No matter how you slice it, having a dairy animal is definitely a commitment. However, for us, the luxury of having raw milk far surpasses any “hassle” the goats might present to us! And truthfully, they really are not much trouble.
Our goats are due to kid any day now, and I am gearing to start my milking routine once again.
Before you start your daily milking, you need to decide how much milk you will require on a daily basis, as well as your time restrictions. Your two main options:
Twice Daily Milking:
You can remove the kid(s) from their mama completely and milk twice daily- as close to 12 hours apart as possible.
Pros: (1)You will get a larger quantity of milk. (2) Some goat breeders prefer this method to be certain that diseases, such as CAE, are not passed from the mother’s milk to the kid.
Cons: (1)You must be home in the morning and evening at roughly the same time every day. (2)You must either bottle feed the babies (another time commitment) or sell them. (3) If you need to leave your homestead for a few days, you must find someone to milk.
Once Daily Milking:
You leave the kid(s) with their mother for 12 hours, then separate them and milk after the separation period.
Pros: (1)Your schedule will be more flexible. (2) You can keep and raise the kids without having to worry about bottle feeding. (3) If you need to leave for the weekend, just leave the kids and doe together. The babies will milk for you.
Cons: (1)You will get less milk. (2) Some breeders are concerned about the small chance that diseases could be passed to the babies through the milk.
I have found that once daily milking works the best for us. I separate mama and babies at night, milk after morning chores, and then let them be together all day. An example of our daily routine would be:
Day One: 8:00 p.m.- Separate the kids from the does. I keep them in a pen next door. Provide them with bedding, water, and a little hay or grain once they are old enough. The first few times may seem a little traumatic, but they get used to it quickly!
Day Two: 8:00 a.m.- Grab your milking bucket and head outside. Milk your does, then turn the babies loose and allow everyone to be together during the day.
Day Two: 8:00 p.m.- Repeat the process. Separate the kids and tuck them into their bedtime pen.
Of course, if life happens and your separation/milking times aren’t exactly 12 hours apart, don’t worry too much. Also, I love this method because it allows us the flexibility of letting the babies “milk” for us if we are going to be gone or busy for a day or two.
I believe this method will also work if you have a milk cow instead of a goat. I would love to hear from any of you milk cow owners out there- what does a cow schedule look like?
Can’t get enough goat? Check out some of the other posts in our Goat 101 series:
Well, my cow isn’t here yet so I can’t say what our schedule will really be. But the schedule I would like to follow is like yours – separating mom/baby at night and milking only in the morning. If I find I want more milk then we might look at evenings too but I’m hoping this way works for us.
So our goat just had goats and in about 2 weeks my dad is selling the male so i can milk our nanny once a day .i want to milk in the evening.so when do i lock the baby up??
I would lock the baby up approximately 12 hours before you plan to milk in the evening. So, if you want to milk at 7 pm, try to separate them at around 7 am.
I am trying to find a way I can keep the baby with her mom and still wean her! I figure there has got to be something that fits over them like the “Udder Support” but without all the straps. Do you have any ideas for a home made cover to keep the baby from nursing?
Thanks
Hmmm… I know there is a contraption that you can put on a baby calf to prevent it from nursing, not sure if there is a goat version of it? You might google a bit and see what you come up with. 😉
I have been doing searches and am at the end of my rope, lol. I think next time I might make the babies bottle feeders instead of letting them stay with their mom because this weaning sure is hard. I have found so many devices for cows to keep the calves from nursing and most look like torture devices, but they would not work for goats any way. If anyone has any ideas please let me know, thanks
Ok I work at a rescue center/petting zoo, and my boss says the more I milk the goats the more milk they produce and she has me milk them every 30min to 60min and it seems they are drying up, our main milk goats baby is already 3 months old and stopped nursing last month, we use the milk to feed orphan fawns
I have 3 dairy cows. I also have 3 goats. I milk my cows and goats for different purposes. I love each product I can make from all the milk.
I have recently switched to once a day milking. I don’t have any babies right now. I love the freedom that comes from milking once a day. I milk at 8 am only. I still get 3 to 3 1/2 gallons of cows milk, from 2 cows and 3/4 gallon of milk from 1 goat
I have only lost about 10% of the total production. I couldn’t imagine choosing between goats and cows. I love them both.
Is there a way to increase milk supply or is it a “It is what it is” situation? I have a mixed breed of Nubian, Saanan, & Tonnenburg. Supposedly all milk goats but her udder isn’t huge at all and we get less than a half gallon a day. This isn’t her first time either. She had twins the first time and triplets in April (as far as the previous owner can remember:/ ) so I’m afraid if this is a big as she gets then I’m stuck:(
This is really interesting, as we’re looking into getting a dairy animal at some point but are concerned about the time commitment (especially since my husband has a full-time job and I’m busy homeschooling, etc.). Sounds like it’s more flexible than we’d thought – thanks for sharing!
Yes, there is definitely some flexibility in there- don’t let the people who say that you’ll never, ever be able to be more than 10 feet away from your barn again scare ya. 😉
I homeschool three kids and have a goat almost ready to kid, a chicken coup full of chickens. You can totally do this! My husband also works full time too so he helps when he can, but I am the main caregiver hehe. It’s got it’s challenges but it is worth it if you can put some love and time into it.
Wow this is good to know! We are considering eventually keeping goats. Thanks for sharing!
We keep our kids with the does for the first two weeks to give them the chance to get all their mamas good antibodies…then we do just like you and put the babies up for the night. We do this with all of our does except for our one Nubian who came from another dairy and has always had her kids taken…She will not let her kids nurse at all…she will birth them just fine and even clean them but will not let them nurse.
That is very interesting about the Nubian who won’t let her kids nurse- we had one last year who sure fought it, but then finally relaxed after 2 days.
I have been considering a small goat for cheese and yogurt – obviously to get the milk I’ll have to have her bred at some point; LOL
I like the idea of once-a-day-milking: and yes, the same can be done with a cow 🙂 Of course if the idea is to sell the milk, then you’d have to milk twice a day … to keep the milk flowing freely.
Thanks for posting!
Really encouraging post! Have been wanting to keep goats for months now…a pair of pigme goats and this is post just encourages me that we can do it! xo Caroline
Oh, it is most definitely do-able! I was intimidated before we got our goats, but it’s easier than you think (and so much fun!) 🙂
I hope to have goats once my “new” homestead becomes established. Since I didn’t have them on my “old” homestead, I really appreciate this look at a schedule. This simple post has answered a lot of questions for me. Thanks!
Barb- so glad it was helpful to you!
this is great…since we just got our first goat today!!
thanks for the info!
Oh, I am so excited for you! You’re gonna have fun! 🙂
I am starting to milk this coming week. I am starting out with one goat once a day. I am looking for another one to milk to provide enough for the family. It is my first time…wish me luck!!
You will do great! It just takes a bit of practice, and then you’ll be a pro. Good luck 🙂
We are waiting for our cow to freshen and we think she is getting close, her bag is starting to fill out. As soon as we can get the shed and pens done we are going to get 2 does that are milking and 2 bottle babies. Last milking season we only milked the cow once a day and probably will do the same this time. The does we will have to milk twice a day because they no longer have their babies.
How fun! Then you’ll have all sorts of milk!
Thanks!!! I am trying to push it off until it is a bit warmer outside. Our milk barn isn’t heated and I will be toting a 2 year old and a newborn with me every time I milk.
Oh yes, that bring back memories. Our first experience kidding was last year when I was 5 days post partum! Our daughter spent lots of time out in the milking shed with me! 🙂
Hi, I have 5 Nubian does that are due to kid in April. Do I have to milk them if I leave the kids nurse?
No– if you leave the kids on 24/7, you shouldn’t have to milk.
I milk my goats twice a day, but I let them raise their kids first. I’d like to be able to stagger births to milk year round, but I haven’t done that yet.
What a great post. I don’t have goats yet–but I so want them and this is very helpful. I have to get hubby to agree 🙂 Thanks for sharing with Farm Friend Friday!
Hi. I found you via Farm Friend Friday. My does are due to kid next month and the milking schedule is something I’ve been contemplating. I’d decided on the once a day, but it never occurred to me I could wait till 8 am or so to milk, LOL. Sounds much better than 6. 🙂
Yes, I think 8 am sounds better than 6 am too. 🙂 As far as I know, as long as you are roughly 12 hours apart, it shouldn’t matter!
Jill,
How long do you let the kids milk before you wean them? I read an article once about someone who trained new calves to nurse (I think they were beef calves) from the cow and then when they weaned the original baby there was the adopted baby to continue nursing so they had the freedom to go places, just like you said. And they would keep rotating adopted babies so they always had a calf helping milk. Very interesting idea. So just wondered how long you let the kids do this before they are too big?
Theresa,
Last year we left the kids with the does until the kids were sold, which was about 4 months. They gradually started nursing less and less and I think the mamas would have eventually weaned them on their own. I’ve never thought of doing as you mentioned, but I really like the idea. However so far, I’ve not had much luck “grafting” random babies onto does. The goats seem to be pretty opinated about the whole deal, maybe cows are different?
Anyway, I’m intrigued by the idea and plan to research it more. Thanks for sharing!
We milk our goats once a day as well and it works great for us!
Our herd share farm just decided it’s going to close its doors, leaving us without a raw milk source. I am absolutely devastated… and am absolutely *thinking* about goats!
I came back to this page for inspiration. 🙂
Thanks, Jill!
Erin, bummer about the herd share!! But, you never know, this may just be the beginning of a brand new goat adventure!!
We have both cows and goats. I milk the cow twice a day and prefer to separate at birth and bottle feed the calves. Makes it easier for them to bond with us, and eliminates any problems later on. Our first calf we cow-shared and even as a full grown steer, he would break down fences to get to his Momma and drain her dry, tearing up her poor little teats! With our goats, I’ve only got one kid, so I’ve kept him with his mom and separate them during the day, milking her only once per day. If she had twins, I would have completely separated them, but I don’t want him to be lonely. The other goats I milk twice a day. Got milk? I sure do!!
Good to know Amanda! Our cow should calve next month, and I’m still trying to decide on my schedule for her.
Goats are picky about grafting, but here is a trick that works more often than not. First, milk the doe and bottle feed the kid for at least 24 hours with the milk from the doe you want to graft it to. This helps, because the doe will smell the kid and smell her own milk smell. If she is still reluctant to take the kid, put a small amount of vanilla on the does nose, and a small amount on the kids nose and tail. This mask smell and the doe will sometime take them because she isn’t sure. Either way, work sometimes. Also, if you will tie the goat up and let the kid nurse several times this way, a lot of time the doe will give in and take the kid. Does are just very stubborn, but will give in if you are persistent. I milk twice a day even though I pen my kids at 2 weeks at night. You should still milk out the doe at night to be sure she is completely stripped of milk. This increases your milk yield. Also, you can milk whatever time fits your schedule. AND if something happens that drastically will change YOUR schedule. Slowly a 1/4 hour at a time or so, change your milk time to fit your schedule. I change my milk schedule by 15 minutes each morning about 4 or 5 days before time changes so I am on with the new time. We also milk later in the winter so it isn’t so dark and cold, so I move my milk time 15 minutes a day until it is the time I want. I milk at 5:30 or so in the heat of summer to beat the heat, but in the winter around 7:30. I just make very small changes a little at a time to get the desired time I want. I don’t have any change in production, or sick or unhappy goats. I hope this helps someone. Love the site and sharing info.
Thanks for sharing this good info Crystal!
what type of goat do you find is best for milking? Either standard or dwarf.
thanks!
your blog has been very encouraging to me. We want to start milking goats I have been a little afraid to as I have almost one year old and a 3 year old. Milking once a day sounds so good. We also live 15 minutes from where we keep our animals. Some challenges but I really want to try!
So glad you are enjoying the blog!
Personally, I much prefer standard sized goats, but I know that many people love their dwarfs. It really is a personal preference.
Becky, when we got our first two goats, we lived 15 minutes away from where they lived, at the 4H farm. We drove there twice a day to milk for two years before we moved to a place we could have them with us. It was a lot of work, but the experience with the animals and the milk were so worth it! If you get Nigerians, make sure you are buying from a breeder who breeds for milk. A lot of show goats don’t produce very much milk, and if you are going to all that work, you want enough milk to drink to show for it! We have always had Alpines and Oberhaslis, and got plenty of milk from 2, breeding one in Sept. and the other in Jan. so we only had one dried off at a time. Now we have lots more, and a cow we share with another family who live 10 minutes away.
Hi, wondering if anyone has had success going from two milkings a day to a single milking a day, with no babies around?? I have a single Saanen who was used to two milkings but I’m wondering if there is a way to go to one without being harmful!
thanks
Jenn
Hi Jenn,
Yes, it can be done. When I wean my goat babies, I take the does from being milked twice a day to once per day. I usually do it when their production naturally tapers off a little in the fall time anyway. At first, when I begin to skip one of the milkings, I might relieve a little bit of the pressure of the extra milk, but they seem to adjust pretty quickly, and I haven’t had any problems.
I have heard other people say another good way to make the transition is to gradually lengthen the time between your morning and evening milkings until you are at once per day.
Hope that answers your questions! 🙂
Once daily for us too! I’m not a big fan of the taking kids away from Mama so quickly, plus, like you mentioned, it’s so nice to be able to let the kids do the milking if “life” gets in the way of things. Great blog too by the way!
Having lots of raw milk available sounds like a great thing. But I see your point about the commitment. Rather than owning some goats or cows, maybe I could become a substitute milker for a somebody in my area.
I recently got started in the goat venture for the raw milk. My family raised dairy goats when I was a kid so I knew some about it, but had to have my mom guide me through some parts again. We have 2 goats that have been milking for 18 months straight and are still producing over a quart a day. Not nearly as much as when they first freshen, but it definitely gets us through the fall. We are having so much fun with this, I think if more people tried it they would love it as well. Fresh goats milk from a dairy breed tastes no different from cows milk. Wonderful !
How soon after freshening do you wait to start milking? We had dairy goats before and are considering getting some again but I want to work out the details before jumping in this time. LOL 12 hours without milk is too long for a newborn, right?
Why is there a need to separate the mama and babies and wait to milk? Is it just to increase the volume of milk? Also, how long do you wait after birth to start milking and separating?
Hi Emilie- I separate the mama’s and babies so I have a greater volume of milk. Otherwise, the babies nurse all day and you will usually only get a few drops here and there unless you separate. I usually wait around 2 weeks after kidding before I start milking. It gives the mamas and babies a chance to get into a routine, plus, I don’t care to drink the colostrum.
I was wounding if its ok to separate kids for mama goat at just over a week old. I relay cold use some goat milk for one of my baby’s kid goats, that I am bottler feeding.
If the kids are strong and healthy, you could probably start pulling them off now.
Hi Jill, thanks for the great info. Our first doe just had her first baby girl today, so exciting. My last experience milking was with a Holstein cow and the once a day thing worked quite well because even with the calf nursing we were getting huge quantities of milk. I was wondering though… Our Lacy Jane is Saanan and her teats seem SO small compared to the photos of other goats I have seen, is this going to be a problem?
Hi Terry- Two of my goats have fairly good sized teats, however, one goat that we had in the past had smaller ones. I didn’t end up milking her much before I sold her, but it was a little bit more difficult. However I think over the course of time, they will “stretch” out a bit. Our cow’s teats were much more difficult to handle after she first calved, and now they seem to be a little larger. And I also known of many people who milk the pygmy goats who have teeny, tiny teats, so I’m betting that there is just some technique to it. Good luck!
Thanks Jill, definitely a learning curve there! Actually not too dificult once you get the hang of it.
HI,
I was wondering if I milk her in the morning before giving her baby back will there be enough milk for the baby if it hasn’t eaten all night.
Hi Rebekah,
There usually seems to be enough milk, since the mama will usually hold back some for her babies. If not, they seem to “re-fill” fairly quickly, and the baby gets to nurse through out the day as the milk supply increases. So, I’ve never had a problem with it. Good luck!
We just started milking and are using the same schedule. Quick question. I am due in June for our fourth baby and am really concerned about the milking when I am in the hospital. Hubby can’t seem to get the hang of it! Plus we will be having other family help during that time -none have milking experience. Should I be worried about her losing her supply? She will have her kids with her at the time. I have fashioned a hand pump for someone to use in our absence but it don’t very effective. Thoughts?
Congrats on your new upcoming addition! Personally, I wouldn’t worry about it too much if she’ll have her kids with her the entire time. At least, that is what I always do when I need to go somewhere and I don’t have anyone to milk for me. Generally, I lock the calf or kids up during the night, milk in the mornings, and then turn them all out together during the day. However, when I’m gone for a few days, I just leave everyone together 24/7 and I’ve never had trouble. Good luck! 🙂
Love this site! We just got our first milk goats this past April. We are currently milking twice a day, but I hope to just do it once a day after next years kidding. I have a couple questions about once a day milking…do you bottle feed the kids at all or do they get enough milk during the day with their moms? Also, at what age do you wean the kids from their moms? After you wean them, do you continue only milking the moms once a day or do you do it twice? I look forward to hearing from you, and am so happy that I found this site! 🙂
Evening!
We have a Holstein, Eleanor, who calved on June 7th wit our beautiful Ellie Mae. Ellie nursed exclusively until only just last weekend when we started to seperate her at night from Eleanor…she stays with the goats for company. She was not happy at first, but now is doing fine. We milk at 6am every day then they are together from then until 4 o’clock feeding. This has worked very well. I have enough fresh milk each day for daily use and have plenty on the weekend for cheese and butter.
Yes- isn’t the once-a-day routine awesome? I think it makes it easier for everyone!
Last month I traded for a Nigerian Dwarf doe that had freshened for the first time and had twins. The twins were weaned when I got her and she had a little milk so I started milking her once a day and she is producing more. I thought I may as well milk twice a day and ended up getting less milk. So now we’re back to milking once a day in the morning and her production is up. Kind of odd but milking once a day is nice too! The milk is wonderful. We had only had Nubians and Boers before. I had forgotten how great the milk is since it had been 30 years since I had milked a goat. I am so glad to be doing this again.
That’s awesome Susan! You just can’t beat fresh milk, huh? 🙂
We are new to milking goats and have been trying to figure out a schedule for milking. We have a Nigerian dwarf goat that had 3 kids just over a week ago. I’m curious how old the babies should be to be able to do a schedule like yours without having to bottle feed at night?
Great site. My doe just had kids 3 days ago, so this is all very timely. I like the idea of waiting until they are 2 weeks old, then separating them during the night for morning milking. Awesome info on DIY milking equipment as well. Thanks for sharing your experience!
How old are they when you wean? How do you make the transition? Can you start evening milking or are you only ever going to get morning milk?
Hi.. I could use some opinions . My saanan doe is about to give birth.. I am new at this. I will be selling the kid.. But want to milk the doe for my family. The kid is due today.. Is it ok to keep the kid with the mom until I sell then collect the milk for my family or should I take the kid away right away milk mommy to bottle feed???
Any info is appreciated
I’ve always left the kids with the does–no problem. 🙂
Ok I understand about the once a day milking.. But my doe gave birth to 2 does and both are sold.. So I know I should milk twice a day 12 hours apart… But if we go out of town or out for a night… Is there any way to milk mine once a day with babies gone??
Thanks for any info
Yes, if there are no babies, you’ll need to milk 2x per day. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a way to milk only once in that situation, so you’ll probably need to find someone to milk for you while you are gone.
Hey, Jill
Just wanted to say, i have 3 nubian nannies and leave my kids on their mommies 24/7 and milk in the morning and the evening.
I found out if they are milked. In the evening , they are full and tight by morning. I dont get much at the evening milking but come morning my girls are ready. I am a single dad and get about a gallon and a half per day. Thats alot of milk for 2 people, but my daughter and her friends love all the ice cream and yogurt. Plus, goat milk freezes so well.
Thanks so much for your blog.
Greg R.
Arkansas
Wow– you must have some awesome producers if you can leave babies on them and still milk twice a day! And big kudos to you for being a single dad and still finding time to milk those goats! 🙂
Hey Jill,
I’m an FFA member and I have never had any livestock. My parents have, but they’ve never had goats before but I’ve been doing some research. I was wondering if we had to separate the pregnant goats from the other does or if we could just let them all roam around together. Also, how would a milking schedule work if I wanted to milk them only in the afternoon around 4:30?
Hi Trevor!
I always left my pregnant does in with the other does– as long as they all get along and aren’t super aggressive, you should be fine. And if you want to milk at 4:30 in the afternoon, I would recommend separating them very early in the morning– around 5am. You just want the babies to be off the doe for about 12 hours before you milk. Good luck!
I have one more question. During the day when the babies are separated from the doe, do I have to feed the babies during that time?
Yes– definitely start giving them a bit of hay during that time.
Yep– definitely give them some hay during that time.
i plan to only milk once a day, but when you say separate the babies; can they just be in the next pen? or do they need to be like in another building? i have a small shed i plan to have the pens in and was going to just set one up for the kids, park them in there for the night, go milk them put them back. thoughts? i know this is an old thread but i really like your site and Facebook. thank you for sharing.
still learning after 16 years.
Yep– the next pen is fine. As long as they can’t stick their heads through the fence and still nurse (that happens…)
I milk share with my Dexter calf. He is seperated into an adjoining stall in the barn at night, I milk in the morning, and they spend the day together. I love that the animals on my homestead farm are able to bond, unlike commercial dairy operations.
I’ve just started trying to kid-share with my Nubian herd, but all 3 of the Nanny’s seem to be holding up their milk?? This is day 3 and I’ve only been able to milk a quart combined. Do you have any experience with this problem? Any ideas on how to encourage let-down?
Hmmm… have you tried allowing the kids to nurse for a few moments, then pulling them off so you can milk before leaving them together for the day? Sometimes that has worked for my cow.
Hi, we take this one step further. We have a jersey house cow, but we are only a family of two, so once every three days I separate them overnight and milk 6 L the next morning. Works great, you just need to make sure that for the first two to three weeks after calving you milk every day because the calf cannot drink enough to keep up to the cow. But after that its just whenever you like.
I have friends that puts tape on the mama does tears to keep her kids from nursing once they have been weaned.