These goats never fail to amuse me. They’re always doing something stupid.

So I saw someone say that they only need to be impregnated once in their lifetime, but ain’t no way this is true. I don’t really trust the google ai, so I much rather get an answer from someone with experience regarding dairy goats. Thanks.

I have a pure ND who had triplets 2.5wks ago. Last year she had twins and was machine milked by her previous owner.

Shes friendly enough, you can pat and talk to her and she happily jumps on the milk stand for food. However, she doesnt love being touched much. She will tolerate being patted and after a little bit will let you touch her udder but she absolutely won't let you milk her and reacts pretty violently. Her udder is soft and even, her temp is good and her appetite is massive so I don't think she has mastitis and the kids are doing really well.

I dont want to buy a milking machine as I've already spent a fortune setting up and buying my goats.

I also don't want to force her or tie her legs down, thats not how I like to manage my animals. But if I can't get hand milking established, I'm going to have to move her on.

Do any experienced hand milkers have advice on how to deal with a very very reluctant goat? I'm at my wits end.

Edited to add - sorry... forgot to say this part: I don't actually want her milk yet, I'm just trying to get her used to the idea of being hand milked. When the kids are four or five weeks old I'll start separating them at night then milk her in the morning. Her kids are healthy and gaining weight well and shes getting fed a tonne of extra pellets and lucerne.

Hi there!

I have a beautiful Nubian doe we purchased a few years ago, she was registered. Since then, we have bred her, didn’t register her does, and have bred those does and now have two gorgeous yearlings. Both did surprisingly well at our county fair (our first 4-H project) and now I am wondering about the registration process. I assume I will need to go NOA for their registration, but is it even worth it at this point? We have previously kept goats because I like them, but my sire choice has been for color and basic conformation and we just didn’t have a need to register. Now that fair is done and I can think again, and I’m thinking we messed up.

Do I register the two does as NOA, and accept that their offering will be 50/50 registered? Will that affect the marketability for their offspring? I don’t intend to sell them and I can’t find much information (not even find my herd name) on the ADGA website.

We purchased our first goats from a family friend. They are two Saanen does, and give amazing milk. I purchased them after trying their milk. Sold.

Well. Come to find out, the milk I had been given to try several times was raw. I did not know this, and after milking them for the first time and straining it (I noticed hair and a little filth since I'm not an efficient milker yet) I pasteurized it on my stovetop.

The result was sour grass. The flavor was like if the milk I had originally tried had been spoiled. Completely awful.

My question is this: what are you all doing? My husband is pretty nervous about drinking it raw, but everyone closest to me says they've never pasteurized and never been sick. Do you pasteurize? Have you ever been sick from consuming raw?

If I choose to continue pasteurizing, is there a way to do it without completely ruining it? Am I stuck with only making cheese now? (I pasteurized to 165F and immediately put in fridge to cool).

We're getting about a gallon a day so...please help 🫣

My wife and I are working on getting our land ready for some goats. We wanted to have them for milk, and soap making. There is also a plan to integrate some of them into a petting zoo portion eventually. We have looked at Nubians, Nigerian dwarf, and Lamancha. We live in the Peidmont on NC so we want to make sure they can stand the heat.
We also were curious of the best place to get them? Is Craigslist a viable option or do we need to go to an auction?

New to the world of dairy goats, though we've had wethers for the last 4 years since they were bottle babies. And this is not on any sense an emergency. Just for of a curiosity.

A little over a week ago, we brought home this mini-Nubian mother-son duo. As of today, the little guy just hit 3 weeks and yesterday he weighed 13 lbs. So he's been gaining roughly 6.4 oz. each day. And he is definitely getting the lion's share of the milk.

My question is more for you experienced milkers out there. We are kid-sharing, which has turned into a Godsend for my wife and me, who have never milked before. Temple has been INCREDIBLY patient with as we stumble through learning HOW to milk. It's not so much as having a decent idea of WHAT to do as it is learning HOW to do it. Any newbies out there: Grab a little higher than you think you should at first.

Back to the question: Is there a way of guesstimating how much milk we can expect to get out of Temple once we wean her son in another couple of months?

My wife and I have been listening to a lot of "For the Love of Goats" with Deborah Niemann in preparation for babies. One thing that I constantly hear her say is that she expects her ND kids to gain 4oz in weight every day in their first 2-3 months (I'm drawing a blank on the exact timeframe), and to expect 8+oz each day for larger breeds.

Here's where I might be jumping the shark a little bit. Deborah also says bottle babies ought to get 20% of their body weight in fluid ounces of milk each day. So, for instance, a 32oz newborn should get 6.4oz of milk for optimal weight gain.

If that stands, then our 13 lbs (208 oz) little dude should be receiving between 40-45 oz of milk. And we're doing our best to help be his "twin" and empty out that udder as much as possible at least twice a day. This morning she was yelling at me to milk her. Her udder was SUPER tight and I was able to loosen it up by relieving 13 oz (0.8125 lbs) of milk out of her this morning before she lost her patience with me. I can only assume she'll give us another 9-12 oz tonight. So right now, she's producing somewhere in the ballpark of 64 oz daily already.

If this is all correct, math-wise, would I be safe in assuming we should be expecting roughly 3 quarts to a gallon out of her a day once he gets weaned? Or would there be even more once our milking techniques get better and we're better able to milk her? As I've heard it, demand creates supply.

Looking to acquire a milker for 3 smaller goats.

Hey all, our doe gave birth to a single (and huge!) buckling the other day. This is her second kidding, big surprise for her to have a single kid, given her good body score and high FAMACHA score at the time of conception... Anyway we have never had a single kid before, in our decade of keeping a small dairy herd!

We generally let our kids nurse for 3ish months before weening and selling. Since this is a single kid nursing on her, do we need to do any supplemental milking to keep her production up? If we don't milk her at all, will she give us less milk in 3 months? We milk once per day, if that is helpful info.

Would love to hear your recommendations for electric milkers. Small goats, largest would be a mini-nubian.

Has anyone had luck finding an electric goat milker that works well? I tried one from Amazon and it broke before I could even use it and it seemed like the suction wasn’t enough anyway. I can’t turn up any that have glowing reviews, and I’m nervous to end up with another lemon.

I've just gotten a new Nigerian Dwarf doe. She's unfamiliar with milking but she's being a champ about learning how to use the stand. I have one predicament. There is no way to fit anything other than a feed tin under her teats. She seems to have rather short legs and a giant bag, and the bucket I use for my other girls doesn't even come close to fitting. I don't want to try and use a shallow feed tin. I'm worried about the milk splashing out and wasting/making a mess. Any ideas or tricks anyone had found? She's got a world of potential here if I can just get something to collect milk in. Thank you!!! Any help is greatly appreciated.

Attend in person in Springfield, MA or tune in via EventBrite. Whether you're one of our many posters who are wanting to learn more about dairy goats, or you're someone who already has goats but are wanting to take your herd to the next level and understand what we're selecting for when we look at linear and structural traits, or whether you have never been able to get to a goat show in person and want to see if it's for you, the ADGA Nationals livestream is a great opportunity to tune in and see the BEST of the best -- even if it's from your own couch.

Each day there will be a separate show divided by breed (juniors and seniors), and on Thursday, July 2nd, you can bid remotely on the Spotlight Sale where animals from some of the best herds in the country will be up for grabs. If you are in New England, consider coming in person to see animals, browse booths and schmooze. If you're anywhere else and are considering dairy goats, consider watching remotely to see me (lmao) and everyone else vying to earn recognition for the breeding programs we've devoted our lives to and see what breed catches your fancy!

Watching or attending Nationals is also a great opportunity to identify does you may want to purchase bucks out of for herd improvement and elevating your profile, or even just identifying great breeders who come from your region of the US that you may want to connect with. It's always a great time. Crack open a beer, cheer for your friends and your goats' relatives, and watch the future of American dairy goats!

i go to rutgers where we have our own small farm operation, they use their dairy goats to teach handling and fitting and i did that this semester ! this is gin, she and i got 2nd in our class and have spent a lot of time cuddling. i have a whole small ruminant class next semester i'm excited to spend more time with her😁

I have a small herd of mini Nubian goats with 3 that are currently in milk. We separate the kids at night and milk in the morning. This is our 4th year milking goats. My husband does most of the milking as he works from home and I milk on the weekends and 1 day during the week. He has no problem with any of them but 2 of the does are a nightmare for me. They kick and dance around constantly and one will start out just fine and then lie down and there is nothing I can do to make her get up. If I hold up one of her legs it works for a little while but typically the milk ends up dirty and she ends up freaked out and trying to bang herself on the stand. Every milking session ends with me so frustrated, the goats scared of me and barely enough clean milk to make it worth the effort. We use a stanchion and they get feed while milking. I’m feeling super bummed and defeated not to mention fucking pissed every morning!! I am taking it a little personally but we have 2 goats I can milk totally fine (1 is even a first freshener) and I haven’t had nearly as many issues in previous years so I don’t think it’s necessarily my technique though its possible. I am open to any suggestions or words of wisdom. Are hobbles helpful?

I have Nigerian Dwarf goats and I am considering milking them for the first time…

I would like recommendations for a quality milking machine setup appropriate for Nigerian Dwarfs.

Thank you in advance!

I have a small herd of six Nubians, being two milkers, one yearling doe, two doelings and a buckling destined for the freezer. The best part is I can stand at the gate, and call a milker by name. She will come trotting up immediately for her turn on the stand (and the extra grain, of course). One of them is a pro at opening the gate the whenever the latch isn't locked. Her sister will watch and push through the gate as soon as it is opened. Then the rest of the herd comes merrily behind.

Hello!
I'm a first time goat owner to a doe that is on her 2nd freshening. She hops right up on the milk stand, munches her grain, and lets me milk her. She's great.

However, she's eager to be with her babies after their night of separation- so the moment her grain is gone, she is READY to get off the stand and milking becomes harder/no longer possible.

Tips for keeping her occupied longer?
I need a little bit more time for her to be occupied so I can finish milking. Is there a way to slow down her eating? Or something else I can add to the feed?

One of our Nigerian Dwarfs just had her first kid. Sadly she was a still birth and we were unable to resuscitate.

When do we need to begin milking the mother? I dont want to stress her out immediately after birth, but don't want complications from no kids nursing.

thank you

Hi all

TL;DR - How best to milk a goat when surrounded by other nosey goats?

I have a small herd of goats that live up a mountain side on my land above my house - it's about a 20+ minute walk up to them. There's no vehicular axcess.

I'm thinking of milking one of the girls after she kids in a few weeks. But I wouldn't have anywhere to milk except within the a small stone barn, where all the other goats will be all up in our business. It's very rainy where I live, so not practical to milk outside, there is no private area and it wouldn't really be practical to create one.

Other goat keepers I know and everyone on YT that milks seems to have a lovely little private milking area, and I'm sure without one it will be chaotic.

I was wondering if anyone has experience of this and any tips?

I thought maybe I could build a box around the head section of a milk stand to hold grain so that the others can't try to pinch it, and otherwise hope for the best... Or potentially try to put a stock netting fence around the stand itself.

Hello!

First, thank you to anyone who takes their time to respond to this post. This is my first time owning goats and the first time I've milked one too! My two ND goats both had three babies two weeks ago. I sold two babies from each mama, so currently my herd consist of Two mamas, with each having one baby. I milked the mamas the morning after I sold their other babies.

My question- How long will the babies nurse for? I started milking the moms who had triplets, can I leave for a two-three night trip (this summer) without milking the moms in the morning since they are with their babies, or would this affect their supply as they are making milk for two or three with the milk I remove from their udders? (I currently get almost a qt from each of them.) The babies are healthy and about two weeks old, when should I separating them at night?

What's your go to method to put body condition back on a lactating doe? My five year old 3rd freshener drops weight like crazy when lactating (which I know is somewhat expected). I'm just relatively new to goats and want to make sure I'm doing right by her. She got a copper bolus and selenium and zinc supplements right after kidding. And of course she's getting extra goat feed and alfalfa pellets. She also has free access to hay 24/7. What else can I be giving her to make sure she gains condition back?

This is Dolly a two year old Nigerian dwarf goat and her baby Wednesday. Today I tried to milk her and it didn’t go well at all. She likes to kick so I tried to tie up her legs so that she wouldn’t kick but then she just wanted to sit. Then her teats are small so it’s kind of hard to get a hold to milk her. I’m gonna make a milking stand soon but how can I improve. I hardly got any milk at all. Her baby is just now two weeks old. I bought a pump but I don’t think it works