[piggy]

We are thinking about keeping a few goats for milk,can anyone please give me a rough idea to your routines, how often you milk and how long it takes,how you keep them and do they stay out all night or do they need to come in.

Thanks

[ballingall]

Thats a lot of questions! I will try and answer them all.


First of all, we have 18 goats which is probably more than you are thinking of, so it will take you considerably less time to complete your routine than it would us. Normally someone goes up to the goatshed at about 7am, the milkers are milked, given concentrated food, water and hay topped up if need be. If it is summer, the goatlings are put out in the field, if not summer they are given some breakfast first. In spring/summer, kids need to be fed their morning feed of milk as well. Back down to the house, with the milk, strain it, put it into fridge to cool.

The goats then get put out in the field once they have eaten breakfast- about 9 am generally. If it is REALLY wet they don't go out at all, but generally the younger goats will get put out even if it is drizzling.

If they are out in the field, they come back in at about 6pm, they are left for a while to rest, then we milk again about 8pm. Milk, feed, water, hay is all done again.

So we milk twice a day, and we do not let the mothers rear the kids at all. We take the kids away soon after they are born, and bottle feed them. This way, we know how much milk mum is giving- and also how much the kids are getting! There are other ways, you can leave the kids with their mum for a few days, then take them away, or you can leave them until the kids are weaned, and just help yourself to some of the mum's milk.

We do now have a milking machine, but have hand milked (in the family) for over 40 years. We still do hand milk regularly to keep them used to it. It only takes 5-10minutes to milk one goat by either machine or hand. It does take longer to milk when they have newly kidded, and when you aren't used to milking them as well. They can kick more when they have recently kidded until they get more used to it.

Our goats are primarily stall fed, although they do get out. We keep them mainly for show, with milk production a big importance to that, so they get fed quite a lot of concentrated food. During winter months (November- February) they are not out at all except for walks and outings for exercise. During winter we try and divide up the feeds more through the day. Concentrated food am and pm, extra hay at 2pm, and another feed at 5pm (usually soaked beetpulp, alflafa or chopped vegetables). Dried nettles are good if you dried any during the late summer as an extra treat.

All in all, if you are aiming to have 2-3 goats, with maybe 1 milking, it should take you maybe 30-40 mins morning and evening. Ideally another 15mins or so during the day if you are around.

We deep litter our goats, so they are mucked out about 3-4 times a year, and have fresh straw given to them at regular intervals.

Hope that helps- feel free to ask more questions if anything I have said doesn't make sense.

Beth

[plumseverywhere]

I'm still fairly new to goats (only had ours about 9 months or so) and to be honest I've learnt everything I know from these guys here at TAS - Beth's answer just now show's just how helpful they are 
our own situation is a much smaller scale - we have just 3 goats now and only 1 is for milking. From start of getting feed ready to putting the milk into bottles takes around 25 minutes max. I milk them morning and my eldest 2 daughters are learning in the evening milking - I just make sure she is totally stripped out.
ours stay out during the night but always have access to their shed - used to shut them in but they fought terribly, much calmer now its optional!

[Anke]

Had my goats for just over a year, first kids this spring. Milking two, but it takes me a lot longer, as one can only be milked one side at a time, into a jug, as any attempts to use both hands results in legs in the air and dancing the can-can. The other one has fairly small teats, but now milk her quite well. I took kids of one away at four days, the other one had hers during the day for about 10 weeks, while I learned to cope with her small teats. Have a total of about 4.5ltrs per day from both of mine, but now start to dry them off as I am the only milker and will have to do some travelling later this autumn. Mornings (inlc feed, water and hay) +milking takes about 1 hour, eve about 45 minutes. I feed first (and have my chat with them...), then milk, so that also increases time.

Mine get lunchtime feed as well, also then swap over, adults in kids out (Kids still try and suckle mum, so separate exercise needed).

Plums - your goat must be an angel - my girls (7 and 9) are trying to learn to milk but find it very hard. The goats kick very badly as soon as they start, but then mine do that every so often anyway, especially the GG... I just see them looking around at who is sitting down on the milking stool and the "oh, no, not you my dear!" expression comes on and that's that... Maybe next year will be easier.

[plumseverywhere]

She must be an angel - she let me learn on her and now she's letting my children learn - I used to think she was a big bully when we got her because of how she treated the goatling but maybe not, we are very lucky with her.

[piggy]

Thanks for the replys they have been a big help as i didnt want to commit to goats if i wasnt going to have time for them.

I would be looking at turning them out in the day and them bringing them in overnight.
I have a few spare stables do you think that would be ok for them  i think the stable size is around 12x10 would that size be ok for 2 or 3 goats to go together or i do have 2  knocked into 1(not by choice,my horse knocked the internal wall over)that i could pen them seperatly with hurdles so they could still see each other.

Do you lead them to the field or do they just follow you with a bucket.


Thanks again.

[plumseverywhere]

THat stable size sounds ok to me but one of the more experienced keepers will probably be better placed to say. My 3 don't have a huge shelter but its plenty big enough to keep them warm and dry an dgive them all room to lie down at the same time. Kidding time will be a challenge for us - will need a seperate shed but will work on that!
our shed is in the paddock that the goats go into so we don't have to turn them out as such. chances are they would follow a bucket (jumping up and trying to grab mouthfuls on the way if anything like mine!) I do tend to lead mine when out of their paddock (one at a time as they are very strong) 

[Sylvia]

I kept goats (and milking sheep) years ago when my children were small. I found it easiest for me to milk early and early i.e. six in the morning and five in the evening. The children could milk unsupervised by the time they were eight or so.
If I had a "kicker" I found a soft strap of plaited bailer twine put loosely around the hocks, not tight enough to panic or hurt but just enough to stop them lifting a leg high enough to kick, did the trick.
After a few days they forgot about kicking and calmed down.
The strap was put in a figure of eight around the hocks, you would have to adjust it to suit your goat.
Other folk used a string, tied quite tightly around the belly of the goat, just in front of the udder. This had the same effect but, to me, seemed a bit harsh.

[ballingall]

Hello,

A loosebox (10x12) would be fine for 2 or 3. You could use the bigger area and use hurdles as well- whatever works best for you. I have a friend who has 4-5 loose boxes and he has divided them up so that he can keep milkers in single pens. Two of the looseboxes are divided into 3 pens each, with the waterbucket and food bowl hanging outside their pen door so as to not take up room inside the pen.

We normally lead ours out to the field as opposed to the bucket- they walk well on a collar or lead, like a horse would generally. They do get used to the routine, I can open the pen doors, let out all the milkers, and they will go themselves round to the field, I unlatch the gate before I start, and they know to just push on it to open it and get into the field. The kids and goatlings aren't quite as well behaved- they try to steal food if they can!


Beth

[ballingall]

I kept goats (and milking sheep) years ago when my children were small. I found it easiest for me to milk early and early i.e. six in the morning and five in the evening. The children could milk unsupervised by the time they were eight or so.
If I had a "kicker" I found a soft strap of plaited bailer twine put loosely around the hocks, not tight enough to panic or hurt but just enough to stop them lifting a leg high enough to kick, did the trick.
After a few days they forgot about kicking and calmed down.
The strap was put in a figure of eight around the hocks, you would have to adjust it to suit your goat.
Other folk used a string, tied quite tightly around the belly of the goat, just in front of the udder. This had the same effect but, to me, seemed a bit harsh.

Hi Sylvia,

I know what you mean with the string on the hocks, I have tried that once or twice myself, and I know someone who made something similar by using leather collars. But I can't imagine what benefit trying a string round their belly would do. How would that stop them kicking?


Beth

[Sylvia]

It prevented them from lifting their leg. They were always tied too tightly though for my taste.