Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
doe's grain ration for her to eat as you milk. Giving her something else to think about will in-
crease her level of patience with you. Talking to her or singing to her also will calm her.
Place your milk pail under the udder. Begin by lightly grasping each teat in one hand and
pulling down firmly, but slightly. This allows the goat to let down her milk. Next, squeeze
each teat firmly in a steady, smooth downward motion without pulling it. As each squeeze of
your hand begins, first use pressure from your thumb and forefinger to prevent downward
flowing milk from moving back up again into the canal. Keep that pressure steady while clos-
ing the third finger into the grip, then the fourth, and finally the entire hand. This is done in
one smooth downward rhythm.
The first few squirts from each teat should be discarded. (The resident barn cat often is wait-
ing nearby with an open mouth to receive these.) Milk each teat until the udder is emptied and
soft. Be careful not to over-strip the teat empty of milk, or you may damage it. Just stop milk-
ing when no more milk comes out of the teat during a normal squeeze.
Use a strip cup to check the milk for signs of mastitis or other problems. A strip cup is a metal
cup with a permanent filter built into the top. Squirt the first squirt from each teat into the cup,
and look for lumps, flakes, or any other abnormality that could indicate a possible problem. If
you find something unusual in the strip cup, break out the CMT kit and check for mastitis.
You can purchase a CMT kit, or a California Mastitis Test kit, from a feed store or online
from a livestock store such as Homesteader Supply (
www.homesteadersupply.com
). Kits
cost about $20 to $25.
Step 7: Redip the teats.
This is important to seal the ducts with disinfectant so bacteria cannot travel up into the streak
canal (passageway) and encourage mastitis. The teat opening is surrounded by sphincter
muscles that relax to let the milk flow while you are milking. These remain relaxed and the
opening loose for up to half an hour after you finish milking. During this period, the streak
canal is most vulnerable to the entry of stray bacteria, and the final teat dip helps prevent this.
Dispose of the dip; if you have another doe to milk, prepare new solution in a clean container.
Never reuse the same dip because bacteria may be passed from doe to doe in contaminated
teat dip.
