Ups and downs would about explain how the milking is going. (The picture shows one of the 1-month old doelings, Daisy – a kid of our milking doe.)
On day three, Belle, the milking doe, decided that since we were being too timid, she might as well try to refuse milking. It worked. Naomi and I were too timid to force her. She was boss that day.
In the evening of that day, I called Belle’s previous owner who assured me that I would not get hurt by Belle’s bucking and kicking. I needed to be firm and not give in. I went to bed that night with much prayer.
In the morning, it took Jeff, Naomi and I, but we milked her. Belle tired herself out with fighting and then gave in. Well, sort of. She does push back and it wears me out physically to milk her while restraining her. My shoulders and upper arms are so sore. I am thankful that I don’t fear being kicked any longer. I get ahold on her teats and no amount of kicking will make me let go!
I have ordered a goat hobble. I hope it will effectively keep her from kicking so we can use our physical strength just to get milk and not wear out so quickly. Milking is quite a workout so far!
There are some things that concern me.
First, we get only 1-1/2 cups of milk each morning. I think we could get more, but it is hard to say, as we are not experienced. On the other hand, that may be all Belle has to give. After we milk Belle, we allow her to nurse her babies and from all indications, it would appear they are not getting a full nursing. This could be good in the long run, to encourage her milk production to increase.
Second, she does not like the food we give her on the stand. I am looking into what to feed her long-term; for now it is alfalfa pellets and a grain mix. I think the alfalfa is essential. The grains… not my favorite. I want to find organic feed (so as to ensure no pesticide use and also non-GMO) but I also would like to stay away from corn and soy entirely. The grain mix I have right now is from Azure Standard (it is Rogue Feed Organic Dairy Feed) and it can contain both corn and soy, but at least they’re not GMO.
Third, I wonder if it is possible to maintain milk goats on a grass/browse only diet? I’m understanding, through research, that domestication and breeding have created goats that rely on a greater grain ration for milk production. I wonder if it is possible over time to lessen their grain consumption, converting them to mostly or all grass-/browse-fed without affecting milk supply? These are some of the questions I am investigating as I read around on the web. If you have any insight to offer, I’d appreciate it!
Wow, long post! Your hand must be tired.
Naomi
My friend Kim at http://starryskyranch.typepad.com/ has milk goats, and has for several years. I bet you could learn lots from her!
Congratulations on the new milk goat Wardeh!
Sorry it is not going well for you but I am confident it will get better!
We have not give our goats any grain whatsoever in about 4 years. They get alfalfa pellets, sunflower seeds, hay and browse. When my goats went to a friends house when my son died and she gave them grain all of their milk amounts increased and they dropped it back down when they came home. The most we have ever gotten feeding them no grain is 1 gallon and we are content with that. I so wish we could do organic feed but have no options for that without paying heavily for shipping so for now the feed is not organic. I do use an herbal wormer from fiasco farm.
Until your hobble arrives you could try using a belt in a figure eight fashion or could one person hold the back legs firmly while another person milks?
I know when we got our first goat it took 3 of us 30 minutes to milk one goat! Now I can do a goat by myself in just a couple of minutes. It will get better!
My doe Neufchatel is similar coloring to your new doe…..and the name she came with was Blue Belle.
I really like the milking stand! Clyde was in the process of building a milking shed for our cow but………we don’t know when that will be finished. So do you like the goat milk or was this the first time you tried to milk her? Be patient, you will all get to know each other and things will go better!
Love, Regina
This is fascinating to me, especially since I know we are right around the corner from experiencing this for ourselves. I pray things will get easier, as I am sure they will.
Good luck today.
love,
Tiffany
Naomi – my hands are more tired from milking!
Sara Kay – Thanks for the link. I read through her dairy entries and learned alot!
SueEllen – It is going well. All in all, we’re encouraged and have hope. I am so glad you shared about your goats’ diet. That gives me hope! This morning, our Belle rejected her alfalfa pellets and was happy with hay. Tomorrow I want to find out how she feels about the grain mix. She may save us the trouble of weaning off grain if she doesn’t like our mix! A couple days, Jeff has been holding the goats’ legs, but this morning, we were able to milk her without any restraint. She kicked a few times; we were quick with the bucket! I ordered that herbal wormer, too. Funny your doe was named Blue Belle with all that dark coloring-our doe’s full name is Silver Belle, but we call her Belle. How did you settle on Neufchatel?
Regina – Hi! We love the goat milk – I have never milked goats before in my life. Counting today, I’ve done it 4 times now. Today felt pretty good. We got a generous 1-1/2 cups so at least I know our yields are going up.
Tiffany – thank you! I am so excited for you and your family to do this. Things are getting easier. Today we may bring home another doe! This one without any babies, so we won’t be sharing her milk. (But oh, we love those babies, and we know this new doe is going to miss hers’ though the owner won’t sell the baby.)
Thanks, all! Love, Wardeh