# Milking more than a couple does??



## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Curious question? I'm going to be having 4 does to milk very soon. I have a feed/milk side of the barn, and the side where they get locked in at night. Has anyone taken all their milkers at once into a milking area, tie them up and then milk 1 at a time? It would save a lot of time. My doe Sunday gave me the idea. I figured I could provide alfalfa hay or pellets to the ones waiting. Would I be able to train them? I think it would save me like 20 minutes.... I think I could train them, but wanted to know what you all do.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Well I used to have 60 milkers, and 4 milk stands. I'd milk the fastest eaters first and work my way down the line to the slower eaters. By the time I finished milking the slowest one, it usually worked out to me being done at the same time as them. After I finished milking each one, I put more grain in the bucket and put the doe back and let another one out. and just kept the flow going.
When I had 4 fast eaters at the same time, they all got alfalfa pellets in the mix, so they'd really be getting the usual 3-4.5lbs of grain but 3-2.5lbs of the alfalfa pellets at each milking to fill the 6qt bucket. While the slow eaters would just get the grain ration.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

All by hand??? Wow!! They are all pretty fast eaters..LOL...


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Yep all hand milked, crazy times, never again :lol: Most I'll ever go these days is 12 milkers. 
And by fast eaters, I had some that would empty a full 6qt bucket in less than 5 minutes :lol:


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

You're all crazy...I was mad when I had to milk three, two is my limit!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Wild Hearts Ranch said:


> You're all crazy...I was mad when I had to milk three, two is my limit!


LOL!!!!  It only takes a few minutes to milk, I just want them all to be in close proximity when I do;-)


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Little-Bits-N-Pieces said:


> Yep all hand milked, crazy times, never again :lol: Most I'll ever go these days is 12 milkers.
> And by fast eaters, I had some that would empty a full 6qt bucket in less than 5 minutes :lol:


 :-o I bow before you..

I did 9 by hand twice a day on a 2 week goat-sitting stint and thought I was going to die.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

janeen128 said:


> Curious question? I'm going to be having 4 does to milk very soon. I have a feed/milk side of the barn, and the side where they get locked in at night. Has anyone taken all their milkers at once into a milking area, tie them up and then milk 1 at a time? It would save a lot of time. My doe Sunday gave me the idea. I figured I could provide alfalfa hay or pellets to the ones waiting. Would I be able to train them? I think it would save me like 20 minutes.... I think I could train them, but wanted to know what you all do.


I think you could absolutely train them to whatever you want to do. They'll be weirded out and stubborn the first few times, but they'll adjust!


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Wow Lacie! :shocked:
That's a LOT of goats to milk by hand!
I'm freshening 11 this year but I've got people helping me milk.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

My arms were so toned :ROFL:


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## GreenMountainNigerians (Jul 3, 2013)

Oh wow! Little Bits you must of had some guns on you!


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Just curious, how long did it take you Little bits...? I'm very impressed by the way;-)


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Took about 3hrs twice a day. Also about 120 gallons of milk a day and all those lambar babies *shudders*


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

WOW!! That's dedication;-)


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## Hollowdweller (May 5, 2011)

I have 3 stands.

When I am milking lots I usually bring them in all at once. Wash one off and hook up the machine, then move to the next and wash and then move the machine off to the one I washed and then wash the other one. 

Usually by that time the first one is done and I can get her out and another in before the last doe milks out. Then I just move the machine to her, let the next out and so on.

When I used 4 stands it didn't work. By the time I got to #4 she had finished her grain and was antsy to get back out .


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Well, I had success with my new plan;-) I only have 2 at a time coming in, but they are getting the hang of it;-)


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## Hughie (Mar 4, 2015)

The "old Goat Guy", who schooled me and the wife, had a stand that was made for six milkers at one time. They were tight but there was room to sit next to a doe and milk her out, then push her to the off side and milk the next. Nothing fancy, just 2x4 and plywood construction with little giant feed pans. Nice thing was when it was cold you could sort of snuggle in and rob heat from the does. Some of my best memories are of hand milking early in the morning. Now we use a machine because the hands don't work as well as they used to.


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