Goat Milking 101

Well...you know we have a couple of goats and they are just the cutest goats in the WORLD!!

I have introduced them to you before, but in case you missed it....

This is Nancy :)

And this is April!!

Look at those sweet girls!  And they work so hard for us, producing a combined gallon of milk per day!

So, how does the milk go from goat to fridge?  Well, let me show ya!!

Our milking process begins at 5:15 each morning.  We begin by soaking bucket, strainer, and milk jars in warm bleach water for about 10 minutes.  I prefer to use Clorox bleach only as I have read several recommendations to do so!!

Then we set it out to air dry for a bit.

While it is drying we gather the other supplies to bring out to the milking barn with us.  Hmmm...milking barn might be a bit of an optimistic word for it!!  We started building it at the beginning of the summer and stalled because it quickly became too warm.  Now we are stalled because we are at a portion of it that we need help with!  The roof!!  We are not a tall family :)

 

We have this super cool milking bucket that filters as the milk goes in!  



It is also at this time that I get the supplies ready for the filtration and wake-ation processes!  We do another filter go-around when we bring the milk in from the barn.

 These are our filtration supplies as well as storage.  Since we only drink about a gallon and a half a week, we usually freeze the excess and pass it on to friends who would like some.  For freezing, only Ziploc seems to work!  The less expensive brands, though I have used them for everything else, just don't hold the milk well.

 Now this is the main ingredient in our wake-ation process!  A pot of coffee is definitely put on for Tori and I to enjoy after the milking is done!!

And we have Hazelnut International Delight Creamer!!  Cuz' you know, no cup of coffee would be good if it actually still tasted like coffee!!!

Then we slip on our super cute, yet VERY worn, work boots and head out!!  It is dark when we start milking.  During the summer we were able to watch the sun come up, but now it stays dark too long:(  But we sure enjoy looking at the beautiful night sky!!

Okay, so we head out to the milking barn with all of the supplies and get all set up.

 Like I said, it is dark when we first get out there so the very first thing we do is a snake check with the flashlight!!  Sure don't want any snakes joining our milking party!!

You see the three buckets on the left?  The one that is upside down is the one I sit on.  The one in the middle is for trash, and the one at the bottom holds teat wipes!!  Gotta have some clean teats to get yummy milk!!

These are some of the supplies that we store out in the barn....giant feed bucket and under the tarp is some yummy alfalfa hay!  Boy howdy do the girls love them some hay!!

This is called a milking stanchion.  We are borrowing this one while we are in the process of building our own!!  Oh and this picture is from another day!  Today it was dark so it was really hard to get the pictures when you can't see what you are snapping!!

Anyways, the goats just hop on up and stick their little heads in the opening.  They like it because this is the only time they get sweet feed and boy do they enjoy them some sweet feed!!

My partner in crime...aka Tori...fills the feed bucket!!  We did not want in any of the pictures today because we had to milk in the rain!!  We were not looking like our usual, cutie selves!!!

Then up they hop and we get busy!  The first thing we do is spray the udder and teats down with an iodine spray and wipe the area clean.  Then we use those teat wipes I told you about and wipe each teat clean.

Many people think goats have four teats, but they just have two!!

Then we spray the first stream in each teat into something called a strip cup.  This is just a metal cup with a mesh lid.  We do this so we can inspect the milk.  We check the color and consistency.  We are able to look at the mesh lid to check for any type of clots that might come out as well.

Another reason we spray the first stream into the strip cup is that if any bacteria is being harbored in the udder, it is usually in the tip of the teat and will come out with the first spray
Then....we can finally start milking!!

Milking a goat is a much cleaner and more enjoyable process than I thought it would be!  They don't smell and there is something pure and simple about milking them.  I am so thankful for what they provide for us!

After we milk both sides, we then spray each teat down with an antibacterial spray that also forms a sealant over the tip of the teat keeping bacteria out in-between milkings.

Once both goats are milked and everything it put up, we head back to the house to prepare the milk for either storage or drinking!!  It is a very creamy, yummy milk with no after taste.  I was a bit scared to try it the first time, but was so surprised at how good it was!!

Once inside, we filer again.  This time we pour it into a jar to either store for drinking, or pour into a baggie for storage in the freezer.

All done with filtering!!  Now the milk either stays in the jar for us to drink, or we pour it into the baggie for the freezer.

 Today it went into the baggie!!

 We label it with the date and the amount of milk and...

It goes onto a tray in the freezer.  We put it on a tray for the first 24 hours so that it freezes in a position that is easy to store.

When we keep it in the jar, we also put it in the freezer for a couple of hours to bring the temperature down quickly.  Then we transfer it to the fridge.

Then it goes from the fridge to the table!!!  Can you say YUMMY??!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After everything is done, then we get back to the wake-ation process!!

A little time with this....

And This....

Watching this.....

And studying this....

And then we are ready to wake the other girls and get this day started!!!!!!!!!!!