How to Milk a Dairy Goat — A Beginner’s Guide
When a doe gives birth, her body produces milk for her kids, in a process called freshening. Most dairy goats produce more than their kids need. And they continue to produce for a while after the kids stop nursing. So I’m always amazed when goat keepers tell me they don’t know how to milk a dairy goat.
Worldwide more people drink goat milk than cow milk. I like dairy goats because they are small and easy to handle. Also goat milk is A2, just like human milk. By contrast, most cow milk is A1. Milk from a properly cared for goat tastes like milk from a cow, only it’s better for you.
Why I don’t use a pasteurizer.
Pasteurizing destroys some of the vitamins, reduces the availability of the minerals and proteins, and destroys all the natural enzymes. Pasteurized milk is therefore more difficult to digest. Also it doesn’t keep as well as raw milk, and when it starts to turn it tastes terrible.
Sure, pasteurizing destroys any harmful bacteria that may be present. But if you’re careful about sanitation, the presence of harmful bacteria doesn’t become an issue. For these reasons I stopped using a pasteurizer a long time ago.
Why I don’t use a milking machine.
Before I describe how to milk a dairy goat, I want to explain why I prefer do it by hand instead of using a milking machine.
- Milking machines are expensive.
- Machines are difficult to keep clean.
- And they are too noisy.
The quietness of milking by hand and listening to the squirts hit the pail is much more peaceful than hearing a loud machine. Plus, for just a few does, the time required to properly clean the machine is not worth it.
And, yes, I did try using a machine and I didn’t like it. I much prefer to milk by hand.
What you need.
You need a few basics on hand when you want to learn how to milk a dairy goat:
- Milk stand
- Teat wipes or non scented baby wipes
- Strip cup or small bowl
- Stainless steel seamless pail
- Dairy strainer with filters
- Storage jars (½ gallon canning jars)
- Bag Balm or Corn Huskers lotion
Okay, so you can milk a doe by squatting on the ground. But using a stand is a lot easier and more comfortable.
Most people feed a doe on the milk stand. Doing so keeps her from fidgeting during milking. But a doe that eats while she’s being milked gets restless if she finishes eating before you finish milking. So it’s better to train your does to be milked without eating at the same time.
Your pail should be quality stainless steel and seamless for easy cleaning. It should hold all the milk from one doe at one milking. A 6-quart pail is big enough for most full-size does. A 2-quart pail fits better under a small goat, like a Nigerian Dwarf.
The milk should be strained into clean jars through a filter to remove any bits of hair or chaff that may have fallen in. For that you’ll need a dairy strainer, which should be stainless steel and seamless. A canning funnel works okay, but a larger dairy strainer goes faster. Use regular dairy paper filters. Coffee filters don’t work well — I tried, so you don’t have to.
To ensure your milk is healthful and good tasting, keep all your equipment scrupulously clean. Never leave your pail and strainer sitting around with milk residue in them without at least rinsing them in lukewarm (not hot) water. Then pop them into the dishwasher for easy cleaning.
Milk the does in the same order.
When you milk more than one doe, always call them in the same order every day. Start with the dominant doe and work your way down to the meekest. Your goats will get used to the routine and will know whose turn is next.
As each doe jumps onto the stand, brush her to remove loose hair. Use a fresh wipe to remove dirt clinging to her udder and teats. Trim away any long hairs, both to avoid pulling the doe’s hair during milking and to keep hair and dirt out of the pail. While you clean the doe’s udder, watch for signs of trouble — wounds, lumps, or unusual warmth or coolness.
Squirt the first few drops of milk from each side into a strip cup, so-called because it is used to examine the first squirt or stripping. Check the stripping to see whether it is lumpy or thick, two signs of mastitis.
A standard strip cup has a screen on top to catch clots and make them easier to see. But any clean cup or small bowl will do.
Two important things to remember.
The two most important things to remember when you milk a dairy goat are:
- Keep her calm.
- Don’t pull down on her teats.
When you’re first learning, these two things can be tricky to remember. Keep the doe calm by singing or talking to her, which also helps you remain calm yourself.
Not pulling down on her teats takes practice. If you pull a teat, pinch with a fingernail, or snag a hair, the doe will kick the pail. She might send the whole pail flying. Or she might stomp her dirty hoof down in the middle of the half-full pail. Either outcome can lead to chaos.
How to milk a dairy goat.
A doe’s milk is produced and stored in her udder. At the bottom of the udder are two teats, each with a small opening at the end through which the milk squirts out. Since you will be sitting on the stand and facing the doe’s tail, work the right teat with your left hand and the left teat with your right hand.
To get milk to squirt out, squeeze the teat, rather than pull on it. The first time you try, chances are milk will not squirt out. Instead it might go back up into the udder.
To move the milk downward, apply pressure at the top of the teat with your thumb and index finger. With the rest of your fingers, gently squeeze to move the milk down and out. If you have a miniature goat — or a full-size goat with small teats — her tiny teats may have room for only your thumb and two fingers.
After you get one squirt out, release the pressure on the teat to let more milk flow in. Get a steady rhythm going by alternating right, left, right, left. Aim the stream into your pail beneath the doe’s udder.
At first the milk may squirt up the wall, down your sleeve, or into your face. Meanwhile, the doe may dance a little jig on the stand. Keep at it and before long you will both handle the job like pros.
When the flow stops, gently bump and massage the udder. If more milk comes down, keep milking.
When the udder is empty, the teats will become soft and flat instead of firm and swollen. In dry or cold weather, prevent chapping by rubbing the teats and udder with Bag Balm or Corn Huskers lotion.
How much milk one diary goat produces.
Exactly how much a doe produces before the next freshening depends on her age, breed, ancestry, feeding, health and general well-being, and how often you milk. The more often you milk, the more milk the doe will produce.
Most goat keepers milk twice a day, as close to 12 hours apart as possible. If milking twice a day is inconvenient, or gives you more than you can use, do it only once a day. That’s what I do.
Milk every day at about the same time. If you don’t do it regularly, your doe’s udder will bag up, or swell with milk. Bagging up signals the doe’s body that her milk is no longer needed, and the doe begins drying off.
During the peak of production, a good full-size dairy doe in her prime may give as much as 8 pounds (about 1 gallon) per day. She will then gradually taper off to maybe 2 pounds (1 quart) per day by the end of her lactation cycle.
We keep Nubians, which have the advantage of coming into heat pretty much at any time of year. Therefore we stagger their breeding to keep fresh milk flowing all year long.
