critters!

[mamapoppybee]

 It seems research leads to learning then learning leads to wanting to try. First found a book on dairy goats started reading now me and the hubby are talking types, Im leaning nigerian dwarf for our farm size, then he plots where in yard to put them, i find my self drinking coffee and drawing out dairy barn. Lets just say i think the wheel is officially greased just may take me a year to get it set.  I will fill you in as the adventure progresses.

[apisbees]

Having a milking animals is a commitment once you start milking them you need to be there 2 times a day to do it. No days off You need to have contingency plan if a day off is wanted or you want a holiday. I don't know how many times I have been called to cover milkings for friends, relatives, bosses and even people I did not know.
It is much easier id you have support in place that you can count on in an emergency,

[mamapoppybee]

my bestie and mum and my two older girls are eager to learn

[iddee]

Why just the two older girls. I learned to milk a goat when I was five and ""graduated??"" to a cow when I was seven. Get them all in on the "fun??"   

[brooksbeefarm]

Just don't start milking 75 to 100, the fun becomes dread. Jack

[apisbees]

A goat is easier than a cow just due to the lesser volume of milk. Hand fatigue is what gets you when your not doing it every day.
The father in-law had a cow with very small teats Me brother in-law was going the milking duties while the father in-law was on holidays. Her was only managing to milk out 1/2 a gallon before giving up due to soar hands, I was up checking my bees and looked at the cow in the field and could see she was in pain. checked the fridge to see how much milk he was getting and took the pail out and milked her again and got another 1 1/2 gallons He had only done 3 milkings and I redid the last one right away. So I took over the milking for the rest of the week. we could have had a sick cow if I had not noticed it. or in the least she would have been almost dried up by the time the in-laws returned.

[brooksbeefarm]

Where was her calf? We use to share the milk with our milk cow with here calf. Jack

[apisbees]

Never allowed the calf to start sucking would bucket feed the calf from birth, after a couple of weeks they no longer attempted to suck.

[efmesch]

Dare I say, one of the nice things about beekeeping is that most of the time you can manage without needing a "fill-in" to cover for you when you go away on vacation or can't get to the hives for one reason or another.  Of course, when raising queens your're on a tight schedule, but generally speaking,  it won't damage your yield or your hives seriously if you remove and extract your honey  a day earlier or later.  So too with treating for varroa or some of the other maladies bees can come down with,  a day or two sooner or later usually doesn't make too much difference.

[Retroguy]

You get a couple of goats to feed the family and the next thing you know, here's what you get.  Friends of ours near Spokane, WA.

www.chattaroycheese.com/

[mamapoppybee]

  double trouble and they are should rotten

[neillsayers]

I've had dairy goats for 32 years now. I've never been able to digest cows milk very well. When I was much younger and foolishly ambitious, I milked 20 head at 4:30am, then drove 45 miles to work a 12 hour shift, returned to milk them again after dark. Whew, makes me tired just thinking about it! Now we have two and a little one coming up.

[mamapoppybee]

Any need turns the scrap pile on a homestead into good stuff!

turned the pict much easier the 2nd time. Apisbees

[Dunkel]

I watch a herd of goats at my friends place.  I swear baby goats have to be the happiest critter I have ever saw. 

[Gypsi]

When I can afford more land and have backup for milking..  Yours sure are cute Mama.

[riverbee]

enjoyed and love the great pix mama!  thank you! 

[neillsayers]

nice milk stand