I have to keep reminding myself that I love her.

crazygoatgal · #1 09/02/11, 01:23 PM

Ok, the goat with the runny poo.... I love her to pieces. Her name is Rosasharns TA Mega'N aka Megan. She is the absolute sweetest goat in the world. Kisses your face and is your shadow. She had triplets this year for the first time and is the best mom in the world... Having said all of that....

I AM GOING TO KILL THAT

GOAT!!!! I wore every drop of the milk I got out of her last night. She has always been a nightmare to milk but she has taken it to a whole new level now. I ended up having to hold one leg in the air and milk one teat at a time and she still managed to put her foot in the pail,dump the pail , and fling the pail. I have to milk her because she will get mastitis if I don't and a friend of mine needs the milk to feed a bottle baby. She also left me with tons of bruises on my legs because of how I have to milk. Nigerians may be small but they are heavy when they stand on your legs or kick you. And to top it off, this morning I only got 8oz. out of her!!! She is sooo lucky I love her.

Donna1982 · #2 09/02/11, 02:19 PM

Yes I have to remind myself the same thing a couple times a week. lol How is she feel btw?

coso · #3 09/02/11, 02:21 PM

Quote:

She has always been a nightmare to milk

Me, myself and I wouldn't put up with it very long. If I couldn't break her she would be out of here. Life is too short to fight with a goat.

Cannon_Farms · #4 09/02/11, 02:45 PM

The next time she kids, if you get any goo on you let her lick it off after removing the kids so you become the kid, its worked for me in the past.

KrisD · #5 09/02/11, 04:28 PM

tie her legs to the legs of the milkstand! Every time you get her on the stand and she gets her grain tie her legs before you wash her udder. she will quickly learn this is part of the deal and she will learn to behave. It works like magic and you aren't bruised or covered in milk. I did this with my first goat Hope and with every new goat since until they get the hang of things. Then I eventually untie one leg and see how she does if she is pleasant then after a week or two I untie the other. If she decides to go back to being a snot I retie her. Goats are very smart then learn quickly.

some use hobbles I hate them because I milk from behind and that doesn't leave any room to milk.

GrannieD · #6 09/02/11, 04:48 PM

KrisD has it right...I love them a lot more when they behave & this is the way to gain proper milking behavior..I personally can't believe it would be that hard to figure out..& some folks say goats"give" milk..GrannieD

Alice In TX/MO · #7 09/02/11, 06:35 PM

Hobbles and then bungee each ankle to the legs of the milk stand.

I had to do that for a Nubian that is no longer here.

I'll have to see if I still have everything and then get one of the other goats to model for a pic.

Hollowdweller · #8 09/06/11, 11:20 AM

When she freshens you need to take the kids as soon as they are born and raise them by hand. The doe will bond to you (hopefully) instead and should let you milk her. If not get rid of her. Life is too short....

PS for now just never let her get you to stop milking no matter what or she wins.

**mygoat** · #9 09/06/11, 12:22 PM

I have almost never had a kicky doe on the milkstand at milking time. I've kidded out mostly FFers, too.

Starting a month before does kid, I put them in the stand for their grain. I sit next to them and pretend to milk them for the entire time they are eating grain. I pull kids immediately when they're born to raise on the bottle. By the time the does freshen, they're used to the stand, me messing with their udder, and they think I'm their baby because not only do they lick the goo off of me, but I take their milk. By their thought processes, I am a baby.

Early on, when I first start pretending to milk, they can be kicky. I don't put up with it. They get a nice "NO!" accompanied by a pop on the butt if they're bad about it - like stepping on my hand, lol. Since there's no bucket and no real milk involved, they can technically be as kicky as they want at first, with no risk of any loss. They dance around while I patiently keep my hands on their udder and pop 'em in the butt if they're really bad. Later on, if they get kicky while the bucket is under them, I holler and pop 'em REAL good if they kick the bucket at all, or worse, put their foot in it. My does KNOW when they've done something to make me mad, lol... they immediately know a pop on the butt's coming as soon as they hear the rattle of the bucket if they're a little kicky, lol.

This year I had ONE foot in the bucket, and I'm milking a FF and a 2nd freshener. The foot in the bucket I didn't get too mad because I was babysitting a friend's dog and don't you know how terrifying a 6lb terrier mutt is? OMG!

I agree, next year pull kids and start practicing a month before kidding. If she's no different, she isn't worth keeping around IMO.

Freya · #10 09/06/11, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Hobbles and then bungee each ankle to the legs of the milk stand.

I had to do that for a Nubian that is no longer here.

I'll have to see if I still have everything and then get one of the other goats to model for a pic.

With the bungees are you wrapping them around themselves and then to the stand?

chewie · #11 09/07/11, 12:28 AM

one of those round hook screws into both sides of the stand. a piece of baling twine, tie to foot, tie to hook, snug up and milk. the twine might be a bit 'sharp' if they stuggle but well, tough! don't struggle!

I try not to hit a goat often, seems that gets me the wrong direction and they get all flighty. but if I do go that route, I use a horse crop (learned that here!) those deliver a nice short swat, but one that can sting! and they dont' see my hand as the 'meanie' who hit them.

crazygoatgal · #12 09/10/11, 02:58 PM

Thanks for all the great suggestions, I unfortunately have not had her since day one. I am the patsy who kept allowing it since she still does it no matter what I have tried to do to stop it. I am going to tie down the feet to the legs of the stand since I milk from behind. I think she will realize I mean business now and I need her milk for a bottle baby that I gave to a friend of mine who had to have a baby fix.

Just a side note on the bottle baby. It is so cute, she lives in the house in a wire crate at night and runs around the house with my friend and in the goat pen when she goes out to run errands. The little goat crate trained herself to do all of her pottying in the crate! Isn't that amazing? And outside of course.