How many can you milk by hand?

[Feral Nature]

My limit is 4-5 heavy milkers and that is a pretty intense load. I am anticipating the start up of milking season again this spring but have 11 milkers bred. So sadly I will have to sell about half of them. I'm already trying to prepare myself, weep weep.

But I am curious to how many each of you handmilkers milks. I have no assistance from family or friends so if you do, add that and how much assistance. I am trying to determine how many to keep...the less I keep the better for someone looking for a tame trained milker

Also, who is milking now and how far into lactation is the doe etc.

[ozark_jewels]

Usually I milk up to ten does by hand...after that, I break out the milkers.

None milking yet, the 1st of January I will be milking again.

[BlueHeronFarm]

We hand milked 5 this year. Started with one in February and then the rest freshened March 17-April 6. Still milking two, but barely. Will dry them off next week.

It used to be just my husband in the a.m and then we milked together in the p.m. When I left my city job, we started sharing about 50/50, though we each did some solo stints. We go out together and each take a teat on the same doe. A nice ritual for us.

Next year we hope to freshen 16 and start machine milking.

[Feral Nature]

Ten would do me in...That would be 12-15 gallons a day by hand!!!

[Feral Nature]

My husband just can't milk...or "says" he can't. I will be milking 9 full-sized LaManchas and 2 MiniManchas...of those 11...six are first fresheners...oh boy.

Trying to brace myself here.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Feral Nature

Ten would do me in...That would be 12-15 gallons a day by hand!!!

Yeah, but I grew up milking 2 Jersey cows twice a day......thats 10-12 gallon of milk a day. So ten goats isn't that much more.

[HazyDay]

I was milking 4 does this year. I do it all by meself as I just won't be happy with the job if anyone helped! At a show this summer I helped milk 10 toggs at the show. It was milk one doe and move one. The key is to take your time and just keep at it.

This spring I will be milking 7 does. It will be 4 every day and the other 3 will be the boers at 2 months (I will start to wean the kids then.) I do plan to grow those numbers again by next year if I can. But there is always a chance of getting a Saanen and La Mancha doe also.

[topside1]

Diane, three last year and six this coming year. Milking zero right now, no help around here, however everyone loves to drink the milk. Kidding season begins during the week of Jan 12 with six dairy and five meat goats scheduled to deliver. I'm raising dairy heifers now so goats milk is more important than ever. Wish me luck milking six, I'm going to need it. Merry Christmas everyone.

[mpillow]

I had 6 does in milk all Summer 3 were 1st timers and all were super easy to train...hand milkers but also shared until July on some of them.

Only milking one doe once a day....for a pint....but soon to dry. Most are due March 1

I will also have 10 in milk by June...plan on selling momma and babies and getting down on #'s....hay and grain prices are cutting into my "fluff" factor. 3-4 is plenty of milk to make cheese and grow a calf for us.

[Feral Nature]

Originally Posted by topside1

Diane, three last year and six this coming year. Milking zero right now, no help around here, however everyone loves to drink the milk. Kidding season begins during the week of Jan 12 with six dairy and five meat goats scheduled to deliver. I'm raising dairy heifers now so goats milk is more important than ever. Wish me luck milking six, I'm going to need it. Merry Christmas everyone.

John, this is me truly wishing you luck and I am hoping for some good luck as well LOL!

[Feral Nature]

Originally Posted by mpillow

I had 6 does in milk all Summer 3 were 1st timers and all were super easy to train...hand milkers but also shared until July on some of them.

Only milking one doe once a day....for a pint....but soon to dry. Most are due March 1

I will also have 10 in milk by June...plan on selling momma and babies and getting down on #'s....hay and grain prices are cutting into my "fluff" factor. 3-4 is plenty of milk to make cheese and grow a calf for us.

I have no fluff factor to cut into...but less goats does reduce the blood, sweat and tears factor.

[topside1]

Good luck back at ya Diane...your TN. friend,,,John

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

My 3 daughters and I milked 35 does almost year round, a milking machine towards the end, whatever year the boers came to Texas was the year I had a milk machine. I was in my early 30's, and loved it! It's actually a topic that comes up alot when the girls and I are together...how did we really do all that. They helped mornings that they didn't go to school, and we all milked evenings. So monday through Friday I milked by myself. We sold milk to a candy maker in Houston and had to have 20, 5 gallon buckets of milk frozen and ready for her weekly. Plus other on farm milk sales.

It was a given that only eaisly milked does were kept especially because my daughters were only 11 until she was 18 and 8 until she was 16, but it was only maybe 3 or 4 years without a milking machine. Vicki

[Feral Nature]

Wow Vicki! I have a friend nearby who tells a tale of the milk machine breaking down and her having to milk 17 twice aday and how she would just cry. As soon as morning milking was over, it was time to start evening.

Also, I think I am doing things backwards. So far my "mission statement" (in my head so to speak) is to raise good easy milkers "for others". So i tend to sell the goats that are easiest to milk and KEEP the more difficult ones until they are deemed fit for a beginner to milk or until an experienced person wants them. So I keep milking the ones that are with tiny teats and huge capacity. it can take me 30 minutes plus to empty a huge udder and that is with full letdown reflex and my strrong hands...not lack of milking experience but rather just tough circumstance.

With each generation, udders improve of course...I need a few generations to catch up.

[Bricore]

I am feeling better about this coming year after reading everyone's post. This last year I only milked one goat but during that time I bought some more Does and a buck. Starting in the spring I "SHOULD" have 4 girls to milk (I am not 100% sure about the one. I swear I never seen her go into heat at all.) So, we will see.

Dora Renee' Wilkerson

[Feral Nature]

Dora, I would rahter go ahead and milk several instead of one because you have to go out and do it anyway, clean up anyway, sterilize utinsils etc anyway. Might as well be getting more milk if you have to go through the motions.

[AnnaS]

I had 13 fresh does this summer. The June test had 13 does and 130 lbs (15.8 gallons). All milked by hand & by me. I'm down to 7 does in milk now. I have most of a milker setup now, but I need to get the vacuum tank repaired.

There are Amish goat dairies near here who are hand milking 100+ does twice a day with two to four milkers. Their does are not heavy producers though.

[birdiegirl]

Originally Posted by Feral Nature

it can take me 30 minutes plus to empty a huge udder and that is with full letdown reflex and my strrong hands...not lack of milking experience but rather just tough circumstance.

Wow......I am getting scared now! This past year we had one goat in milk, and my boyfriend milked her most of the time because I took too long and she was a kicker- he could milk her out in a few short minutes, while it took me forever and I ended up with a milk bucket full of goat berries.

Plus, with my ADD......I get antsy doing the same thing over and over.....it would be nice if I could put a computer in the goat room and "surf the net" or read HT while milking- LOL!

We are expecting 6 goats to kid in mid-January.......the original plan was to milk them all, but now I may have to re-think my plan.........

Donna

[Feral Nature]

Well mine don't kick or dance on the stand, they are perfect and lady like...and that is no joke. They are well trained. After kidding they are tight and congested and they are from heavy dairy lines. They need milking 3 times a day at first in some cases. If they kicked or dropped berries in the milk they would be in the freezer here or i would sell them with full disclosure to someone who had patience for that...I don't

[Feral Nature]

Oh and Donna, I think Vicki has a computer in her milkroom...that's livin'