# Hmmm, Maybe I need more goats. (a brag)



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

I get shocked looks all the time when telling people I hand milk. I hand milk 8 does right now, and have two due in June. This morning I timed how long it took me to milk. 

25 1/2 minutes. Not bad! I have such great, easy milkers. I got 2 gallons. That was from 3 Nigerian, 1 lamancha, and 4 Nubians.


----------



## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Angelknitter12 said:


> I get shocked looks all the time when telling people I hand milk. I hand milk 8 does right now, and have two due in June. This morning I timed how long it took me to milk.
> 
> 25 1/2 minutes. Not bad! I have such great, easy milkers. I got 2 gallons. That was from 3 Nigerian, 1 lamancha, and 4 Nubians.


I hand milk too, but only because I haven't saved up enough for a milk machine.... Yet 

I'm a slow milker..... Can go faster when I have to, but it hurts my wrist. Milked 2 does this morning, took me about 35+ minutes (some of that was letting my old, slow girl finish all of her grain) & got 1 1/2 gallons.....

The older doe has very wide placed teats making it hard to milk her with two hands at once...... so she slows down the whole process since I have to milk out one side at a time...Very tedious. I'm in the process of drying her up though, so I don't empty her out fully.......

The other doe, a FF, has great teat placement & I can milk her out much faster 

No way could I milk 8 by hand, I'd be out there all day & my hands/wrist couldn't survive it!!


----------



## Raisin Acres (Apr 8, 2012)

That is great Kami. We are hand milking 4 does this year and I am thankful for my daughters' help. There have been a few nights that they had something going on and I had to milk by myself, I thought I would never be done. It is taking me around an hour when I am doing it alone. I think my time would increase if I had to milk all of them myself more often, but I don't really want to find out. 

We have a FF that gives 2 qts a milking, she has little teats and take soo long to empty. I have considered selling her but the milkd tastes so good, she is milking a gallon a day, and I'm hoping her teats will get bigger.

A milk machine would be nice but really an option right now since we don't have electricity or water to the barn.


----------



## Rambar Ranch (Oct 25, 2007)

When my grandfather was young and milking a dairy herd, when the power would go out they would hook it up to a tractor or car, lol. You remove a spark plug and stick your suction hose in it and it will pull enough vacuum for 1 cannister.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

It takes me 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get through my routine with 5 does. But I don't just milk. I fill water buckets and hay feeders, administer prevention to babies, and handle babies. As the babies get big enough to go out with the herd, the routine gets faster. Then I just milk mom, handle baby, and send them out.


----------



## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I totally milk by hand no matter how many does I am milking. I was up to 10 at one point. I was drowning in milk!


----------



## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I milk 5 by hand in about 35-40 minutes. However I have 2 helpers under 2 and we get about 5 gallons at each milking. 10 does by hand is my limit!


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I should have been born eons ago: I love handmilking and have milked 13 twice a day every day for months, until I got my milking machine 3 years ago. Now I have an actual parlor (whick I love, also!) and as of yesterday I milk 45 does, but last winter when we lost power in an ice storm, I milked 34 by hand by myself for two milkings in a row. I can do it (for a few times anyway), but that took me about 1 1/2 hour or more.


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Trysta, Holy ouch! I bet your hands were so sore!

Becky, and that is why I was racing to get the milking done. I have 5 children, and the four youngest were still asleep when I was milking. (I milk in the barn, which is right behind the house, and my teen daughter was awake but had to leave so I had to hurry)

Sully, I want to be drowning in milk. These mini's just don't give me enough to be drowning. I am always out of milk. 

Angie, I don't even dare time the routine. I love the milking, but I am not a fan of filling waters and feeding. I hate throwing hay, but have two horses. I am also bottle feeding lambs and kids which takes awhile. 

Sherri, I am fine with any teat size if they have a huge orifice. That is why it takes little time to milk. The size of the orifice really makes a difference doesn't it?!

Crystal, I have a hand that gives me heck too, and when I have to stop using that hand it takes me a lot longer. Hope your wrist heals in time. No fun!


----------



## Raisin Acres (Apr 8, 2012)

When I have help, we spend 45 minutes to an hour at the barn between milking and chores. Then there is the processing and clean up that goes on in the house which is another 20 minutes or so. We are bottle feeding right now so that adds quite a bit of time between just the feeding and bottle clean up. When I am alone, it takes me about and hour and a half at the barn and maybe 40 minutes in the house. 

I really do like milking by hand, there is something very peaceful about it. Kami, her orifices aren't little but not real big either. Maybe I just have big hands because with the smaller teat I can only use 3 fingers which is more tiring and I also end up spraying milk all over. 

Maybe you need to get more full size Does to have enough milk? Our Alpines give us 1.5 gallons a day each. The Lamanchas as ff are doing a gallon a day each.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Nope...no thank you! We (myself and my two daughters) milked 36 does about year round for 8 years (during school I milked mornings by myself), most of it by hand, some of it with a borrowed milker. I get none of that peaceful meditative feeling from milking, zero. I am only milking 5 this year and no way would I be doing that without a milking machine. I had an inverter for my truck for years (truck was diesel) so I could hook it up myself in case power went out, now I have my own generator.

With such a demand for milk in Houston, it is a need, to milk a big string and supply milk since it seems most can't do anything near year round, especially attractive with the price of milk right now...I make more profit off soap and enjoy soaping more.

Kudos to all of you who enjoy it, or have the up and coming labor force! When your kids are grown will be interesting to here how much you still love hand milking  Vicki


----------



## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

I milk a cow by hand. Nuff said! Then, in the mornings I also milk 3 goats. Just once a day on them thankfully- for now. Will be twice a day as kids get weaned. The goats are much easier than the cow. The cows skin is very thick and tough, takes a lot of strength to milk compared to my goats. I also milk her out in an open field so no chair.


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

I can't imagine milking a vie by hand. Ouch!!

Vicki, you have far and well earned the machine milking. I really enjoy the hand milking, but years from now it may not be so fun. My daughter has helped me milk twice recently, but doesn't generally. I should make them milk more, but since I home school it is my only alone time. Lol. And I agree, soap is much better money. I love soaping. 

Sherri, full size is the only way to go for me. I am goat sitting for a friend for a month it two while she helps her ailing father. I really am enjoying the nigerians while they are here, but I am not a mini person. I like Nubians. I am very partial to them.


----------



## R and R Farms (Jul 7, 2008)

Rambar Ranch said:


> When my grandfather was young and milking a dairy herd, when the power would go out they would hook it up to a tractor or car, lol. You remove a spark plug and stick your suction hose in it and it will pull enough vacuum for 1 cannister.


Not to hi-jack this thread... but there is an article that explains the use of the vacuum from the brake booster on any car or truck with power brakes. Pretty simple to rig and I suppose it would be quite efficient. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Milking+machine:+make+your+own+goat+(or+cow).-a0206532435


----------



## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

Interesting thread to read! Right now we have 34 does in milk, and we hand milk. Normally it's just me and my Mom, although at night and in the mornings at times we have one other person help milking. It takes us about an hour max to milk. With all the other chores added in (throwing hay, waters, bottle feeding 20+ kids, etc), it takes a few hours easy .


----------



## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

I should say, we have a stanchion that holds 12 does at a time, so that makes things a lot quicker - not having to wait on any of the does to finish their feed.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Yawl be some speedballs.

There is no way for me to open gate-bring someone in- close gate -scoop feed- clean udder with special attention to teats- get the bucket from the table-milk by hand the average output-Weigh it-note it- pour it up in a tote and lead the doe back to the out gate in 5 or 10 minutes. What's the rush anyway? I just don't see how you do that without running pell mell and scaring everyone out of their wits and no one getting anything to eat! Keep in mind I have been milking for most of my life. Cows and goats by hand and by machine. 

I don't see how anyone does this so fast. I milked 19 by hand by myself for awhile- woke up every morning with paralyzed hands after potting the rest of the day that I was not milking. Got a belly pail milker - cut my time in half and it still took more time than you are suggesting here. How can you do that much milking so fast? There are physical limitations! There are only so many ways to speed things up. I have grain amts figured for milk times and they go elsewhere if they need more grain time. If they are not done by the time I pour up then they go into a stall to finish. Most are. 

So enlighten me.... How can you milk so many goats in such a short time? I just don't get it. It takes a certain amount of time for the physical removal of pounds of milk even if you do nothing else. 
And no - we don't have particularly small orifices here but could be I have learned that distinctly southern tradition of moving like molasses :rofl SO not true. 

Some of you are quoting 3 mins per goat :shocked
Lee


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Lee, usually there is no hurry and I enjoy my time. This morning I had babies asleep in the house, and my teen daughter had to leave. I was milking for animal consumption today so I skipped the cleaning of the udders. My goats are extremely quick to milk out. It shocks me to hear the 35 min milk time. That has to be hard. Mine milk out easily in three minutes, except one. It generally takes a tad longer for grain consumption, but I groom during that time normally. Not this morning. It was a get out, get it done morning. Though in honesty it normally takes less than an hour, generally 40-45 min is all. *shrug* it is that mommy go go go I think.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I know from my last milk test that I can milk 7 goats by hand in 1 hour. 2 are ND, 1 a mini that produces like a big girl, and the rest alpine. 4 of them are yearling ff.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Ok- I live in an alternate zone I guess because there is no physical way to do the entire process to milk a decent productive goat in 3 minutes in my world. My clocks must run at a different speed. 
But that is fine with me :biggrin
Lee


----------



## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

It takes me 35-40 minutes to milk my 5 by hand. I do not feed grain when I milk though.


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Becky, so what do they do while you milk? Do you feed something else, or do they just stand there? I milk without a head stall, so they just stand there. It works for us.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I should mention that I bring 2 goats in at a time, so that helps speed it up a bit too.

Wow, you must have really good goats if you don't even lock their heads in! I can hardly imagine! I've milked without a stand before, but only by clipping to a fence, or having someone distract the goat with a bowl of grain or somehting like that. I have milked without grain before, because they had broke in and got into a bunch of stuff...no idea how much they had already eaten...so no grain for a few milkings...they were mostly okay with it. I didn't have any newly fresh ff right then though.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

When do your goats get their grain then? Everyone eats together? How do you make sure younger milkers get enough to eat?


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

buckrun said:


> Yawl be some speedballs.
> 
> There is no way for me to open gate-bring someone in- close gate -scoop feed- clean udder with special attention to teats- get the bucket from the table-milk by hand the average output-Weigh it-note it- pour it up in a tote and lead the doe back to the out gate in 5 or 10 minutes. What's the rush anyway? I just don't see how you do that without running pell mell and scaring everyone out of their wits and no one getting anything to eat! Keep in mind I have been milking for most of my life. Cows and goats by hand and by machine.
> 
> ...


Lee, nobody gets scared out of their wits here (just the cat when I kick her out of the parlor...) since my parlor is based on 'wanting to be there'. I have no problem whatsoever getting he does to come in and stand patiently side by side once they are used to the system. My does do not get locked in but just stand side by side with sequencing gates in between and a feed through in front of them. 10 at a time, and I guess that is where the speed difference comes from: I do not have to close-the-gate-open-the-gate-thing for every doe, plus I don't weigh my milk: I calculate the average weight when my bulk tank gets emptied. Anyway with the 10 does side by side and me, like I said, an old fashioned milker, i really can milk most of these ladies in under 3 minutes. Exeptions are those yearlings with the itty-bitty teats and a sporadic tough milkin doe.

I never hurry as in run around like an idiot (i have found that actually makes everything go slower, because the goats will certainly sabotage that!), but I do work relatively quickly and I do multi task. Not because I want to 'get it over with' but because there's just so much to do in a day!


----------



## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

But Marion, you're a bit different. Remember, the OP was on hand milking. Lee's right. Depending on the goat, I can milk out 1/2 gallon in 5 minutes by hand. But could I get 5 does in, fed, milked, etc, in 25 minutes. No way! I prefer to loll around and take my time during chore time. The milking part, at least.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Cindy I think you must have missed where Marion said she IS hand milking.
Her strategy for setting up 10 at a time helps with her pace. 

I didn't see where anyone said 35 mins either? Missed that.

I haven't taken a stopwatch to the actual expressing milk time frame I only know the total barn time and even that is never constant because I might be on the way back to the house and stop to pick berries for breakfast or see weeds that have to go or trim a set of feet that bothered me on the stand.

Guess I have the advantage of being self employed at home. I don't rush around about much of anything in the morning any more after decades of the getting kids off to school- meeting milk customer schedules etc and since one of the gardens is my view out the door of the milking area....it is peaceful to watch the birds hunting insects in my veggies and feeding babies in every single tree in the orchard and I can watch the kids in their adjacent overnight pen and assess their condition and behavior. It is a nice start to the day. 
Then I start rushing around 

Lee


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Someday when my babies are older I will loll more. Lee, your description just sounded so nice and peaceful. My youngest baby just turned two, and my next is just a year older. They require a pretty close eye still. Another year and it will be better.


----------



## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

buckrun said:


> Cindy I think you must have missed where Marion said she IS hand milking.
> Her strategy for setting up 10 at a time helps with her pace.
> 
> I didn't see where anyone said 35 mins either? Missed that.
> ...


I'm the 35 minute milker, and that is probably the fastest I can get it done (properly)  For just 2 does though....... I only timed myself once, and I started timing when I got the first girl up on the stand.......... Though I'm getting 1 1/2 gallons per milking, from 2 does..... 1 doe I'm only milking out 1/2 way (trying to gradually dry her up) & the other is a FF......Love my Alpines 

I put out fresh hay/alfalfa pellets/minerals & fill waterers after I have the milk in the house, filtered & chilling, or pasteurizing.

I am a neat freak germaphobe so I don't rush the udder washing/hand cleaning before milking, so perhaps my actual milking time isn't quite so bad.

My milk schedule is set up so I can milk after I get the kids off to school..... So somedays, especially when I'm only keeping the milk to pasteurize for the kids, I take much, much longer out there.....


----------



## SecoCreek (Jan 27, 2010)

I take my time at the barn. I like to stand around and watch everyone. It's when I do my best "goat planning."


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Sensing kids off to school and spending time in the barn sounds so nice. Ha ha I homeschool so my wee ones are here all day. Everyday. All the time. ALWAYS.... Lol


----------



## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

We don't rush around here either, it's just our system is fast and the goats (& people) know the routine.


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Cindy, I was indeed talking about hand milking, but it was in an emergency, I do normally machine milk, of course. I always handmilk on shows and fairs and there again I get multiple does ready at the same time, although I do have to switch 'em on/off the goiat stand there. My daughter likes to take 500 goats to each show :/ (well, 15 or so), so we hand milk a lot!


----------



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Hmmmm, I love to hand milk, wouldn't change a bit about it as it allows me one on one time with each doe. I can look them over and make sure all is well. Right now I am at three and I am still at 1 hour. But I have Gwen, the ever milking udder, and Bran the nubian with great milk genetics, and Artie the sweet ff with large capacity. All three are feeding seven kids and providing milk for our house. We get four and 3/4 gallons of milk a day from the three. Our one doe is out on lease and she was giving another gallon and a 1/3 a day. Before she left we had two others, so at one point we were having 8 + gallons going through here in one day. Since I have liquidated some of the milkers I no longer have to get up at 4 in the morning to milk. It was a 2+ hour process. We have another doe due in June and as long as she stays it will only increase by 15 mins 

I think the major thing is to have a good solid schedule. If I am an hour late it all goes to Hades. Does are in a tizzy and do stupid things they normally don't do and spill milk or just act like banana heads. Makes for an unhappy milking experience for all of us 
Tam


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

So true! My does do that to if I'm late or if I made it rain (they are certain I am in control of the weather....)


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Heh calling all speedballs...come help me hull strawberries ~QUICK :rofl


----------



## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

So long as I can eat them


----------



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Vicki, I do not feed on the stand either. They have a job to do, not stand there and be cranky when their food runs out  When we feed our does we clip them to the fence-rain or shine or snow. It doesn't matter. They get their share and ONLY their share. This allows me to regulate feed to each doe.(Probably why I can tell you how much each doe is eating and be certain of it  ) It is no more time than feeding on the stand. Each of our does knows exactly where their spot is at and is usually there waiting by the time I get the buckets dished up. I got the idea from you, a friend of mine that raises boer and Sandy Reihle. In order to help minimize contamination the buckets are dished up in a certain order and put away in certain order. So each doe literally has her own bucket, as well as bucks.

P.S this way comes in handy for blood draw days too  Very civilized.
Tam


----------



## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

I find my machine milks my goats out at a very similar speed that I do. Those that take longer to hand milk take longer on the machine. I usually start out the year hand milking then switch to the machine. I'm just milking 6 right now but I can be super quick if I have to and its all about having a system that is super simple. And of course if time is important I'm not weighing each goats milk etc. My milk house is situated so that does enter thru a goat door and jump directly onto a platform that holds 3. It is cozy, they touch and I sit down with 3 udders right there. I wash all three. If hand milking I start with the one that will eat the quickest and go in order. Moving goats is just a matter of sliding the bucket over. With the machine I do 2 at once then move to the 3rd when one of the others is done. empty last bits by hand, teat dip and I'm done. I have a sliding window/door directly to the side of the platform. I pull it open and unlock heads and out they go. I refill grain pans and bring in another 3. In this way I can milk out 3 in about 5 minutes, no super heavy milkers here which probably cuts time too. Add 5 min set up time and 5 min wash time when using the machine. If I have does not yet fresh that need lead feed they come in during the cleaning time. I have one slow eater and she is just milked last and can stay in while I clean also. I have seen lots of different set ups at different farms and I think the real time suck is having to bring in goats and return them. I love the ease of my system. I also love my machine because my hands get tired of hand milking. I have a friend who hand milks 20+ goats by herself..and a cow. SHE is crazy =)


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I guess with a small herd, dealing with them 4 times a day, twice to milk, then twice to feed....makes some sort of sense  But mine eat only what they are supposed to on the stands during milking, the machine is long done....but stomping and wanting down isn't allowed, you stand there until I am done. I timed this morning and each group of 4 was up for 10 minutes, cleaned, milked, teat sprayed and everyone done eating, then down. No way could they eat everything in 3 minutes.

I have a few that as long as the grain holds out they would stand to be milked, I have forgotten to clasp some before...but grain gone, they would instantly want to snoop to make sure somebody else didn't leave any behind for them to eat! I guess it is what they are used to. Vicki


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Well I milked one at a time and they get off the stand when I am done doesn't matter if there food is gone or not. However it only takes a couple of times and they will sure see they get every last drop. I had one fast eater that would like to throw a fit when the food was gone so she ended up getting alfalfa pellets mixed in to slow her down.


----------



## JamieH (Nov 29, 2010)

I love milking, and find it relaxing, but it is killing my hands. This will be the only year I hand milk. When I get there, I feed the babies first, then I clip all four of my milkers to the fence. I unclip them one at a time, put food in, milk them then clip them back to the fence. I measure the milk and poor it into the big jug. Once everyone is done, I let them go and give them fresh hay. It takes me 25 minutes in the morning when I'm rushing and 35 in the evening when I'm taking my sweet time. At first they would stomp and kick, but I got the fly situation under control and now 2 of them will just stand there, even if I forget to close the head stock. The other two will behave for food.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

I'm handmilking 5 and getting about 18# right now (ff-4/27--is only milking 4#/day so far). Sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes not-so-much. :/ Averages 10 min each. Takes a little over an hour feeding kids and bucks too. 

Crazy thing right now is that my mom and I just started doing a Tue/Wed flea market about 30 miles from here from 8-5. ...ummm....I'm milking at 11a and 11p. Up at 5a to flea market, leave there at 10, get home at 10:30 to get stuff ready, feed kids/bucks and milking at 11, done about noon and back to flea market before 1, back home between 6 and 7, feed kids again, then back out at 11 to feed kids and milk. Done about mid-night and get to bed between 1:30 and 2a and back up at 5a on Wed to do it again. :/ So, I'm not enjoying milking on Tue/Wed cuz I am rushing....and the driving back and forth is exhausting...and my hands and back are killing me. I'll get used to it eventually, just seems pretty goofy right now. :/ LOL


----------



## Angelknitter12 (Feb 16, 2012)

Vicki,
You said they are not allowed to loco and stamp on the stand while waiting. How do you prevent that? One of the does I am sitting stomps. She is very calm and sweet, but it seems to be a habit. How do you go about teaching them not to.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I say no. No really, it worked on my children, it works on our dogs, it works on my husband...you haven't met me have you  Nobody wants to hear my ugly voice, especially not the goats, they know their friends leave, either these nice people come get them or they are hanging in the tree getting chopped into little pieces, when Mom gets mad.

It is important to control flies. Vicki


----------



## JamieH (Nov 29, 2010)

I was shocked at the flies. It was like a swarm of bees. You could hear them. Now there are maybe 1 or 2. Thank goodness!


----------



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

"I say no. No really, it worked on my children, it works on our dogs, it works on my husband...you haven't met me have you Nobody wants to hear my ugly voice, especially not the goats, they know their friends leave, either these nice people come get them or they are hanging in the tree getting chopped into little pieces, when Mom gets mad" V

Hehehehehe and that method really does work They don't like it when their friends leave and they DO NOT like to have Mom mad at them. Although these are livestock animals they understand probably more than you realize, and just like a horse they know your feelings. Patting and compliments get you alot further with a goat than smacking, althoug training on the stand requires "some" wet wash cloths and a lot of serious "No's". Once they do good and get cookies or dried cranberries they settle into the real deal. 

And then you have those that just do their job no matter what. They step right on up there and kick those legs back and squat. LOVE those ones

Tam


----------



## cvalley (Apr 15, 2009)

My daughter and I hand milk three nubian does daily with each doe milking 6 1/2-7/12lbs each milking--roughly 2 1/2 gallons each milking total in 20 minutes. On DHIA, too. It takes my daughter less time but I think it has conditioned her hand/finger strength to be an awesome pitcher in softball with incredible spin/movement on the ball-- already had the speed -- great strength training!


----------

