First Milk, a Very Big Thank You, and a Couple Questions

[sweetshoplady]

I drank my first milk from my doe last night. I am improving on milking. I had to wait three milkings to taste the milk as the previous owner had given her a shot of penicillin.

I followed the tips from Fiasco Farm, especially about the Teat Wash and Dip, and the ones from here about the ice in the pots to quickly cool down the milk.

Thanks a million! Especially to Miss Prissy and others who told me about this Saanen/Nubian cross. The 2 kids have a little bit of Toggenburg in them as well as the Saanen, Nubian cross, it says on the papers And the older doe is much prettier in person than in the photo the previous owner had sent me. I'll get some pictures of her.

She is a really nice goat and as long as she stands still is easy to milk. The milk is excellent! I've been drinking Meyenberg milk from the grocery store (they ordered it in for me) and this tastes like that only much, much better.

OK, now for the questions:

How do I know if I'm feeding the goat enough? If she's thin or fat?

What is the best way to correct a goat? Like when she doesn't want to be still and kicks the bucket over? I've been just stopping and trying to calm her down and get her back interested in the food, and securing better the rear foot that is tethered to the fence. It is amazing how many directions that goat can move, even with her head tied to the fence and a rope on a hind foot.

How much B vitamin and C vitamin should I give the goat? The previous owner said that it is good for them and gave me brands and the goat does like to eat them, she thinks they are treats. I just am not sure how much.

There was a white discharge coming out of her girl parts this morning is that normal? Does that mean she's cycling or something?

I cannot thank y'all enough for all your help and encouragement.

Now, I get to try out some of those recipes that Miss Prissy was nice enough to share.

 

[ksacres]

I have found no good way to correct a goat. Just be calm and keep your milking schedule steady. She will get used to you in time. A milking stand pushed against a solid wall will greatly add to your stability and her understanding that it's time to be still and get milked.

 

[chickenannie]

There's a terrific book called "The Encyclopedia for Country Living" which has many specifics about milking goats. It might help?

 

[greyfields]

I, too, started milking for the first time yesterday. Wow, this is gonna be a lifestyle change!

If you haven't found it already:

http://www.caprinesupply.com/shop/

has a lot of toys.

 

[MBLayfield]

Quote:
The book is by Carla Emery and its what got me started. I refer to that book more than any other book I own. Get one it has LOTS of good information not only on goats but chickens, cows, etc. and homesteading in general.

 

[greyfields]

I'm growing my own grain in large part to Carla's book. Also, the best manual on Smallholding you can find from England is John Seymour's:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Complet...bs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206658136&sr=8-2

 

[helmstead]

Stay calm, reposition her when she moves, and invest in some milking hobbles (altho I haven't needed any yet - they would be helpful if ever I had a kicker). It might take a week or better, but she'll settle in (and so will you!).

I milk with a small cup at first that I hold with one hand while I milk a new girl so that I can move it fast when they kick and avoid contamination and milk loss.

Not sure what you're giving her for the vitamin supplements - that's not a protocol I follow - so you should probably differ to her previous owner for that inquiry.

And, yup - she's in season. They often have a whitish discharge when they are. Either that or she's bred and passing a mucos plug, LOL.

 

[chickenannie]

Ya, Carla Emery's book got me started on everything homesteading. It's exactly the basic kind of info one needs for just about anything on a farm. I just stumbled onto it once. Glad to hear other's appreciate it too.

 

[sweetshoplady]

Thanks for the links and the reading recommendations. I do have hobbles which are in the mail en route to me. And the stand with stanchion should arrive next week.

I have noticed that the amount of milk that I get varies, and that she did not give me nearly as much tonight as she did last night, but she didn't eat very much grain today and last night. I have it in front of her when I am milking her and then try to get her to eat it afterwards. She does eat a lot of the peanut hay, loves that, and she forages. I guess, I'll need to secure the kids when I put the feed out so that she can have her food. My little all-white kid wants to eat out of everybody's buckets. This older doe is not in charge, the little white one is trying for lead goat.

I'm hoping that her appetite will improve as far as the grain goes, as she settles in.

Is it normal for the doe to look thin?

I have also noticed that the morning milking goes much smoother than the evening milking, so I wonder if she had only been milked once a day. Even this morning, milking her was very enjoyable at least until the tow truck came to help the Asplundh truck that got stuck on the side of the road in front of my place. So I just waited, got her calmed down and milked a little bit more to get all the milk I could out. But tonight, she really objected to being milked

 

[kstaven]

Just be cautious with the grain quantity. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and the resulting bloated goat that is not fun to deal with.