Posted by Vicki McGaugh on January 01, 2001 at 10:15:11:
In Reply to: Milkers posted by Freud on January 01, 2001 at 04:27:50:
When she kids, make sure the kids get dried off very well. Then make sure that they nurse, squirt a couple of streams of the colostrum out of the teat to make sure it isn't clogged. After you have made sure that they have nursed good, then milk the udder about 1/2 way out and save this colostrum for future emergencies, frozen in plastic soda bottles works great. Let the kids nurse the doe all day and empty her out at night, or let the kids nurse her nights and milk her out empty in the mornings, which ever is most convienent for you. At about 2 weeks, you will notice that the kids are taking most of the milk, you can then seperate them from the Mom at night so you can milk the morning milk, then put them back together for the rest of the day.
The very minimal of equipment you will need is, something to clean the udder with, it makes it easier in the beginning to just shave her udder, tummy, rear end and clean all the long hair off her tail. Then I like to use baby wet ones, to clean the udder and teats. Milk into a clean stainless steel pail (even a pot) or the big pyrex glass measuring cups with a handle works, glass and stainless are just easier to keep clean. After you are through milking her, teat dip her. I use a empty dishwashing liquid bottle filled with water, and then adding about 3 tablespoons of bleach, flood the teat and the hole in the end (orifice) with this, it kills germs and helps the end close. Let her finish her grain on the milk stand. You can also just milk with her clipped to the fence, but for the sake of your back you will want to build or buy a milkstand. You can milk the doe for ever if you don't rebred her, as long as she is from at least a respectable milking line, she will continue to produce milk as long as you take milk from her, milking is supply and demand, start leaving milk in the udder, and she will make that much less the next day. If you do rebred her in August when she comes back into heat, than you will be able to milk her for 100 days of her 150 day pregnancy. You want them to have a good dry time when they are pregnant to make excellent colostrum for the next batch of kids, and also to grow those kids from 100 days, which are about the size of shrimp, to 150 days when they are the bouncing 6 to 8 pounds! Don't forget you will want to worm the doe the day she kids! Vicki