Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
When you milk, examine the udder of your goat closely for signs of abnormality. Look for
wounds, redness, lumps, discharge, unusual swelling or heat, and any sign that something is
not as it should be. Mastitis is a common inflammation of the udder generally caused by poor
sanitation practices, insect bites becoming infected, or injury to low-hanging udders. Mastitis
is the result of infection by any of several bacteria, and a simple test of the milk reveals the
specific cause of mastitis in your goat so it can be treated. Prompt and aggressive veterinary
treatment is important; neglected mastitis can scar the narrow passageways within the udder,
do permanent damage to the teat duct, and create pockets where bacteria remain after treat-
ment, ready to start up another infection. In the worst cases, the teat becomes gangrenous, and
the disease turns fatal.
Some goats with mastitis will display obvious signs of illness. They may develop a fever, ap-
pear listless or lethargic, avoid being milked, or display an udder that is swollen, red, and hot
to the touch. More often, the first sign of mastitis is bad milk — milk that is lumpy, stringy,
blood-tinged, or has a bad odor.
Goats should be tested frequently and routinely for mastitis using a test such as the California
Mastitis Test. Recent research suggests that, due to the chemical makeup of the goat's milk,
the CMT may not be as useful in goats as it is in cows for indicating the presence of mastitis.
However, it is still useful for eliminating mastitis as the cause of a problem with the milk.
Milking Your Goats
When you start milking goats, you probably will be milking by hand. Milking is not difficult,
but it does require some practice. In a short time, you will become efficient and able to do it
quickly. Each lactating goat must be milked twice daily, at roughly 12-hour intervals. Some
dairy operators milk three times to encourage increased production, but twice daily is the
norm.
Milking by hand
Step 1: Prepare your equipment.
Place your clean milk bucket (start each separate milking with a clean pail), clean cloths, and
a pail of warm, soapy water in the milking area. Place your disinfectant and teat dip within
easy reach. If you wish to test for problems, place your strip cup with the rest of your materi-
als, so you do not forget to use it.
