Paisley’s Progress

The milking is going well. For the moment...

Even though these pictures won’t show it, things are going better with Paisley. The first five minutes of milking is always pleasant and peaceful. Paisley eats happily. Then, for whatever reason, she decides that she’s done with milking. Well, I’m not done yet, so I don’t let her off the hook.

I have to use my left shoulder and arm (on the right in the pictures) to hold her up while my two hands do the milking. Her being off-balance prevents her from kicking. We stop milking when I say we stop. Then she gets down and eats the rest of her feed happily. See what I mean? There’s no problem with the food, she just doesn’t want to be up there on the stand! (Ironically, she gets up there herself voluntarily at the beginning.)

She's saying she's done... see her head twisting? I'm having to hold her body up while milking.

Trying to get under her to milk; she's wanting to sit down on the job.

Okay, I'm tired, taking a rest from having to hold her up while milking...

Also, even though I don’t believe she has mastitis, that’s how I’m treating her. I explained the other day how one teat is clogged and has a lump. Well, I’ve been pouring through books and internet information and couldn’t find anything until I read in Pat Coleby’s “Natural Goat Care” that lumps can be a sign of mastitis. I don’t think she has mastitis because there are no clumps in her milk and it doesn’t go “off’,” but since I don’t have anything else to try at this point, I’m going with the treatment in this book.

Which is: supplementation with dolomite (for calcium and magnesium) and vitamin C. I mix it into her feed, along with kelp, apple cider vinegar, and molasses/water. I also massage her udder when I wash it prior to milking. I think she likes the warm water and the massage. After washing, I rub castor oil onto the teats, too. I always do this as an udder balm (to reduce friction burn), but now I take some extra time with massaging it in. I think she likes this, too.

I started doing the supplementation on Monday, so it has now been three full days. I feel that the teat is less clogged. There isn’t that much milk in that side anymore – perhaps the amount will go back up? But I would say that teat is 75% clear now, instead of 25% clear. I hope this means she is improving. The lump is still there.