<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Milking Process<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sancta Grotto does are great milkers with long lactations. They have nice, well attached udders and their teats are sized for hand milking. We bring does to the milk stand after she freshens so that she will take quickly to being hand milked. We believe that a doe will have a stronger will to milk, with a longer lactation, and be harder to dry off when treated with gentle hands. When it comes to kidding time, all births are attended in the kidding stable. We pull and bottle feed the babies when necessary, and allow the mamma to dam raise them happy and healthy. We give them hands-on loving care as they grow up, and they adjust to being hand-milked when they freshen. We don\u2019t want our herd to ever lose their mothering abilities. We want those doelings to grow up to be good moms who can and will raise their own babies. Our priorities are to raise healthy and happy kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the kids get older, we hand-milk once a day. We let the kids\nnurse off their mom during the day, and put them in a separate area\nnearby for the night. Having more than one doe in milk provides us\nwith all we need to drink and for making cheese. The whey from making\ncheese is an excellent health tonic as a drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the milking process we use home-made milking stands with a\nshelf for the grain bowl. We bring the does into the milking area\n(with more than one doe, they quickly get used to their order of\nmilking) and have the does jump onto the milking stand. Sometimes a\ndoes utter needs massaged a bit to relax the muscles which allow more\nmilk to be let down. We massage the utter a bit to relax the muscles\nso the milk will let down better. We use a warm spray of water on the\ngoat\u2019s teats and utter, and thoroughly wipe her off with very clean\nwashcloths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We give the doe her allotment of grain, and position the stainless\nsteel milk bucket under her to begin the milking process. Depending\non the doe, this can be accomplished in a few minutes. We squirt a\nlittle milk from each teat into a \u201cstrip cup\u201d to see how it looks\nand to remove the first milk from the orifice, which can harbor\nbacteria. We hand-milk into a stainless steel container which is in\nan icy water bath for quick-chilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is good to leave a little bit of milk in the utter, so as not\nto put too much strain on the mammary glands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After milking a doe, it is important to spray the teats with warm\nwater and wipe them off with a clean washcloth. Fight-Bac sanitizes\nand helps constrict the orifice which helps prevent unwanted bacteria\nfrom entering the udder. This is a good time to do a quick exam of\nthe doe. The milk is put in a refrigerator nearby before milking the\nnext doe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cooled milk is taken to the kitchen where it is strained,\npoured into clean mason jars, and properly refrigerated. When milking\na goat is handled this way, the milk will stay fresh for several\nweeks without further processing. Goat milk is naturally homogenized\nand the cream does not readily rise to the surface as with\nun-homogenized cow milk. We do not pasteurize it for our personal\nconsumption or for cheese making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n About Goat Care Here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Milking Process Sancta Grotto does are great milkers with long lactations. They have nice, well attached udders and their teats are sized for hand milking. We bring does to the milk stand after she freshens so that she will … Continue reading