Goat milking

One of my daily chores is milking my goat twice a day. If she had been a proper mama, the buckling would be doing that for me. It's not that I mind milking so much, but she just doesn't have any sense when it comes to raising her own babies, and this would be one less chore I'd need to do while we are preparing to move. I am bottle feeding the buckling, too.

Anyway, I don't know how many of you have ever milked a goat or a cow, or even saw it being done, so I created a video where I'm milking the mama goat to help folks understand how it goes. It's not difficult. You just pinch the teat at the top with your thumb and forefinger, next to the udder, then squeeze the milk out with the rest of your fingers. It is very important to use a clean jar or bucket, and to strain and chill the milk quickly to prevent bacteria growth. Even though all this milk is going to bottle feeding the buckling, I take the same precautions.

Goats are creatures of routine. They love to do the same things at the same times every day. My mama goat wasn't raised with a lot of hands-on contact (I bought her when she was about 6 months old), but she is good about getting on the stanchion and standing still while I milk her, just because it's now a routine for her. She's still not a pet and it's hard for us to get our hands on her unless we put feed in the tray on the stanchion.

So, enjoy this video and let me know here or on YouTube what you think!