Gate crowding

[April]

I milked three does last year and will have five to freshen this year (end of March - I can't wait!). At milking time the girls have to come out of their yard through a gate, walk with me to the barn (about 20 feet away, but totally outside of any fencing). Then she hops up on a stand, I milk her, then lead her back out of the barn, through the gate and into the yard. Then I grab the next goat and start the process over.

That's the ideal. What really happens is that I go to get a goat and all the others make a break to escape and I have to drag the escapees back in while preventing anyone else from getting out and try to get just the goat I want. It's quite an aerobic workout at times!

I always milk in a specific order because I thought that they'd eventually catch on to the routine. It's not working.

I'm thinking about building another gate inside the first gate so that I'd at least have an airlock to trap the escapees before they can head to the barn. Does anyone know a better way to stop the milking time drama?

Thanks!

[Alice In TX/MO]

You have come up with what I finally did. A 'vestibule' or 'air lock' small pen for the ladies in waiting.

It's nice if you have two doors and they go OUT a different door, too.

[Natural Beauty Farm]

Use two milk stands. It cuts down on exercise, lol

We let two squeeze out and close door

[Mironsfarm]

:smiley-laughing013: good luck... when my does see the milk stand they go crazy cause they know it is time to eat. i got one that is a sannen/nubian she drags me to the stand and by the time i get her head out of the bucket and her on the stand and her head though the head gate all the food is gone and i am wore out. this is her 2nd freshing. still cant get her to calm down.. :smiley-laughing013:

[The Tin Mom]

Originally Posted by Natural Beauty Farm

Use two milk stands. It cuts down on exercise, lol

We let two squeeze out and close door

This is what I did, too. Plus, I had 4 milkers to walk farther & it was amazing how much time it saved taking 2 at once instead of just 1.

I still need to figure out a better way to get them out. I will have more to milk this year & they are all faster at moving through that gate than I am!

[nigeriandwarfs]

I feed the hay as far from the gate as possible, I guess I am lucky because my girls go and eat and come in order to the gate wait ...The only trouble maker is my 10 month old but we are working on it. Even though she isn't milking yet we still give her a turn on the stand just to get use to the idea, hopefully by the time she freshens she will be in the routine for milking. I have nigerians though so the size probably makes them more manageable.

[DWH Farm]

I second the additional milkstand.. Saves you a couple of trips anyway.

[Cheryl aka JM]

I have a riding crop~ like for a horse. I'm not mean with it~ it only takes a pop or two on the nose to get a goat paying close attention to the stick your carrying. When pandemonium breaks out I swing the crop around some and suddenly I have a large circle around me and some very respectful goats just outside the circle. If I don't have my crop when it happens I pick up a stick and swing it around....they believe it is the riding crop. I open the gate~ hold up my crop~ and call the goat I want. Any one other than the goat I want comes and I swing the crop at them. I don't have to connect~ swinging it gets my point across. Once any goat is out she runs for the front porch and puts herself in the goat stand~ it's the only place that grain is fed and every goat I own covets being in the milk stand! My real problem is dragging them back to the pasture when they don't want to go. The riding crop only works in a group for some reason~ if you swing it in the direction of one goat she somehow KNOWS you don't actually intend to hit her hard with that stick and ignores you completely.

[momagoat61]

Ohhhhh I knew there was a reason why I don't milk my goats... But thats not it... I have halters that I use for when I need to work with my goats, like trimming hoofs, etc. then again all mine lead with no problems. How would hitching them first before you ever brought out the first milker work for you? Mine are use to their halters, I don't use collars but do use halters but never with out me being out in the barn with them. But mine do well being hitched with a very short tie.

[Cyngbaeld]

I have a holding pen with a gate to the milk shed which has a second gate for the milked goat to leave. If I walk the exiting goat thru the exit with me in the lead it prevents anybody returning to the milk shed by that gate.

[nehimama]

A squirt bottle works well in situations like this. . . . . just sayin'.

[Silver Marten]

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

I have a riding crop~ like for a horse. I'm not mean with it~ it only takes a pop or two on the nose to get a goat paying close attention to the stick your carrying. When pandemonium breaks out I swing the crop around some and suddenly I have a large circle around me and some very respectful goats just outside the circle. If I don't have my crop when it happens I pick up a stick and swing it around....they believe it is the riding crop. I open the gate~ hold up my crop~ and call the goat I want. Any one other than the goat I want comes and I swing the crop at them. I don't have to connect~ swinging it gets my point across. Once any goat is out she runs for the front porch and puts herself in the goat stand~ it's the only place that grain is fed and every goat I own covets being in the milk stand! My real problem is dragging them back to the pasture when they don't want to go. The riding crop only works in a group for some reason~ if you swing it in the direction of one goat she somehow KNOWS you don't actually intend to hit her hard with that stick and ignores you completely.

Someone told me this 3-4 years ago when I first had goats (perhaps you!) And I was amazed at how far a bit of firm handling and a stick went in getting them to quit trampling me in their excitement to be milked first. With my stick and using a consistent order, it was not long before we had order.

[The Tin Mom]

LOL! Where do I get a riding crop? I definitely plan to get one.

Originally Posted by Silver Marten

Someone told me this 3-4 years ago when I first had goats (perhaps you!) And I was amazed at how far a bit of firm handling and a stick went in getting them to quit trampling me in their excitement to be milked first. With my stick and using a consistent order, it was not long before we had order.

[birdiegirl]

I had a terrible time with crowding last year. This year I started putting out a bucket of alfalfa pellets about 20 minutes before milking. By the time I am ready to milk, the widespread "famine" is tempered, and my goats will come to the gate in order, as the others pick through the trough for residual leftovers......

[motdaugrnds]

My milking stand is just on other side of their sleeping/eating area. There is a 2-part door (one on top; one just under). When I milk, the top door stays open and it is then easy to see which doe is standing near the entrance of the bottom door, at which time I open it and in comes that doe. Close it behind me, turn around and there she is on the stand waiting to be milked. Just repeat this for each doe.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Originally Posted by Silver Marten

Someone told me this 3-4 years ago when I first had goats (perhaps you!) And I was amazed at how far a bit of firm handling and a stick went in getting them to quit trampling me in their excitement to be milked first. With my stick and using a consistent order, it was not long before we had order.

If someone told you 3 or 4 years ago it wasn't me~ probably more like YOU told ME! I only started doing it last year after my sister bought a riding crop for her horse and then decided she didn't want it. It was just sitting there and my goats where tearing my gate apart jumping on it every time they saw a human near the gate~ so I swatted one on the nose with that crop when she jumped up on the gate....and noticed every goat back off and watch the crop to see what it would do next. Thats when I discovered I could show them that crop~ call the goat I wanted~ open the gate....and get the goat I called! I didn't even know they knew their names! LOL!

[April]

There are some very excellent ideas here! I'll give them a try and see what happens. Thanks, everyone!

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by Mironsfarm

:smiley-laughing013: good luck... when my does see the milk stand they go crazy cause they know it is time to eat. i got one that is a sannen/nubian she drags me to the stand and by the time i get her head out of the bucket and her on the stand and her head though the head gate all the food is gone and i am wore out. this is her 2nd freshing. still cant get her to calm down.. :smiley-laughing013:

Someone suggested putting egg sized rocks in with the grain. That forces the goat to slow down and pick carefully.

[ozark_jewels]

Nothing works better than having two doors. One for the goats to come in by and one to leave by. Preferably with the exit door leading to a separate area where there is a hay rack or browse. Taking them in and out of the same door is the pits.
Do I have two doors? Not at the moment and milking 12 does I sure am noticing the difference!