Milk goat kicking

13 years ago

I have tried and tried to get her to stop kicking when I milk her. I hobble her, above the hock tightly so it presses the tendon which should in theory stop her from kicking. Nope. She still manages to raise her leg about 4 inches, which is just enough to kick over a bucket. The hobble gets in the way, so when she raises her leg it traps my hand between it and her and hurts like heck. Any ideas on how to get her to stop? The only time she is easy is when she is eating grain, but she eats it so dang fast that I can't get her completely milked out. And I don't want to upset her digestive system by giving her too much. I put large rocks in the bottom of the grain bucket to get it to take her longer but it just isn't long enough. Any thoughts?

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Comments (3)

lazy_gardens
13 years ago
Hobble her so one rear leg is raised off the ground. Tie it up with something soft just above her hoof so it's held up near her belly.

She can't lift the other leg to kick you without falling over.
oberhasli1
13 years ago
Hobbling one leg raised is a great idea. I also try to milk into something small which I empty into the larger bucket so I don't lose all of the milk at one good kick. I use a small stainless steel bowl I can hold in one hand and pour it into my larger bucket.

Good luck.
littledog
13 years ago
I'm going to assume you have already checked her udder and teats and orifices for cuts, scratches, soremouth, sunburn, lumps, scar tissue, edema and ruled out mastitis via a card test, and finally that there aren't lice, flies or mosquitoes bothering her. I'm assuming that, but if you haven't, do so. Any of those conditions will be uncomfortable for the animal and yes, it will actively do it's best to prevent you from even touching the udder.

Is she raising a kid? Try putting her kid up by you at the back of the stand so the doe will think she's nursing her kid, not just having her milk stolen.

You mention that the doe doesn't kick if she's eating; how much are you feeding her (in pounds) and how much is she milking? (in pounds) A doe in milk needs at least 2 to 3 pounds of feed per day. Basically, allow 1/3 a pound for each pint of milk, plus at least a half pound for the doe to maintain her body weight. Maybe she just wants more food?

How is your milking technique? Have you been milking long? No offense, but are you sure you're doing it right? Does the doe only kick with one foot or both? Do any of your other does offer to kick, or just this one? Have you tried switching hands (right hand on left teat, left hand on right teat) to rule out any twisting or pulling you might unintentionally be doing?

Also, four inches isn't very high; how deep is the bucket you're using? You can try using a deeper bucket, one that both her teats and most of her udder will fit inside with enough room for your hands over the rim to get the job done.

It's always better to train the goat to let you milk it without kicking or having to force it. (though some will stand with a foot raised off the ground the entire time, not actually kicking) If you've ruled out any damage to the animal, or any mechanical problem with how you're milking, you can hobble the goat. Is your stanchion wood? Use two eye bolts screwed into the corners of the base at the back, and make loops of soft fabric (like braided T shirt material) that can be threaded through the eye bolts, and looped around the pasterns to hold both the back feet down.

Or, use the soft braided t shirt material to tie a front leg up; bend it at the knee and tie so the pastern is almost touching the elbow. It's a natural position for the leg to bend, and as long as you don't tie it too tight, it won't hurt her. The ideal is to hold the leg where she can't put her weight on that leg at all. Tying one back leg just means she will put her weight on her front legs to kick, but "eliminating" a front leg means she will stand because she can't balance.