Goats

[Danil54grl]

Little ones are always so cute!! I give my girls a "treat" at milking time too. I pour in some sweet feed & oat mixture and three Apple Jacks and then at the end of milking, I give them around 5 more. I have tried all kinds of cereal that I get on sale real cheap at around $.99 after a 50 cent coupon, but this and Honey Nut Cheerios are their favorites. I stock up at that price and my girls are like my kids. . They tend to be my favorite critter, besides my dogs on the farm, second by the donkeys. I leave the kids on for the first month with momma and then separate after that. I had one momma that had a set of twins who would feed her babies thru the fence separating them. I know that I could have put up some hotwire, but honestly, I just didn't have the heart to take away that experience from momma after she and her babies worked on conniving that one up. I have field fence that is in between and have had to 'rescue' one on numerous occasions cause her head would get stuck. Goats are a pure joy raising for sure and the benefits of them are an added bonus!

 

[Danil54grl]

Today I am building a goat-milking stand. I found a simple plan and it shouldn't take me more than about an hour to do it. I'll post a picture of the finished stand, but here are the plans in case anyone else wants them: http://fiascofarm.com/files/Milk_Stand_Plans.pdf

My staunch is very similar and works great. It just takes time to get one used to being milked and it sounds like you already have that down so good for you! For a first timer, I would suggest holding one back leg up if you have a partner or just tying it up so your momma won't kick or buck. After your girl is trained, you wont even have to use the halter of the milking stand.

 

[QuietH3art]

Dani, I'm going to make you laugh and laugh and laugh and everyone else who reads this, too, probably.... I've been milking this goat for a month now. You saw in that first post how short these goats are compared to me, right? I never did get that milking stand built. I'm going to have to get a really good picture of how these goats are put together. Their teats are probably not even 2 inches long.
So, at 10am every morning, I go out to my shed and get 2 cups of sweet feed. I keep the goats shut into the side yard at night, so I go in there and spread one cup of feed on the ground so they have to work to find it. Then I put the other cup in front of Diana's face to remind her what we do every morning. She gladly follows me to the shed in hopes of getting to put her nose in that cup again.
There's a bowl of feed waiting for her there and she gets right to business eating it. I over-bought chick starter and if I spread a little of that in her sweet feed it slows her down enough that I can milk her dry now.
Okay, so, because of the way she's built, I have found it much easier to stand over her facing backwards, reach down between her back legs and milk her while holding my milking cup in one hand and squeezing with the other. There's no way I could ever get those things aimed in the right direction to set a bowl between her legs. I'd have to have two of them, one behind and outside of each rear foot to get that right... lol. Diana doesn't seem to mind that my behind is over her shoulders and I rest some of my weight on her back while milking her.
Obviously, because I have to hold the cup with one hand, I can only milk one side at a time, but I alternate back and forth as my hands get tired. Because her teats are so small, I have to take her whole udder in my hand and I use a similar motion with my hand as the woman in the video Roninsensai posted, just over the whole udder instead of just on the teat. My son has accused me of molesting the goat.
I am milking her only once a day now and she is giving me a full pint a day. It only takes about 10 minutes. Diana never kicks and she only moves as the feed bowl slides. I keep saying I'm going to secure that in place but I never get around to it. So as she slowly backs up because she pulls the bowl towards her while she eats, I move forward. We start at one side of the shed and end up at the other.
So, from what I've read, I need to wait 2 weeks before milking the mother of the new babies. Then I'm supposed to separate them from her at night (which I think really sucks and may mean I just don't milk her if they cry too much) and milk her first thing in the morning. I am more tempted to just leave them together and take whatever milk I can get from her in the evening, even if it's only a little bit, because I honestly don't think I have the strength to milk 2 goats in a row in the morning.
Can you explain to me how you do this, Dani? How long do you wait before milking the mother? What age should the babies be before they are weaned and how do I do that if they all live together? I have a really tiny property. Can I just leave them to wean on their own? Will they nurse forever if I don't wean them? I haven't read up on that part of goat husbandry yet but I will. I still prefer hearing from people who have actually done it.
The babies are up and running around this morning. They are so freakin cute wobbling all over the place and so friendly. I've decided to name the black one Dora and the white one Daisy, continuing with all of the "D" names. I'll get pictures of them out in the yard later today.

 

[QuietH3art]

More cuteness to share:

 

[Danil54grl]

Dani, I'm going to make you laugh and laugh and laugh and everyone else who reads this, too, probably.... I've been milking this goat for a month now. You saw in that first post how short these goats are compared to me, right? I never did get that milking stand built. I'm going to have to get a really good picture of how these goats are put together. Their teats are probably not even 2 inches long.
So, at 10am every morning, I go out to my shed and get 2 cups of sweet feed. I keep the goats shut into the side yard at night, so I go in there and spread one cup of feed on the ground so they have to work to find it. Then I put the other cup in front of Diana's face to remind her what we do every morning. She gladly follows me to the shed in hopes of getting to put her nose in that cup again.
There's a bowl of feed waiting for her there and she gets right to business eating it. I over-bought chick starter and if I spread a little of that in her sweet feed it slows her down enough that I can milk her dry now.
Okay, so, because of the way she's built, I have found it much easier to stand over her facing backwards, reach down between her back legs and milk her while holding my milking cup in one hand and squeezing with the other. There's no way I could ever get those things aimed in the right direction to set a bowl between her legs. I'd have to have two of them, one behind and outside of each rear foot to get that right... lol. Diana doesn't seem to mind that my behind is over her shoulders and I rest some of my weight on her back while milking her.
Obviously, because I have to hold the cup with one hand, I can only milk one side at a time, but I alternate back and forth as my hands get tired. Because her teats are so small, I have to take her whole udder in my hand and I use a similar motion with my hand as the woman in the video Roninsensai posted, just over the whole udder instead of just on the teat. My son has accused me of molesting the goat.
I am milking her only once a day now and she is giving me a full pint a day. It only takes about 10 minutes. Diana never kicks and she only moves as the feed bowl slides. I keep saying I'm going to secure that in place but I never get around to it. So as she slowly backs up because she pulls the bowl towards her while she eats, I move forward. We start at one side of the shed and end up at the other.
So, from what I've read, I need to wait 2 weeks before milking the mother of the new babies. Then I'm supposed to separate them from her at night (which I think really sucks and may mean I just don't milk her if they cry too much) and milk her first thing in the morning. I am more tempted to just leave them together and take whatever milk I can get from her in the evening, even if it's only a little bit, because I honestly don't think I have the strength to milk 2 goats in a row in the morning.
Can you explain to me how you do this, Dani? How long do you wait before milking the mother? What age should the babies be before they are weaned and how do I do that if they all live together? I have a really tiny property. Can I just leave them to wean on their own? Will they nurse forever if I don't wean them? I haven't read up on that part of goat husbandry yet but I will. I still prefer hearing from people who have actually done it.
The babies are up and running around this morning. They are so freakin cute wobbling all over the place and so friendly. I've decided to name the black one Dora and the white one Daisy, continuing with all of the "D" names. I'll get pictures of them out in the yard later today.

Girl, I have to say that you had me rolling!! That is just too funny!! I just had a mental image going thru my mind reading thru your post, but I have to also tell you that I can relate to at least part of it. My big Nubian Mrs Nanny, when we first started with the milking she liked to move forward during milking since she was too big to fit into my staunch, so we now have a system of me latching her to the wall with a bucket of feed in front of her. I sit on a cinder block with one leg in front between her and the feed bucket and the other behind her although she has stomped on my foot a time or two but as soon as she cocks that leg out, I know she is ready and I keep an eye out for when she wants to reposition.

Well as for the babies, I leave mine on mom for about a month, but you can separate them out as soon as they are eating grass and drinking on their own. . . in about 3 weeks give or take a few. I have two separate pastures that are side by side so fortunate in that aspect. That way mom and babies can still see and associate with one another thru the fence. I warn you, once you separate, those babies and mom will both be yelling and bawling like crazy. It just about breaks my heart hearing those babes, but if you leave them together, you will not be getting much milk at all, if any. Those babies will take every possibility to nurse on momma even at 6 months or older depending.

Ok so you say you have a tiny property. . . and was it 4 your limit? Trying to remember without looking back. How big is your goats pasture area? Goats are very social animals and do not like being alone. If you have 3 plus two kids, I would suggest when you separate, trying to have the kids with 1 adult and the other 2 together. . . . even if you have to put some of them in the back yard and a couple in the front if that is possible. I have a gated yard so that is easy for me to say but I also realize that most don't. Or maybe you could divide your backyard in half? Also, I have read about the billy tryin to harm the kids, but I have never experienced that myself. Both my billys have been on the more protective side, but you may want that to be an adult female in with them.

Oh and BTW, I love the 'D' names. . . I named one of my donkey's Daisy and she turned out to be just the sweetest little thing ever. . . Kinda reminds me of the Duggers with all the 'J' names!

 

[QuietH3art]

Girl, I have to say that you had me rolling!! That is just too funny!! I just had a mental image going thru my mind reading thru your post, but I have to also tell you that I can relate to at least part of it. My big Nubian Mrs Nanny, when we first started with the milking she liked to move forward during milking since she was too big to fit into my staunch, so we now have a system of me latching her to the wall with a bucket of feed in front of her. I sit on a cinder block with one leg in front between her and the feed bucket and the other behind her although she has stomped on my foot a time or two but as soon as she cocks that leg out, I know she is ready and I keep an eye out for when she wants to reposition.

Well as for the babies, I leave mine on mom for about a month, but you can separate them out as soon as they are eating grass and drinking on their own. . . in about 3 weeks give or take a few. I have two separate pastures that are side by side so fortunate in that aspect. That way mom and babies can still see and associate with one another thru the fence. I warn you, once you separate, those babies and mom will both be yelling and bawling like crazy. It just about breaks my heart hearing those babes, but if you leave them together, you will not be getting much milk at all, if any. Those babies will take every possibility to nurse on momma even at 6 months or older depending.

Ok so you say you have a tiny property. . . and was it 4 your limit? Trying to remember without looking back. How big is your goats pasture area? Goats are very social animals and do not like being alone. If you have 3 plus two kids, I would suggest when you separate, trying to have the kids with 1 adult and the other 2 together. . . . even if you have to put some of them in the back yard and a couple in the front if that is possible. I have a gated yard so that is easy for me to say but I also realize that most don't. Or maybe you could divide your backyard in half? Also, I have read about the billy tryin to harm the kids, but I have never experienced that myself. Both my billys have been on the more protective side, but you may want that to be an adult female in with them.

Oh and BTW, I love the 'D' names. . . I named one of my donkey's Daisy and she turned out to be just the sweetest little thing ever. . . Kinda reminds me of the Duggers with all the 'J' names!

I actually have my side yard divided off by the 6 foot privacy fence so I could separate if necessary, it's 20' x 80' and used to be my dog kennel. That's where everyone goes to sleep at night because it's completely surrounded by privacy fence. I live in a not-so-nice neighborhood and I feel it's safer for them in there.
I don't really need more milk so I may leave them together awhile. It's wonderful already seeing all five of them in the front yard together. My billy is only 7 months old and he's the most social and gentle of the original 3. Everyone is already getting along fantastic. The only time mama shows any protectiveness is when she takes the babies into the house to sleep. She doesn't want the other goats in there. And they are fine with that. They now sleep in the coop with the chickens! (which is only 4 feet away from the goat's house (and that used to be a dog house for 2 great danes). I don't close the chicken coop gate because I have a hen that always lays her egg at 2pm in there but refuses to sleep in there at night.
I think that's my favorite thing about this - every one of them has a unique personality and it's so fun getting to know them all.

 

[Danil54grl]

I actually have my side yard divided off by the 6 foot privacy fence so I could separate if necessary, it's 20' x 80' and used to be my dog kennel. That's where everyone goes to sleep at night because it's completely surrounded by privacy fence. I live in a not-so-nice neighborhood and I feel it's safer for them in there.
I don't really need more milk so I may leave them together awhile. It's wonderful already seeing all five of them in the front yard together. My billy is only 7 months old and he's the most social and gentle of the original 3. Everyone is already getting along fantastic. The only time mama shows any protectiveness is when she takes the babies into the house to sleep. She doesn't want the other goats in there. And they are fine with that. They now sleep in the coop with the chickens! (which is only 4 feet away from the goat's house (and that used to be a dog house for 2 great danes). I don't close the chicken coop gate because I have a hen that always lays her egg at 2pm in there but refuses to sleep in there at night.
I think that's my favorite thing about this - every one of them has a unique personality and it's so fun getting to know them all.

Keep him that way. . . that is what I have done and haven't had any probs so far. I heard horror stories about the Billie's trin to 'protect' their area and 'head buttin' for whatever reason. I raise my both my Billy's since they were only a few months old and have been a very social part of their lives and it sounds like you have been too.

 

[QuietH3art]

Keep him that way. . . that is what I have done and haven't had any probs so far. I heard horror stories about the Billie's trin to 'protect' their area and 'head buttin' for whatever reason. I raise my both my Billy's since they were only a few months old and have been a very social part of their lives and it sounds like you have been too.

He was still nursing from his mother when I got them a month ago and had not been handled much by humans, I think. I bribed them like crazy in the beginning and now I'm stuck spoiling them. Every time I go outside they come running for treats. And trying to carry grocery bags into the house? Anything that crinkles MUST have a treat in it! But Denver (the billy) has really taken to having his head petted and his sides scratched so I always do it when I go outside. He's the one most likely to let visitors pet him too.
I read in 2 different places that if you give each of your goats a name, an identity, and form a relationship with them, they will produce better milk for you. I think that's why Diana may have gone from only giving me a half pint per milking to a full pint now. Is that silly?

 

[Danil54grl]

He was still nursing from his mother when I got them a month ago and had not been handled much by humans, I think. I bribed them like crazy in the beginning and now I'm stuck spoiling them. Every time I go outside they come running for treats. And trying to carry grocery bags into the house? Anything that crinkles MUST have a treat in it! But Denver (the billy) has really taken to having his head petted and his sides scratched so I always do it when I go outside. He's the one most likely to let visitors pet him too.
I read in 2 different places that if you give each of your goats a name, an identity, and form a relationship with them, they will produce better milk for you. I think that's why Diana may have gone from only giving me a half pint per milking to a full pint now. Is that silly?

I don't think it is silly at all. I truly believe the more involved and love you give your critters, the more they want to please. . . goats included, it's not just a dog thing. When you first start out milking a doe, she will tend to hold in some of her milk (in fact, even the ones you have milked before), but as she gets more comfortable with you milking her and knows that her kids are still getting what they need, she will release more of her milk down. Momma just need to learn to trust in that area.

 

[QuietH3art]

I made cheese for the first time the day before yesterday. I started with the simplest recipe I could find and it was still a lot of work. No, not work so much as time and patience. I followed a recipe for "goat cheese" that encouraged adding herbs and/or spices to the finished cheese. All in all, I think it turned out well even though it's not a cheese that I liked when it was done. I know I did not add enough salt and perhaps I should have increased the amount of basil and garlic. What I got was a very crumbly cheese that would probably be wonderful on salads.
The recipe called for 1 quart of goat's milk and 1/3 cup lemon juice, plus salt and herbs/spices to taste. I brought the milk up to 110 degrees, removed it from the burner, stirred in the lemon juice, then let it set for 30 minutes. Then I poured it through multiple layers of cheesecloth and hung the cheesecloth over my faucet so the whey would drip into a bowl beneath it. The recipe said to let it drip for an hour to an hour and a half. Then I put the cheese in a bowl and mixed in the tomatoes, basil, garlic and salt that I had prepared and tossed it all together.
It was an experience and now I know how to make a basic cheese, but it's a lot easier to buy the cheese I like at the organic store or the farmer's market. Today I'm going to make mozzarella cheese, just because I bought the citric acid and rennet to do it. I may try one hard, aged cheese, as well, in a couple of weeks.

 

[Danil54grl]

I had just started making my own cheese last year once we bought our milk cow Betsey. I started out with the lemon juice, vinegar or buttermilk for a culture like you did. Betsey is only around 8 years old but was not in the best health. She was purchased from a Dairy in north Texas to use as a nurse cow. Once the guy was done with her, he sold her to us.
I checked out the barn he had her in and the feed he used. . . it smelt like it was fermenting! I only milked her for about a month so she could get used to me milking her then let her dry up to get her poor body back up to where it should be. . . she was so skinny when we got her! She has filled out nicely and will be calving in a couple more months so I can start milking her once again after that. I am not willing to slaughter a calf in order to get rennet and not willing to buy if I can use an alternative, so have been checking out using certain thistles, by harvesting the purple stamens in which the milk coagulating enzymes are found. I have done the collecting this year when they were in bloom and dried the petals and they should keep for two years.

Anyway, that is a whole new subject. . . yes, my cheese turned out much like your first batch and you will need to add in more salt and herbs than you would think. I have also made mozzarella but only out of curds . . . Once you use the rennet and get into aged cheese, it will be more like what you are used to on taste from the stores.

 

[QuietH3art]

I had just started making my own cheese last year once we bought our milk cow Betsey. I started out with the lemon juice, vinegar or buttermilk for a culture like you did. Betsey is only around 8 years old but was not in the best health. She was purchased from a Dairy in north Texas to use as a nurse cow. Once the guy was done with her, he sold her to us.
I checked out the barn he had her in and the feed he used. . . it smelt like it was fermenting! I only milked her for about a month so she could get used to me milking her then let her dry up to get her poor body back up to where it should be. . . she was so skinny when we got her! She has filled out nicely and will be calving in a couple more months so I can start milking her once again after that. I am not willing to slaughter a calf in order to get rennet and not willing to buy if I can use an alternative, so have been checking out using certain thistles, by harvesting the purple stamens in which the milk coagulating enzymes are found. I have done the collecting this year when they were in bloom and dried the petals and they should keep for two years.

Anyway, that is a whole new subject. . . yes, my cheese turned out much like your first batch and you will need to add in more salt and herbs than you would think. I have also made mozzarella but only out of curds . . . Once you use the rennet and get into aged cheese, it will be more like what you are used to on taste from the stores.

I, like you, refuse to use animal rennet. I did purchase a cheese-making kit for starters and only because it came with vegetarian rennet. I did the reading to find out that you can make it from stinging nettles, but I'm just not able to go quite that far in DIY. It's a good thing I don't plan to be a cheese-maker if SHTF!!!

 

[Danil54grl]

Yeah I read about the nettles, but we tend to have an abundance of thistles that just grow wild!! It does take a lot of time and effort for DIY projects and if you are still working a full time job and raising kids still, there is just never enough time for everything. My younger life used to be there and very thankful I am not now.

 

[QuietH3art]

Mozzarella Cheese success! And it only took 30 minutes. I halved the recipe, too, because I just didn't have enough milk. I tasted it while still warm so I would get the salt right and it's yummy!

 

[jimLE]

thats fantastic...i know that you gotta be proud of yourself

 

[QuietH3art]

I found an inaccuracy in my posts to this thread. I stated in one of my posts that what's leftover after making butter is whey. That's wrong. Whey is the leftover liquid from making cheese. It can be used as a substitute for other liquids in making breads. It can also be given to other farm animals and is supposed to be a significant source of nutrients and energy similar to energy drinks but blech! It tastes nasty.
What is leftover from making butter is buttermilk.

 

[Danil54grl]

I make Ricotta out of the whey which basically means recooked, but you have to use it fresh. . . can't keep it for later or freeze it if using for that purpose.

 

[Danil54grl]

Mozzarella Cheese success! And it only took 30 minutes. I halved the recipe, too, because I just didn't have enough milk. I tasted it while still warm so I would get the salt right and it's yummy!

View attachment 3136 View attachment 3137

You'll never want to buy the kind out of the store again. . . fresh mozzarella is just so good! I looked into some of the lits that they have online for sale and they seem very reasonably priced for the amount you get.

 

[QuietH3art]

You'll never want to buy the kind out of the store again. . . fresh mozzarella is just so good! I looked into some of the lits that they have online for sale and they seem very reasonably priced for the amount you get.

What do you mean by "lits"
By the way, just pulled my mozzarella out of the fridge and it got rather hard. Still tasty and will be fine for making pizza, in fact, it will be very easy to grate. I'm going to re-read the directions to see if there's a way that I can keep it "wetter" because that's how I like it when I slice it for sandwiches.

 

[QuietH3art]

I make Ricotta out of the whey which basically means recooked, but you have to use it fresh. . . can't keep it for later or freeze it if using for that purpose.

I saw the option for that, as well, but I never use ricotta cheese. I only put mozzarella and cheddar in my lasagna. My oldest daughter loved the goat cheese with tomato, basil and garlic in it and wants me to make more with more basil and garlic in it. So, I have been wavering about letting Diana rest from milking for awhile and had almost decided not to milk her anymore starting today. But Dixie only let me have a little bit of milk today. It's going to take time to strengthen that relationship, I think. She's not a very nice goat compared to the rest of them. So, I think I'm going to continue to milk Diana awhile longer while I get Dixie in the groove.