# "Natural" milking supplies?



## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

I am wondering about "natural" products - teat dip, washing/drying, and post care, experience of natural products vs store-bought, etc. 

DIY teat dip? 

Reusable wash cloths vs baby wipes vs ? :laundry:

Teat creams?

Opinion on coconut oil? 

Thanks so much!


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I use baby wipes if I use anything at all.

For teat dip, when I use it, I use Chlorohexidine or betadine and water.

For udder balms, I use whatever I find that is cheapest, as I really don't use a lot of it. I got some nice lemony udder ointment at TSC that works really well. Coconut oil would work nicely, also. 

If you use reusable clothes, make sure you wash them out in very hot water with bleach or some other substance that will kill bacteria/germs. It's very easy to spread mastitis, cocci, worms etc. on an undisinfected cloth. I would use 1 rag per goat. Many years ago when my now ex and I had a dairy farm, we used the 1 rag for the entire herd and an antiseptic type of udder wash. Suddenly, we started getting mastitis in several cows. Once I convinced my stupid ex to use a rag ( I bought those blue towel rolls you find in garages) per cow, the spreading went away.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

Thanks lottsagoats1! Everything that you said makes sense to me. 

What is the teat dip application? Do you use a "dipper", a spray, or ? Thanks!


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

You can also make your own baby wipes using paper towels, water, soap of choice (goat milk soap, anyone?!) and whatever additions you like... aloe, essential oils, whatever.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

I've been using teat wipes I made with Castile soap, tea tree oil and lavender oil with water. I use an udder balm I made of coconut oil, sweet almond oil, vitamin E, and a bit of corn starch or arrowroot starch so I can whip it into a cream.

I'm pretty new, but so far this has worked well for me.

Also, I took an old plastic baby wipes container and cut a paper towel roll in half, accordioned them and poured my mix on it


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## heidi2016 (Feb 24, 2016)

For a natural teat dip use
1/4 cup of water 1/4 cup of carrier oil (coconut,almond,grape seed,ect.) 10 drops each of eucalyptus and teatree and five drops each of lavender and clove, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. for udder creme
1 cup of coconut oil 10 drops each of lavender and tea tree.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

Thanks so much!  :grouphug:


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## moonmilk_creamery (Oct 21, 2015)

Here is my holistic, simple milking routine. I first use warm water with a very small bit of Dr Bronners Castile soap and wipe with a clean reusable rag made from old clothes or cloth. Next I squrt out a bit of milk, check it, then milk the udder out. After, I use another cloth rag-or the clean other half of a large one- and use some more of the warm water mixture. Lastly, I take some coconut oil and rub it all over the udder, especially on the teats and orfrices (honestly I have no idea how to spell that). The coconut oil will moisturize the udder and has antibacterial properties which work as a teat dip. Once I am all done I will let mama go and her kids will milk whatever bit of milk she has saved for them. With this routine I only milk once a day when I still have kids.This has worked for me and I have not had any problems. 

I would encourage you to it! It is very easy, cost effective, holistic, and environmentally friendly.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I don't use anything. No dips, or balms or rubs. I guess I'm lucky. I brush off the udder with my hand, squirt out a squirt and milk....


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

This lady has a nice little blog about goat farming and other things. There was this article for making natural wipes: http://www.weedemandreap.com/homemade-udder-teat-wipes-milking/
I've not tried it yet myself. I just use baby wipes to clean before milking, then a pink-colored teat dip after milking.  
The blog also has many other all-natural, holistic methods and recipes for other areas of farm life, and life in general.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Teat dip -
I use half white vinegar half water.

Washing the udder -
A wet cloth per goat

Udder balm -
I make my own. Half cup extra virgin olive oil, half cup coconut poo, 20 drops each of peppermint, lavender, and tea tree. Yeah, and then I learned that peppermint decreases milk production. I fear their production has dropped :razz:


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I haven't been at this long, but no issues yet. I use water with one drop of Dawn, a splash of white vinegar to about 1 cup of water. I wet my washcloth to clean before, and dip their teats after I'm done milking. Right now I'm using balm from the feed store, but I think I'll try some homemade when it's gone.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

I would research very carefully the anecdotal "antibacterial properties" of various natural substances. For example, does coconut oil or diluted vinegar kill e-Coli or Listeria? Who says so? Some blogger? I'd need to see the science. "I haven't had any problems so far" is the same as saying "I've tossed heads every time so far". Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to natural materials whenever possible, but milk sanitation is critical not only for our goats but for the people we let consume their milk.


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I stand behind the antimicrobial qualities of good old soap mixed with water. I work part time as a wound care nurse, so I am familiar with killing germs. If the equipment is clean, and the teats are clean, there is little food for microbes. I would be happy to give studies to support my evidence based practice if you'd like. So far as the balm, I'm looking for a product which moisturizes, not kills germs.


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## sophie2016 (Apr 4, 2016)

We always like to make sure that our udder cream ( to moisturize) has peppermint in it (I mean real peppermint oil not artificial scents). We do this because it is one of the most natural ways to prevent mastitis. Using citrus oil can sometimes be a good way to prevent mastitis as well. The recipe that Heidi2016 used for a teat dip works REALLY well. 

We just use a environmentally friendly soap in warm water mixture for a wash.


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