Milking these tiny goat teats

These goats.

Not like a cow, that’s for sure. I’m setting up the milking stanchion for my Nigerian dwarf ladies. I’ve tried milking twice and so far this is what needs to be fixed.
I need to shave them. Long hairs everywhere.
I need to strap down their legs.
I need a good milking machine for these small teats because I do not have the dexterity for this shit and because it takes forever with such a small stream of milk. It’s like a sneeze of milk each time.

I can shave them, easy.
I can get their legs under control, no problem.  My questions are, what’s the best milking machine for such small teats and will the milk flow and teat size increase as we go on?

All the videos I see on the same type of goat are huge teats and quite the stream of goods coming out.
I’m also looking thinking of getting the Fight Bac spray but I’m still letting the kids drink at night and put away in the morning so that won’t work right?
Lastly, what are the best test wipes or do not permies use the ole cloth and water option?

Thanks for any help.
I really want to make this work.

From; milking dwarf goats
Dwarf goats are generally not hand-milked. Their teats are too small for easy hand-milking.
Even though they don’t give as much milk as some of the larger goats, their milk is high in butterfat and makes good cheese.
From' Machine or hand milking

Betty, having had goats with small teats, I understand the frustration! One very popular manual milker for goats is the Henry Milker. Here's a short video of someone using it on a small, short-teated goat.



I've kept goats for the past 13 years, and have tried a variety of products and methods for milking and udder care. I used to wash the udder with soap and water before, and use FightBac after. Now I do neither. I just brush the udder off with a dry cloth before milking and use no teat dip afterwards. I milk share with the kids, so they're on her as soon as she gets off the milking stand. It's important to me that there is nothing residual on their teats for their sake. I done it this way for years and never had a problem with mastitis.

John C Daley wrote: From; milking dwarf goats
Dwarf goats are generally not hand-milked. Their teats are too small for easy hand-milking.
Even though they don’t give as much milk as some of the larger goats, their milk is high in butterfat and makes good cheese.
From' Machine or hand milking

Thank you. I feel better knowing that for some reason. haha!

Leigh Tate wrote:Betty, having had goats with small teats, I understand the frustration! One very popular manual milker for goats is the Henry Milker. Here's a short video of someone using it on a small, short-teated goat.

I've kept goats for the past 13 years, and have tried a variety of products and methods for milking and udder care. I used to wash the udder with soap and water before, and use FightBac after. Now I do neither. I just brush the udder off with a dry cloth before milking and use no teat dip afterwards. I milk share with the kids, so they're on her as soon as she gets off the milking stand. It's important to me that there is nothing residual on their teats for their sake. I done it this way for years and never had a problem with mastitis.

Lovely! This also makes me feel better. So the bacteria is harmless to humans if consumed via the milk? It can just cause mastitis sometimes. Is this correct?
Also, how many hours is best to keep the kids away and for how long until you separate them completely?

Betty Garnett wrote:So the bacteria is harmless to humans if consumed via the milk? It can just cause mastitis sometimes. Is this correct?
Also, how many hours is best to keep the kids away and for how long until you separate them completely?

I should add that I discard the first couple of squirts to clear the orifice, so the milk going into the milk pail is clean. Problems with milk tend to be more related to less than sparkling clean buckets and straining equipment.

Mastitis does happen, so I can't say there's a guarantee it won't. It can be caused by bacteria, injury, or stress. Some goats are more prone to it than others. Personally, if I had a goat with chronic udder problems, I wouldn't breed or keep her. I only keep goats that have natural resistance and resilience.

Kids can be separated for the night once they're eating grain and hay. Some people say 2 weeks old, but I like to wait until they are 3 weeks. I usually put them in a pen in the late evening. Once they learn they will get a special serving of grain, they go willingly. I turn them out after morning milking. So, for me, it's probably about 10 hours at the longest. As soon as they are let in with their moms, they want their milk! The moms are totally in control of the milk and will reserve some for her kids.

I separate the little bucks when they start to get too rambunctious! A lot of people say it's okay to wean at 2 months old, but I find I have fewer problems and healthier kids if they get at least 10 to 12 weeks of mama's milk. I don't separate the little does, and their mothers will naturally wean them between 4 and 6 months (usually). She actually starts regulating their milk intake when they are only a couple of weeks old, gradually decreasing how long and how often she lets them nurse.

Betty, here are a few final thoughts. My routine is suitable for hand milking, because that's what I do. The saliva of goat kids contains antiseptic properties, which protect the udder from bacterial invasion. Because my kids nurse immediately after milking, I don't worry about trying to replicate that with chemicals.

If I were going to use a milking machine, I would be careful to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for udder and equipment care. Hand milking basically pushes the milk out of the udder, but a machine sucks the milk out. Mastitis tends to be more common when milking equipment is used, so it must be kept scrupulously clean and used with the method recommended by the manufacturer.

It's not about the size of the teats. It's about technique. If you try to milk a small goat like you milk a Jersey, it doesn't work. Once I learned to milk my ND goats, I actually find them easier to milk than my LaManchas. Here's a video that explains the three different techniques: