[cuckoo]

My GG Sorbet kidded last week.  She is 8 rising 9 so will not kid again.  She has previously been milked and I have had to milk one side to prevent mastitis this week.  She stands really well - just chews the cud and I am tempted to try and milk her.  How time consuming do people find it?

Ant advice appreciated

[wytsend]

hand mlking a goat who has about 3/4 pints on board..... assuming a reasonable milk flow......I can do in about 4 mins.
A goat's let down period is about 7 -10 mins max so you need to complete stripping within that time.

[jaykay]

I milk once, in the morning, with that hand pump I talked about in another thread. Because I don't then need to filter the milk (if you milk into an open container you get hair etc, in the milk), that's basically it done. Put bottles in freezer, take out an hour later and put into fridge, rinse tube.

I suppose it takes 20 mins tops to milk two goats, including fussing and feeding them.

Plus it's the nicest, calming way to wake up, just me and the goats first thing in the morning 

[wytsend]

Jst re read your post.... why would you not kid her again ? 

 Age is n othing to do with  a goat's ability to kid..... it is all to do with her general condition.   

The oldest goat I had who you could not stop getting to the 'boys' was 19yrs old.... if you tried to prevent her getting out & I did try..... she would just bide her time waiting for a moments inattention and off she went.!!!!!!!

If your girl is in good physical condition in the autumn,  then let her have her turn.

[cuckoo]

She kidded 2 years ago and she struggled - I think she had pregnancy toxaemia.  She put condition on well and was put with a GG billy early 2011but did not get pregnant.  She was in good condition when put with our Boer Billy last august but struggled by the end of the pregnancy with loss of condition so feel that may be time to retire her - just thought might be good idea to just keep milking her.

[Lesley Silvester]

I reckon that to mix two buckets of feed, fill one bucket of water, chop veg into another bucket, milk one goat and feed the lot, strain milk and prepare veg for the morning takes about half an hour.

[Penninehillbilly]

If you can make the time, I think it's one of the most pleasant aspects of keeping goats, (apart from watching them ), very calming and I chat to my girls, I suppose I take about 10 mins per goat, one has very small teats and the other tries to nibble me so I have to sit further back, plus the long hair of toggs get in the way and slows me down.

[wytsend]

She kidded 2 years ago and she struggled - I think she had pregnancy toxaemia.  She put condition on well and was put with a GG billy early 2011but did not get pregnant.  She was in good condition when put with our Boer Billy last august but struggled by the end of the pregnancy with loss of condition so feel that may be time to retire her - just thought might be good idea to just keep milking her.

Did you buy any of the new Goat Balancer Minerals........ it will help sort out pregnancy toxaemia issues & recovery from kidding.  It sounds to me as your girl/s is rather low on various minerals etc.  The weather doesn't help either !!!!!!  Give me a call and we can go thro stuff  but I really think your ought to be adding the mix to your daily feeds.

Pregnancy Tox.  is caused by the babies robbing the mother of too much of her min & vits.m plus other things  so to have her really boosted would ve the ideal situation.  Supplements have tobe physically fed to goats.... you cannot rely on them using licks.
My no
01647 231456

[countrywoman]

I have arthritis and can only milk one-handed but I would still expect 12-15 mins from start to finish to milk my GG.  She has long hair which I hold back with a luridly coloured hair clip, I find I don't forget to unclip it that way!  As others have said, I find it a really pleasant, productive and saaisfying start and end to the day. 

I am not milking right now as she is 2 weeks from kidding and I really miss it.

[plumseverywhere]

I take about 10 minutes each milking.  My stand is overlooking some beautiful views and there's nothing nicer on a frosty morning than snuggling up to your goat, gazing across the fields and watching the steam come off of the warm milk as it hits the bucket!   Yes, not so much fun in the rain   

[Tree Farmer]

This is a great thread for me - given my dilemma (as posted this morning) and the sudden option of a milking nanny.

Where I have been going for my 'training' there are four nannies and it probably takes 45 mins or so to do the milking...

It is a lovely bonding experience with the nannies, I would definitely milk her!

[Anke]

She kidded 2 years ago and she struggled - I think she had pregnancy toxaemia.  She put condition on well and was put with a GG billy early 2011but did not get pregnant.  She was in good condition when put with our Boer Billy last august but struggled by the end of the pregnancy with loss of condition so feel that may be time to retire her - just thought might be good idea to just keep milking her.
[/quote

Pregnancy Tox.  is caused by the babies robbing the mother of too much of her min & vits.m plus other things  so to have her really boosted would ve the ideal situation.  Supplements have tobe physically fed to goats.... you cannot rely on them using licks.
My no
01647 231456

Pregnancy toxaemia is not directly caused by a lack of vitamins and/or minerals! It is caused by insufficient intake of energy, causing the breakdown of body tissue to release energy and producing ketones in the process. This is a danger to both thin and overfat goats, and is also worse for goats carrying triplets or more kids. I think the most important is to have the goat in the right condition BEFORE mating, and she can actually be a bit on the thin side, then good basic ration (and no more, yes by all means adding some supplements may help) until 6 weeks before. Then slowly increasing every week, first by adding in more meals thorughout the day, so that in the last two weeks a GG will eat about 1 - 1.5kg per day in concentrate. Mine never get to 1.5kgs, but the BT's certainly do, so you would have to play that by ear. Also I normally reduce the protein from 18% (dairy nuts) to 15% (goat mix) once the nannies are dry, and dry GG's can certainly survive very well on hay and some soaked sugarbeet plus veg at lunchtime. I keep the protein level fairly low during pregnancy, as too high a protein level actually increases the chances of PT.

My GG (very bad PT and hypocalcaemia last year), just produced a set of healthy triplets this year, and other than goatmix, sugarbeet shreds and oats, she only got caprivite, linseeds, some seaweed and lots of garlic. Plus loads of fruit and veg.

If your GG is 9 years now and milking well, I would just milk her through the summer and see what condition she is in in the autumn. I normally keep 2 years between kidding mine, except 1st and second kidding. I don't think there are many GG keepers out there who would kid a 10year old goat with a previous repeat history of PT....

[jaykay]

Yes, I agree Anke, this is what I understand:

Pregnancy toxaemia/twin lamb disease is an energy imbalance, ie the mother goat can't keep up with the energy demands of her kids, so she uses up her own stores of fat. Using fat produces ketones. They reduce appetite, which is the wonderful thing in low-carb dieting, you don't feel too hungry. But for a goat it can result in a vicious circle, they can't meet their kids' energy needs, they break down fats to do so, this reduces their appetites, they don't eat, therefore they can even less meet their kids' demands......

Cuckoo, I think you use your judgement about your goat - my feeling is that we usually have a sense of what's right for our animals and if yours is that your goat should be retired from breeding, you're probably right. Of course older goats can breed successfully - but maybe not ones that have suffered problems in the past.

[cuckoo]

Thank you for all the advice - I do not plan to mate her again - that was already decided in conjunction with my vet.  I have previously lost a GG to PT so I managed to keep Sorbet going when I saw the signs but it was like leading a horse to water - you cant make it drink i.e Sorbet had loads of different things to eat but only picked.  I kept her going by regular drenching of twin lamb meds (bit like ketol) and rehydration fluid til she picked up again.

I think I will have a go at milking her - have been practicing - dont know what people think but she has been drinking her own milk once I have milked her! Mind you I havent taken much as I need to leave enough for her kids.

[Anke]

If she has signs of calcium deficiency, then old school goatkeepers used to give their goats some of their own milk back. I have never had to do it. If you have the time and want to use the milk, I would milk her and bottle fed the kids, but that is time-consuming! Other people often separate the kids overnight, then milk out the nanny in the morning and leave her during the day with her kids. Seems to work.