How to Milk a Goat
- naturaldaysfarm
- Jul 23, 2018
- 3 min read
First thing to know about milking is you will most likely be terrible at it at first. It definitely takes some time to figure it out and find your groove. Try not to get frustrated. It will take what seems like forever to get 1 goat milked out and you will probably end up spilling, wasting, and or covered in your milk at the end for the first several times. Stay strong you will be a pro in no time.
Milking Process:
1) Spray udder with udder wash and thoroughly clean. 2) Squirt 2 squirts from each teat into throw away bowl (give to chickens, cats, dogs, etc..) Observe to make sure there is no discoloration, smell, or chunks. This could be a sign of mastitis/ infection. 3) Milk out each side totally. 4) When no longer getting milk massage each side for a few seconds then milk some more. 5) When totally done and no longer getting any milk dip each teat into teat dip. 6) Take milk inside then filter into a clean jar and immediately place in freezer or refrigerator. 7) ALWAYS keep raw milk cold and out of sunlight. Best to get it cold as quickly as possible. I always put my milk in freezer for 1 hour then place in fridge. The faster you can get it cold the better it will taste.
Milking Supplies:
- udder wash (see my recipe to make your own)
- washcloth Antibacterial Microfiber Cloths EPA Registered - 16"x16" Contains Killing Power SilverClear(TM) Treatment) Amazon a regular washcloth works fine too.
-stainless steel milking pail (or a kitchen pot works just fine as well). You can also use a glass bowl but these are more likely to break. Anything but plastic or wood will pretty much work. (Lindy's 4-qt Stainless Steel Pail) Amazon
- teat dip (see my recipe to make your own)
- funnel (any funnel will work or Kuechenprofi 18/10 Stainless Steel Funnel with Filter) Amazon
- filters (Ken Ag Nongauze Disk Tan 6.5 Inch - D110 - 100 count) Amazon
- mason jars with plastic lids for storage. you can also purchase old fashion glass milk jars from Red Hill General Store (online)
How to get the milk out:
This is a hard thing to explain but I will tell you and then show you a diagram.
- first pinch the top of the teat as close to the udder as you can with your thumb and pointer finger.
- next start with your middle finger working toward your pinky and squeeze those closed down the teat to force the milk out. Some compare it to playing a piano.
- once milk is squeezed out open your hand up totally and repeat process.
- DO NOT pull down on the teat. This doesn't do anything and can hurt your goat.
Important things to note:
1) If your goat steps in the milk pail (yeah that will happen at some point) you no longer want to keep that milk for human consumption. It needs to be given to the animals or poured out.
2) If at any point you start noticing any issues with your milk (discoloration, cloudy, smell, texture, etc..) you need to call a vet as your goat has an issue. DO NOT drink this milk nor do you want to give it to your animals as it is most likely contaminated and could make you or your animals sick. 3) What you feed your goats on the milking stand is your choice, but they will need something. I give a combination of chaffhaye, alfalfa pellets, grain, and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds). 4) If you give your does low quality food their milk will not taste as good and their milk production will drop, this include just feeding them weeds from the yard. Though they do like eating weeds and this is adequate for your wethers, bucks, and kids it can alter the taste of your milk. Alfalfa is highly recommended to keep your dairy does in great health and their production up. 5) Goats usually drop a small amount in production when they are in heat. This is normal, but it shouldn't be a drastic drop.
6) If you have a buck close to your does it can make your milk taste off. All bucks need to be kept a good distance away from your milking does.
7) If you are new to milking your hands are going to hurt for awhile until you build up the muscles. If you have 3+ full size goats to milk and plan to milk for a long time I suggest purchasing a milking machine. You can see my post on my milking machine with the pros and cons.
Happy Milking!
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