A Morning Milking a Goat
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Taking you along during our first week milking our new Nubian goat Evie. I show you our new milking stand, how I milk her, and my process for filtering the goat milk.
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Established in 2015 and now nestled in the foothills of North Carolina, Guildbrook Farm is a modern mountain homestead in pursuit of developing a more self sustainable way of life. From planting, growing, canning and preserving our own food to managing our forests and land resources, our life long journey demonstrates preparedness, DIY projects, strategies and ideas that you can practice to help increase your own self sufficiency and balance with the land. Follow along as we continue to develop a little homestead in the mountains of Appalachia. 
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Thank you so much for sharing your journey! As a former horse owner ( a very gorgeous grey Arabian gelding), people don't always realize just how much work is involved into properly caring for large animals. Keep up the great work, J & J!
+Helen Draper Thanks Helen and thanks for watching!
I remember my grandma milking a cow, then straining that milk through few layers of floursack towels and then giving that still warm milk to us.... Good times:-) Thank you for great video Jaime and Jeremy!
Eek. Don't know if I could drink it warm...but it tastes amazing cold!
Oh yes, Rose at Wholesome Roots!! I joke with her that we look like sisters, but wow, she's got some skills. I almost need to quit homesteading so I can watch everyone else's amazing videos! Great job, Jaime! Evie showed off for the video :) Aromatherapy for goats! And herbal chiller-outers :) Haha, love it. Thanks for sharing this fun adventure.
HAHA ya well it appears the homeopathy and minerals worked! We are shocked. They are completely silent now. Completely. We will do a vid once we are sure it isn't a fluke but we are going on day 2 of complete...complete...silence.
Thank you, you're sweet!
Your channel keeps getting better and better, Love you guys!
Thank you :0)
Awesome job milking Evie! She will learn your routine, I'm sure! Just a heads up, I went to let my goat out of the barn and the door was closed, when I reached up to open the door ( I was behind her) she put her legs up on door and reared her head back! I got popped in the face. My bad for not preparing the door, but just be aware they are quick, lol! Oh, and their heads are hard! My lip got a little bloody, but all was ok! I didn't even think about her moving so quick! Blessings! Loved this video!
Ouch! Definitely something to be aware of! Thanks!
I just learned how to milk a goat. Thank you for sharing.
+Janet Almaqaleh - 😊
Gosh I been YT slacking! I didn't know you already got a goat! So happy for you. We just moved to our homestead and we have lots of work to do before we get our goat. Have fun!
Literally just got em so you didn't miss too much! We are on Day 9 with them today
I'm new to your channel...I've enjoyed each video...Growing up we had a small farm that consist of cows and horses...My dad eventually sold all of his live stock and retired...Your channel is so informative!!! TFS PEACE AND BLESSINGS🌸
+Chelle Sanderson0352 Welcome to the channel Chelle!
so funny it sounds like the baby is screaming Mom! lots of fun to watch this video!
It does!
Thank you so much for the mention! I am so glad my how to milk video helped you! You are doing a fantastic job!
Thanks Rose. That means a lot coming from you :0)
I absolutely LOVE rescue remedy!! Rose from Wholesome Roots makes milking look SOOO easy!!! lol you did a great job! I am hoping to get goats at some point!! I hope all continues to go well!! I say this as I have already watched the calm goat video!! lol ~Trish
She really was the one that taught me (virtually)! Thanks for watching!
thank you ladies!
We had goats for 7 years and never made butter, we we're able to make ice cream and cheese, the cheese was kinda like parmison and pizza cheese. Once we crossed a pressed block of parmison with a blue cheese by accident. But the blue cheese will spread into everything and anything.
I look forward to your videos, very informative and fun. Thank you for sharing!
Do you use ‘Udder Butter’ or ‘Bag Balm’ after The disinfectant and milking process? Using Bag Balm on our goats cows and even our hands after hard work has been a generational favorite for us. It even has a soothing disinfectant in it (because some people forget and double dip with the same finger). Massage it in after milking once daily and it really helps them...(and your hands!)
I like that stand! I am going to be getting milk goats so this was helpful! Thanks!
Do you have the Pat Colby book?
@@Guildbrookfarm I do not but I’m gonna go look for that right now! Thanks! Do you think you’ll get back into milk goats sometime?
@@Guildbrookfarm I didn’t realize I had commented on this post in a comment below five years ago too! Lol! Still
Impressed all these years later!
I doubt we’ll do it. Too much going on. I’ll send you the book. 😉
@@Guildbrookfarm thats so nice!! Thank you!! I’ll text you my new address!
Great job guys..
How satisfying is milking your own goat! Awesomeness! Love your videos!
+Flower Mound Gardener Very!
First- Love Fiasco Farms. Have them bookmarked. I use mason jars too. They are just so convenient. Your little goat gives a lot of milk. I am jealous cause my goat is dry at the moment. We are waiting til late fall-early winter to breed. I do not want winter babies. My whole first time I milked on the ground while sitting on a bucket. Oh my aching back! And hoof trimming was a pain too. I hope you keep enjoying your goats.
Hi, I was surprised that you didn't use 'clear water' to wash off the soap and bleach before milking??? Isn't that something that should be done? Just wondering....???
I enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing your milking routine. I use rescue remedy for anxiety so when you pulled out the little bottle I was like "Hey, that looks like rescue remedy". Lol! ;)-Dede
The rescue remedy didn't work but the homeopathy did the trick (so far). Will do a vid once we are sure
Cool, another interesting video from you guys.
Is that classical music you have playing for them? Awesome! I love how she knows her routine already. Hopped right up and was ready to go! Great job!
lol yeah. Turns out she seems to like country better though. 🙂
Great video, the goats are way cool. I have no idea about goat and milk I assume the freezer for an hour and a half is to get the goat milk to 35 degrees or lower as fast as possible so it will last longer.
+Autumn Oaks Farm Yup!
Very attractive arrangements of milking & excellent milking much more goat milk
I'm really enjoying these videos. I have a buddy that lives in the mountains of NC and he says it's beautiful. I live in TN, so I have to argue that fact with him often, lol. Y'all take care and YHVH bless.
That is an incredible amount of milk! I love it!! Great video!!
She is a great producer!
Your channel is so perfect. My girlfriend and I look forward to your content. We enjoy every moment you share with us! Thank you for the time you spend making these videos. Was that a green-screen background, with a slow zoom, in for the last section of the video? You have a unique, creative style that we appreciate. Thank you again and stay safe!
+Josh B - Thanks Josh! No green screens here. Just goats.
You guys are great. I always look forward to your next video.
Aww thanks!
You might try putting a side rail on the one side to prevent her from side stepping. Just a thought. Love your videos, keep up the great work.
Yes we may try just that
Do you make your own cheese?? It's so delicious!! I have to buy my milk from the amish to make cheese, so I don't really do it that much (they charge $5 a gallon and it takes a lot to make enough cheese to last). I'm hoping to get goats at some point for this reason. Was curious how the cheese tastes. I'm sure delicious!
+Laura Cort I haven't made chèvre yet (just dabbled in cow milk cheese) but hopefully soon! I did make yogurt - yum!
I just love following you guys. Someone mentioned to install a side rail to stop the side stepping which is a good idea. I just wanted to add that she just may have a preference for the left teet to be used, cattle do the same heck even I did when I breastfed. ;) But she doesn't look too stressed to me, she even left her some of her food by the looks of it. Good work!
+Janelle Robb It gets easier every day :0) But yes, a rail would be helpful.
Hi Jamie, (I am catching up with your videos). If I recall, back in Wales, my friend used to use 1 egg yolk per cup of goats milk when making ice cream. She used to say it made hers creamy.
+Lesley Oliver Yup I think that is the secret sauce! Thanks!
You make milking look so easy! Hope your goat calms down...
We figured it out! Too soon to make a permanent call but when I am sure I will do a vid on how we did it
Loves ur farm guys! It's sustainable and apparently goat milk is a lot better fer ya then cows. Keep up da wicked videos!
+Tyler B We are a very long way from sustainable, but we are working on it :0)
I suggest looking up a recipe for a French custard style ice cream. I think goat milk would make delicious French ice cream.
+Emily V That is exactly what I am working on. I love the way you think!
Mum Mum Muum, how cute
I am surprised how much milk a single goat can give. Really educating. Can someone tell me how long they keep giving milk after giving birth?
She is a high producing goat. As for how long, it depends on the line/breed. Most will product a lot after birthing then the quantity will start to reduce over the months. Most need freshened (pregnant) every year to continue milk supplies.
Your a natural! Let me know when you make more ice cream.....Im not that far away! lol!
LOL!
Hi guys! I love watching your journey into homesteading. I wanted to ask, is that all you have to do to process goat milk? Strain and cool?
That is it. We drink it raw
How long will it last in the refrigerator?
Probably at least a week but around here it never lasts longer than a day hahahaha!
She puts out a good amount of milk!!!!
She comes from a high producing line :0)
She gave a lot of milk!!!!))) Jaime maybe you could make some goat cheese. You do great milking!!!))) 🐐🐐👍🏼😊
Definitely something to try!
Cute! I would suggest using a clean bucket for milking, then filtering into the mason jars! A good example of this can be found on weed em & reap's channel. Then you get all the milk at once and she won't side step
She picks up her feet too much when milking right now. I do this so if a hoof goes in the milk, I still have some reserved that is "clean". :0) As for the side stepping, I think we just need to add a rail. Probably will do that soon!
Guildbrook Farm | Simple Sustainable Living oh ok! Hopefully she will get better when she gets more comfortable with you all! Great videos, love watching you guys!
you read fiasco farms too!!# that site has so much info
a lot of misconeptions when it comes to animals and music .... heres my take on music with animals ...animals sense our emotions ... if the music calms you down they will sense that ....on the flip side though i once came across a mama black bear and 3 cubs in the woods .... mama spooked off and 2 cubs and ran a couple hundred yards off leaving the third cub behind .. i knew if it cried moma would come back and not pleasantly so i started wistling a soft tune ... my singing would only anger a bear lol ... any way the cub sat down and listened and so did momma and her other 2 cubs .... i did a stupid thing then .. i decided to see how close i could get to that cub and got within 10 feet while i was whistling before it trotted off and joined moma .... what i dont know though is did the music calm the bears or did they sense that i was not a threat because the music calmed me ... i would never recomend anybody to try this intentionally
Hahaha yeah I wouldn't try that myself!
Ya the music didn't really work. It was worth a shot. We did figure out a solution though :0)
love you guys!!! question why freeze it right after and how long will you get milk from her before you have to get the other one preggers to have that constant flow of milk? like timeline keep them coming you guys are awesome.
To cool the milk quickly. It keeps it fresher longer. We will likely breed her late fall
I just wanted you to know that milking once a day is good for the production of milk. It will send her system to dry her up a lot sooner than you want plus you get half of the milk. One other thing it will cause swelling in her utter which kind of hurts her. Please consider milking her 2x a day. No sheep dip it is to harsh and will crack and dry out teats just bag balm it is soothing and keeps utter real nice.
Milking once a day works well for us and is something the previous farm has done successfully for many years. We will keep an eye on it and if there are any issues with the milking, or our teat dip, we will certainly change our approach. Our animals are of the highest concern to us. Thank you for watching :0)
Roberta Platter
Excellent point - that's why farmers r always busy bc it is better to milk twice n the balming super soothing.
Have you tried separating the cream and making butter from it?
You can also make cheese from the milk, there is a method that does not use rennet. I believe it uses vinegar to get it to curdle. Though if you can obtain a kid's stomach you need to wash it well and dehydrate it. Then you can use a piece the size of your thumbnail in the milk to make cheese. The stomach contains plenty of rennet to cause the curdling process. You can also order the commercial processed rennet and use it.
Love the videos, keep up the good work.
No there isn't too much cream. Everything I looked into with cream separators says it isn't worth it. I will have to try cheese with it sometime!
I was speaking with my mother about making butter and here is a simple suggestion. Take a 1 pint canning jar, fill it 1/2 way with the milk. Put the lid on and shake it. After about 6 to 8 min of vigorous shaking you open it. If the contents are closer to whipcream than milk put the top back on and keep shaking to about the 15 min mark and then check it to see if you have a solid mass.
Seems that back in the day they used to use milk to make the butter without separating it. The thing is, it does not work today because the milk you buy at the store has been separated, pasteurized, and cleaned. There are not enough fats left to make butter. Well, that is what she told me, I have made butter from cream and it works well. Im kind of wondering if you can make it from the goats milk.
Have a good evening and keep up the great videos!
Hi I've been watching your video's for over a week now, I love your channel. I haven't owned goats, so forgive me if I completely get this wrong, but I used to watch my grandfather milk his cow, and I was wondering why you didn't use lubrication while milking? He used to wash the udders then lubricate his hands (with what I don't recall) then milk. Again this was with a cow so I don't know if there is any correlation? I came across you while researching canning, then your solar oven vid's.....I enjoy your middle of the road mentality as it is something I can relate to. So thank you from Oz!!
There is no reason to lubricate. You aren’t rubbing the teat but squeezing. I am not sure if cows are different. He may have been using udder balm to prevent chafing
How much milk does your goat produce ?
Have you ever made Kefir? I make it with cows milk however I hear it is really good with goats milk. Nice video :)
Is she getting calmer?
Gah. Yes. I love Kefir. I hate babysitting kefir. lol
can you please tell me why you put milk in freezer for hr and half? thank you love you guys x
Chilling immediately helps preserve the taste and prevent it from getting “goaty”.
This also help cooling down fast, if this was in a bulk take it only takes about 10-15 minutes to cool to 34 degrees which helps with the Taste and quality of the milk in the end result.
Hi Jaime......I know you have said more than once that you don't measure out anything....however, can you please by chance give me the approximate ratio of that natural bug spray? THANK YOU! :)
Thanks for the very educational video.
Are you going to try putting the little one on the stanchion to eat while getting groomed so she's used to the routine when it comes time to milk her?
Absolutely
Mmmmmm butter...yoghurt....cheese...cream...milk! I grew up on goat milk!
I have used that solution before and it chafes the skin. head over to my channel and make the teat wipes you'll love them. You did a great job on milking! Get yourself a milk bucket (tractor supply) so you can get it all done in one swoop with no breaks lol
I will check it out. Thanks!
As a child we had cows and we used two hands. Can you use two hands so it go faster for her?
Whimsical WonderFarm I thought she said she uses bleach. That doesn't sound like the best option. I don't milk any animals so what do I know.
Lovely! Our chickens lay better if we play the classical station for an hour or two :)
Is her baby still nursing? Thanks for doing your videos.
Asriel isn't her baby. Evie's twins were taken off 2 months ago and sold.
I've found that if you change the side that you are sitting on they won't sidestep as much. She's a very calm girl.
She has settled down almost completely now. A slight diet change and some minerals and she doesn't bawl all day either. We are keeping a close watch on both of them.
Great video! I love your process on milking Evie!! I hope my husband will let me get goats when we find a house that allows them :) How long does the milk last? I'm guessing you get quite a bit each week, does it freeze well?
Not sure yet how long it would actually last since it's usually gone in a day hahaha. We aren't actually freezing it, just chilling it as quickly as possible so we put it in the freezer for 90 minutes then move it to the fridge.
well I'm quite impressed! So excited so open my phone to a new video every few days! Thank you for sharing your journey!!
+Laura Pelotte - Thanks for watching! It's an adventure for sure.
Great video! I learned quite a bit, and I hope that you learn to make cream and butter from your milk :)
P.S creamier ice cream needs more air (ice cream is mostly air). The more air introduced and kept in the mix, the creamier the ice cream will be. This is also the reason why commercial ice cream becomes harder and harder to scoop - when you first get it, it's air tight, but after a week, air has leached out of the ice cream and so it turns hard. So, just keep your ice cream simple. Use milk, salt and a little splash of liquid flavouring. But it won't get creamy unless it's full of air. See you in the next video :)
Not much cream from goaties. But we have figured out the ice cream by turning into a custard. It's darn near heaven!
Was there a particular goat that she was attached to at the other farm. If so could you get that goat as well?
+Kimberly Mayo She is all good now!
Why do you put it in the freezer?
To chill it quickly. It helps keep the milk longer
It has been my experience the less 'messing around' while milking the better. Make sure to have everything you need 'at hand' while milking. She looks like she's gonna be a very good girl for you for sure. And she's a beautiful girl at that!
Constructive criticism:
1.) Make sure to come up with a 'quick' and easy routine you can do year around. (what if your radio doesn't work for whatever reason? Or maybe you forget that one time...etc.)
2.) Your goats will take awhile to adjust to their new surroundings, each other and you. Their calling out is perfectly normal. (and having listened to Ariel while you were milking sounded more like she was just talking rather than bawling)
3.) Talk to your girls the moment you see them to get used to your voice and even some commands. (similar to commanding a dog). They may or may not heed your command but some will actually comply (even sort of).
4.) Instead of spraying her with lavender perhaps give her food bowl a quick squirt before you get her and then put her grain in the bucket after she's been secured.
5.) If Ariel will end up on the milking stand at some point you may want too find a secure spot near where your milking Evie to tie her to. This will also help get her started in her own routine. Plus, she gets to be nearer her mentor and you. And will feel more a part of what's going on. (ie.. less complaining on her part. Or less 'separation anxiety'). Then when it comes time to milk her she will learn to wait her turn and (in theory) will take to the stand on her own.
6.) Make sure to use the stand for more than just milking. After milking you might do things like brush her out, touch her all over, look at her mouth and gums, lift and look at all her toes (invaluable when it comes time to do vet type things or trim toes. Trust me on this one.)
7.) (This one may be kinda picky but) When cleaning prior to milking I've found using a clean towel to wipe good first, then use moist towel with cleaner on it then use a fresh clean cloth to dab dry before stripping. When winter comes and moisture is left on her udder to cool she won't be happy with you. Summer time she probably isn't going to care because it will help cool her down.
Wow, sorry for such a long post. I hope you found this useful. Ultimately they are your goats though. lol have fun with them and play with them. They are capricious characters. I love goats!
The spray is mostly for flies. The calming lavender is a nice side effect. That said, I think we have the calling out figured out ;0) As for the milking stand comments, those are a great idea. Thanks for all the great tips!
Why do you put the milk in the freezer? Is this common practice after milking goats?
+More Papercards - 90 minutes in the freezer then move it to the refrigerator. This is to get it cold as quickly as possible to preserve freshness, taste, and prevent bacteria growth as this is fresh, raw, unpasteurized milk.
Guildbrook Farm | Simple Sustainable Living oh! Well I'm glad I asked. Thanks for the info.
More Papercards I was wondering the same thing.
very informational, thanks for a great video..
Just wondering if you are putting the little one on the milk stand to get her use to it?
Yeah a little but she is too small for it still.
I enjoy these videos. Not having any experience whatsoever I'm curious about something- it seems the goat is "trained" to get into the milking stand. Would it be easier to just open the gate and let her run over there? She seems very happy to get her food there.
+Jim Hervey - Yes that's exactly what we do now. The leash was only used for the first week to get her into the routine. Now they both just follow the feed bucket. 👍🏻
how much milk was that? 2 liters? 3? I'm not used to measuring in jars :)
+Felys Half a gallon
Curious , Did the previous owner only milk once aday with a kid on her?
+Jean Skilling She didn't milk her with the kids on her
Some friends of mine used to raise Dairy goats....Nubian....their goats knew their order for getting milked......quite a feat when you consider there were about 30 goats.....anyway, they like the order. Your younger goat will learn how to hop up on the milk stand if you let her follow out and get leashed up for her turn. It is never to soon to get her used to the process.....even if she isn't getting milked....but getting used to being handled through the process will make it easier to do now.....than later when she is goat strong.
I agree. It is something we want to train her on. She may be a bit small for the milking stand yet. It has only been a week so once they get settled in we will try to do something like that. Will make it easier for hoof trimming also
Consider a gate outside your gate just for little ‘escapees’!
nice video
LOL! "Dose ourselves."
That baby crying is stressing me out! ;o)
~Chrissy
Ya we will figure it out :0)
It occurs to me that I may have come across as critical. That's not what I intended at all! I apologize if that's how it sounded. If what y'all are doing was easy, everybody and their brother would be doing it too.
+tartanandtoile - Not at all. It was kinda stressing us out too but we seem to have it figured out. 😉
+tartanandtoile She was pretty loud! I can't disagree with it. She missed Evie and doesn't like to be left alone
Well, I hear other people's babies cry and think "awww...just let me hold it". Total softie over here...
Hi. Your comment about the once a day milking isn't based on how much you 'get' once a day, it is about a daily schedule based on the dairy goat and her udder capacity. Generally, "once a day" milking occurs after the doe has been in her milking phase for months.
When a doe first freshens, she will yield the most milk of her freshening period after about 5 days. With a good to high quality dairy goat that is well nourished, her udder simply can't hold all of her milk in a 24-hour milk cycle (once a day). The doe will leak and this leads to infection and/or mastitis. The "once a day" milking schedule for a good milking doe is something that you work towards by tapering down to it. This means less grain and alfalfa hay and a gradual slow-down of milking twice a day to once a day. Your goat is doing fine with once a day right now, but please be careful when she first freshens...she looks as though she is a good milker.
The milk stand needs to have rails on the side you are not milking on. Your doe can't see to her back side and has no idea that there is the drop-off. She could suffocate or injure her udder if she lost her footing and partially fell off the stand. Most milking stands are built to be placed up against a barn wall for this reason.
Also -- please be careful with that tight collar and lead. She is resisting you (as most goats do) and in doing so, the tension will push against her neck and it will deplete her of oxygen briefly. That will lead to a goat passing out and possibly going into convulsions. I have seen it several times and would caution you of this.
Good luck with your goats.
I appreciate your comments. The farm we purchased her from does once-a-day milking (once every 24 hours) on all of their goats. This is after babies are taken off. In this case, Evie had her twins taken off 2 months ago. This previous farm has done once a day milking successfully for many years, so that is why we continued the process. Obviously we have no experience with this but it works with our schedule so that is why we are continuing it. Should we run into problems, we will most definitely reevaluate what we are doing and why. When I run into the owner again, I do think I will pick her brain on her process. As for the milking stand, I do agree it needs rails. We will hopefully get that remedied soon, but it isn't a priority. She does seem to be getting better with milking and not as steppy. If I thought her falling off was a major concern I would fix it today but I don't think that is the case right now. On the lead and collar, her pulling so hard is a concern. I am not sure how else to fix this other than to build a milking parlor off off the run, which we plan to do. But that will take some time. I am glad you mentioned the convulsions in case it happens. What was your solution when you saw this happen?
You seem to have the knack with goats and a bit 'techie' so I'd like to coax you into keeping milk records!! It will really help you to follow along with your dairy work and yield. And if you get into breeding, those records will be valuable both for your breeding program and for selling the kids. It really doesn't take much effort (you will need a scale, though). The benefit is that you can do your own research and correlations with doe management.
There's a really awesome website with some excellent detailed context on raising goats, cheesemaking, dairying, etc. Go here: gianacliscaldwell.com
She has a good article on Once A Day Milking, too (written in 2013). I left a comment and will provide it here for you since this is the subject. Check that article out -- it will help you next year if you breed your milker.
My comment on OAD milking:
We have a small herd of purebred Nubians and since we are just a
homestead, not involved with the dairy business, our milk is consumed by us or livestock (yes, pigs do very well on milk). We use our milk for a variety of dairy products but we can be overcome by the “too much milk” syndrome.
Both last year and this year, I switched over to OAD after 60 days or
so. Production levels did drop but leveled out within a few days.
Several of our Nubians are “SG” performers (Superior Genetics milkers) and have large udder capacity, of course. Without a large udder capacity, a high yield could never be achieved. One SG Nubian is older (now 8 years, bred yearly) and although her yield is exceptionally good at 15 pounds/day TAD, her udder capacity does not have the volume of another 3 year old “SG” milker who yields about 13 pounds/day TAD. Both of these milkers, when switched over to OAD reduced their yield to 10 pounds/day and 10 pounds/day. Different percentage drops, depending upon the goat, which indicates to me that udder construction and capacity (perhaps age) play a role in the variations between TAD and OAD. Reviewing daily milk records could determine their actual percentage drops.
Although there is a marked loss in milk yield with OAD management, I
much prefer milking once a day, especially when there are the bottle-fed kids. (Our herd is disease-free and we have never encountered mastitis with any of our does.)
Look for videos on goat shows and watch how the breeders/showers handle their goats. It takes a bit of training but goats learn to walk on a short lead and collar. With your milker, maybe the old carrot-and-a-stick method could be the enticement to allow you to walk her on a short lead. Work with your young kid now and it will behave for you when it needs to be led.
As for the convulsions (seizures), the goat will drop to the ground and the only thing you can do is make sure the goat doesn't injure itself (or you!). Remain calm and don't get freaky because you want the goat to recover as peacefully as possible. When the goat's seizure activity ends, the goat will be dazed, even confused. Remain calm...the goat will get up by itself (not that it will be fully balanced or 'normal'), so give the goat its space.
I have seen seizures in another herd and one of my own milkers had a seizure once -- her head became trapped in fencing and she caused herself to convulse. I rushed to release her head just as she began to pass out, but she began convulsing. She was about 2 yrs of age then. All we could do was wait until the seizure ended and stay with her a while until she normalized.
I had this doe for 5 years and then sold her, as I was culling a few out of my herd. At her new place, she developed actual seizure activity and grew aggressive. The seizures correlated with her estrus. I believe she was traumatized at leaving our herd (she'd been with us since she was 3 weeks old and very bonded to an unrelated doe of the same age) and the mental anguish triggered a biochemical reaction. Had we known this would become her outcome, we would have kept her and retired her....Regardless, she was purchased to be a 'pet', so the owner put her on anti-seizure medication which minimizes the seizures.
More than likely, there are videos on goat convulsions. Try to find one so that you will be armed with that knowledge. It's frightening to see it happen and know that you can't do anything for your goat. :-(
Starting out with goats can seem soooo overwhelming. You want to get it 100% perfect...been there! I still stand by the belief that goats are MUCH harder to raise than horses. Horse people don't believe me, but they've never raised dairy goats. lol
once a day milking is perfectly fine and widely used by many goat herds.
question when milking one how do you know when to stop milking .
When no more milk comes out!
maybe put a bar/rail down one side of the stantion so she can't side step so far away from you when milking. being hunched over while milking at any point would be back breaking for me...
Ya that isn't fun lol I agree the bar may work
I love rescue remedy
One goat farmer tells how his fave goat was tethered and nicely miked by his toothless(fangless) pet snake he'd trained to do his job. He also says how the snake first nursed on her a bit to get the letdown churning before he got down to some serious milking. His tail coiled around her legs but when she ralaxed and submitted to the milking he relaxed his grip and lay down as he uddered the goat.
Thought he was joking until I saw some of the pics. He also said he would use some of the milk to coat the udders to keep them supple and induce good milk production. Interesting but not look easy.
Put the pipe down
you need you a stainless steel milking pale that way you could keep milking and not stop and she might not do that side stepping and you could use two hands....just a thought.
She is too jumpy to keep a bucket right now. The mason jar makes it quick to move away when she gets jumpy. (plus keeps hair out by angling it)
Understand, you have to do what works....great videos, keep up the good work.
What is the song in the background?
Why do you milk away from the other goat if she's so distressed by it? Is there a reason for that?
It is the only place under cover for now. Limited space on a 1 acre homestead. You have to make do.
Good job! )
Thanks :0)
What is your next video going to be about??
+Flower Mound Gardener Hit the bell and you will be the first to know 🔔 :0)
Add a side rail to the back side of the state d a d she can't sidestep away from you. If you learn to milk with both hands you can finish by the time she is done eating. She is settling in and getting use to you is why her milk is picking up. The more you milk the more she will give. I love Nubians to. They are very vocal though. Great personality though.
I think that is a good idea too. Thanks!
Just curious to where you are located
Is this your new home?? Thinking I missed a few episodes.
No this is an old video from before we moved off grid.
Would you guys have gotten the goats if you'd known they were going to be this noisy?
I live in Colorado, and they sell CBD edibles for animals to keep them calm without the psychedelic effects. Works better than anything else out there and it's all natural.
The homeopathy seemed to have done the trick. It is only day 2 though so too early to make the call. We will do a vid once we are confident :0)
I've noticed Evie likes eating from that first bucket in the shed, I didn't realise it was the baby's. Watching you milk her but not into a steel bucket was a first for me, but when you have to do the far udder (good job he made it so wide) why don't you use the seat on the other side? Hope your yoghurt worked, are we going to see you branch out into goat cheese before too long?
There are two feed buckets apart so they don't fight (as they would if they were close). Right now this works and they are each getting enough feed. The jars are because she is so steppy (plus the narrow mouth keeps hair and debris from falling in). I can quickly get out of the way and plus I have milk in reserve in case a hoof goes in. So far this is working well for me. The two seats are because Jeremy wasn't sure what side I wanted to sit on. I don't switch sides while milking. We will likely do an update to the milking stand at some point. Gonna work on some cheese recipes...milk is starting to back up!
Christy @ Big Family Homestead has videos on making goat cheese and she makes more than one style now. Sadly they are having to get rid of their animals, zoning gave them 30 days or they'd be fined $500 per day, it's very sad. There must be more but these are the only ones I've watched.
That is ridiculous. I am sorry to hear it.
Unfortunately zoning ordinances are the law. I've kept them in my prayers. I'm so thankful that I live in farmland where everyone has a bazillion livestock on their property and no one seems to care because it doesn't matter.
By the way, I just became a subscriber. :-) I enjoyed your video and plan to watch others soon! I've got a milker that has started to cut back on her milk already at 6 weeks and she should be at peak production right now. She did the same thing last year. I'd like to find a Nubian to take her place.
Jeannie Kline Watch the one where Jaime decided to do a quick 1 day project and clean out & organise the barn. It's a really good video. Became a bit bigger than she at first thought. Hope you enjoy it.
What type of goat is she
I don't understand why you are milking into a quart jar? We always used a bucket and two hands milking.
Quicker to move out of the way if she is jumpy - which she is
if you try to keep the collar at the top of her neck when you walk her you will have better control of her. she wont be able to control you as much.
Goat yogurt is easy and so very healthy...snag you one of those hand crank cream separators off ebay for about $180 from Ukraine and make you some goat butter...yummy..looks like you got a great goat!!
I have read terrible reviews of cream separators (just not worth the cleaning and reassembling). I think I will skip that for now :0) Thank you though!
I just skim the cream top and collect to make goat butter. I let the milk sit for 2 days atleast before the cream separates.
Do you still have her
Almost all the livestock is gone until we move
Will you be getting that doe back? She is soo pretty
so good
bringing chickens in to clean behind them helps with flys
Put rails up on either side of your goat and that will fix the side stepping.
We hope to get some up soon
Why all the steps ?why not use a stainless steel pal and then filter the milk into a jar ? do you have a special reason why you follow this procedure ?
Yes. She is a bit steppy and if she gets a hoof in the bucket or tips the bucket all the milk is ruined.This way, I have some "clean" milk reserved. It really isn't a lot of work. I just dump it into a larger jar. Plus this keeps more dirt and hair out of the bucket
how old until they start
producing milk
They can be bred around 9 months at the earliest but we will wait a year. Once bred, 5 months gestation, plus 2 months after they give birth you can start weaning the kids and using the milk. So average about 16 months from birth until you can start using the milk.
You can start separating the kids at night and milking in the morning when they are two weeks old.