Some Random Questions

Jyllie63 · #1 03/27/10, 06:21 AM

For those of you who milk two or more goats....do you combine the milk into one bucket? It looks like I'll be *trying* to milk my wild saanen girl. I'm glad I'm forced into the position to do so as I've heard saanens are good milkers. But with all of the crap I haul down to the barn (bucket, feed, bottles) I hope I don't have to bring another pail down with me. I will be milking a nubian and a saanen.

Now...on to why I am milking the saanen. This is her 3rd freshening. She dam raised her twins the first year. Last year her twins were preemies/stillborn. This year she basically rejected feeding her kid and since I thought she was going to my cousins for the summer I didn't care so I started bottlefeeding him with the nubian's milk. This same cousin raises boer's and gave me a little buckling last night who's mother rejected him. He doesn't have a milk goat to get fresh milk from so I said I would take him. Of course I then realized that I will basically be feeding "triplets" myself and my nubian is not giving me enough milk for that. So with DH's help, we milked the saanen last night (she gave birth on monday). She had quite a bit of milk come out of one teat, but the other one was smaller and thick colostrum was still coming out of it. What should I do to get that one the same size?

The baby buckling that we acquired....he likes the bottle, but he's a bit raspy. I don't know if he swallowed milk and it went down the wrong way or what. He's active and seems normal in every way...but the gurgling noise I hear when he eats has me concerned. He's two days old.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 03/27/10, 07:04 AM

I combine it after everyone is milked. Putting a half full bucket under the second doe is asking for a foot in the bucket... at least in my experience.

I milk the first doe into the bucket.

Subsequent does are milked into glass quart jars, and the milk added to the bucket.

I'm milking three.

Jyllie63 · #3 03/27/10, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I combine it after everyone is milked. Putting a half full bucket under the second doe is asking for a foot in the bucket... at least in my experience.

I milk the first doe into the bucket.

Subsequent does are milked into glass quart jars, and the milk added to the bucket.

I'm milking three.

That makes sense....I'll do the glass jar thing under the nubian since she is a veteran milker

Are your goats all the same breed? Just curious if the milk's taste different enough that it wouldn't be a good mixture.

freedomfrom4 · #4 03/27/10, 07:37 AM

I'm treating for mastitis and trying to keep record of production so everyones milk is seperate. I take quart jars with the girls names written in sharpy on the side. I use the tote I use when canning to carry it all. I think it was ment for 2 litters. Before this everyone was pooled together though. Oh and I have goats that kick if anyone else is around which is all the time so I milk into a pint. I just hold it in one hand and milk with the other that way we can avoid feet and I empty it often. Yesterday I made all the kids go away and put the bucket under one and milked 2 handed. I still emptyed into her jar regularly in case there were any mishaps. The more I milk the easier it is getting even for the wild ones. Good luck.

madness · #5 03/27/10, 07:52 AM

For the majority of the time last year, we kept all the girls milk separate. Shelli's milk was a little bitter, Elise's milk was so sweet that's the only we used in ice cream and Savannah came down with mastitis. Each girl produced just about half a gallon per milking so we took the pail and 4 half gallon jars. Milk into the pail, weigh, strain into the half gallon. Repeat for each doe (we did 4).

Towards the end of the season, Savannah's (mastitis) milk was still kept separate but we mixed everyone's since it took less jars as they dropped from half a gallon at a time. And Shelli's milk (bitter) was greatly improved after copper bolusing.

Gurgling could be amniotic fluid or milk in the lungs. I've never experienced it, but there was another post just a few days ago and the little one got better on its own. The thing to watch out for is pneumonia I believe.

Alice In TX/MO · #6 03/27/10, 09:37 AM

I'm milking an Alpine, a LaMancha, and a MiniMancha. The only significant difference is more cream in the MiniMancha's milk, but we just mix 'em all.

shiandpete.1 · #7 03/27/10, 10:04 AM

We milk one, weigh her milk and then pour it into the tote, ilk the other, weigh the milk and dump that into the tote. One is a lamancha cross and the other a lamancha. For a while we kept it separate so we could taste test before we said it was ready for our herd share members.

motdaugrnds · #8 03/27/10, 11:54 AM

I use a bucket with a half moon top; thus milking stays cleaner. I would never milk using only one hand as my does give too much milk and it would take forever. I always taste the milk from each teat before it goes into the milk pail. (This is also after I Naylor test for possible mastitis.) This way I know how each doe is performing taste wise. If all fine, I milk; then pour into tote for delivering into house where I strain it all into quart jars. (Leave a little room at top of each jar and lid loose and it can even be frozen this way.)

The only time I one-hand milk a doe is when I am gathering collustrum for her kid(s). This isn't often; but if a kid is too weak at birth, I will do this for its first feeding. (I simply milk the collustrum into the feeding bottle.)

freedomfrom4 · #9 03/27/10, 12:27 PM

I milk with only one hand but this is my first year

If I didn't I wouldn't have any milk left between me and the goat spilling it. My hands have gotten stronger though and I don't have to stop and rest any more. At first my goat hated getting milked so much I had to keep a bucket under her to keep her from laying down and hoble her feet to. So we have both improved.:banana02:

LomahAcres · #10 03/27/10, 02:32 PM

When they first kid out, I milk into separate buckets until I know the milk it tasting good. Then they are all mixed together until summer - that's when everyone is milking too much to fit more then one in a bucket.

I have many different breeds and all the milk taste fine together. Your Nubian's milk will be slightly more creamy then your Sannen's milk.

With the uneven udder - did she just have a single kid? Most likely the kid only nursed from one side and that's why the other side still had colostrum in it. Just keep milking her out regularly and she should even up.

General Brown · #11 03/28/10, 09:41 AM

Im milking 2 Alpine/Nubian cross does. (3/4 Alpine)
I always milk the FF first, one handed, into a quart jar. When full I dump into a large container. I weigh her milk when completed. This morning is was just a bit over 4 lbs.

When I milk my 3 year old, I do the same, and then weigh the total milk. This mornings total was 10 lbs.

This tells me my FF gave me 1/2 gallon, and my Senior doe gave 3/4 a gallon.
The senior doe is also milking two month old kids.