Milking dilemma

wintrrwolf · #1 08/12/13, 12:48 PM

So I have a person that wants at least 1/2 a gallon of milk if not a gallon of milk for making cheese, not to mention I use some of the milk for making my soaps.
Pawnee, Pebbles, and Heidi are in milk but sharing their milk with their kids so I milk in the mornings, not set up to be able to separate the kids all the time, my vacuum milker only milks them half way so I have to tweek it, am starting out with the vacuum milker and then finishing up by hand. Ok so last 2 days with AM milking from 3 goats I have managed to milk 2 quarts...on a side note yesterday I was working outside picked something up and got bite by a spider right hand ring finger and now that finger is swollen and wont bend so milking was a little harder this morning.
Heidi is the older goat that I will probable retire (not freezer camp) next year, Pawnee's girls wont start producing until next year if I breed them on schedule, Pearl maybe bred and kidding in a few months...another FF, Pebbles is milking decent for a FF and sharing with her kid, Pawnee is also milking well with sharing so I will keep milking them as long as they maintain condition.

So been thinking I need a doe in milk that doesn't have kids on her right? But then again I have been off work for the summer, starting back soon so low on cash.
Has anyone heard of milk goat leasing? Though it scares me to bring a strange goat here that wont be permanent...
So thought on what I should, can, or what you would do...

suzyhomemaker09 · #2 08/12/13, 02:41 PM

ummm...are you milking mini's or nigies?

3 goats producing only 2 quarts is not quite up to par around here...

trnubian · #3 08/12/13, 03:27 PM

I think she is sharing with the goats kids.

I have leased before. But it was with a very close friend and we bothfeed and medicate similarly . In other words we trust each other.

I would be hard pressed to lease from someone I didn't know personally for a long time.

DamnearaFarm · #4 08/12/13, 07:40 PM

If you can't separate, why don't you try taping the teats? I use a medical tape (NOT the medical paper tape that says it's for sensitive skin- that stuff is MEAN!) and place a longer piece on one side of the teat and then fold it up onto the other side, leaving a pocket at the end and making sure the tape doesn't touch itself so it can expand as the teat engorges.

Hollowdweller · #5 08/13/13, 11:40 AM

Get a saanen?

I have a goat fresh in March and she gave way more than her kids could consume and even now is giving around 12 lbs.

I freshened her this year but she milked from 4/11 to 1/13 and was still giving a gallon a day when I dried her off.