Anybody not shave milk goat udders?

[AtHomeDaughter]

anybody not shave milk goat udders and just leave them natural? My doe's (nubian) bag is not very hairy.

[Liese]

I don't/haven't shaved the Alpine's udders. I also don't "wash" the udder with water - brush clean, predip, milk, post dip.

[Kazahleenah]

I don't shave mine either.

Kaza

[mpillow]

Don't shave and don't wash unless necessary and then with unscented baby wipes or water and paper towel.

[southerngurl]

I don't in the winter, I figure they need all the coat they can get. Especially poor Penny, scrawny little nubian that she is. She is not meant for cold temps.

[topside1]

Milking six un-shaven goats, no complaints from me or them.

[deafgoatlady]

I dont shave the goats. I have some hairy ones. I dont have shaver thing. Oh well. It works fine for me..

[texican]

No shaving here... for a while I thought we were 'supposed' to... but I couldn't figure out how to do it without a knick here or there... and since there was no hair from the teats getting in the milk, why worry!

[mygoat]

I shave everybody. In winter I don't shave their udders all the way, just enough to get the fuzzies out of the way. I like shaved, though, because then I know I'm getting the udder clean when I wash it. I would NEVER milk without washing first as I can't tell you how often I hear goat's milk is nasty... the slightest bit of contaminant can make it that way, so I will do all I can to prevent that occurance. It's not like it's difficult, and i make the teat dip/udder wash fiasco farm makes which is nicer to the goat's udder and cheaper than the commercial dips/washes.

[ozark_jewels]

I do not shave udders and I milk by machine or by hand. Most does lose most of the hair on their udders during the warm part of the year. Even the hairy ones are not a problem. A hair or two in the milk is not about to taint the flavour if its strained and chilled quickly. I should know, I am terribly aware of milk flavour.
I also do not wash the udder. Just brush it off and milk. Water makes the perfect conducter for bacteria, so I see no need unless the doe is truly dirty......which I never see as goats are very clean and unlike cows do not lay in muck. If you do choose to wash, make sure you dry very carefully.

[mamajohnson]

Interesting about the not washing part!
I have one little girl that is very hairy around the udder. I was thinking of giving her a slight trim, just because I keep pulling it accidently.
Other than that, I will not shave, it makes me nervous.

Tell me more on the brushing thing, what sort of brush do you use?
I have been washing/drying the udders, but if it isnt necessary, I would like to stop! They are only dirty on rare occasions.

[bluefish]

I don't shave either. I just brush my girls off with my hand. I also don't post dip in the winter. At 20-30 below zero, it just seems a bit much. I know what I'd do to somebody who tried to do that to me!

[Oldntimes]

I don't shave either. I use unsented baby wipes to wipe the teats then milk and strain.

[vancom]

no shaving. unscented wipes.

[cjb]

I don't shave either but I clean maniacally. ;-)

[Goatguy]

I don't do a darn thing, don't shave, don't clean. I strain with cheesecloth, or a clean t-shirt. I get it cold as soon as I can, but I don't put myself in a hurried rush to do it. Never made me sick and the milk tastes wonderful!

[Spinner]

None of my girls are very hairy so shaving would be a waste of time. I use a clean wipe cloth for each teat (baby wipes are cheap). The milk is strained thru a clean cotton dish towel, poured into 20 oz bottles, then cooled.

[Liese]

[QUOTE=.

Tell me more on the brushing thing, what sort of brush do you use?
I have been washing/drying the udders, but if it isnt necessary, I would like to stop! They are only dirty on rare occasions.[/QUOTE]

I put on clean cotton work gloves, then sitting besides her I start up high behind, then around the sides, then to the front - just doing a light brushing motion. I do the teats last. This both preps the udder and causes milk let down. I use a nice clean wheat straw in the goat shed, topped up weekly - it's quite thick and cushy now - so there isn't really any dirt, as in soil, just pieces of straw. I also feed their hay afterwards so they continue to stand for at least 15-20 min. after milking - this is suppose to be the period when the teat orifice can constrict and eliminate bacterial problems.

[XCricketX]

I don't have very many goats...

When I was milking last season.. I was milking 2 goats. I just brushed them down with a horse "Body" brush all over, then I use the Fiasco Farms teat dip recipe, then milked... strained with a clean t-shirt, and refrigerated. Most of the time, the milk was used up before I could get it cold!
I swear, I could probably put my daughter under there to actually nurse! *sigh*

Cricket

[mamajohnson]

Originally Posted by Liese

I put on clean cotton work gloves, then sitting besides her I start up high behind, then around the sides, then to the front - just doing a light brushing motion. I do the teats last. This both preps the udder and causes milk let down. I use a nice clean wheat straw in the goat shed, topped up weekly - it's quite thick and cushy now - so there isn't really any dirt, as in soil, just pieces of straw. I also feed their hay afterwards so they continue to stand for at least 15-20 min. after milking - this is suppose to be the period when the teat orifice can constrict and eliminate bacterial problems.

Wow! ok, something new for me to try! I have a lot of straw in there right now too. Last summer they were on dirt a lot, but I don't like that, just doesnt seem 'right' to me. lol!
Very interesting about the 20 min after milking. I usually clip the girls to the fence after milking (so they are on straw), so the ones not in milk have a chance to feed. Guess I am doing that right!

I have forgot to wash them before, and just sorta wiped the udder, and the milk was fine. Very good information!
Thnx!