Couple Basic Goat Care Questions

[mtcougar832]

Hello I have a few more questions:

1. Do you have "barn clothes" and change after milking? I get splattered when I milk (milking into a large stainless pan covered with a dishtowel/t-shirt). Will I get better or am I doing something wrong? I've been milking for 1 week.
2. What do you use to pick up "goat berries"? A shovel and a rake or ???
3. How long until my hands adapt? A few minutes after I start they really start to ache. (And I don't have any issues like arthritis to deal with - just not used to milking.)

TIA!

[Backfourty,MI.]

Well the only question I can give my answer to is about the goat berries since I don't milk our goats. We use a dustpan & a short little rake we get at our dollar store. Works great & that's how we've always done it. When it's dry weather dh uses a push broom in the large areas where there no longer any growth & then we pick it up with rake & dustpan. We don't rake any of the pasture area's.

[madness]

I'm new to milking but I've quickly gotten to the point where 3 of the 4 goats have all of their milk go into the pail and not on me. The last girl...well, my mom claims she has two "right handed" teats and I tend to agree! I do have "farm clothes" but as soon as I'm done milking, I'm off to grub in the garden or muck the barn or some such, so no need to change. I do change if/when I'm done with dirty, sweaty jobs for the day!

I don't pick up nanny berries in the pasture at large. In the barn, we muck out the whole thing with a hay fork. The berries just go along with the hay. In the milk room, when there's an "accident" (I swear they do it on purpose as a statement), I just sweep them out the door.

My hands still hurt - I learned to milk about 2 months ago, but I only milk a few times a week. I can get to the 3rd goat before they start to burn. I think if I did it every day, I would be over that by now. Just give it time! And lots of TLC on the hands too - ointments, warm water soaks, etc. Be sure you find the most comfortable position milking. I rest my arm on my leg and it helps a ton!

[vancom]

1. Do you have "barn clothes" and change after milking? I get splattered when I milk (milking into a large stainless pan covered with a dishtowel/t-shirt). Will I get better or am I doing something wrong? I've been milking for 1 week.

No--your aim will get better--change side so the teats "work" better if you need to--mine are used to me switching sides as needed.

does it get less messy as the milking goes on and the pan fills--wait--pan or bucket--much easier it is deeper like a bucket.

2. What do you use to pick up "goat berries"? A shovel and a rake or ???

yes, in the pen area.

3. How long until my hands adapt? A few minutes after I start they really start to ache. (And I don't have any issues like arthritis to deal with - just not used to milking.)

I can milk two and my hands will ache a bit after 4 years--but tell yourself it's not a race! if I had to milk more than 2, I'd sell 1!

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Yes I have barn clothes, shorts and t shirts spring, fall an summer. I put mens coveralls over my clothes during the winter. I sweat horribly in our humidity, and since morning chores consist of goats, chickens, rabbits, litter of pups right now, and gardening, I come in change clothes shower or jump in the pool, and dress decently for customer starting at noon.

I use a metal leaf rake, into a scoop shovel, cleaning up dirty places and replacing clean shavings...every 3 months of so I hire out heavy cleanout, and replace shavings.

Your hands....every year during the dry period your hands won't ache then it starts all over with spring mlking I have a milking machine...best $700 investment I ever made, if I had to go back to hand milking I would not have goats. Vicki

[DairyGoatSlave]

I do have barn clothes, shorts and ratty shirt in the summer, old pants and old sweatshir in the winter.
I dont clean up my goat berrrys(no barn) but at shows I use a horse shovel(when on shavings). And a broom for hard dirt or cement
Your hands will get used to it, Iv been milking for three months and they are over not being used I personally dont use a milking machine for a few reasons.
1st, It sucks up energy like noones business
2nd, It takes just as long to milk by machine as by hand
3rd, Its loud and I enjoy the contact with my girls

[jil101ca]

#1 Use a bucket, I started milking into a mason jar then bout a stainless steel bucket. That made life much easy and less messy.I do not have "barn clothes" but also do not wear nice thing to he barn.

#2 I clean the stall as needed and take everything out. For the shed row, I just sweep and shovel.

#3 I stared milking mid March twice a day and my hands still get sore.Resting my arms on my knees helps me also.

[mtcougar832]

Cool - thanks. My hands didn't hurt quite as bad this morning at least. (Oh and I am using a tall pan - it was a spaghetti pan. A "real" milking pail is on my wish list though, along with a better scale.)

[Feathers-N-Fur]

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/...L7&pf_id=16034

This is the cheapest source I know for a milking pail. For reference I used a 6 quart on the full size does and a 2 quart for the mini goats. (We have a milking machine now and love it.)