glenolam's madness - April passed away

[Kala]

And the new goaties are adorable!!!

 

[Henrietta23]

Ah! I did something smart by accident! I had DH build our milk stand against a wall. Well, it has to be, it's a drop down kind that attaches to the wall. So Donki has no where to go but on top of me. She was a bear to milk the first few times because she was used to being machine milked. Now we get along great as long as the other two goats are outside. Fun in a snow storm!
You'll get it! I know you will....

 

[aggieterpkatie]

How is the milking going?

BTW, I LOVE your soap! Every day I switch...one day almond, the next lavender. They smell so nice.

 

[glenolam]

The end of day 2 was rather successful.

Got home and brought Fudgie to the stand about 5:30pm. Locked her up and started to squirt squirt squirt with no hobble this time. O M G I felt bad for her. She was so darn full I thought just by walking to the stand she'd start squirting milk from the teats.

Then....it happened again like a ton of bricks. She decided enough was enough and jumped off the stand. Yes - I forgot to move the stand against a wall.

Got her off the stand and moved it - then yelled to Big G "Get the carrots! Get the carrots NOW!" Fudgie's decided she's not into grain at the moment - I think she's either seriously communicating with Nibbles again but this time about that 'baby weight' or she misses her girls that much. Regardless, she goes up on the stand that's now against a wall and Big G's feeding her carrots as I try to milk as fast as I can.

Once the carrots stopped, she stopped.

"GET MORE CARROTS" I yell.

Fudgie turns her head back at me with a smirk.....

And tries to jump off the side I'm on.

Oh I don't think so goat. No fricken way.

Grab the hobble and on it goes. Once again she pulls her hocks underneath her and her teats are sticking out the back side.

So that's how you wanna play, huh Fudge? Fine.

I take my bucket and proceed to milk her from behind. TAKE THAT.

After about 20 minutes and switching back and forth from behind her to the side of her I got about 28 oz from her. And she wasn't even close to being milked out. She's definitely got more, maybe another cup, but my hands couldn't take any more and I figured her patience was running low with me at the time she started waving the business card for the Child Labor Enforcement office.

After all, she's only 2.

 

[freemotion]

Persevere, it will get better!!! You are almost there! Was your milk clean or did you have to toss it?

That shelf is normal for a full udder. They have to really squat low to pee and clear it, though!

 

[ksalvagno]

Sounds like fun. I have one that I just started milking that I have to hold up and milk. She likes to lay down. I put something under her but she manages to get her back end down low enough that I can't milk. So I hold her up with one hand and milk with the other. While she has her leg in the air, she can't kick my bucket. The joys of FF's.

I will say that one of the girls that was an FF last year is so much easier to milk this year. But now that I have more than 3 goats to milk, out comes my milking machine. My hands hurt so bad I can hardly stand it.

 

[glenolam]

If by clean you mean clear of antibiotics/dewormers/vaccinations, yes.


If by clean you mean clear of dirt and hair, NOPE. gotta love foot in milk pail milk. I think Fudgie thought she was at one of those hoitey toitey nail salons and putting your foot in the milk is part of the spa package.

I just run it through a coffee filter and use the milk for soap, so no milk to drink just yet.

 

[freemotion]

That is why I use the canning jars to milk into. When Mya is in a mood, I only lose a quart. If she is kicky, I can hold the jar with one hand and milk with the other. Last year, after her difficult delivery, she was so weak for a couple of weeks that we established a very good milking routine that lasted until the buck went into rut in the fall. Then she was just naughty when she was in heat.

 

[savingdogs]

If by clean you mean clear of antibiotics/dewormers/vaccinations, yes.


If by clean you mean clear of dirt and hair, NOPE. gotta love foot in milk pail milk. I think Fudgie thought she was at one of those hoitey toitey nail salons and putting your foot in the milk is part of the spa package.

I just run it through a coffee filter and use the milk for soap, so no milk to drink just yet.

You don't wash her udders with soothing lavender goats milk soap?

 

[glenolam]

That's one of the complaints to the Child Labor division....

Forcing her to work a) underage, b) in unsanitary conditions, and c) refusing to give her the platinum spa package.