# Will a missed milking hurt the girls?



## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

I've never missed a milking, but we had a storm come in this evening with lots of very close thunder and lightening.
Will it hurt my does if I don't go out in it to milk them? Would they be alright if I get up real early and go out and milk? I just hate to go out in the lightening and rain.

Tamera


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2008)

I think you know your answer already. Go out and milk your goats. 

You're on the computer aren't you?  

I would NEVER consider skipping a milking for any reason; rain, snow, sleet, hail.... you get the picture.

Sara


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## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

Thank you Sara,
I'll head right out and get it done 

Tamera


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2008)

Good choice. You're girls will thank you and you'll sleep better. 

Sara


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

As Tamera never comes back online and is hit by lightening  Vicki


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## Sheryl (Oct 27, 2007)

OMG! :faint Tamera, oh Tamera, please come back and tell us you are okay.


:rofl Oh Vicki you crack me up.




Sheryl


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

We have had a few times we put off milking waiting for frequent lightening to pass. And there were a couple times someone got stuck in the barn longer than usual waiting for a heavy downpour or hail to subside. But we've never missed a milking completely.


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## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

I'm fine  Thanks for caring!!!! I waited for the lightening to pass and then went out. It was cracking very close and I sure didn't want to get fried  My 92 yr old father lives with us and he's very scared of weather, so I had to sneak out after he went to bed. You should have seen me trying to creep around tp try to get the SS bucket out without clanging it against anything. Seems like I always band it on something when I trying to be quiet :rofl

Tamera


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

OMG Sara, If she'd have bit the big one, you'd have gone down in Infamous history, lol! We are always either stuck in the barn with lightening or waiting for it to pass. Often we check the Doppler and see where the storm is located and if there's any window's of opportunity coming. I have a few goats who Are afraid of the lightening. So I prefer to not milk them in the midst with their flying hoofs and all.


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

Well, I can honestly say I have missed a milking or two in the last couple years. It did not hurt the goats long term but they did get miserable. Definately not in their best interest. I would only do it if it was absolutely impossible....in my case I was in the hospital, my husband with me. It will cut back production though. I have never missed b/c of a storm....but then I love the rain.


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## stacy adams (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm glad it all turned out well! Like Sherrie, I'll keep an eye on the Doppler. I've even gone out earlier to milk to miss running through the storm and while I don't mind being stuck in the barn, and I don't mind running through the rain, I'd rather not have a close encounter with lightning.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Me too Stacy of course right now I wouldn't mind even the lightning if we could just get some rain and cool off.


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

:rofl :rofl
I'm with you Sara! I never miss a milking! I might be a little early or a little late but by no means more or less than an hr. I can't stand the looks on their faces with their udders strutted! 
Kinda' like the postman...rain,wind,hail,lightening, does get milked. It just adds a bit of drama to the chores. And the rain on the tin roof & thunder drown out the vaccum pump! :biggrin
Kaye


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

So do y'all not skip a milking to udder up a doe for a show?


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2008)

I havn't. The little showing I've done. I may milk out at regular time in the evening then milk them out again later in the evening so that they aren't so full the next morning. That way if you don't get to show until later in the morning they don't get so strutted. 

I've seen Kayes goats. I think if she missed a milking their udder would probably blow up by the next morning. :rofl


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2008)

I thought it was bad to miss a milking? When we got our test goats I had to milk one down slowly to dry her up. Her bag felt so tight the first day i milked. Crazy!


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## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

Kaye White said:


> It just adds a bit of drama to the chores. And the rain on the tin roof & thunder drown out the vaccum pump! :biggrin


LOL! That's what makes it fun, Kaye... drama!


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

"That way if you don't get to show until later in the morning "

But you are not milking in the morning? So doesnt that mean that you are skipping the morning milking? What am I missing here...?


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2008)

Skipping would mean I wouldn't milk out at all in the morning. We milk out after they are shown, still milking twice a day. It may be 10 or 11 in the morning but we still milk out. That's why the milking two times the evening before so they don't have so much early in the morning. In the bigger shows it may be 2 or 3 in the afternoon before you milk out but you always milk out afterwards, and if it goes this long you may have to partially milk out to keep them from getting too full before you show. Depends on what time you usually milk too. If you usually milk at 10 and 10 it wouldn't matter. I milk at 6 and 6 though. So by 10 they are needing milked pretty bad if you don't milk later the night before. :biggrin

I have heard of people going the whole show without milking but to me either their goats don't milk, or if they do there asking for blown udders.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

we don't skip but we ARE late on occassion

we do not go out to milk during a lightning storm... me and my dc are too valuable, but we will watch and go out when it slows...

and when we visit LeeAnne we milk late... we don't skip because we are going to want to sleep in in the AM! and milk a bit late then too...


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

> So do y'all not skip a milking to udder up a doe for a show?


Nope! I will milk out at the appointed time (if there's a milk out) then milk again later in the evening.
If there's no milk out...then I will look at where my breeds are positioned to show, estimate at what time they will show and milk out at the regular time...then go back and milk out later so they've only got about 13-14 hrs. in their udder when they walk into the ring.

I will check their udders while the other breeds are showing and take milk out to keep them comfortable. I usually end up taking milk out of all of them before they go into the show ring. 
As for skipping a milking...no, I usually end up milking 3-4times more at a show than I do at home.

:lol If it's a weekend and I want to sleep in on Sat. morning...then I will milk out at the usual time and then go back out 2-3 hrs. later and squat down and strip the does out. That udder is worth 35 points in the show ring and I'm not about to blow it by letting the girls strut.
Kaye


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

Gotcha. I understand and we are basically on the same page. Different definitions or perceptions, I guess, for the same basic practices.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

Yeah, having to get the girls milked is about the ONLY thing that makes me get out of bed on a -40 morning!

I do the same as Kaye at shows. Then after we are done and they are milked, I often go back and squat in the pen with a bucket and milk them out again a few hours later. That's what I do if we are leaving that night as well -- it saves me having to run everyone up onto the milk stand again....I never haul with a full udder.

Tracy


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