# Terror on the Milk Stand



## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

I have a Doe who freshened 5/27/17. She is a first freshener and she came from people who had no clue how to care for her so she is skittish.

I have started separating mom from babies for 12 hours during the day to milk her in the evening. She is a terror on the milk stand.

She will finally mostly get onto the stand without a fight, but once on there she kicks, dances, sits down, and generally does everything possible to not be milked. Hobbles made her kick worse. I came out of the milk shed last night bloodied and bruised. My biggest problem is that I had wrist surgery a year ago to fix two torn tendons and they shaved a bone in my arm down, I don't think they had goat wrestling in mind when they fixed it and Im afraid of reinjuring it.

Does anyone have any suggestions? How long should I continue to fight with her?

She has an awesome milk production. I managed to milk out a quart before giving up last night and she still had more. She is a Nigerian dwarf.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Is there anyone else who can help you at milking time and be the one to hold her down?


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

My mother in law tried that yesterday but I dont want her to be hurt. Tiki was kicking Hard.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Tie one of her back legs up.


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

Tie her back legs to something behind her so that she can't bring them forward to kick. Hobbles never worked for my does either-they simply kicked with both at the same time.


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

How were you putting on the hobbles? I have the Weaver hobbles off Amazon, and they go up high on the legs. I had a particularly naughty FF this year, she was hobbled for 3 months before I could milk her without kicking. Incidentally, I just got a Simple Pulse milk machine, used it the third time this morning and she much prefers machine milking. She's an angel now, stands like a pro.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

I got my hobbles from amazon as well. And I also just got a Simple Pulse milker but I can't get it to work right.

I put the hobbles on low, but she would kick so hard with them on she would fall and was throwing herself everywhere.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Hobbles work great if you screw one side to the wall and tie one leg up.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

My milk stand isn't located in an area where it can be screws into a wall


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

My advice, from someone who has trained some wild and woolies to the milk stand.

Stay calm. No matter what she does, you will do no good by becoming angry, or giving up.

If you have a wooden stand, put strong eyebolts in the back of it to tie those legs toward the back so they can not kick forward (this has already been suggested, it is the right thing to do)

Give her feed that she likes but will take a long time to eat. Alfalfa cubes are great for this.

Hold a cup in one hand and milk with the other. when the cup is full, dump it into a bucket, pan, pitcher, whatever, that you have off to the side. Everytime those hind feet are on the stand, rather than in the air, tell her "good girl"

If your stand is at all rickety, or tippy, then sitting on the rear of the stand, instead of beside it, and milking from the back, keeps her steady and safe through her shenanigans.

Lastly, do NOT!!!!!! forget to release her hind legs before you allow her off the stand.

This works, it really does. She WILL learn to just relax, eat, and let you milk into a regular bucket.

That is, if you don't have a working milking machine.


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

In the picture I can see a leg on your stand. Put a leash around her leg and tie it to that 2x4-do the same with the other leg, if there is another 2x4 over there.


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## capracreek (Apr 5, 2016)

All of the above - slow down start with getting her to jump up on the milk stand. Giver her a treat then let her back down. Get her to jump up again and treat. Once she does this easily then have her jump up and put her head in the chute and feed her some sweet feed - let her out and down and repeat. Once she does that then lightly massage her utters and treat. In other words build on it one step at a time and help her understand it is all good.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

And if she's lying down (Nigerian FFs can be REAL: buggars - especially if they've been allowed to dam raise their babies!) you either try putting a bucket under her mid section (IT may take some trial and effort to find one the right size) or put a strap under her middle and hoist her up. Our first Nigerian was a nightmare her first year. It took two of us to milk her and we had brusises and sore muscles and most of her milk ended up on the floor. Now she is so sweet and calm that I can let children and strangers milk her and she doesn't mind at all. Sooooo DON'T GIVE UP. She WILL get better!!!


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

Oh jeez! Did you send an email about your milk machine or call? I sent an email and Jessi the owner called me the very next morning. Good customer service for me.


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## BoerSaanenmother12 (May 21, 2014)

Hang in there everything will work out in the end. I have 2 Nigerian dwarf does 1 was excellent for milking from the get go and then there was Bella the worst doe to milk. 

Bella AKA Chocolate she was very skittish not a lot of handling by the owner she was a FF as well I guess I got her home it took me almost 2 weeks with her she has a nice attached udder and nice teats but i wish they were a little longer but they are really easy to milk with nice flow to the stream. But after the 2 weeks of milking she got in to the routine where i didn't have to leash her to get her to go to the milking room i would let her out and they both would run to the room and jump on to the stand waiting for me to feed them. ( Bella is now dry been dry for over 2 1/2 or so months she is Due October 28th or Beginning of November) 


Jersey: My buckskin doe she would sit down maybe once or twice when i milked but as long as she had grain in her face she would just let me milk her but if she ran out of grain then all hell would break loose. But as long as she had the food she would just stand there like a little angel L O L. (Jersey is due beginning of November or closer to the middle of November) 

I am glad i got these two girls they both give me half a gallon when they were in milk that was not there peak production so i drowned in milk when they are in milk.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Well, I have found that she really likes me to either sing, hum, or play music while I milk her. I haven't had to restrain her the last few days! Im ecstatic!

Sent from my LG-K373 using Goat Forum mobile app


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

Like capracreek said, get her up there, give her a treat, let her down. Get her up there brush her, give her a treat letting her stand a little each time. If she has a hissy fit, and she isn't in any danger, let her. Stay out of the way, when she calms down, brush her giver her a treat let her stand quietly, then let her down. Does she mind being milked? Is that the problem or is it that she doesn't like being confined? Good luck, and stay safe.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

A goat with music appreciation!!!!!!! That's awesome!


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

You could make Milky Magic CD's and sell them! Just saying.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

You must have a lovely singing voice.

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## Hollowdweller (May 5, 2011)

If everything else fails let her raise her kids and dry off naturally w/o milking her. Then next year pull the kids at birth and raise them separately. Then you become their kid and you'll get less guff.


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