I would have liked a photo of myself trying to milk Sarah. It would have been quite comical! The Nigerian Dwarf doe and the French Alpine are dairy goats. Their little doelings are being weaned, and the result is that the udders of these dairy ladies are hard and likely painful. So, I helped them out a little. I would like to milk the goats and have a stantion, but it is winter now, or almost, and I do not think milking in the frozen cold would be much fun.
Sarah, the Alpine, was not wanting to have much to do with milking. She is ultra tame, and does not run away, so it is easy to catch her, but the moment I touched her udder, she kicked at me with her back leg and tried to run. I leaned her into the fence and held her there with my weight and proceeded to milk her out just a little, just enough to take the majority of the pressure from her udder. Once it was not so hard, I let her go, milk covering my shoe. It was likely not much more than an ounce from each teat that I milked, but once I started she relaxed. I do not think it would be difficult to train her to milk. Next kidding, when the weather is warm, I will milk share with her kid.
Daphne, the Nigerian Dwarf, is fairly tame too, and she stood to be milked after a little coaxing. Again, I only relieved the pressure for her. This should prevent mastitis. Ideally, it would be better to gradually wean the babies, that is allow them to drink twice a day, then after a week, once a day, then every two days and so on, but that is a tremendous effort to catch the babies when they do not want to leave the mothers, or vice versa, and the crying starts all over again. All at once weaning is a little harder on the pairs for a few days, then they quickly adjust and go on with their business. After three weeks, or possibly four, the does should be dry and the babies could be returned to the mothers. The mothers will then no longer stand to let the babies nurse, usually. If they are not completely dried up, then there is the possibility that the milk could return, so it is better to ensure that the does are dry, even if it is a month's time.
The Boer/Pygmy goat does not seem to have any difficulty with weaning, neither calling for her baby, or with a hard udder and her baby is adjusting to being on her own quite well. The three little doelings cuddle together in their hoop house and keep one another company.
Sarah, the Alpine is for sale, along with her doeling, and the Boer/Pygmy and her Pygmy with 25% Boer doeling is as well. As much as I like the goats, I cannot keep them all and these two do not quite fit my next idea of breeding Pygora goats for their fiber. It will likely be after kidding that they will find new homes. At least I have had a little practice milking and will have Daphne to milk share with next kidding.
Sarah, the Alpine, was not wanting to have much to do with milking. She is ultra tame, and does not run away, so it is easy to catch her, but the moment I touched her udder, she kicked at me with her back leg and tried to run. I leaned her into the fence and held her there with my weight and proceeded to milk her out just a little, just enough to take the majority of the pressure from her udder. Once it was not so hard, I let her go, milk covering my shoe. It was likely not much more than an ounce from each teat that I milked, but once I started she relaxed. I do not think it would be difficult to train her to milk. Next kidding, when the weather is warm, I will milk share with her kid.
Daphne, the Nigerian Dwarf, is fairly tame too, and she stood to be milked after a little coaxing. Again, I only relieved the pressure for her. This should prevent mastitis. Ideally, it would be better to gradually wean the babies, that is allow them to drink twice a day, then after a week, once a day, then every two days and so on, but that is a tremendous effort to catch the babies when they do not want to leave the mothers, or vice versa, and the crying starts all over again. All at once weaning is a little harder on the pairs for a few days, then they quickly adjust and go on with their business. After three weeks, or possibly four, the does should be dry and the babies could be returned to the mothers. The mothers will then no longer stand to let the babies nurse, usually. If they are not completely dried up, then there is the possibility that the milk could return, so it is better to ensure that the does are dry, even if it is a month's time.
The Boer/Pygmy goat does not seem to have any difficulty with weaning, neither calling for her baby, or with a hard udder and her baby is adjusting to being on her own quite well. The three little doelings cuddle together in their hoop house and keep one another company.
Sarah, the Alpine is for sale, along with her doeling, and the Boer/Pygmy and her Pygmy with 25% Boer doeling is as well. As much as I like the goats, I cannot keep them all and these two do not quite fit my next idea of breeding Pygora goats for their fiber. It will likely be after kidding that they will find new homes. At least I have had a little practice milking and will have Daphne to milk share with next kidding.
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