I only hand milk but blood in milk can be from udder getting too tight, milker being too strong of pressure, low calcium and of course mastitis. I would start by testing for mastitis and giving 30 cc of a carrot and celery juice or other calcium source. I like the C&C juice as its a gentle calcium source that won't hurt even if calcium is not needed. Only hand milk until you settle things. Check everyone milk separately to know who it is.
blood in milk/tips on Simple Pulse
We have two does in milk that I hand milk. I've taken a couple of short (under a week) trips in June and my husband has been using a Simple Pulse while I was away. The SP is borrowed from a friend and this was our first foray using one. The pressure gauge reads 10.5-11.5.
SP June 15-18
handmilk 1 week
SP June 26-July 1
My MN has occasionally, this spring/summer, had a speck of bloody tissue filtered out. I've never noticed anything else wrong and didn't worry about it. This is her second freshening, never saw this as FF. The girls look good- coats, eyes are medium pink (working on that) and act and eat normally. Udders are soft and normal. They have had staph recently that was almost cleared and then bloomed again, not as bad and slowly healing now. They get Vit C, garlic, probios, homemade herbal dewormer. I gave copper last night. No kids, just 2x daily milking.
While I was gone, hubs was making chevre and dumping half gallons in a pot and noticed blood settled in the bottom.
Do any of you oscillate between SP and hand milking? I suspect it's my MN and not my ND but haven't confirmed, and it appears the blood was maybe just June 24-27 and not since. Gah! What gives?
SP June 15-18
handmilk 1 week
SP June 26-July 1
My MN has occasionally, this spring/summer, had a speck of bloody tissue filtered out. I've never noticed anything else wrong and didn't worry about it. This is her second freshening, never saw this as FF. The girls look good- coats, eyes are medium pink (working on that) and act and eat normally. Udders are soft and normal. They have had staph recently that was almost cleared and then bloomed again, not as bad and slowly healing now. They get Vit C, garlic, probios, homemade herbal dewormer. I gave copper last night. No kids, just 2x daily milking.
While I was gone, hubs was making chevre and dumping half gallons in a pot and noticed blood settled in the bottom.
Do any of you oscillate between SP and hand milking? I suspect it's my MN and not my ND but haven't confirmed, and it appears the blood was maybe just June 24-27 and not since. Gah! What gives?
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
The constant pressure of the Simple Pulse machine can burst blood vessels.
Simple Pulse pulses, it's not constant. The blood appeared 6 days after the first stint with SP. Many folks keep the pressure at 12. I just can't make sense of it- the milk method seems unrelated.
Calcium could be an issue... the MN is our lazy doe and hubs mentioned she was extra pokey one day. I treated low calcium in one of my ewes this year too. I need to get my mineral buffet out and end all this!
Can you explain how low calcium leads to blood in milk?
Calcium could be an issue... the MN is our lazy doe and hubs mentioned she was extra pokey one day. I treated low calcium in one of my ewes this year too. I need to get my mineral buffet out and end all this!
Can you explain how low calcium leads to blood in milk?
So there is no blood when hand milking, only when by machine? Do you bump/massage harder to get all the milk out when using the machine? Do you break the suction before removing the inflations? Does the milker just hold the teat, or does it ride up and get part of the udder as well?
Also my pressure gauge is way off so I just have to adjust it based on how many pulses it gives a minute-it’s supposed to be around 90. Might check the pulse rate to make sure your gauge is actually accurate.
In the meantime, supposedly vitamin c can help broken capillaries as well.
Also my pressure gauge is way off so I just have to adjust it based on how many pulses it gives a minute-it’s supposed to be around 90. Might check the pulse rate to make sure your gauge is actually accurate.
In the meantime, supposedly vitamin c can help broken capillaries as well.
It's the opposite. The blood showed up several days after, while hand milking. Good tips though! We were questioning the accuracy of the gauge.So there is no blood when hand milking, only when by machine?
So, I just figured this out. It was our mini Nubian, Cinnamon. She had taken to munching rhubarb leaves. Not a lot but she would snack on some once in a while while her friend was on the stand. I was concerned at first but figured she knows what's best for her. It made no sense to me that she'd be calcium deficient when nothing else in her care changed, but it also seemed to be what was happening. Recently I read that rhubarb is high in oxalates and messes with calcium absorption. That's it! We'll make sure she stays away from them in the future.
Way to figure that out! It wouldn’t have occurred to me… great tip too! Best wishes
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
The Goat Spot Forum
A forum community dedicated to goat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
