[Boers4ever]

Hello everyone! I will start my kidding thread at the first of April, but until then I want to start asking some questions about milking my FF doe Poppy.
A little background: She will be due sometime after April 22. She is some type of ND mix, maybe part Nubian. She was a bottle baby that was given to me about four years ago (making her about four years old). She is the only mix doe I have, the rest of the herd are all Boers. I'm VERY worried about her kidding since she is smaller than the Boer buck she's bred to.
I am thinking about milking her, though I really don't have the set up for it. I have a stand but no special room for her so I'll be milking her in an extra stall or in the side of the barn. I don't know much about milking so I'm trying to gain as much knowledge as possible before she kids.
Questions:
What are the things I would need? Like buckets, disinfectants, etc.
She is very sensitive around her udder and hates me touching it. I take her out every chance I get and put her on the stand and rub her udder. What else can I do pre-kidding?
How do I disinfect her udder before and after milking? And what do I use to do that?
How do I handle the milk afterwards?
I don't want to bottle feed the kids, how do I milk mom and leave enough milk for the kids?
Any other advice is greatly appreciated. I'll think of more questions later I'm sure!

 

[MellonFriend]

I don't have any advice, but she sure is pretty and you've asked some great questions! (thumbup)

 

[MissMiniNubian]

Hi! So first of all, you'll probably want all the supplies so that you are ready. Here is a site that will tell you what you need:
https://www.weedemandreap.com/goat-milking-supplies/
Before you milk, you can just use warm soapy water and a cloth.( I use a gentle shampoo to do the job.) And your hands need to be clean too before you start milking.
I like to use Fight Bac, a disinfectant, after milking to prevent mastitis.
While you milk, it's very important to keep it cold. Getting it cold as soon as possible will prevent the 'goaty' taste. You can either use an ice bath to put the jar in while you milk or just get it in the fridge or freezer ASAP.
After you are done milking, you need to filter it and store it in a glass jar, not plastic because it will absorb smells. You'll get more details on where to buy this stuff in the site above.
You don't really have to worry about taking too much milk from the kids because as long as the mama is getting grain, she'll just keep making more. Here's a tip, after your done milking as much as you want, massage her udder afterwards to help get some milk down for the kids.
It took a while for my doe to get used to me touching her udder too but after a while she started to enjoy it and even brought up her cud!
Good luck to you and the mama!

 

[MellonFriend]

I found this video helpful:

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

I found this article helpful for learning about milking while also dam raising kids. I don't follow it exactly, but it's a good place to start.
http://glimmercroft.com/Udder.html
Depending on your goat's milking capacity, she may not be able to provide much extra milk beyond what the kids will need. But it's certainly worth a try.

 

[Goats Rock]

You don't need to keep messing with her udder. It is very sensitive now. After she kids, most does are more tolerant, otherwise, the babies could never nurse. She understands the milk stand now, so after she kids, she should get on it with a little encouragement.

 

[William E Flaherty]

Hello, I do not know if I am a goat lover or just searching for answers; I am an on-grid homesteader who is considering raising dairy goats for personal use. Over the years, I have heard stories of breeds that do not require twice daily milking and some breeds that do not require milking unless needed. Is this so, or fantasy?

 

[ksalvagno]

Meat goats generally aren't milked. Poor quality dairy goats are the ones you can get away with not milking twice a day. It isn't the breed as much as the quality.

 

[William E Flaherty]

Thanks Karen; I appreciate the info. I suppose dairy goats are not the direction I should be going.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

Thanks Karen; I appreciate the info. I suppose dairy goats are not the direction I should be going.

Dairy goats are a full-time commitment. Really, all animals are, but dairy are very demanding of time. It's not for everyone!

 

[ksalvagno]

You can milk meat goats. You just don't get the amount and length of time milking like you do dairy goats. But you don't have to milk them if you don't want to.

 

[toth boer goats]

I agree.

 

[Lil Boogie]

Hello everyone! I will start my kidding thread at the first of April, but until then I want to start asking some questions about milking my FF doe Poppy.
A little background: She will be due sometime after April 22. She is some type of ND mix, maybe part Nubian. She was a bottle baby that was given to me about four years ago (making her about four years old). She is the only mix doe I have, the rest of the herd are all Boers. I'm VERY worried about her kidding since she is smaller than the Boer buck she's bred to.
I am thinking about milking her, though I really don't have the set up for it. I have a stand but no special room for her so I'll be milking her in an extra stall or in the side of the barn. I don't know much about milking so I'm trying to gain as much knowledge as possible before she kids.
Questions:
What are the things I would need? Like buckets, disinfectants, etc.
She is very sensitive around her udder and hates me touching it. I take her out every chance I get and put her on the stand and rub her udder. What else can I do pre-kidding?
How do I disinfect her udder before and after milking? And what do I use to do that?
How do I handle the milk afterwards?
I don't want to bottle feed the kids, how do I milk mom and leave enough milk for the kids?
Any other advice is greatly appreciated. I'll think of more questions later I'm sure!
View attachment 200839
View attachment 200841

She looks like a ND/Pygmy mix! Do you have any pics of her face? Also you can do a test to know what she is!

 

[Boers4ever]

She looks like a ND/Pygmy mix! Do you have any pics of her face? Also you can do a test to know what she is!

Sure here’s a pic of her face. I don’t have enough money for a test, maybe one day!

 

[Boers4ever]

 

[Lil Boogie]

View attachment 206113

She looks like a ND if you ask me. how tail is she?

 

[toth boer goats]

She is cute.

 

[Boers4ever]

Thanks everyone for the responses! That helps a lot! She is due sometime after April 22 so I still have to wait a bit longer.
I do have another question though. She doesn’t have very long hair on her udder, but there is still some longish hair there. Do I need to shave her udder before kidding?

 

[Lil Boogie]

I would wait till after she kids because it will get her udder all messy so if you wait till the kids are old enough to start being separated then you should shave her and clean her up.

 

[Boers4ever]

What’s the best filters? Will coffee filters work?