This is my first foray into this side of BYC......Saanen goats anyone?

[suzettex5]

I just had to share my excitement! Today we went and got a mommy Saanen goat and her 3 week old kid. The baby is a boy, and super cute! I am really excited to get into trying my hand at milking my own goat and raising this little kid.

We need a name for this little guy. He's a little bit shy right now, but I'm sure he'll come around. Millie, the momma, is soooo sweet, she's very tolerant of all of us handling her baby and all of us grabbing at her udders in our clumsy attempts at milking. We already found out she loves strawberries- she dribbled the juice all over her lips and then gave me a sticky 'kiss' !! I'm suprised at how sweet she is, she's really a people goat.

We arent going to milk her for 'reals' yet, we just wanted to see if we could do it, if that makes any sense! We are going to wait until the little guy is a few weeks older before taking any milk for us, not to mention we have to build a milking stand and get all the stuff we need for collection and storing.

If anyone has any tips or pointers to share, I would love to hear them.

Thanks!

 

[cassie]

You should milk that doe out at least once a day. If she makes more milk than the kid will take, and she should, if it is not removed she will start to dry off.

 

[Skyesrocket]

I would begin milking her too. You don't need anything too fancy for one goat. A clean glass jar is fine for milking into. Then get the milk right into the house and strain it with cheesecloth or even a coffee filter. The coffee filters take longer to strain through. Then store it in the frige inside of a glass jar. It's important to get it cooled down right away.
I had an extra coffee pot and basket and used that for straining. From a Mr. Coffee.
It sounds like the doe is really tame. You can tie her to a wall on a short lead and milk her there. If she moves around have someone help hold her against the wall. Usually a bowl with goat food will keep them busy while you are milking.
As for the little guy, now is the time to think about neutering and horn removal.
Have fun with them!

 

[suzettex5]

Thanks for the advice! I didnt realise she would need milking just yet. We will get on that asap. The lady we bought her from has her trained to jump right up onto the milking stand and eat from a bucket while being milked, she doesnt tie her up or anything. She said that she had just givin the momma a wormer, so we should wait to consume the milk for at least a week. Is that enough time to be safe?

The kid is already dis-buded, or de-horned, however you say that!

He is 3 weeks old, do I castrate already or wait till 6 weeks old? He was a single birth, so he's really big for his age.

If we milk her once a day, how much milk should we get- rough guesstimate? She is only 1 year old and her udders are not super big, this is her first baby and the woman we bought them from said her udders would get larger as she gets older and if she has more kids. Is that how it goes?

Anyone who has experience with this breed- How is the taste of the milk? I've never had it before.