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Gentle Milk Stand Training - seeking advice
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We just try very hard to make the stanchion a desirable place to be. Before milking ever begins they get on the stand to get chaffhaye, brushings & lots of praise. Return to the pen with a favorite snack - here it's a peanut. Then we start hoof trimmings & briefly check udders while on the stand too. Finally milking comes around. By then all the scariness is out of it and we've spent a lot of time already touching all of their body while on the stand.
Our girls love going to the stand and if more than one gets out at a time they fight for it.
It's a pretty big deal around here
One other thing we do is mix their grain with lots of chaffhaye so they don't run out during milking and we don't feel tempted to overfeed to gain compliance. We have a girl that will stomp near the end of milking to demand her peanut before it's time, so she gets shackled to the stanchion if the kids are milking to keep her foot out of the pail. I just know to watch for it at the end and pull the bucket.
Our Kinders are smaller like yours but the base of the neck holder in the stand is high enough that if they tried to lay down it would be very uncomfortable. Maybe you could add a small strip of wood at the bottom to have that raised up?
Our girls love going to the stand and if more than one gets out at a time they fight for it.
It's a pretty big deal around here
One other thing we do is mix their grain with lots of chaffhaye so they don't run out during milking and we don't feel tempted to overfeed to gain compliance. We have a girl that will stomp near the end of milking to demand her peanut before it's time, so she gets shackled to the stanchion if the kids are milking to keep her foot out of the pail. I just know to watch for it at the end and pull the bucket.
Our Kinders are smaller like yours but the base of the neck holder in the stand is high enough that if they tried to lay down it would be very uncomfortable. Maybe you could add a small strip of wood at the bottom to have that raised up?
Similar practices here^^ Lots of petting, touching, shaving and brushing before milking.
I don't consider hobble/tying ungentle, when it keeps everyone calm. One of mine, too, will dance a little dance when done eating but sometimes that's faster than whoever might be milking. Tying is easier, safer and cleaner for us. Also, for the layers, I have found something under their bellies (like a bucket, child's bench, log) helps to remind them not to lay or get too lazy. I do this (mostly for sheep) when I trim too but I usually use my leg while kneeling if I can get the position right. It works better in the front. I think they get tired, not naughty.
I don't consider hobble/tying ungentle, when it keeps everyone calm. One of mine, too, will dance a little dance when done eating but sometimes that's faster than whoever might be milking. Tying is easier, safer and cleaner for us. Also, for the layers, I have found something under their bellies (like a bucket, child's bench, log) helps to remind them not to lay or get too lazy. I do this (mostly for sheep) when I trim too but I usually use my leg while kneeling if I can get the position right. It works better in the front. I think they get tired, not naughty.
Thanks so much for sharing! Our girls will fight to get on the sand too, as soon as they see me walk in the barn they run to the milking stall haha, it's just the actual milking that some get annoyed with. Adding a strip of wood is a good idea I might have to try that.We just try very hard to make the stanchion a desirable place to be. Before milking ever begins they get on the stand to get chaffhaye, brushings & lots of praise. Return to the pen with a favorite snack - here it's a peanut. Then we start hoof trimmings & briefly check udders while on the stand too. Finally milking comes around. By then all the scariness is out of it and we've spent a lot of time already touching all of their body while on the stand.
Our girls love going to the stand and if more than one gets out at a time they fight for it.
It's a pretty big deal around here
One other thing we do is mix their grain with lots of chaffhaye so they don't run out during milking and we don't feel tempted to overfeed to gain compliance. We have a girl that will stomp near the end of milking to demand her peanut before it's time, so she gets shackled to the stanchion if the kids are milking to keep her foot out of the pail. I just know to watch for it at the end and pull the bucket.
Our Kinders are smaller like yours but the base of the neck holder in the stand is high enough that if they tried to lay down it would be very uncomfortable. Maybe you could add a small strip of wood at the bottom to have that raised up?
It's mostly my one doe who will squat right down onto the bucket/my hands 🤦🏻♀️
Hhhmmm, that's an interesting one. Are your hands cold by chance? Our does will try to get away from cold hands... can you blame them tho?!
The only other thing I can think of is if you're milking from the back. Lots of folks do this just fine but it seems to take some extra getting used to.My hands are probably cold 🤔 (Ontario Canada lol) I'll try warming them up tomorrow morning. Nope, milking from the side. We worked on it a bit tonight, I scratched under her belly to get her to lift her back up and stand tall and then give her a break. Hopefully I can help her understand to stay in that posture. She really is a sweet and cooperative goat otherwiseHhhmmm, that's an interesting one. Are your hands cold by chance? Our does will try to get away from cold hands... can you blame them tho?!
This is our stance too. I have taken some girls to the stand, did all the same things, and they still threw a fit come milking time. It's something completely different and hormones are flowing. I do have some does that get up there, I start milking for the first time, they get a little stompy cause...well...why are you doing that human? And then they stop and we're good to go. But I have had some that no amount of preparing them helped. I did tie legs because it was dangerous for them to be kicking and jumping as I had been kicked in the face before and it's not fun. They usually try to kick a few times and stop. Takes usually no more than a week of training that way and they are perfect.Similar practices here^^ Lots of petting, touching, shaving and brushing before milking.
I don't consider hobble/tying ungentle, when it keeps everyone calm. One of mine, too, will dance a little dance when done eating but sometimes that's faster than whoever might be milking. Tying is easier, safer and cleaner for us. Also, for the layers, I have found something under their bellies (like a bucket, child's bench, log) helps to remind them not to lay or get too lazy. I do this (mostly for sheep) when I trim too but I usually use my leg while kneeling if I can get the position right. It works better in the front. I think they get tired, not naughty.
For squatters, I have used the bucket technique. Keeps them from dropping their rear down and they eventually stop. There is a level of squatting that's normal as they squat to feed their babies so they will sometimes do the same on the stand. The other thing I do is as I'm milking (I milk from behind so I have a better hold this way) and they start to squat too much, I keep my hands on the teats and gently lift them back up and relieve pressure continuing to milk when they stand nice again.
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