Wendy at the milk stand.

We have two Nubian does and only one in milk right now.  She gave birth about a month ago.  Just like humans, cows, and other mammals, goats need to give birth to have a milk supply.

Our goat, Wendy, is giving us about 3/4 of a gallon a day.  We have plenty to drink and even enough to make ice cream about once a week.  After we wean the kid, we will have enough to make yogurt, kefir, and/or cheese.

My husband built the milking stand.  It stands off the ground  so that the goat is at a comfortable height for us to milk.  Wendy jumps on it with ease.  The stand holds her head secure while she eats a small amount of grain.

My husband or children will spray her teats will a cleaning solution and gently massage her udder to aid in the letting-down process.  Then they begin milking.  They pinch off the top of the teat with their thumb and pointer finger.  Then they guide the milk out by working their other fingers down the teat.

After a few squirts, they check the bucket to make sure that the milk looks right.  It should look like, well, milk.  It should not be clumpy, smelly, or streaked with blood.  These are all signs of infection called mastitis.  Fortunately we have not had this problem with any of our goats so far.  Knock on wood!

Milking Wendy

Anyway, they keep milking both teats until the milk stops flowing.  Then Lane or our children give her a minute to relax while they massage her udder again.  Lane’s hand is so big that he gives just one more squeeze to completely empty her bag, but our children have to strip the teat.  This means that they hold the udder with one hand while they pinch off the top of the teat with the other.  Instead of working their fingers down the teat, they pull down with their thumb and pointer finger to get the last drops of milk.  Just like nursing mothers, goats need to eliminate all of their milk in order to continue to have a good milk supply.  Then they clean her teats again.

We are in the process of straining the milk.

After covering the stainless steel milk bucket with its lid and releasing Wendy from the milking stand, they bring the bucket to me.  We use half-gallon mason jars to store our milk.  We place a stainless steel strainer into the mouth of a jar.  We have to insert a straining disk into the strainer first.  As we slowly pour the milk into the strainer, the straining disk removes any dirt, hair, or anything else that is not supposed to be in milk.

A secret to great tasting milk is to cool the milk down as quickly as possible.  The best way to do this is to place the jar of milk into a bucket of ice water.  If we are in a hurry, we put the jar into the freezer for 10-15 minutes.  Regardless which method we use, the milk is then moved to the refrigerator.

It sounds time-consuming.  I know, I read many books about raising dairy animals.  With everything that I already do in life, I feared that having a home dairy would eat up too much of my time.  It does require a commitment as we choose to milk twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.  Optimally you would milk in 12 hour intervals.

Now that we have been dairying, we really enjoy it.  When everything is said and done, milking, putting up the milk, and cleaning all the milking supplies, it takes us 30-45 minutes a day total.  So if you have been considering milking your own goat or cow, go for it.  Don’t let the fear of not having a life scare you off.  Not only does our family get great-tasting and fresh milk, but we also get a life full of memories, experiences, and we learn self-sufficient life skills having our own dairy at home.