# Breaking a FF for milking....new/old idea maybe....



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

This has been a topic and there have been a lot of fantastic ideas and pics for hobbles etc. This just popped into my head of an old milk cow trick and I was wondering if it would work with goats.

You take a rope and put around their flanks. Tie the knot at the top over their back bone. This supposedly puts pressure across the backbone (doesn't injure the animal....don't, like, tie the rope to cutting off circulation tightness LOL) and stops them from picking up their back feet to kick. 

Just curious. Never tried it cause tying their feet to the ends of the stanchion seems to work. but WOULD this work?


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Hmm, never heard of that.
My guess would be no, and even if it did work I wouldn't do it.

I like tying to the legs of the stand better.
Now my extra bratty/kicking girl doesn't kick when I milk her.
I no longer have a need to tie their feet.


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## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

I've heard of doing that on cows (done it before, too!), but I don't think it would work on goats because the nerves are different... I could be wrong though. I've never tried it on goats. I just know that with cows you can either put pressure on the spine/flanks and they can't kick, and you can also hike their tail up a few inches and they can't move their back legs at all because of the nerve your hitting. 

It's an interesting thought though...


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

I just hold a foot up. Of course I have NDs, might be harder with a larger goat


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I've had several FF's and not one has ever kicked, not once. They will pick their leg up a little, but put it down once they have been emptied a little. Probably helps that I take the kids away right after birth so they bond to me as their milker/pressure reliever/kid. I personally would never tie them up, mine would most likely act up more to being tied than they would if I just milked them. I can usually use my arm to keep a stray leg out of the bucket if they pick it up.

Not sure if that would work or not, goats seem to be much touchier about having anything tied to or around them. I would just get the doe on the stand and milk her, don't think about saving the milk since if she does knock you the bucket over that will only make you mad , just get it done and she will learn that it is a good thing to let you touch her.


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