it's no longer available. If anybody kept the plans or a copy of the page, I would really appreciate if they could forward it to me.


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## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Same problem here...link didn't work. Any ideas?


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## wookiee (Oct 26, 2009)

The WayBackMachine has an archive of the site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080307182638/http://www.dunnmilkingfarm.com/milker_under__10.htm

Of course, no images, so not as much help as you would hope. :roll: 
Let me know if this works for you!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I dont like that milker 

check out the Goat Sense 101 -- there is a discussion on handmilkers there that explains it better and links to ones that are more appropriet for use.


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

Thanks Stacey. If you don't like it, that's all I need to kow. I'll keep researching.


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## annettescapicchio (Apr 12, 2014)

I have a ten year old goat she has never had babies and every now and again her bags get big, then go down, but this time they seem to be huge and I have milked her a couple of times but they are still big and filled, she is eating fine and does not seem to be in any pain, should I try really milking till they go down, and stop the grain, any advice will be appreciated as she is my pet lives with one other female and a fixed mail.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would stop grain. Don't milk for a week and then milk her out. Hopefully that will take care of it for you.


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