How to Milk A Goat by Claire Barker

In 2015, we posted a letter Claire Barker had written to us about how she makes yogurt – News from Claire Barker in Colorado. Then, recently, we asked her if she would give us a tip or two about milking goats. We were going to get tips from a variety of goat owners, but Claire’s answer was so complete, we didn’t ask anybody else.

We are in the process of interviewing Claire now and she will be our “Spotlight” in the August 1st Moos-Letter.

Milking Your First Goat

By Claire Barker

If you get through this, you have the stamina to give it the good old college try!

If you haven’t already …

Read up

Get some good, simple literature – dairy goat 4H manuals, the catalogs of both Caprine Supply and Hoeggers Supply houses. They both carry more books, and often a library will carry Storey’s Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, etc.

Watch videos

If the written word isn’t your thing, there are many people who are putting up YouTube video’s – but, it is hard to distinguish the good from the not so much on YouTube. (I went looking for worming information for the goat “in line,” just to see if there was anything new out there … OY! …)

I will say that it is more difficult to find just simple backyard goat advice, but the suggestions by the bigger dairies still holds – make your gates big enough for the wheelbarrow to fit through, have good water, feed and equipment, etc., etc.. Invest in a decent beginning – save heartache and $ later!!

Remember – husbandry practices that work in England and New England and California and Florida will not work for the Midwest, or mountainous regions of the states or between each other. Mineral profiles, water quality, weather patterns, parasites and feed availability, quality and type are all local and regional. Getting local help is the ticket to figuring a lot of things out.

Seek experienced local help

You might also ask to learn-by-doing with an experienced goat herder, which is also the best way to learn to milk (and this here is supposed to be a MILKING article).

I milked for years and years outside, so, a facility (while nice) is not mandatory. In bad weather, I would load up in the back of the horse trailer, as it was always clean and dirt free in a windy, stormy situation, but, it cramps the style and had no room for the dogs! 🙂

Now, I have this amazing straw bale “dairy” with running water and everything. (But, I wouldn’t worry about something like it if you are starting out and only have one or two (I HOPE!) milking nannies.) Creative, carpentry types can really make some nice simple facilities – just check some of the written or YouTube options out there.

If you are squeamish about disease transmission and the safety of home milk – remember – you will be cleaning pens, kissing noses, breathing their air and the air they live in, probably sticking your hands in stuff you could never have imagined before owning livestock … Your immune system and that of your family SHOULD be good with all of it! However – start and keep – healthy stock and good husbandry practices.

Ponder these ideas:

Know that I make the following suggestions because they raise the potential for good tasting, clean milk, while being comfortable enough to deal with the chore of milking one to two times a day for several months or years. A “milking routine” environment will also be established – which is easier on the goat should you need others to take over here and there.

1) A goat stand

I know there are some flexible folks who sit on the ground and milk their goat, however, a simple goat stand is rather easy to make (plans abound on line and in literature!), gets the goat up to a more comfortable height not only for milking but for routine veterinary care and hoof trimming, is an easy way to “contain” the goat, tie their legs comfortably if necessary during a training process or should they have mastitis and be very unhappy with you trying to be helpful, etc, etc.

GET OR MAKE THIS FIRST!

It’ll turn your crank and get you excited. Heck-be unusual! Get all of your facility in order before you get the goat! (I know you think I’m kidding-but you don’t want to even hear about what I’ve seen people put a goat in as “housing.”)

2) A good goat

She should “glow,” be alert, be “bony” without being “skinny.” Her feet should be trimmed and her udder in good shape and be easy to milk. See the PICTURES!

BEFORE YOU TAKE A GOAT HOME, SEE HOW SHE IS TO MILK!

She might not like being out of the “usual” with someone new, but you will get an idea of how big or small her teats are, how small (or leaky) the teat orifices are and if she is amiable at all. Smell and taste her milk.

If she is a “first timer,” she may need some time to settle in to a milking routine and you need to cut her some slack (although you will still have to kindly insist she put up with it). Some goats don’t mind their privates messed with by a stranger and some are quite adamant that they will bring charges against you – it’s all good and part of “normal.” It gets better with time and practice.

My experience is that my “darlings” (I have those hardy, opinionated, independent minded Swiss breed crosses), are often the orneriest to teach, while my more feral personalities just get in there, do their jobs, stand like a rock and go on about their business – go figure.

I know this is one of the hardest lessons in goatdome, but a good goat eats just as much as a mediocre to worthless one. Feed is expensive, and your time is worth something. If you want a pet – get a wether, but if you want a milker, she should pay her way and then some or you will start to resent her presence…trust me on this!

She will require a lot of your time. She will require it whether you are sick, have a broken leg, just lost your folks, your job or any of the other myriad of things that we deal with. She also was probably not your spouse’s idea … or your children’s.

On the other hand – she can mow your lawn, trim your raspberries, keep your herding dog occupied, and feed you, your family, your neighbors and just about anything else you drag in. Her manure will be great for the garden, and your chickens to pick through and a delicacy for your puppy to both eat and throw up on your floor – also roll in! YEAH!

If your children learn to milk (and both of mine were required to do so – even though I still did it 99.9% of the time) … they can always get a job at a dairy – it is an unusual skill!

LONG LACTATIONS

If you get genetics bred for long lactation – you can skip a few years of deciding which buck to buy or lease and what to do with the kids – but eventually – you will have to make that choice as well. It is hard. Swiss breeds do long lactations (as in years above a quart a day in the COLD winter, and up to maintenance level in the warmer months) … better than Nubians or meat goat crossings and those little wee specimens.

Generally speaking – high fat content means “lower volume” and High volume means lower fat content … but it is relative. I find that higher fat specimens have a harder time with long lactations. Another reason I stick with my mid-range alpines. BUT – I live in a colder, higher, dryer climate. My experience might be different if I were in Florida.

THE KIDS

I’ve done this for 30+ years and still stress over the kid/kidding part. Providence has aligned me with a gentle, humane and dedicated local meat goat raiser – and for years now – I’ve just leased one of his bucks and sent my kids back to him for his customer base. Otherwise, I would be crazier than I am now and have thousands of very skinny, poorly cared for goats.

I try to utilize the kids as my “part time milkers”- so that occasionally I get a break – but that only works if everyone has twins – AND – I can guarantee they each choose their own spigot! I also don’t like making any of them so thrilled with me, by bottle feeding – as they have a high probability of becoming burger. Bottle feeding is another whole article, and a huge commitment.

One of the recommendations for disease prevention is not allowing kids to nurse, and is also “promoted” as a way to “spare” the udder. If you believe that you can improve on the mothering of the actual mother (well – sometimes you DO get one who won’t have a thing to do with it initially – but they will learn once the hormones kick in) … well – have at it and have fun!

As for “sparing the udder” all that trauma (of babies banging away) … the udder is designed to deal with that – and is far less likely to have issues with mastitis etc – because it is regularly EMPTIED or stimulated to function normally. The babies will also keep your milk production up … the feedback mechanism of oxytocin and all … Generally speaking – everyone will be happier … a good lesson from Mother Nature.

If you start off with a “clean bill of health” on the mom – you should be able to have her nurse her babies without stressing over it and ya have about 5 months of blissful time where you can pick and choose your milking days – as well as learn on a less engorged and needy udder!

The fifth or sixth month after kidding, I drop mine down to a once a day milking as they will not be in peak lactation, and off we go for several years of no more kids, and the daily milking communion. The milking ration will need to happen though – whether you put them in the stand or not. You may also leave any does you are keeping with their mums – but you will have to separate for 12 hours to get your milk.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND KEEPING OR INVESTING IN A BUCK. (MEMORIZE THIS!)

He will out breed himself in one year – except for your original stock. You will need separate housing and daily care and feed for a critter that essentially does his job in about five minutes and raises the olfactory pollution and fence destroying potential on your place. I don’t mind the buck smell – but most people think it is absolutely abhorrent … including your neighbors, your spouse and your non-goat crazy children!

If you insist on keeping a buck …. It is a big gamble that you can improve on a really good goat, a toss-up that you can improve on a good old working nanny … and fifty fifty chance that you will be blessed with buck progeny anyway! But-go with a “proven” buck – if you are going to go with anything. He too – deserves care, hoof upkeep, space and attention. If a lot of his kids need birthing assistance – avoid!

Breeding

Keep in mind that kids have a low market value except for meat, or seasonal needs on milkers to get another baby through its milk needing stage. Please breed with the “end” in mind. Meat is fine – but I feel we owe it to them to have a good life and humane ending.

Rarely are you going to get the big “moola” unless you start with registered stock, put a valid show/performance record on them and do all that extra work and travel. This will essentially prevent you from keeping any of your big moola – but goat people are fun and it is a wonderful thing to do with your kiddos through 4H if you keep your sense of humor.

I experienced that mostly – show people sell to each other! This is all fine and good – I am not judging (is that a pun?), but it is a reality that newbies often get sucked into – only to find their show quality, registered doeling is worth what the general goat market will bear – and nobody consistently wants the bucklings except to EAT, and their enthusiastic encouragers from the previous year are onto a new bloodline that will get them where their show goals are …

Get advice as to what traits to look for in a “proven” buck – that might “improve” in the progeny out of your old girl! My learning curve here was focusing too much on one or two traits (good feet and legs/better udder attachments), and not culling for lack of docility – as I was young and strong and would put up with the feralness. Make sure the buck is tested for CAE in particular – as well as CL.

If you want the kids to eat – well – then you are way ahead of my learning curve and I’ll shut up about this now.

Ok – isn’t this an article about milking your first goat??? Have I told you I get side tracked easily?

3) Reliable equipment

You’ve got the stand – you’ve got the quintessential good goat – I’m going to recommend the plunge into a nice stainless steel milking pail with a lid and filtering funnel – knowing I sometimes milk directly into the filter on top of a glass jar, and also, when I first got started – milked into a really cool Tupperware (there should be one of those circled R’s here – but those of you over thirty should know what Tupperware is and those of you under, well, think Rubbermaid) three quart measuring container that had both a lid and a pouring spout on it, and, it was AWESOME. I’m sure I am full of bpas (Bisphenol A) because of it, but it served well … sigh. The dogs chewed on it one day and that was that.

A proper filtering funnel (also in those supply catalogs) is a must. Brushing the goat and wiping the udder off is helpful, but there are always “fly-aways,” and the occasional hapless bug. Wiping the udder can be as simple as a wipe or as elaborate as the chemical anti-bacterial washes. The udder absorbs-like all skin … so make your choices as to what you want to consume and handle yourself along with that milk!

I will utilize plain water if there is really a mess (rare in our dry climate), but liquid is a perfect medium for contaminant transport, and water travels downhill, right down the teat and into my hands and the milk bucket, so, I wait for the udder to dry.

I give a squirt or two or three to the dogs so that the teats are ‘cleared’ and I can assess if there is a problem, and then off I go foaming into the pail. It is not uncommon to have a bit of a milk “plug” on some goats. This is actually Mother Nature working for the goat, but the milk following should be fine and dandy.

Getting back to the business of a good milk pail; stainless steel is smooth, easy to clean, healthful without being breakable, imparts no flavor of its own, and lasts for years – through drops, kicks and stomps, dishwashers, puppies and hissy fits.

Mine is going on its twentieth+ year of almost year round, year after year daily use. It has been worth the “OMG! It costs THAT much?” Caprine or Hoegger have good ones. Some Amish stores carry them as well. Glass might be the next best thing, but it is heavy and breakable. Ice cream buckets and family size yogurt containers with their lids will do in a pinch (that bpa and puppy thing). But, do get a filter funnel – you will thank me.

4) Feed for both in the stand and out

It takes a bit of practice to get your routine down, between feeding and milking chores … but – your milk will taste better if you have a base “roughage” available at ALL times, or – say if your alfalfa is mixed in with the grass hay – then milk first/feed hay after-or-milk four hours after feeding the hay (with alfalfa in it).

This goes for any “strong” feed – which may take a bit of experimenting … One of the reasons I recommend that you tasted your nanny’s milk before buying and can ask what her rations are before you buy her. Grazing animals and ruminants do best when there is ALWAYS something to snack on. Milk at least four hours after you have fed alfalfa, in particular, or other strong feeds, or before you feed in the morning or evening hay will give you a consistent nicer flavor.

Whether it is really hot or cold (fat burning or high respiration for cooling) will also affect flavor. How you hold your tongue in your mouth probably also has something to do with it, but you’ll get the hang of it.

You are dealing with a genetically engineered, high output model in a good dairy goat – she will not produce and probably will die if you do not feed her accordingly. Your milk flavor, quantity and quality are all dependent on her genetics and DIET. She needs quality hay/roughage, a good milking supplementation and free choice minerals.

I HAVE SETTLED ON THIS MILK-STAND “GOODY” RATION:

I buy either organic whole wheat (my preference) or whole barley. Both are local, healthy, available and cheap in bulk. I get it right out of the field by the year’s worth of supply. This is the base of my “grain ration.”

I start out with a grain scoop worth (standard plastic grain scoop at any feed store) or a large “coffee can” or heck – just give them a goodly amount. I’ve never had them overeat. They rarely finish it, but they get more if they do.

To the side of this in their stand container – I add one or a mix of the following: Calf Manna, Equine Senior-low starch formulas. If I make a mix – I will add equal parts of the previous as well as: true-real grain “sweet mix,” Alfalfa Pellets, Un-hulled sunflower seeds stir well-and then-they get no more than a cup of it a day. Sunflower seeds are often expensive and not always available, but, no big deal.

Equine senior is high in fat and protein, but can have the molasses – look for the “low starch” formulas – especially helpful for those hard keeping, high output girls. Calf manna – that stuff is an ancient magic – great stuff and can be the sole addition to the dry whole grains … no problem. It is low in sugars and high in protein and minerals! I do not get the generic format of it because it is missing the anise and mine don’t like it!

If you have access to healthy, organic whole corn or cracked corn, I wouldn’t dismiss it. White corn is lower in Vitamin A. Corn is a good animal feed with a general mineral, vitamin and oil profile that is healthful to a milking animal -but it is harder to find a source for organic – and it is heavily sprayed in the general agricultural farming practices.

Lastly – one large or two or three small to medium carrots and a 1000 mg generic “tum.” The tum is for the calcium – peppermint flavor – not chocolate or fruity! I buy several containers at a time when they are on sale … I’m sure the City Market computers are sure I’m a terrible cook, and they’d be right!

If you are not into mixing your own ration, some people have wonderful luck with the “goat rations,” or “sweet mix” (make sure it is actually the grain and not wonder pellets or some such, which are nothing much more than the sweepings held together with molasses and injected with “fortifications”). Generally, the cheaper the cheaper when it comes to standard mixes. Good sweet mix here – is in the 16$/50# range.

Whole wheat has more vitamin E, which around here, helps with the uptake of whatever selenium they can muster. It is high in “fat” and without molasses to “fool” them into eating more than they would like to eat. (Hey – animals have just as much of a problem with sugar addiction as the rest of us!)

The whole barley has a good protein and feed quality and it works well, too. I’ve never had luck getting my goats to eat oats, no matter what the darn song says. But, I’m sure they’d eat ivy.

Keep in mind that goats are ruminants and if you’ve ever felt their back molars, they are powerful, mean, break-up machines! Whole grains are fine!

HAY AND ALFALFA

At the base of your rations should be good quality roughage type hay (grass/oat/triticale/rye (watch the nitrates as rye and triticale are almost always a follow up crop after potatoes or other highly sprayed crops) and a top dressing of good, green, dairy-quality alfalfa. Healthy goats are picky!

Alfalfa can also be first cutting with a bit more stem to it. Goats need roughage, but their mineral/protein profile will be better met by good alfalfa if they are milking. Be warned that giving them a pitch of second or third cutting alfalfa can have a high incidence of bloat. Change feeds slowly …

Free choice LOOSE minerals to supplement your ration and local mineral profiles – we need extra phosphorus, copper and selenium, in particular. I sometimes have to give thiamine injections and extra of each of these. Cobalt is a precursor to thiamine and only comes in blocks.

Low selenium will affect the flavor of the milk to the negative … ICK! Free choice baking soda – you can get it in “feed grade,” whatever that means, and just leave it out in a protected area. They can then adjust the acid/base balance of their rumen.

PASTURE IS A FINE THING, BUT …

Again – watch alfalfa, clover and other rich leguminous choices. In the picture above – mine enjoy a jaunt through the “kosha”weed – high in protein and draught resistant. Do not give breads, broccoli, onion, cauliflower – cruiciferous, farty foods, unless it is just a tidbit, and only after the goat is full on it’s regular ration (not on an empty rumen, in other words), and you are watching them for the next several hours.

By pasture, I mean pasture – traditional and/or high quality and plentiful weeds such as young “iron weed, gum weed (both have a lot of “flavor”). Rabbit brush, tumble weed, sage, poverty weed, etc. here in Colorado is fine. Oxalate storing plants and high sulpher plants can create issues and are common – but not usually fatal here.

Certain brush and tree trimmings are also a good nutritious addition if introduced after milking. ASK your local extension agent what local trees, browse and bushes can be toxic. Here – summer swipes at a choke cherry are benign – but in the fall – the dead leaves carry toxic amounts of arsenic. This is crucial information for you to have!

Goats can be really helpful berry bush mitigators! I would imagine the east coast and midwest have some really great pasture and weed potential – kudzo vine is really great goat feed! Lawn mowing is great, provided you don’t use Round-Up, or Ortho-Grow or any of that other stuff that has things in it you can’t spell or pronounce. Do NOT give them the clippings from the mower though – it starts to ferment fast and will kill them fast from bloat.

My goats always have roughage hay available (and pasture, though it is low quality). Again-a grazing animal of any sort with an empty/full feed availability cycle is going to run into
problematic digestive issues.

Water goes without saying. It needs to be fresh, clean and always available without goat berries, massive algae build up or dead birds.

Ok – on to number …

5) The milking process

MILKING! YEAH! HANDSTANDS and HOORAHS! Contrary to the Hollywood caricatures of wild and woolly arm and hand pulling while squeezing …

Here is the “balloon” on another goat.

The finger balloon – followed by the finger walk down …

FOR PRACTICE – WITHOUT A GOAT …

Get yourself a disposable pair of latex or rubber gloves, fill them up with water, tie them off and have your long suffering spouse or children or friend who is rolling their eyes hold it up for you while you practice encircling at the top of the gloves’ “finger/teat” with your thumb and index finger … or whatever one you happen to have next to the thumb.

You should have the “finger balloon.” Now, “walk your other fingers down in a sequential motion” to the tip of the said finger balloon against the palm of your hand and, oh – I forgot, make a pin prick in the end of the fingers (not yours!) so that you can get your feet wet as well! The idea is to get a nice steady stream of water out of the hole.

Long fingernails are cruel, unjust and unsanitary … ewww … BUT – I had fake ones on for a theatrical production one time, and still managed to milk using the pads of my fingers, so, it is possible, just much more difficult.

For the un-initiated – it will feel like you are squeezing the poor thing to death … Some of that will be lessened as you learn the process, and can do the sequence with less brain and more muscle memory… like driving a clutch or riding a bike!

There should be no big arm motions, you should not pull the glove out of the hand of your helper, nor pull the spout off the sink if you tied it there.

In essence – you want to support the “udder latex hand,” make your “finger (teat) balloon,” sequentially close your fingers down the balloon to the finger tip and reward yourself with a wet foot!

If you are a musician of the woodwind, string or piano variety, you can extrapolate milking with going down the scale or a real good “lick” with the index and thumb being the capo.

COPY AND PASTE THIS METHOD ONTO THE UDDER AND TEAT.

Alternating your rhythm at first from hand to hand is easiest, but as you get better, sing whatever song you want to sing. Don’t forget to open up your fingers and allow the teat to refill before repeating. That is sometimes the step that hangs up newbees the most … once they start squeezing – they forget to allow it to fill back up again … or – they don’t squeeze enough at the top and the milk just goes back up into the udder cavity … this is something that you can actually feel.

Remember to release and repeat ….

This will be the best route to getting carpal tunnel syndrome that I know of, but it is worth the effort. I love to hand milk. I can hit the opening of a pop bottle and get a big kick out of making my herding dogs keep an eye on the stream.

It never ceases to amaze me that something so white, foamy and beautiful, with such a nutritional profile can come out of such a silly place, full of blood, muscle, fat – it is truly miraculous stuff!

BTW -“pulling” or “stripping” will damage the teat and or udder. Squeezing the udder portion is also not recommended … though as you get more experienced – there are times where you have to put your top fingers up on the udder and only use your last two or three fingers.

Some people get the hang of it right away, although it will still take a few weeks to build the muscle memory and the stamina up. Some people have called me up in tears after trying for an hour to “empty” their goats! Just hang in there!

One of the reasons why having babies to help you with the job – or learning to actually milk before you get a dairy animal – will help. All these methods also copy paste on to any other milking routine on any animal. Short teats and ones with tight orifices are the most difficult.

Oh – and empty … well, if your girl has a meaty udder – you will be left with a firm ball of orange to grapefruit size, but no more milk coming down into the teat. If your girl has a “flappy bag,” (a bit like the one below), she will reward you with just that – something like two stockings hanging in the breeze, and an irritated “enough already” look on her face.

These are health, empty, little “meat” containing udders after a peaceful milking session – a gallon+ in two minutes.

Towards the middle or end of a milking session – especially if you are new to this … or she has just kidded last week … or she is in a mood … or you are her new owner and you are from outer space; you might have to gently massage and “slap” the udder around a bit to incite the “let down” mechanism.

If you are squeamish about this, watch how the baby goats do it … SLAM! BAM! … however, they do it towards the top of the udder for the most part, and mom will nip, butt or walk off if they are too obnoxious.

Sometimes right after kidding – they can be “engorged” and have a lot more firmness and not so much milk as they will have in the near future … The “milk” coming out in the very beginning after kidding – will be very rich colostrum – of a goldish color – very fatty and thicker … important stuff! This can continue for one to five days before actual “milk” comes in.

On a side note: If you are dealing with a newly freshened goat, it will help to NOT “empty” the udder for up to three weeks … just take a “load off” and help keep it less engorged while everything is adjusting. If the babies are doing that – leave well enough alone. The milk has important minerals, hormones and nutrition that is still able to be part of the milker’s own internal circulation. She will adjust to the “emptying” milk balance much easier in about three weeks.

Filtering and caring for your yummy milk!

Take the measely amount that actually made it into the bucket and your wet clothes to the counter where you can wash your hands and have a really nice clean jar with your wonderful new filter funnel inserted and pour gently until you spill it out all over the place … made ya look! (I use canning jars).

Or, in the picture above – I am filling a gallon jar.

I then take a clean sliver off of the wax paper roll – keeping my hands and fingers off of the surface that will face the milk!,

and place it folded – over the opening and lid, putting the filled jar in the freezer for at least an hour and then moving to the fridge. This cools it faster and protects the flavor – but I have also had my share of frozen cracked jars … snigger.

Wherever you put your hands and fingers is a vector for bacteria, fungal and viral transmission … keep your pinkies out of the jar, off the interior lids and minimize touching of the interior of the funnel – though you’ll have to seat the filter with CLEAN hands. Be aware of where you place your lids. Because I have the facility – I only use the filters, milk pail, jars and lids coming right out of the dishwasher.

You will find magically that the amount you eventually come up with as you practice should be around two, three or four quarts or more. This is not a fluke. Baby goats, when up and going, take at least a quart and a half a day, usually multiplied by two, and your girl is bred to over produce. Kids will take this surplus once they are up and running. They might get a bit of loose stool here and there – but shouldn’t act ill.

You can follow up all this milking and filtering with a nice udder massage of coconut oil, or, oddly, one of my favorites is “Crisco”… all veggie … soaks in … doesn’t hold on to dirt and dust … not poisonous (well-for the most part!) to the kids, and cheap. I don’t do this before I filter and put away the milk or there is grease everywhere.

In closing – if any of you have nursed yourselves, you might have experienced “the let down” or the “gads-I’m empty already OK!???” Goats have varieties of responses to these sensations. Some have a strong #$&* !!!, and some are blase’ and just want their rations and a good scratch. Some will lift a foot at the beginning, middle or end and some wait in glee for you to get to the end and bam! – foot in the milk pail!

There are humane remedies for these sorts – I have a simple hay string with a choke loop on the foot end tied to my milk stand (see why I like a milk stand?) at a length that will allow the goat to stand comfortably, but not allow her to get her foot up in a manner that will mess with my zen.

I’m also quick with my defense after all these years and if they are really in a mood, I can look them in the eye and threaten them with freezer works. One of the things I appreciate about irritated nannies is they can’t break my leg or arm like a cow!

If the udder is warmer than you remember – the milk is clotted, off color, off odor, stringy, bloody, green/yellow, the goat is lame on the hind end and/or looking “puny” and forlorn-ed – you have a mastitis issue and that is another story. But, get her milked out anyway – as often as you can for that day and until she has clear milk again, and call your veterinarian.

She can safely and should be made to nurse her babies again as often as you can get out there and latch them on. She will NOT be happy about this … trust me … it is painful. But the udder needs to stay as empty as possible and the flow needs to be OUT of the udder.

It is not uncommon for an older gal to have a bit of “lumpiness” or “meat” to her udder. But the milk should be white, smell good-like milk!, and without the previously listed horrors. Because udder issues come with a detectable disease called CAE – I recommend that you put in the investment to have any purchase completely tested for:

• CAE, CL (you do not want either on your place if you are starting out clean!!!),
• Brucellosis (not common -but possible), and TB – (also not common – but hey – why not?)

This is easily done with a couple of tubes of venous blood through the vet … See above “getting that good goat!”

ON SHAVING

Many people in the show or commercial dairy operations clip, shave and yes – even singe off hair from around and on the udder … As any body bald or shaved knows … Hair serves a protective function against sun, small cuts and abrasions, dissipates skin oils evenly and helps to limit the hair and pests that try to make it to the skin.

Shaving gives a clearer line for a show judge – and in a commercial dairy “hose off, disinfect and dry routines are less time consuming”… so for those situations – milking animals seemingly have to put up with it.

Hair is just as easily lost off the body as the udder – and I found that in my daughter’s 4H days – we had to use a lot more udder emollients, and even sunscreen to keep them from drying and sun damage. Every little weed they passed by seemed to leave a scratch – and they would often develop little pimples on the sides from laying bare skin on bare dirt. The flies got immediate banquet opportunities – so repellents had to be utilized as well … All this on an absorbable surface of “food prep”…

If I have a very long haired model – I will happily give her a wee trim – just to keep the hair above the teat line – but otherwise – I just brush and fluff, milk as cleanly as I can and filter and cool “much fastlier” as my daughter says.

Enjoy!

Now – order some yogurt starter and soft cheese starter from this terrific outfit called “New England Cheese Making Supply”- or make yourself a PB&J and enjoy your milk!!!

If you want to run a cool experiment, milk cleanly as described and put a small jar of milk on the counter with just a piece of wax paper to keep the flies out. You will be amazed at how long it takes for the milk to “go bad.” I’ve done this with the kiddos for a science fair experiment and it lasted over a week before it “clotted,” but it never went “sour.” Awesome stuff!

I think I’m done for now! Bliss!