For Those of You That Milk Multiples....

As a kid we milked 3 and 4 cows.

It all went into one or two buckets (sometimes three if they were fresh and we didn't have bottle calves), once they were all milked, it was strained and put into pans in the fridge... then mom would skim off the cream and pour the milk into glass gallon jugs, saving the cream to sell in town where she could actually trade it for groceries. Ah, the good ol' days.

 

When I'm milking multiple does, I milk into a bucket, pour it into my milk can then repeat for the next doe (unless for some reason I need to keep the milk from a particular doe separate). When I'm finished with everyone I take it out of the pen, fill up their hay racks, then go inside, strain and into fridge.

Never has a bad effect on the taste

 

I am milking 4 does rite now and I milk into a little bucket and pour it into my milking bucket and then continue on to the next. When doen its all strained and put in jars and into a fridge that I dont open cept to keep milk and eggs in...Just easier for me that way. No problems either.

 

is it true goats have to be milked twice a day?

 

If you are milking the goat, yes, twice a day. If babies are nursing then they 'milk' the momma more than twice a day. You can also milk once a day and let the babies suck after you get your milk.

It is the law of supply and demand. If you don't milk her she will stop making milk. If you don't milk her out completely she will begin making less milk. Once those cells stop producing milk they won't start again until she has freshened again - the next kidding.

 

We have a dorm fridge next to the stanchion...as soon as a container is full it goes in the fridge, then when we're done milking we carry it to the kitchen to strain and stowe.

 

Depends on what the milk is for. We have "pet/animal" milk, that is run through my machine and bulk pooled in there. We milk out all the does, run it through a filter, and either feed it to babies, our dogs, or pig, any left after that gets bottled for sale.

Our "people" milk, we milk out by hand into clean stainless steel buckets. ONE goat, one filter, one container, straight to the cooler in a glass container. Sometimes I don't even milk one whole goat, we don't use a whole lot of milk at any one time. Usually I milk out a quart or so for our own use-the rest goes into the bulk pool. If I'm going to make cheese, I also hand milk into stainless, though I will sometimes use the same bucket for two goats, then filter. But if I'm making cheese, I usually do it right then, no chilling required.

 

Quote:thank you miss prissy I was just curious cause I'm going to be getting some goats

 

Hi. I haven't been here in awhile. I was looking around and saw this. All my girls are waiting to kid in a few weeks. It's been awhile since iIve milked. I will have 6 to milk. I have 3 stanchions so 3 goats are in the milk room at a time. I try to go as fast as I can. I use one bucket and put all milk into the 2 gallon container with a lid. If it's hot out I will put the big container in the fridge which is in the milk room between each milking. Then when I'm done, in the house to strain and bottle. Then back out to the very cold fridge. If I need it fast I will put a jug in ice water to cool faster.

Just about 4 weeks to go for goat babies! I can hardly wait.

Kris