This is fun!

mammabooh · #1 04/01/11, 07:55 AM

This morning I prepped and milked both goats (2 quarts), fed the young one, changed out water, let the chickens out and topped off their feed, and was back in the house in less than 30 minutes.

Now, I'll go back out as soon as Son gets up and hang out with the goats and shower them with love and affection, but it is nice to know that it's not going to take me an hour each time I milk like I had thought it was going to. I'm getting better at it and the girls are getting better at letting down for me. The first couple of times, it took a couple of minutes for Snicket to let down, but now she's rarin' to go as soon as she gets on the stand. WooHoo!!!!

Miss Mudge is VERY easy to milk. I barely have to squeeze at all with her. My hands get a bit sore with Snicket and I even do her first.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 04/01/11, 08:07 AM

Isn't goatie life wonderful! The most serene part of my day.

Your hands will adjust.

Our Little Farm · #3 04/01/11, 08:08 AM

Soumds great!

We have our farm set up so that everything is done in under 30 mins twice a day. Apart from the garden.

nehimama · #4 04/01/11, 08:20 AM

You seem thrilled, and rightly so! Milking is the best part of my day.

Backfourty,MI. · #5 04/01/11, 09:19 AM

I'm so glad you finally got your goats & enjoying them so much. I love to hang out with the goats sometimes more than people!

RedSonja · #6 04/01/11, 09:25 AM

Ain't it though?

So glad it's going well for you!

Just milked my new doe, it was so nice to milk again. My two does that I bought in milk dried off right at the 10 month lactation point so, it's been 4 months or more since I have gotten to. Waiting for her milk to chill in an ice bath in the fridge so we can taste it.

Life is good.

-Sonja

LaManchaPaul · #7 04/01/11, 09:25 AM

Isn't it just REAL??

I have always said that when I drive my tractor, I add time to my life. I discovered the same feeling with goating.

Oat Bucket Farm · #8 04/01/11, 10:10 AM

I am so happy for you! I agre that goats one of the best parts of my day. Milk time is my zen time.

mammabooh · #9 04/01/11, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaManchaPaul

Isn't it just REAL??

I have always said that when I drive my tractor, I add time to my life. I discovered the same feeling with goating.

Hee Hee...we don't have a tractor yet, but I feel that way when I drive around on our Steiner. I use that thing like it's a tractor. We had an Amish crew working on the barn a couple of years ago, and one of the older guys grinned, shook his head and said "you LIKE being on that thing, don't you?". It made me giggle. The grass can hardly grow fast enough for me...I can't wait to get out there and ride around and cut the grass. My neighbor said that my great aunt (the one who lived her whole life here) was exactly the same way with her John Deer mower. Relda (my great aunt) was still mowing with it into her very late 80's. She even changed her own tires and took them to town to get them repaired when she had a flat. She cracked me up! She was spry and youthful-acting up until about 2 months or so before she died. She was 90 when she died, so that's a pretty good life! My hubby says that he wants to be just like Relda when he grows up.

LFRJ · #10 04/01/11, 11:14 AM

I'll bet she looks down on her fields and barn and grass now with much pride and satisfaction over the effort you're making toward getting it to come back to life.

mammabooh · #11 04/01/11, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFRJ

I'll bet she looks down on her fields and barn and grass now with much pride and satisfaction over the effort you're making toward getting it to come back to life.

Yeah...she's probably also mad at us for throwing so much stuff away when we moved here! There was so much junk in the upper part of the one barn that was just silly (at least, to us!) to keep...old, nasty carboard boxes that were soaked with raccoon pee, tiny pieces of twine, just too much stuff to list.

My grandma (Relda's sister) was the same way. I once found a little brown paper bag in an upstairs bedroom (that she used for storage) that was folded over and stapled closed. On it, she had written "pieces of string too small to use". THAT cracked me up!

CaliannG · #12 04/01/11, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammabooh

On it, she had written "pieces of string too small to use". THAT cracked me up!

On...my...Lord...

I have to stop my mother from saving the string off of feed bags.

At any rate, I am with you on the happy-joy-milking dance today! My FF's jumped on the milkstand with NO effort or problems WHATsoever, and only the second one fidgeted at all and that was just once.

W00T! No more milk stand rodeo! They are finally getting with the program! And, not only that, but with the letting down, they are milking in 5-7 minutes flat each because they have orifices like water faucets.

Let';s raise our glasses of milk in a toast (or on toast, whichever you prefer!) , "To milking time, when it is bad it is horrible; but when it is good, it is heaven on Earth!"

Oat Bucket Farm · #13 04/01/11, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

Let';s raise our glasses of milk in a toast (or on toast, whichever you prefer!) , "To milking time, when it is bad it is horrible; but when it is good, it is heaven on Earth!"

To milking time!

mammabooh · #14 04/01/11, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

I have to stop my mother from saving the string off of feed bags. "

That's exactly the kind of string that was in the bag...you knew I HAD to peek, didn't you?!?!? Well, I'm sure it wasn't really feed bag string, but it was that thin white stuff.

Glad to hear that your milking day was great so far!

Another thing that is simply delightful that I didn't even think of until now, is that I am able to drink a glass of milk! I haven't had an entire glass of milk since I was a kid...it always gave me gross goobers in my throat. Not so with the goat milk. I'm a happy chick!