I just purchased a new lamb! Have another ? for the milkers.

[big brown horse]

She is still with mom for the next few weeks though.

Anyway, she is a Rideau Arcott, which is a dairy breed, yes, but also considered a good meat breed, plus she is a wool sheep. (I like things to be multi-purpose.)

No she isn't going to be a HIGH volume milker like an E. Friesian or an Icelandic, but she will produce enough for us and maybe a little extra. And have some decent teets to squeeze.

The Rideau Arcotts reach sexual maturity at 8 months of age, and then go into heat every 8 months usually giving birth to twins and triplets. Lambs here go for around $100-140, so she will eventually be paying for her keep and then some.

They are also a medium sized sheep which will help during shearing etc.

She is very sweet and well handled too. My daughter wants to name her "Bella".

The question I have is, what do you guys (with goats or sheep) do to your young does/lambs to prepare them to stand still for milking in the future? How do you 'pre-handle' them?

Also is there a good youtube etc. out there that will teach me how to milk? Or do you have any pointers for a newbie milker? Or will it just come to me with a little practice?

IM SO EXCITED!!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

the way i learned to milk was with a rubber glove filled with water. pierce a small hole in the end of the finger, and squeeze with index, middle, ring fingers to get th milk out. (fill the glove with water).

I got me sheep as ewes, so I got hobble--they were antsy). My cow, however, I have been handling her soon to be udder an d manipulting her teates t get her used to it. I also pick up her hooves, so she is fine with hoof trimming.

Dual purpose, or triple purpose are imo the way to go!!. Congrats!!

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks MTN, that rubber glove trick is a great idea!

 

[freemotion]

I got Ginger at five weeks old and from day one, everytime I was with her I swiped my hand across her udder. I would handle her teensy teats, too. Not too much teat squeezing as they get older, though, as it can stimulate lactation....be reasonable! She got into the milking crouch right from day one. She was a dream to milk the very first time, too!

I took her out on a lead in the yard for our "special time" and would lead her around and pick her favorite leaves and make the time really special. As she got bigger and braver, it included time in the garage and on the milking stand. Then I started feeding her on the stand whenever she got any chopped veggies or a bit of grain, even though she wasn't grained regularly except for a brief period when she was very young and taken from her mom too young.

I went most of the winter without her lessons but still took swipes at her udder several times a week. Once she kidded, she let me milk out a few ounces of colostrum right in the stall alongside her baby, which I froze. Then after her baby Peach was about 3 weeks old, I started milking her daily. She was a perfect girl right from the start.

Peach and Plum have both gotten the same treatment, and now that spring is here, they have been on the milking stand for meals of alfalfa pellets and goodies and have been locked in the stanchion for hoof trimmings and scratches of the favorite itches, plus more udder handling. Peach is far more opinionated than her mom Ginger, so we will see if this method is fool-proof!

It certainly made life very, very easy compared to Mya, who was milked before I got her and can be a cranky *%$#@/!!! Very touchy, if I barely brush against her hind leg while milking she kicks. If she runs out of food she kicks. If she just feels like it, she kicks. If she is in heat, she kicks. If she hears my husbands voice while I am milking, she....gives me an extra pint!

Look up the how-to-milk article on www.fiascofarm.com. This is how I learned to milk, too! Just remember that it will be a bit more challenging with a first-freshener and a sheep, so you may be using just thumb and index finger!

Yay on the milk sheep! You need less sheep milk to make cheese, btw, as it has more solids in it. Many cheeses from France have a mixture of sheep, goat, and cow milk in them. I expect a detailed journal from you, please!

 

[big brown horse]

Thank you so much free! That is such great information for a newbie.

Ok, I'm feeling more confident! Journal as soon as she comes.

On a side note, has anyone seen Bee? I have not seen here around in a while.

 

[freemotion]

I suspect she lurks a bit, she chimes in now and then. She is taking a break from living as much of a self-sufficient life right now, and was working on a book project, plus has some heavy family responsibilities, I think. She pops in now and then. Often for sheep threads!

Hi, Bee, if you are lurking!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Congrats on the new girl!!

Free had some really good advice. As far as milking goes, sometimes you can luck out like I did. I didn't really touch June's udder before she freshened and she was an angel from day 1, but I also bottled her kids, which may have had something to do with it (or not).

I would definitely start handling her as much as possible as soon as you get her though. Every day I would halter her and lead her around, then kneel down next to her and pick up each hoof, rub all over her body, etc. I used to show sheep in 4-H and it doesn't take long for them to get used to being touched all over. It's nice to be able to reach under then and move a hoof if they're not standing where you want them to stand.

Milking will come with practice, as long as you understand the general anatomy and workings of the teats. The main thing to remember is to seal the top of the teat (with your fingers) so the milk can't go back up into the udder. Once the milk is sealed down in the teat, then use your other fingers to add pressure from the top down to force the milk out of the teat orifice. It doesn't take a downward pull really, like most first timers naturally want to do, but there is a slight downward movement since you're working the milk down and out of the teat. Once the milk comes out, just remember to open your fingers back up so the milk can flow back down and refill the teat.

Make sure to post pictures when you get her home!