# Teaching a goat how to stand for milking... help?



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I've tried to find a thread on this but apparently can't come up with the right words.

This new doe that I'm getting if things work out is 3 yrs. old and is due to freshen in January. She's never been milked but has kidded in the past with no difficulties.

How do I teach her to stand patiently on the milk stand?


----------



## heathersboers (Sep 5, 2008)

Practice-Practice-Practice- You could put her a bucket of feed where her head goes???


----------



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

Yes, I should have said that I have a milk stand with a feeder dish where my goats get feed while I'm milking. How do I keep her from kicking her legs?


----------



## heathersboers (Sep 5, 2008)

I have actually had to hobble a doe for the first few times milking- She calmed down after a while and got better.


----------



## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

I've had some crazy kickers in my time...basically they have to learn that no matter how much they kick they are going to still get milked. You could use a hobble as well, it goes up around their hocks as opposed to down around the pasterns.


----------



## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

That day or the next day after she kids get her up on the milking stand and milk her. If you don't want to milk her by hand right away then you can put her kid/kids on their and have them milk her. That way she gets use to milking on the milking stand. You can also make sure the kids are getting milk that way. Especially if there are a lot of kids and you want to make sure they all get their share of colostrum.

I also feed all my does that are due to freshen on the milking stand so that they understand the milking stand is where they are fed. 

If she does kick then you can hobble her. 

You made me think about how many first fresheners I will need to milk next year! *groan*


----------



## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Like everyone else said, it takes A LOT of work and practice. We've had only one that didn't get used to it. . . . sometimes they just have a bratty personality and never make good milkers. But hopefully your doe gets used to it really quick.

One doe we've milked in the past did not like to be milked any other way except from behind. It was interesting. . . . maybe you could try that?? 

What we've done with all baby does that we keep (and ones we bought) is to play a lot with their teats, tug on them gently (as if you were milking them). All the does I plan on milking next year are okay with me doing this. . . . they even act like it feels good or something, a nice massage.  So, I'm excited for milking!


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

My girls have been taught by feed...if they stand still and let me milk, they can have the grain...if they start kicking or moving around I cover the grain so they can't get it...it takes awhile before it sinks in but they do get the hang of it....also, for first timers, I milk one handed into a small container while holding onto it with my free hand...no spilled milk if she gets jumpy....then proceed to the other side in the same manner.


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

yea .. broken record..

practice, food and hobbles..nothing better


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Also the other thing to do is just put your hand on her udder, and hold it there even while she is jumping around and kicking, so that she learns that the kicking and jumping doesnt stop you from touching her.


----------



## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

I can't do anything but agree!

Hope was pretty wild when I brought her home, in milk. I'd catch her with a bit of grain, snub her and tie her to a post, and then just stubbornly milk until I was done!

:greengrin:


----------



## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

One thing that I found with my FF or older does that were never milked is that on milk stand the base is a bit bigger, so I can sit on it next to the doe while milking. I would slide my leg closest to the doe under her and put my knee up, so that it traps them next to me. They couldn't fight or jump around that way.

Not sure if that made sense to you or not - LOL! If not, let me know and I can have hubby take a pic tommorrow when we draw blood.


----------



## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

We've had kickers, tappers, and squatters.

Our first goat that we milked is the Nubian in my profile picture, oh how she loved to kick. We came up with a routine, I held her in place, as out milk stand is against a fence, I would hold her against that, and hold her legs. It took about a week & a half until she learned not to kick and tap around, and ever since then she was a perfect lady on the milking stand, couldn't really ask for better.

But now, one of our milkers it a squatter, she'll squat down, drives me crazy and I don't know how to stop her. lol.


----------



## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

the best thing i have found is about just to feed them on the stand before they kid and play with their would be udder. If she kicks when she has grain in front of her take the grain away and dont stop touching her udder until she stops kicking. Then stop touching her and give her her grain back. You will get to the point that she wont kick at all. I also like to have a doe that will stand calmly without grain. i dont give my goats grain when they are getting vaccines or feet trimmings or clipping them for show. If you continued to grain them through the period of whatever you are doing you will make them sick. So a doe that stands nicely without food in front of her is ideal. My bucks and kids get on the stand at a young age too. and they learn that it is ok to be there. I usually give them a treat to start off with so they learn to associate it with a good thing. sometimes i will give another treat when i am done BEFORE they get off the stand. I find that if you give a treat after they are off they are too anxious to get down and start squirming.
hope this helps.
beth


----------



## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Your right Beth, we only have one doe who won't eat on the milking stand, or rarely, but shes the squatter - can never win. Lol. We do have one doeling who thinks milking stand = torture chamber, because she despises shots and hoof trimming, and thats where those jobs get done. When ever we're milking another doe she'll stand on the fence and stare at me, I'm not kidding, she was staring into my eyes for atleast two minutes once, her eyes moved with me. She must think I'm evil. lol. or she just adores me, but I'm thinking the first.


----------



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

> she was staring into my eyes for atleast two minutes once, her eyes moved with me. She must think I'm evil. lol. or she just adores me, but I'm thinking the first.


 :ROFL: I bet she thinks you're wonderful!

Great ideas guys... thanks. I'm waiting on a CAE test before bringing this new girl home. I'm hoping it will be negative and I can get her here in the next week.


----------



## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

It's going to be interesting milking Demi next year :? 

However, I had no problems at all with my two FFs - Whisper last year, and Will a couple of years before that. I did have to tie their heads up - else they'd walk away from me - and I just made sure they had PLENTY of grain for the duration of the milking =] - and of course, the quicker you get with the milking, the less grain you have to give them :wink: 

I also use a tall bucket so that when they kick it hits the side of the bucket rather than goes in the bucket... usually. No promises!!!

I have a proper milking stand now, that I built using the plans on the Fias Co. Farm website. That seems to work wonders.

LW


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I had a "squatter" also, til she learned to stand nicely...with mini's though they only have to slightly squat to cause a problem...lol My solution was to put my milk stool under her chest area....she tried to squat but couldn't, I just kept milking til she was too uncomfortable to balance on the stool...then she stood and was nice about it. A taller doe may benefit from a 5 gallon bucket under her chest...she'll not want to try and squat.


----------

