How to milk a goat with your own hands and apparatus, tips for beginners
Goat breeding is becoming a popular area of animal husbandry. These animals are kept both in large farms and in private farmsteads. They do this, first of all, for the sake of tasty, nutritious, healthy milk and products from it. Beginner goat breeders do not always know how to milk a domestic goat correctly. But the amount of milk and the welfare of the animal depend on compliance with the basic rules of milking.
General rules
In order to maintain the health of a milking goat and get the maximum amount of milk, you need to adhere to the general rules of milking:
- the first time a goat is milked not before lambing, but immediately after it, one and a half to two hours;
- 3-4 weeks before giving birth, prepare the udder for milking;
- launching a previously given birth goat;
- if the animal is milked until giving birth, then before them it is not worth milking all the milk to a drop;
- during milking, rude treatment of a goat is unacceptable;
- milking is organized at the same time;
- all procedures are carried out in a place familiar to the animal;
- in the first week after lambing, the animal is milked up to 5 times a day;
- hand milking is carried out with clean and warm hands.
Important! If you are late with milking for one and a half to two hours, then the milk yield decreases by at least 0.5 liters.
Preparing the animal for milking
To make the goat calm about the milking procedure, you cannot do without preparatory manipulations.
Udder preparation
To ensure the suitability of milk, to protect the udder from the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms, it must be washed with warm water. Washing the udder increases milk production. It is washed once a week using baby or laundry soap.
For modern pet owners, devices are available to produce foam that can be used to treat teats. With their help, special preparations, for example, "Bioform", foaming. The nipples sink into the lather for just a few seconds. This udder cleaning is very convenient for multiple animals.
Massage technique with video
To prepare the goats for milking, an udder massage should be performed immediately after the hygiene procedures. This procedure takes no more than 2-3 minutes. Even a novice livestock breeder can master the simplest massage technique. A goat udder, unlike a cow's udder, consists of two lobes. For the massage, you first need to raise one lobe with both hands. Make a few gentle squeezing movements. After that, repeat the procedure with the second beat.
What drugs improve the condition of the udder
The udder of a milking goat needs special treatment.Their action is aimed at protecting tissues from damage, accelerating wound healing, and preventing infections. The most popular are:
- cream "Zorka", the active ingredient floralisin, is used for manual and mechanical milking, has no analogues in the last few decades;
- concentrated Fitolit, contains aloe vera, used to prepare a solution;
- detergent "EloMix", contains natural soap, is used diluted, can be used as a spray.
Combination with feeding
Generally, goats are not fed during milking. This technique distracts the animal and reduces milk yield. However, each animal has its own character. Some individuals are so excitable that they do not admit a person, it is simply impossible to milk them calmly. In this case, you can combine the feeding process with milking.
How to milk a goat correctly
If the farm contains no more than 2-4 heads, then it is not difficult to milk them manually. When the number of animals exceeds 5, it is advisable for the owner to purchase a machine for mechanical milking.
Hand milking
For beginners and experienced milkers, several hand milking techniques are suitable:
- Fist - this method is convenient for animals with voluminous udders and rather long teats. First, with the thumb and forefinger, take the nipple at the base and donate a small portion of milk, which may contain pathogenic microbes. Then the nipple is grasped into a fist, rhythmically squeezing it, milking is carried out.
- Pinch - the method is used with small udders and short teats. Milk is milked with hands, squeezing the nipple with fingers. You can use your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger to do this.
- Mixed is the most popular method, most of the milk is milked with a fist, and the rest - with a pinch.
Some milkers sit behind the animal, which is not very correct. Almost all experienced goat owners are advised to sit on the side of the animal and always do it on one side.
Using the machine
Hand milking becomes tedious for herd owners of more than five heads. In this case, the process is best done with a milking machine. The first portions of milk are removed by hand, after which the cups of the milking machine are put on the teats.
The principle of mechanical milking is to create a vacuum. As soon as milk stops flowing into a special can under its action, the device is turned off.
Household appliances are most often designed for milking one animal. With its help, if you have skill and a little experience, you can milk up to 10 heads per hour. The purchase of one device will require about 20,000-30,000 rubles. However, given the high cost of goat's milk, cottage cheese, cheese, it will pay off in a few months.
A modern manufacturer implements convenient, reliable and relatively inexpensive models:
- "Leader 20.2" - a mobile device for one goat, the volume of the can is 20 liters.
- "Leader 20. 4" - a mobile model for two animals.
- "Farmer" is a comfortable and relatively light mobile model with a soft ride for one animal.
- "AID-2-04" - apparatus for two goats, equipped with a dry pump.
- "Melasti" - the device meets European standards, has a couple of complete sets.
When choosing a milking machine, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the cups, the power of the delivery. It takes about 6 minutes to machine one head. For convenience, you can make a stand for the animal 30-40 cm above the floor level.
What to do after?
After the end of manual or mechanical milking, check to see if there is any milk left in the udder. Then you can start processing it. For this, special antibacterial agents are used.They soak napkins and gently wipe the udder and nipples.
The animal can be stroked and encouraged with a crouton. Stroking the goat will help establish a trusting relationship with her.
Useful Tips
To milk a goat by hand, you need to do up to 70-75 movements per minute.
You can learn this from a more experienced milker. When an animal is kept for milk, it is advisable to buy a dairy breed. These goats are easier to get used to milking, they can be milked immediately after giving birth, and they are highly productive.
Many animals like to lie down immediately after milking. To avoid this, you can put attractive food in the trough. For example, some clover or alfalfa hay. This will protect the udder from infection.
