Milking FF

[christij]

So how long before their teats lengthen? Mayflower produces a nice stream but I'm using my fingers to milk her. Are there any tips? Things I should or should not do? Well a doeling nursing help?

[Chinook]

My FF took a fairly long time before her teats got very big. At first I let her two twin boys nurse until they got a little bigger. I still used my fingers though. I don't think they really got very big until her next year.

[topside1]

Christie, to answer your question...not soon enough. By the second freshening if they are still tough to milk, I consider moving them down the road. Very frustrating squirting milk all over the place....I usually leave the kids on the FF, just to avoid milking the tiny teats.

[Corky]

I have had FF that I just couldn't milk and I now have a FF with nice teats.

I noticed my only FF I have this year has three inch teats already and she will not kid till next month. she looks like she will be easy to milk.

The one that I had last year was a dream to milk. She is a 2F this year and still is easy to milk.

[christij]

Well drats! When I milked this morning her one side was full and I milked out a pint. But this evening I was trying to work both sides and wasn't getting much.

I hope my other FF teats start to lengthen before she kids then!

[hoofinitnorth]

Speaking from little first-hand experience and lots of discussions with experienced breeders - I think teat size depends on the genetics and the individual goat. Also, I've been told that letting kids nurse help increase the size of the teat, but it won't get bigger than genetically intended without injury. Some girls, though, just always have tiny teats. I have been fortunate with my goats - two of whom are first fresheners. One is the easiest goat I've ever milked out of a handful of Alpines and several NDs. She has large, plump teats with huge orifices that don't leak and I can empty her in just a few minutes, even though I'm still a newbie at this. My other first freshener was dry when I bought her but she has large teats and her breeder reports she was easy to milk (when she behaved, of course). Her full sister is still at the breeder's and she is very easy to milk (yes, I have milked her myself). I try to buy goats that have nice teats as well as a high-quality udder and good production genetics/history, to minimize the troubles I've experienced and seen in tiny-teated girls. I have milked one girl that barely has teats larger than the tip of my pinky and she is a 2nd or 3rd freshener now. Nearly impossible to do without milking the udder instead of the teats. After milking her once, I fellt the pain of you folks with tiny-teated girls!!! YOWCH!