# Goat won't cooperate



## ThisLittlePygmyFarm (Feb 13, 2013)

Our twins are now two weeks old. I separated them from mom last night so I could milk her this morning. I've put her on the milk stand several times for clipping and hoof trimming but she won't let me even touch her udder. She was kicking me like crazy and jumping around. She ate her feed while I brushed her and got set up but as soon as I tried milking she freaked. She's not a very friendly girl so I expected some resistance but I couldn't even milk her at all. So two questions, Is there anyway to get her to let me milk? And, will her kids empty her this morning or did I just potentially cause a ton of problems by not milking her?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You just have to keep working with them. You could hobble her. It is going to take a lot of patience and work but they usually come around.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

It takes patience and a lot of it. I've always had excelent luck with milk training my does within a week. After two weeks I can milk them without a milk stand. If you want to try hobbles I have some how to's on my website. http://amped-goats.wix.com/ampg#!milking-tips/c7ja


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## ThisLittlePygmyFarm (Feb 13, 2013)

xymenah said:


> It takes patience and a lot of it. I've always had excelent luck with milk training my does within a week. After two weeks I can milk them without a milk stand. If you want to try hobbles I have some how to's on my website. http://amped-goats.wix.com/ampg#!milking-tips/c7ja


Thank you!!


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## sandraH (Mar 1, 2013)

Yes it takes patience. My girl knocked the milk over and pooped all the time I was trying to milk but I kept at it and now she jumps up there and starts eating and is good. Took about two weeks.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

I've had ones like that in the past. I found the fit throwing is more bluff than you think. By all means, hobble or tie a leg down, whatever it takes to get it done, but I just go on with it without those things. I don't even try to get clean drinkable milk for awhile. Without that pressure things seem to get easier. Keeping things clean will come later. Be patient, but don't take "no" for an answer. In the end, the personalized private feeding wins them over. 
I can't help myself but to add... The easiest breed to teach the milk stand is a Boer.


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## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

I had read somewhere that no matter what they do, don't let go of her udder because that's what she wants. So when I started with my one that I had to lift up on the stand, put a bucket under her because she would lay down on the stand. But when I would get to her udder and grab a teat, I never let it go. Through all the kicking, jumping, moving, laying down and so on. Eventually they will give up. My husband kept telling me that I wasn't going to be able to milk her so I should just resign myself to the fact of using her for just babies and be done with it. I explained to him that I was much more stubborn than the goat. Also, my terrible one I would just land a smack on her rear and say "No!" loudly and firmly. She eventually got it. It was about a week and it totally wore me out. But by golly, I was more stubborn than that goat 

Luckily my new one this year that I bought in milk that had never been milked before stands beautifully 90% of the time. I think it's Karma smiling on me for getting through the bad one the first time I ever milked 

Tracy


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## ThisLittlePygmyFarm (Feb 13, 2013)

trmeyer said:


> I had read somewhere that no matter what they do, don't let go of her udder because that's what she wants. So when I started with my one that I had to lift up on the stand, put a bucket under her because she would lay down on the stand. But when I would get to her udder and grab a teat, I never let it go. Through all the kicking, jumping, moving, laying down and so on. Eventually they will give up. My husband kept telling me that I wasn't going to be able to milk her so I should just resign myself to the fact of using her for just babies and be done with it. I explained to him that I was much more stubborn than the goat. Also, my terrible one I would just land a smack on her rear and say "No!" loudly and firmly. She eventually got it. It was about a week and it totally wore me out. But by golly, I was more stubborn than that goat
> 
> Luckily my new one this year that I bought in milk that had never been milked before stands beautifully 90% of the time. I think it's Karma smiling on me for getting through the bad one the first time I ever milked
> 
> Tracy


This is cracking me up!! My girl lays down as well. I'm pretty stubborn to so I'm determined to calm her butt down.


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

I have my first FF doe, a yearling who was a bottle baby so I was pretty lucky. I'll tell you how that went on down. We didn't get her until a week or so after she'd freshened.

As for the FF I lost to kidding (a 2yr d named Gerty) I'd been feeding her grain or treats while on the milk stanchion starting before she was bred. When she didn't need grain I'd put a couple carrots or peanuts in the feed bucket and brush her. When she started too develop her udder I would use a soft "finishing brush" and holy mother of goats she would freak out. But by the time she was ready to kid I could trim back there and she didn't mind a bit.

The new little doe is so sweet that she let the bottle babies nurse off of her the first week after she freshoned, until I could get down to southern Ohio to pick her up. Our first attempt was all mad crazy kicking. I just sang her silly songs and acted like her behavior was normal, and hand milked what I could onto a rolled towel I'd laid under her. I didn't milk out much but just enough to relieve the pressure. The next morning I washed her - more crazy kicking that I ignored- and hooked up one teet cup from a Henry Milker and captured about a quarter cup from each side, one at a time. Half-Pint relieved herself on the stand the first for or five milkings, but that's tapered off as she's relaxed. I user the Milker on both teets at the same time (I got the version worm two cups), started both on the third day. It's been about ten days now and she's doing great =)

I hope that was helpful!


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm having the same problem right now. We bought a doe that was going to be a second freshener so I thought she had been milked before. Apparently she hasn't..... We've let her raise her three bucks and last week it was time to start weaning. So, my husband put her on the stand and she had a fit. She kicks and dances and jumps, I can only milk her with her leg held in the air. And even then she almost flips the stand. She is a nubian and is too big for me to get her on the stand by myself so I only milk her in the evenings when my husband can help me. I'll probably hobble her this evening so we can fight it out until she wears out! You can win, you just have to be more determined than they are.


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