# New to milking



## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

we have a Nigerian dwarf goat that had babies 2 days ago. The babies were normal and even ate from the Mom. Next morning they died. We have been trying to milk Mom but little comes out. And when we milk her on one side she kicks and tries to nip. This morning we talked her and got several tbsp full. Both teats produced clean milk. Also her tears are small.. as big as my pinkys distal planax. When we bought her we were told she had babies no problem and a good milker. Is there any good way to milk her and will she produce more milk over time?


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

Also what does everyone do to keep the goat clean? We have chickens that go into the pen and have had a lot of rain so the pen is muddy.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

If her udder is full she may be very uncomfortable. It's not unusual for them to object until the udder is comfortable again. Some ND unfortunately can have very small teats, making it difficult to milk. Time and patience - milk until the udder is empty . You should clean her with a teat dip or other product before milking and after. If you milk without cleaning you have the risk of introducing mastitis. Same with not milking a full udder, which can lead to congestion and mastitis. If your pen is muddy you may have to reevaluate your set up.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Try playing music for her during milking to help her relax.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Do you have any friends that are familiar with goat milking? Maybe they can give you some tips or help to get the doe more comfortable with milking. Do you have a milk stand? That would make it easier to control her and get her milked out. 

So sorry about the loss of the kids. 

Chickens certainly can make a mess. Can you keep them away from your goat yard? If that isn't possible, maybe put pallets down with plywood (so feet don't get caught in the slats) and make dry islands for the goats.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

goatblessings said:


> If her udder is full she may be very uncomfortable. It's not unusual for them to object until the udder is comfortable again. Some ND unfortunately can have very small teats, making it difficult to milk. Time and patience - milk until the udder is empty . You should clean her with a teat dip or other product before milking and after. If you milk without cleaning you have the risk of introducing mastitis. Same with not milking a full udder, which can lead to congestion and mastitis. If your pen is muddy you may have to reevaluate your set up.


We went to tractor supply but they didn't have any teat dip. We used warm water with a little dish soap. Is that ok?


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

Goats Rock said:


> Do you have any friends that are familiar with goat milking? Maybe they can give you some tips or help to get the doe more comfortable with milking. Do you have a milk stand? That would make it easier to control her and get her milked out.
> 
> So sorry about the loss of the kids.
> 
> Chickens certainly can make a mess. Can you keep them away from your goat yard? If that isn't possible, maybe put pallets down with plywood (so feet don't get caught in the slats) and make dry islands for the goats.


I don't have any friends with farm animals  . We don't have a milk stand yet.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

The warm water with mild soap (Dawn is a mild soap) is good, then rinse and dry the teats really well. At first, milking is a pain, but with time, you will become a pro! Years ago, when I first had goats, I was the only one around, so I understand the not knowing any other goat people. (And no internet all those long years ago!) 

If you or someone is at all adequate with a hammer, you can build a quick, functional milk stand. There are lots of examples here and on the rest of the Internet.


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## Goat Land (Aug 26, 2018)

Goats Rock said:


> The warm water with mild soap (Dawn is a mild soap) is good, then rinse and dry the teats really well. At first, milking is a pain, but with time, you will become a pro! Years ago, when I first had goats, I was the only one around, so I understand the not knowing any other goat people. (And no internet all those long years ago!)
> 
> If you or someone is at all adequate with a hammer, you can build a quick, functional milk stand. There are lots of examples here and on the rest of the Internet.


Means without dip solution you have to do a lot of work first boil the water then mix the soap then dip and then rinse and dry it but with dip solution you just have to dip and that's all. So it's good to get the solution anyway.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

I thought it odd tractor supply didn't have any. I will look on amazon for a teat dip but use the soapy water for now... we milked her again this afternoon and got 1 1/4 cup.. after a while of milking she seemed to calm down so I think that helped her udder. Is there a good brand for the teat dip?


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

VeggieGoat said:


> I thought it odd tractor supply didn't have any. I will look on amazon for a teat dip but use the soapy water for now... we milked her again this afternoon and got 1 1/4 cup.. after a while of milking she seemed to calm down so I think that helped her udder. Is there a good brand for the teat dip?


Google homemade teat dip. You should find a lot of them. I use the recipe for udder wipes and balm from weed em and reap. But i did have order stuffs for it. Also. If you ise an unnder cream as you milk it makes it easier. Most feed supply stores have an udder balm. Youtube also helped us a ton to learn things that we have needed on our farm. .


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I use Bag Balm to help my fingers slide over those tiny teats. TSC usually has it.
A big thumbs up on the youtube idea.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Another idea are baby wet wipes, the non perfumed, non scented, hypoallergenic. We use "Huggies" brand at the county fair. Easier than anything else. Of course, it is not approved by the State if the milk were being shipped, but since it is dumped at the fair, the wet wipes work just fine. Fight Bac is a good after milking teat end sealer. (Also not approved for goats, man, the State sure is a pain to work with!)


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

What does everyone use for straining the milk? I got a stainless steel mesh and still have goat hair in it. I have heard people use cheese cloth. Is that better? Does anyone shave their goats utters?


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I use a strainer from caprine supply with filters, some folks also use coffee filters. Yes, I shave before kidding.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

goatblessings said:


> I use a strainer from caprine supply with filters, some folks also use coffee filters. Yes, I shave before kidding.


What kind of razor do you use? Do u use a type of shaving cream?


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Most people I talk to use clippers, not a razor. I myself would not use a razor on an animal that can move unexpectedly.

You can get milk filter disks, Ken-Ag is a well known brand. https://www.amazon.com/Milk-Filter-...1538043160&sr=8-2&keywords=kenag+milk+filters But there are other brands as well

I don't like the regular paper coffee filters, because they clog so fast, but there are those reuseable coffee filter baskets that do a great job. https://www.amazon.com/ORIGINAL-GOL...ocphy=9014828&hvtargid=pla-506319690472&psc=1

I use a fine smooth woven cloth. Easily cleaned and bleached between uses.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

mariarose said:


> Most people I talk to use clippers, not a razor. I myself would not use a razor on an animal that can move unexpectedly.
> 
> You can get milk filter disks, Ken-Ag is a well known brand. https://www.amazon.com/Milk-Filter-...1538043160&sr=8-2&keywords=kenag+milk+filters But there are other brands as well
> 
> ...


Thanks. I wlll look into these! Also I'm getting several jars of milk in my fridge ... can I add the night milk to the mornings milk?


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

VeggieGoat said:


> ... can I add the night milk to the mornings milk?


You can add warm milk to warm milk, and you can add cold milk to cold milk, but it isn't really safe to add warm milk to cold milk.

So if the milk in your fridge is all cold, and you aren't trying to harvest the cream on the top (it does rise, eventually. But you mustn't disturb it) then you can add all those together.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

The goat milk taste is awful. It taste sour.not sure if this is the goat taste. I have nothing to compare it too. I thought maybe it was my fridge not being cold enough but last night I chilled it in freeze then tried it and confirmed her milk is nasty. She doesn't have mastitis and the milk comes out nice looking and no odor. I have a mineral block that I'm going to try with her.,


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

She kidded less than 2 weeks ago, right? If so, you may be tasting colostrum in the milk. Also, a mineral deficiency will definitely affect the taste. A loose mineral will be easier for her to absorb than a block. There are several good threads here on TGS about which minerals are best to use.


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## VeggieGoat (Jan 17, 2018)

groovyoldlady said:


> She kidded less than 2 weeks ago, right? If so, you may be tasting colostrum in the milk. Also, a mineral deficiency will definitely affect the taste. A loose mineral will be easier for her to absorb than a block. There are several good threads here on TGS about which minerals are best to use.


She kidded last weekend. Do u think I should freeze this for back up then? I have another doe
Edit: the kids were born 9/22


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

VeggieGoat said:


> She kidded last weekend. Do u think I should freeze this for back up then? I have another doe
> Edit: the kids were born 9/22


 You certainly could freeze it for later. At this point the ratio of colostrum to milk should be fairly small. But it would be better than no colostrum if your other doe has any issues. You could also use it for bottle feeding if you end up needing to do that. Kids won't mind the taste at all.


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## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

Did anyone tell you about a spray that you spray the teat with after milking called "Fightback" you can order it form Jeffers farm supplies. I use a clean wipe non-alcoholic, no chemicals like a baby wipe to clean the teats before milking and then spray with fightback once finished milking and I have not had any issues with mastitis or anything else.


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