If you’ve never milked an animal, put it on your bucket list!
Milking time is truly rewarding, and not just because you get a pailful of delicious frothy milk when you’re done but because it is one of the most bonding and personal experiences I’ve ever had with an animal.
Milking time is like a meditation for me. The quietness of the morning is sprinkled with the chirping of the swallows in the barn. I rest my head against the side of our doe on the stanchion and hear the soft gurgle of her rumen as she happily munches on grain. The methodical swish of the milk slowly fills the steel bucket, and for a while I can truly be present. Just me and my girl.
Milking Routine
After the kids are weaned and visibly eating hay, grain, and grass on their own, it is safe to collect all the milk your doe produces. Milking should be done twice a day, approximately 12 hours apart.
If you don’t want to wait until the kids are fully weaned to start milking, after 4–6 weeks you can remove the kids at night, milk the doe once a day in the morning and return the kids to her to nurse during the day. Make sure the kids are getting enough milk to keep them healthy and growing.
Outdoor Equipment Needed:
- Milk pail
- Strip cup
- Iodine
- Dixie cup
- Washrag with warm water and a dash of castile soap
The milking routine can be very individualistic from farm to farm. This is what we do with our girls and it has worked thus far. But, I encourage you to research different milking methods. Find a routine with which you feel comfortable. Sanitation is very, very important when milking. You have to decide what practices you feel safe with and be consistent, both for the health of your doe and the integrity of the milk you will be consuming.
Our Routine (This is not an instructional, just an example of what we do with our animals and milk.)
We milk at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
