# What to do with stubborn goats...



## Rachel79 (Mar 13, 2018)

Hello everybody,

I am currently milking 2 does, one Nigerian dwarf and one MiniNubian. Two weeks into milking my Nigerian still fights me in the milking stand, and I can't actually get her in the milking stand at all. My husband has to lift her up there before going to work and he's not too happy about it....And then she fights me with all she's got. I tried hobbles before, but she fights so hard that they don't work, now I tie her legs with dog leashes. My miniNubian has been a sweetheart and always got in the milking stand....except today. I decided to try Henry milker on her yesterday and she did not like it all and got very upset! And apparently she remembered it today and refused to go to the milking stand....So my husband had to lift her up too. What do you guys do with stubborn goats? Any suggestions? Both our does weigh too much for me to lift them to the milking stand and my husband is getting sick of lifting goats every morning...They love grains, but they have decided if the grains are near the milking stand they don't want to eat.


----------



## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Oh dear. The mini Nubian should be fairly easy to retrain since it sounds like she was only upset by the Henry milker. If her previous experiences were fine then she should remember those and it will help her get past the one bad time more easily. If you can, try to make time throughout the day to have some little training sessions and break it down. Use grain or another favorite treat to get them to approach the stand. Get as close as you can then treat and walk away. Go back and do it again. See if you can get the Nubian to jump on the stand by herself. When she does, give a treat and have her get back down. If you can get her to jump on and off the stand without being milked, she'll start thinking of it as a place where she gets treats, not a place where unpleasant things happen.

The Nigie will be harder because it sounds like she doesn't enjoy being milked at all. Review your technique and make sure it's not causing discomfort. Like the other goat, you'll want to get her up on the stand without milking her. She dreads the stand because she dreads being milked. You want to separate those things in her mind so she learns to get on the stand and not worry about what happens after she gets there. You need to get her on the stand and reward her without milking more often than you get her up there to milk so you'll probably have to enlist your husband's help a few times at first. 

Make sure your milking technique is not causing the problem and then you can train her to enjoy the experience. Keep the grain/treats next to you instead of in the feeder. Take a few squirts of milk (or even just one if that's all you can manage), and the second she stands still give a treat. Be patient. Only feed a treat when she stands nicely. She should quickly learn to stand still longer as she waits for that reward. If you can do a few short sessions every day, even if it's twice in the morning and twice in the evening after work, then your goat will learn quickly that the stand and milking are pleasant things. Good luck!


----------



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

goats hold grudges, and they are smarter than you might think. So, here is exactly why I do not hobble or tie my goats legs, she isn't happy, she isn't going to want to be milked, and your life is going to be miserable for awhile. Your goats are small, unless you have health issues you should be able to manage them. Do they have collars? Attach a lead rope to her collar and lead her up to the stand, is your stand where other goats can't bother you? If so get a pan of grain and give her a whiff, try to entice her to the stand, if no luck put pressure on the rope for her to get on the stand, don't let up, let her stand there until she is tired of it and decided it is just better to get up there than be stretched out. This is not going to be a quick fix. But if you can get her to realize her food is on the stand and you are not going to hurt her she should come around, no yelling or slapping etc, that just won't work. I say once you get her on the stand and eating grab a jar and milk one handed and don't stop until your are done, if she fights and you stop she wins, just stay mellow and keep milking. She will come around just be consistent.


----------



## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I absolutely agree with loving life. I don't hobble or tie up - it just becomes a fight. If they want to pitch a fit, ok. Just keep on milking quietly. And do try to get her in the stand multiple time a day for just treats, or brushing - anything she enjoys. This has worked well for me - I wish you luck!


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Can you make a ramp up to the stand so your husband doesn't have to deal with them? Then you can run them up the ramp and pet and do whatever until they settle down.


----------



## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

I don't know how most of you handle your doelings but I start my doelings out while they are small and young still nursing mama to eating on the milk stand beside her to start with. They get on stand with mama as babies and then I will start feeding them there after I milk their mother and later on I feed them their daily grain as they grow up. Therefore they have no fear of the milk stand and think of it as a fun place to jump onto and eat. So far it is working out great.


----------



## Rachel79 (Mar 13, 2018)

Thank you all for your replies I was trying to get my miniNubian to the milking stand yesterday by giving her some raisins and this morning I got her on the milking stand!!!And my Nigerian got on the milking stand today as well, actually I was surprised!! I will be training my doelings to eat on the milking stand as well so they get used to the idea.


----------



## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Yay! Keep building on that success and you'll have easy milkers (and a happy husband) in no time!


----------



## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

Here is a photo of our 2 doelings Zoe and Lizzie on stand. The are due to freshen in late April. They don't mind getting on the stand at all and eating. Now we will get to see how they do with the milking part in a month or so. Our Saanan had a single doeling last Thursday and is doing great on the milking stand and in the milking process. Snowflake (FF) is also doing great on the stand and is also due in late april. We have one doeling due in late April name Ginger who we bought and has been stand-offish but is finally coming around to the feed/handling. I am sure she is going to be a different process as we did not have a chance to introduce her to the stand as a doeling beside her mama.


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

@TexasGoatMan that is what I do. Everyone goes on the stand as little babies with mom and I milk around them. Later they get their own stand time. They'd use it as a sleeping platform if they could. Udders, teats, feet, other ticklish spots all get desensitized on the stand. medicating happens there, too. It is a big difference when I get someone new in that is unfamiliar with the way of things. Takes patience for sure.


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I had the most aggrivating doe one time, would never get on the stand without a production. I bought her as a lactating adult, so I knew she had been milked. I ended up making a ramp for her. 

It was a constant battle from day one. Treats, petting, etc. no one could get her up there. One day she would happily jump up there, the next, no way. She was crazy! I ended up selling her, but, that taught me to condition all the kids to a milk stand. Even my bucks get up without a problem. 

(I sold her with full disclosure to a family that had her for many years.)


----------



## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

I agree that early introduction is the way to start them out. I sometimes put a stand inside the stall with them and make them eat from the stand if they want to eat.


----------



## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have little patients for goats who will not stand still for milking. I give them time as FF, but the first foot that goes in the pail, or the first pail that goes flying and spills, they get disciplined. 

The first thing I do is take away their grain. They get it back when they stand to be milked. If the feet still fly, I hobble them with a dog leash or a braided baling twine rope and pin them against the wall if I have to with my shoulder/arm while I sit next to them. If they continue to fight, I will slap them on the rib cage with my "goat, dog and horse beater"- a 3 foot piece of a pool noodle. It makes a racket but does no harm. 

Right now all my milkers are standards. If they refuse to get up on the milk stand, I will place one front foot (theirs, not mine) on the stand while holding tension on their collar. Then I place the second leg up. I hook their collar and then push their butt. If they fight, I will push harder. If they still refuse, I will lift the furthest rear leg and sort of push their body with my hip. This knocks their back legs out from under them and slides them onto the milk stand. At this point they always get up and stand still. Usually they stick their nose in the grain and start eating.

I am 62 and have serious arthritis issues. I can't play games with getting these girls milked. I just had hip replacement a week ago, so these girls will either cooperate or head down the road to the dealer. After 35 years of milking goats, I do not play games any more. They either accept me as leader or they go. I have yet to have to ship one because of milking issues, after a day or so they stand nicely.


----------



## capracreek (Apr 5, 2016)

Goats are very smart and since I have Nierians and Pygmy goats I can pick them up and put them on the stand to start them out. We do put their head in the neck brace and if they kick just to be a pest we do hobble the back feet. We pet and sooth them and have grain for them and soon they jump right up on the stand for their food. It just takes a liitle patience and training. I have been amazed at how smart they are.


----------

