Milking Question

[Mr.Hoppes]

when I milk ( by Hand) one of my goats seems over heated, pantin even. She also ends up most or the time with what looks like thick snot around her nose. Lately I have moved to milking outside in the open air and it hasn't seemed to cool her at all. She's a good goat and I want her to be long lived and hoping this isn't some sign of illness or health problem.

[pookshollow]

What colour is she? Most of mine are white Saanens or crosses, but I have a brown NubianX and an Alpine.

All of mine breathe faster in the heat, but my black and white Alpine really pants, mouth open - and she must swallow air doing it, because she gets quite large. I thought it was bloat the first few times, but she hadn't eaten anything unusual, and she goes back to a normal size when the temps go back down. Other than that, she eats well, she's milking great, everything else is normal. She is inclined to produce more snot than the others, like yours - I figure, it's just her. Allergies, maybe?

[BiGtImEfArMeRs4]

You could try shaving her to help keep her from getting over heated. We have one doe, that as soon as it gets the least bit hot, she pants & goes on but once shaved she doesn't mind it that bad.

[pookshollow]

I've shaved mine once, and combed out all the dead undercoat. I don't want to shave her again, because she goes outside and I figure she needs some protection from the sun and the bugs! She actually seemed not so bad during our last hot spell.

[Mr.Hoppes]

She pants weather it is hot or cold out day or night doen't matter just when milking. Hot as 94 degrees actual with a heat index way up there and she sits in the shade chewing her cud with the others not bothered by the heat at all seemingly. But Start to milk and there she goes. I don't think it's a big deal, just sort of weird though.

[Liese]

Do you milk the same place, time of day, give her grain whilst she is on the stand? Have someone watch your technique, maybe you are usiing stripping motion rather than a squeezing one and this is hurting her. Panting here may be an indication of stress, which I think you must be clued into since you are observing the reaction. Have someone else milk her - that handles her differently. Course she may be conditioned now but take some time to observe how you milk. Or perhaps she was handled roughly by someone else whilst milking and this is what she does to relieve stress from worry - somewhat like how you might get tense thinking something painful was about to happen. At any rate, if you make the experience as pleasant as possible perhaps over time she'll relax. I milk at a dairy and there isn't any panting but a few are more skittish than others - I make sure they are being milked when the food is in front of them - most couldn't care less. But we have the same routine, same time, quiet, no distractions. No children in the milking parlour.