# How long does it take you to milk?



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Some of the conversation we were having on another thread had me thinking and wondering, how long it takes others to milk their goats.

So, how long does it take, from getting to the barn, to finished cleaning up?

How many does are you milking? 

Do you use a machine or milk by hand? How many do you milk at a time, and how many come in at a time?

What breed(s) do you milk, and what is the average amount of milk you get per doe?


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## squeak (Jun 21, 2012)

Start to finish: About an hour and 3/4 (includes putting out hay), less in the evening.
Milking 14, feeding out a total of 21, future milking max of 20.
Hand milking, setting up for a machine that milks 2 at a time. 2 sittings, 7 each time.
Toggenburgs, 4 - 5.5 Litres per doe per day.

I've done this for a season and found that it takes me as long to set out the food and organise the goats as it does to milk, so I'm building a platform that allows me to bring in 20 at a time (the 21st is a buck, so I'm not leaving one out!). I'm super curious about other methods and will look forward to other responses. What do you do Nancy?? And Vikki, I think I read in a previous post that you would rather trim feet then milk by hand ..... perhaps we could work something out?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

It takes me about 45 minutes to milk 5 goats by machine. Three are tied to the wall with a feed trough and two are up on stands. I don't milk as soon as they get in, giving the two on the stands time to eat so in that time I can feed the dogs, horses, or chickens. I dawdle in between, mixing more grain (I only put out small quantities at a time because they don't always eat the whole ration on the milkstand), and depending on who I'm milking (some take longer than others), I can get hay out to the feeders and bucks, as well.

Each doe is milking at least 4 lbs. and one up to 6 lbs (per milking). All are FF's.

But most of the time it takes longer because I like to take my time. Sip coffee and listen to NPR in the morning, have a cocktail, talk to my husband and listen to country in the evening.


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## doodles (Nov 1, 2007)

to feed and milk ...about 2 hours am and pm


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

Morning chores take longer here than evening chores. Morning chores means feeding the bucks, (we grain and give hay). Waterers are automatic but are cleaned out daily. Dry stock is also fed once daily. The milkers have hay put out each morning. The actual milking takes about an hour - depending on how many we are milking. 

When kids are born, that adds at least another hour - sometimes more.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Just under 1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM plus another 15-30 minutes at night to double check everything and observe the herd. We are milking 20, but also have a buck barn and 4 other pens of kids, drys or breeding pens that need to be checked and water filled up. This is "work time" though..no cocktails or drinks in hand or other distractions


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## Island Creek Farm (Jun 16, 2010)

30 min...only two hand milked Alpines, about 3/4 gallon per doe per milking. Includes feeding and filtering milk, though I'm feeding ten.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Tim - kidding season defintetly takes longer here too.

Angela - you didn't say how many does you are milking - I bet it's quite a few more than I.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

Milked 12 this morning, by machine - hand stripping - cleaned up and back in the house in 35 minutes.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Thanks Tracy..that makes my 1 hour time for 20 (and honestly sometimes I am a little faster plus this includes the time to walk down to the barn and back to the house) seem reasonable and right inline with your time per goat.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

It takes me right at an hour to feed the herd, milk, process the milk, and clean up. I am milking six nubians by machine two at time. The whole herd is started on feed outside and the milkers come inside two by two. The first set is the first fresheners. The second set is the third fresheners, and the final set is a sixth freshener and her second freshner doe. The does determined the milking order and it works out well even under adverse conditions like this morning.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I wish i could say mine are trained to come out in order, there are defintetly those that are usually first and then the more mellow stragglers whom are usually in the last group..but that first 6 is always a rush for the door...


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

When I was milking five by hand, it took me 2 hours. I am sloooow.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

We milk 3 at a time....there is no particular set order, just whoever is at the gate first.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

When I hand milked two goats who give half a gallon each milking, it took twenty minutes from the time I walked out of the kitchen with my bucket until I walked back in with the milk. I used the time while their teat dip dried or they were finishing their grain to feed the junior does and bucks. 
Using a machine will be quicker as I get better at it, but for now it is taking 30 or 45 minutes to do the same two goats and feed the juniors and bucks.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2012)

I am machine milking five right now and it takes me about one hour, this includes clean up time.. they are waiting at the gate in order every morning..This is one Saanan (milking about 7 lbs) four Nigerians, each milking around 1.5 lbs each.. 
I strip them out after machine milking.. this time also includes filling hay bin and fresh water buckets..
I love morning milkings, my quiet time with the does
Barb


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

does everybody hand strip after machine milking?


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

We do. We don't like to leave the machine on too long.


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## Annie (Jun 10, 2012)

Morning chores for me, about 1/2 hr. - milking one doe (about a quart), feeding horses and one buck, feeding 7 chickens, turning all 7 does out to pasture. Straining milk/cleaning up.

Evening chores (hubby *thinks* he helps) about 15 min. - letting does in barn from pasture, milking same doe, feeding other 6 does - checking water buckets. Straining milk/cleaning up.

I have water in the barn (we "catch" it off the metal roof into 150 gallon container), and a good spring at the bottom of the pasture. Sooo much easier than hauling like we used too. 

I had 4 other does in milk this spring, but decided to dry them off due to my current health issue. One doe in milk is plenty for me


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If I am rushed I can have the 8 milked this year, back in and the milk in the freezer in less than an hour, but it means cutting corners because I need to be somewhere etc. 

Like at Tim's morning chores is feeding bucks, checking waterers, checking the stock, feeding the kids, hay, alfalfa pellets, minerals, and then afterwards leaf blowing off everything and making sure it's cute in case a milk customer or soap class wants to visit the girls. So it is much closer to 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours, but machine milking also means I can piddle and do stuff while the girls are being milked.

4 go up, 2 are milked at a time. I hand milk the last of the milk on each doe, massage and make sure they are empty....right into the open inflation...I hate the word stripped, that's a cow tug and pull term, and I don't do that to my does  Vicki


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

It takes me like 2 hours to milk 10 goats, including washing teats, pre-stripping, post-stripping, milking, feeding, etc. I also am usually saving all the milk for sales, so it takes that much longer, because I have to do an extra-careful teat cleaning job, pour off half-way through, filter the milk, get it started chilling, then pour the chilled milk (I filter into/chill it in a milk tote) into jars, and filter again.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Okay, pre- and post- milking then?? LOL. Hey, that's an interesting way to do it, milking into the inflation...then I don't have to figure out what to do with all this "strip"  milk.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

And I have no idea how some of you guys are milking that fast, that's incredible!!

Tracy-35 minutes would be awesome!  How many buckets do you run for milking 3 at once?


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

If i was just timing the actual milking part- 5 doe milking by hand is about 20 minutes, including filtering the milk but not the clean up. 

How I usually do it is get doe #1 on the milk stand, milk her and leave her to finish her food while i do something else-water, feed the doelings or bucks, hay the horses, feed the chickens etc. Since my "farm" is so small, everything is close together so I can multi-task at chore time.

I do 3 rounds of chores, 2 of which include milking. It takes me 2 hours each +/- to do the "extended" chores with milking and about 1 hour to do the non-milking chores.


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## Rockinddtoggs (Jun 24, 2010)

Right now with kids in school we are milking 11 head by hand 2 at a time. They have their special order they come in and it takes about 30-35 mins. The rest of the feeding and processing the milk for sales it is around an hour. Next year we are hoping to have a milk machine and to freshen 20 head. 

It's a mixed herd mostly alpines and toggs right now with an average of 3/4-1 gal per goat per day as of right now.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

2 buckets. I yell at my husband for hand milking into the inflations though. 
Mine will often drop a LOT more milk....sometimes enough just to put the 
Inflations back on.


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

:mad Yes, I know.... One of my does who milks well - would let down another quart and pint after being milked by machine. That's aggravating to me.


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## Sans Gene Goats (May 15, 2011)

Hand-milking 4 Nigerians, from the time I walk out the door with the buckets to being completely finished including filtering and washing the pails takes about 35-40 minutes if just milking. I have 2 stands so that helps with efficiency, but I have hand issues so I can't milk very fast. I have a machine, but found it's not faster for this many does and I love the peacefulness of hand-milking. 

To feed/water 16 head and milk 4-5 takes me 45 minutes to just over an hour, depending how big a mess they made in their water buckets :/

Dixie


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## Annie (Jun 10, 2012)

Dixie - I love the peacefulness of handmilking too. I love when it's just me and a doe on the stand, just a few minutes of quiet time to myself....well - that's when it's a well-behaved older doe on the stand 

Crissy (my herd boss, and only doe in milk right now) doesn't even mind if I lean my head on her side from time to time, kinda like it comforts both of us. I hope I am always able to have a few goats around.


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## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I am hand milking 4 does, 2 are first fresheners, and 2 Salt and Pepper aren't. But 1 (Salt) is milking through (in her 16th month). The milking through doe is holding pretty much at 3 quarts daily. This years first fresheners, were her last kids... She is grandma and milking through!
The first fresheners were an accident, not on the calendar at all. They freshened at 10 months of age. Both kids were single births (both doelings) and are about 4 months old now, and growing well. Mama's are just now old enough to be bred... sheesh!
3 still have kids on them. I timed myself milking per goat, the longest time is 15 minutes and she gives 2 quarts per milking over and above her buckling (4 months old) (Pepper).
The first fresheners: one gives a quart each milking, the other, gives a cup? But her doeling is a "horse"... she is growing fast, and looks very fat! And mama is making great headway in size and in holding her weight. Really nice udders on both of the young girls, but I had forgotten how tiny the teats on first fresheners are!

I am at the barn about 2 hours a.m. and 1.5 hours p.m.
But I find much of that time is waiting for them to finish eating their grain.
And I do also bring the doelings in to eat at the milking stand after I am done milking, while I am tidying up and filling waterers.
My girls present in a certain order, which the first fresheners still don't have the hang of yet, and the older girls get annoyed over. But, they also come to their names, so I call a name before I open the door!

I am dreaming of a new barn, with two milking stands, and a kid feeding area... so that I don't have to wait so long for them to finish up their grain. I could simply start another goat milking and eating while that one finishes up. I don't feed them alot, but some just like to dawdle over their food!


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## Sans Gene Goats (May 15, 2011)

Annie said:


> Dixie - I love the peacefulness of handmilking too. I love when it's just me and a doe on the stand, just a few minutes of quiet time to myself....well - that's when it's a well-behaved older doe on the stand
> 
> Crissy (my herd boss, and only doe in milk right now) doesn't even mind if I lean my head on her side from time to time, kinda like it comforts both of us. I hope I am always able to have a few goats around.


Peacefulness is sure related to well-behaved isn't it! lol! I am in total agreement with you Annie, the time spent with the does while milking is often the best part of my day. I often go sit in their stall with them after we are done, spending some time enjoying each others company. I too hope I can always have goats in my life.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

A leaf-blower? Why didn't I think of that? Genius, Vicki!  Those of you who are spending 4 hours every day doing goat chores-- do you work off farm? Full time/part time? I'm amazed with anyone who works an 8 hour day, plus commute, and still spends 4 hours every day on milking and chores. That is a serious commitment.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Oh, I figured something out! I don't know how to fix it yet, but my pump ISN'T pulling enough vacuum! We moved it up to a shelf where the pressure gauge is much easier to see, and it is only at 10 whatever the units are, instead of 12. I'm not sure how much longer that would make things, but it explains a lot!

I don't have an off-the-farm job, just goats and my toddler, but I am considering looking for a part-time one. I still need to figure out how to make this faster, so I can do more on-farm things!


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I can only commit that kind of time a few months out of the year (kidding season). After that I have to adjust to a system of stealing milk. That is the compromise here. We started building a machine in the spring, but never got it done. If we can get it finished by next spring, maybe I'll find it easier. I don't enjoy milking after it gets warm. I love the idea of being able to do other chores during milking.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Twenty minutes to hand milk 4 goats that give a total of about 3 to 3 1/2 gallons per day right now. That doesn't include feeding out hay to the goats and horses and filling up water troughs...those chores can get done in 15 minutes when I'm hurrying, or take longer if I am goofing around with the animals, fly spraying, cleaning out feet, etc. 

No animal here is locked in a barn and all hay and grain is given outdoors in feeders as long as the weather is decent, which saves a ton of time on cleaning. I use deep beds with straw so barn cleaning isn't on my to-do list regularly. I also milk outside under a tree right now...right in front of my house. Grains are whole and when tossed and dumped all over the yard just grow more grass...no need to sweep! 

It's a good system except that the tree I'm milking under is a chestnut tree and those big balls covered in spiked daggers are starting to drop like rocks.....I actually need a helmet to milk the goats!


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## farm wife (Mar 22, 2012)

We milk 54 does, a mix of togg, lamancha, saanen, nubian, obies, and a few crossbreds in 2 1/2 hours morning and night. This doesn't include setup time and cleanup so about 3 hours to do the goats. We milk 4 at a time with 2 bucket milkers. We are now starting to switch to once a day as we will be busy with harvest and it's breeding time for us. We have separate bucks for every breed so it's easier to have the does with the bucks and not have to move them daily to be milked. We feed the milk to pail calves so we don't have to strain it, the calves don't care about goat hair


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## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

Including feeding and watering goats, sheep, llamas and donkeys, and washing pails/etc, it takes us about 1 1/2 hours in the morning and about 45 minutes at night.

This summer we were milking about 40 does. 

We milk by hand. We have a 12 doe stanchion. They all get "loaded up" on the stand, given their grain, and then milk. There are typically 2-3 of us milking and doing chores.

We milk MiniNubians, Nubians, Alpines, Saanen/Nubians and Alpine/Nubians. Our does give an average of a gallon a day - the smaller ones giving less, and the bigger does giving nearly 2 gallons at peak.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I think what makes it take a lot of time (my experience and confirmed by the above post and a few others) is that the more goats you can get up on the stand at once and less handling of goats in and out of the parlour - the faster your average time per goat is.


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

I hope we never milk 40 does, my max will be less than 15. We are working on a new stanchion milking system that will milk 8 at time. 
When I was in Norway, I visited a goat dairy in the mountains. They had a beautiful lake nearby and glorious mountains. Although it was summer, the air was crisp and chilled. A spring bubbled up from the ground that provided water for the dairy and home. A cistern fed by the fresh cold, cold water from the spring kept the milk cold after milking. The milk was stored in large stainless milk cans. They made goat cheese and sold it by the roadside. 

The goats were brought in and fed, and a young man did the milking by machine - it was done behind the goats. I saw no prep (other than brushing off the teats) and applying the machine. The goats were not post dipped or stripped out. After milking, the goats went up the hill grazing upon the mountainside.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Yes, alot of my time is in the moving, and also cause I milk out one teat at a time. And thirdly cause I just move slow in general.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Now that is the life with goats, Tim!! I bet they only milk in the summer pretty much though. 

Question on multi-goat parlors-I am guessing it calms down after the goats figure it out, but when they are first introduced to this kind of set-up, do the first ones to come in, try to stop at the first stations and eat there, and hold up the line? I bet it would be pretty chaotic at first! I am just curious.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

If you have the cascading self locking stanchions like I do they learn very quickly that they need to go to the end to eat. They can't get into the entry end one until someone else (goat) has opened it up by putting their head in what would have been the previous end one.


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## Annie (Jun 10, 2012)

Tim - the description of the location sounds wonderful  My hand-milk stand is next to a 4' window so I can see out over the hill to the house and surrounding farm while I milk. The pasture is partially wooded leading downhill to a good spring where the goats and 2 ponies get fresh water all year. I don't have to worry about water or hay outside most of the year because the pasture is good grass and browse, and the spring. In the dead of winter we'll put a round bale in as needed.

Hoping to fence in another few acres of woods this fall on the other side of the house that will connect to the current pasture, the goats will LOVE that  Lots of multifloral rose, young trees and overgrowth for them to enjoy. They'll have access to another spring then too. Just waiting for cold weather (so snakes will hiberate and I'll be brave enough to work in the woods)


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## Xtra (Jan 1, 2010)

I hand milk 15 Alpines 3x per day (but have an orphan foal program + show horse & show rabbit chores to do). It is all interwoven. Daily chores take 16 hours. During kidding season - loooonger. Just no way around it.

-Christina


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I have milked up to 53 does this summer, now milking 44 and that takes me about 2.5 to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night. That includes all feeding, watering and clean-up. My does are in two groups, so I do have to switch gates halfway. I have a self-designed 10 stand side-by side parlor with a feed trough in front and then I milk into two milk pails (then pour milk through a strainer in my bulk tank), so the does have plenty of time to eat. I pre-dip, pre-'strip', milk and post dip. 

When there are a lot of kids: yes that does add to the time tremendously, but I do enjoy feeding the kids : ) Good thing, because I almost always have some, since I'm trying to milk year round. 
Besides my goat dairy I also work part time (10-20 hours/week)and coach soccer 3-5 days a week.


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