Goat update

In March, we got our first goats.  2 Lamancha/Nubians, and I was so excited!  Once I started milking, my excitement waned.  It was not good, I posted about our milking woes here, here, and here.  Oh, and here.  And here.  Needless to say, it wasn't easy for me and I had plenty of challenges.

So, how are we doing now that it has been almost 3 months?  I don't want to jinx myself, but it has been better!  Here is Miss Aurora this morning after milking.  She loves her feeding time.  See her standing nicely?  It doesn't always happen this way, but the majority of the time, she is being a good girl.  She still tries to kick her back legs or dance when she is out of feed, or needs to poop...

I give her 1 pound of Dumor pelleted goat feed, and mix in about a half cup of Alfalfa pellets, 1/4 cup whole oats, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.  It is making her coat so shiny and she looks great.  I haven't weighed her in a long time, but I need to.  

I swear she looks like she's smiling.  :)  The pic is a little fuzzy because she was moving her head back to her bowl.  

Nom.  

After milking, I release her back to the pasture and let out her baby, Millie.  Millie is huge already!  I need to weigh her as well.  She is still nursing, so I only have to milk in the morning.  They crushed my dog crate that I was using to keep them separated, so I haven't been separating them.  Even so, I've been getting just about a quart a day, sometimes 3/4.  We really can't use more than that at this point.  My friend is going to teach me to make cheese and soap, I can't wait!  She is the goat queen and runs Solstice Sun Farm and keeps all Nubians.  We might be using one of her boys to breed the ladies in the fall, or she may practice with Artificial Insemination.  

Millie is a bit of a stinker.  Her horns, even though they were disbudded 3 times, have come back as scurs.  Thankfully they don't look bad, but she does use them to her advantage.  She also eats holes in the tarp, sticks her head out, tries to headbutt me, and is generally naughty.  I'm hoping this passes when she gets older.  She also loves a good scratch and some occasional bites of grain.  

I won't lie, I tried hard to sell them.  I listed them all over Facebook, because I just couldn't deal with the kicking and small orrifices.  I guess it just wasn't to be, because every interest fell through.  I've accepted that they are staying, and have gotten into a routine.  If she was still kicking as bad as she was, I would reduce the price and try harder to sell, but for now we are doing good.  

I have never been so happy to see 1/4 cup of milk

That's right. One quarter of a cup of milk. Less, actually but I'm rounding up to feel better.

Today I have had the goats for one week, and one day. I've milked Aurora twice a day for about 5 days and, as my previous post explained, it has not been pretty. As a first freshener (this is her first baby, and her first time giving milk) she has not learned any milking stand manners. Without manners, it is difficult to milk a goat, and almost impossible to actually get milk. 

Last night, I stared up at the stars, requested the universe help some family members that are struggling, and before closing added that, if possible, I could really use some help with the goats and the farm. Trivial things in the grand scheme, but you know, it doesn't hurt to ask. 

This morning I had almost decided not to milk her. Who wants to start their day off by failing?  But at the last minute, I grabbed the supplies, warmed up the wipe, and headed out the door. 

This is me staring at the shelter, dreading going in. I took a deep breath, unlatched the door, and managed to get past the two eager goats. 

A little coaxing, and Aurora was on the stand.  Push Millie off the stand, repeat, give up and let her stand next to momma. Wipe the teats (this keeps autocorrecting to tears. I almost left it) and begin. 

After a few squirts up my sleeve I realize I forgot to take my coat off. I'm wasting precious time here!  So I rip it off and go back to milking. Squirt the ground, squirt my leg, hey she isn't kicking me!  Squirt the bowl, her leg gingerly moves and I grab the bowl, but she doesn't kick. I keep going, switching from teat to teat after a few squirts, fully expecting the bowl to fly across the shelter and spill all my hard work. 

Aurora is gobbling up her feed at a quick pace, even with a mini basketball in the bowl and I mentally note that I *must* get alfalfa cubes soon. She finishes, and the leg jerks. I take one last squirt, grab my bowl and stand, running it to the opposite bench as fast as I can to save my precious milk. Back to the stand, apply teat dip, give her some good scratches and praises, and release her. 

We did it!  Maybe it's a fluke. Maybe she was just really hungry this morning. But I'm calling it a small success. I go inside with my liquid gold and decide to measure it and keep a record. 

We will continue to work on stand manners, and soon (I hope!) we will begin working on quantity by separating her and Millie for a few hours at a time. 

Baby steps. The human kind, not the goat kind, because those are leaps. 

Milking woes

Have you ever watched someone milk a goat?  It looks terribly simple. I have been told it is different from how you milk a cow but I have nothing to compare it to. I can, however, tell you that it is NOT as easy as it looks.

Photo for cuteness. They sleep *under* the bench we made for them. 

When Aurora and Millie first arrived, I decided to let them get used to their surroundings and not milk for a couple days. By day 2 or 3, they were adapting well and I knew I had to begin. 

This is Auroras first baby, which means that, other than the 2-3 times her previous owner milked her, she has never been milked. 

This is my first goat experience, which means that I have never milked an animal. Ever. 

I would like to give you first goat owners a piece of advice. If you're new to goats, and it is at all possible - get a second or third year freshener. Being a newbie with a newbie is HARD. 

Here is another piece of advice. Get or build a milk stand. Maybe you'll get a dream of a goat, who stands still and just lets you do your thing. But I doubt it.  So, Sunday evening hubby and I set out to make a stand. 

Here Aurora is already done and I have unlatched her, she is just looking for more. 

It turned out great and it definitely helps keep her in place. It does not stop her from kicking the bucket across the yard, or trying to lay down so I cannot access her udder, or squeezing her legs together. And she does all these things. 

Have mercy. I keep trying to tell myself that we are both new and have only been together for a little over a week. I need to show her and myself some grace. This morning I prepared everything, put on some doTERRA Serenity essential oils and went out. It went better. She still kicked the bucket, squatted, squeezed her legs together, and made it impossible. BUT!  I am getting the hang of the milking motion, was a lot calmer, and I am hopeful we are turning a corner. A positive corner. 

Please.