Milking Our Mini Dairy GoatsThis is how we milk our goats and the products we use. There is no one “right” way to milk but this is what works for us. We’re just sharing it here for those who are new to milking goats. Feel free to adapt it to your needs or to scrap the whole thing and do what works best for you and your does.
​Happy milking!
​🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

• To get fresh, sweet milk you must be scrupulously clean and you need to get the milk chilled ASAP. Whether milking by hand or machine I bring the milk containers to the barn in a cooler with ice packs, to which I add cold water when I’m done milking. This allows me to finish barn chores while the milk starts chilling. I keep our fridge on 33 degrees and have a special shelf for chilling so the milk cools down fast. 
• I secure the doe onto my milk stand. I've tried several and the one I prefer is the one from Premier 1 Supply because it's several inches higher than the other stands, which is great for reaching under those short goats. And it has a detachable ramp for "well conditioned" (fat) goats who can't jump. 
• If the doe is kicky I tie her back legs to the stand with short goat leads attached to snaps. This avoids a foot in the milk, and tears over spilt milk.
• To keep the doe happy on the stand we feed plain whole oats or rolled barley. No GMO laden "goat chow" for our goats!
• I only milk into seamless stainless steel containers or glass mason jars. Plastic is porous and holds odors and bacteria and isn’t suitable for milking, except for if you are immediately feeding it to animals, which I sometimes do if I’m in a hurry or don’t need the milk for human use that day. But for human use sterilized SS or glass is a must. I usually milk into quart or half gallon glass mason jars if hand milking. I often milk one handed into a stainless steel frothing pitcher or a small glass jar and pour it every so often into a bigger jar, which is sitting in a cooler with ice and water, as I go. I may even have my strainer in the jar and strain as I pour. It's a bit slower to milk one handed but I'm less likely to lose milk. My Simple Pulse milking machine will milk into glass jars or a SS bucket and has a built in strainer. (I switched out the inflations that came with the Simple Pulse for the Top Flo Z Nigerian inflations from Hamby Supply and they rock! They get way more milk than the SP ones and are easier on the doe's teats.)
• Properly cleaning the udder before milking is a must. I spray the udder with teat washand clean with a baby wipe or paper towel. (I also wash my hands before milking and as needed during the process.) 
• After cleaning the udder I milk the first few squirts from each side into a dish for the cats, inspecting it for any clumps or anything. (Venda, our tortoise shell barn cat, is my faithful milking buddy!) If all is good I proceed with milking.
• ​I milk the doe by hand or machine, making sure to empty the udder. After I'm done milking I spray with Fightbac spray.
• I take the milk to the house. If I hand milked I strain the milk. My Simple Pulse machine has a strainer in the lines. 
• I store the milk in glass 1/2 gallon jars with plastic lids, in my fridge set on 33 degrees. I write the day on the lid with a dry erase marker so I can use old milk first. I have a chiller shelf in the fridge so the milks gets cold fast. 
• If I used my Simple Pulse I clean it after I process the milk. I use dairy detergent and sanitizer and it only takes about 5 minutes to clean. You can also use dish soap and chlorine bleach.​

This is an article I published a couple of years ago that I'm moving to a new location!

​Last fall I had a buyer in Massachusetts named Leanne who contacted me wanting to buy 6 goats, 3 from the fall season and 3 from the 2020 Spring season. I told her I was more than happy to sell her the goats but that she would have to arrange the transportation since I knew nothing about how to go about that. At first I was somewhat apprehensive about the whole deal, having heard some real horror stories on goat groups - goats getting “ lost” (stolen), not being properly taken care of and even dying. I’ve wanted to buy goats from out of state myself but was just too nervous about the idea to look into it. But this brave woman was up to the challenge so I decided to go for it! She told me she had hired Brian from Blarney Heights Farm Transportation. Finally I checked out their website and FB page and realized that these guys seemed to be very professional and above board, DOT licensed, and to come highly recommended by a lot of people. Later Leanne told me that she had already had some goats shipped by Brian from other breeders and that everything had gone really well. I started to relax a little!

Two of the goats Leanne purchased were Nigerian Dwarf kids so they had wait until they were weaned in early January before they could go. The other was a pregnant Nigerian Dwarf doe. There were tattoos and official USDA 840 microchips for Scrapie ID to be done by me since goats can’t be shipped out of state without them. Boy was I ever glad I had gone to the trouble to register with this mandatory USDA program and get my Flock and Premise ID’s when I started breeding goats! Health certificates were also required and a blood test for brucellosis for the doe. All of that was handled excellently by Dr Schmitt at King’s Veterinary Services in Lemoore and his excellent receptionist, Faye, who made all the calls to the Massachusetts state veterinarian to make sure the goats were in compliance with their laws when they arrived.

Finally the day came and my son and number one goat wrangler, Noah, and I took the three goats to the meeting place at Harris Ranch. Brian was very nice, extremely professional and his rig is amazing! I’ve had horses transported many times but never goats, so I was very impressed with how he had things set up to accommodate smaller animals. They had very secure stalls so that each person’s animals were in their own pen with food, water and fresh bedding. I knew my babies were in good hands! Brian and Leanne kept me informed of how the goats were doing along the way and they arrived safe and sound in Massachusetts about a week or so later. It may have been a bit of culture shock for them, going from California to Massachusetts in January, but they did great! Leanne had goat coats and a nice, warm barn waiting for them, and luckily the weather was unseasonably mild that week.

I couldn’t imagine a better experience. I know the next set of three goats (two Mini Nubians and a Nigerian Dwarf) that will be going to Leanne in a few months will do great. And what’s more, I’m now shopping for breeding stock across the country that Brian can bring to me! That will be a dream come true because there are a lot of nice goats out there that REALLY need to be in my barn, but up until now I didn’t know of anyone I would trust to transport them to me. Now all I have to worry about is finding them!

This event actually happened in March 2020 and I posted it to my FB page and some goat groups, but didn’t think to blog about it, I guess because I was too upset at the time. But I thought I should add it here because this is a part of goat breeding that most people don’t think about or talk about, but I think it’s important to discuss so that we can all learn from these sad events and do better in the future for these animals that are entrusted to our care...

I lost a baby goat today. When you have as many babies born as I do you’re going to lose a few each kidding season and he’s not the first one I’ve lost this year. But he was a really special little guy - a bottle baby, which I rarely have, very sweet and friendly, healthy and strong and beautiful, and the first buckling of my own breeding that I’ve liked enough to want to keep. He was one of my favorite kids of the entire nearly 70 kids born this year. 

He seemed perfectly fine earlier in the day when I gave him his bottle, then I heard him yelling and went to check on him. He was in obvious pain. I’m not sure what was wrong with him but possibly Enterotoxemia. I began treating him for that immediately since that’s all I knew to do. It didn’t help. In less than 15 minutes he was dead and I am just heartbroken. 

When people ask me why my goats are “so expensive” this is why. Because I work so hard to raise healthy, happy, high quality goats. But sadly you can do everything “right” - give them the best hay, organic minerals, proper medical care and love and still you’re going to get your heart ripped out every so often. You’ll save some from difficult illnesses that most people would have given up on and then tragically lose other babies that you didn’t even know were sick. 😢

And why do I continue in this business despite the heartbreak it can bring? Two reasons. Because I love goats more than any other animal besides dogs. They’re unique and special creatures that bring me joy every day and I’ve adored them since I was a kid. And because I love sharing these wonderful creatures with other families like the lovely family that came earlier in the day to buy two wethers from me. I want to breed healthy, beautiful babies that can bring joy and happiness to others, be it does for milking and making cheese or wethers for pets. They’re all special and seeing how excited the families are when they take their new babies home makes me so happy. But some days it’s really hard to be a goat breeder. This day started out so great, but ended so awfully. I hope tomorrow is a better day all around. 😢

Pneumonia is one of the top two health threats to goats. (Parasites being the other.) Here at Prancing Pony Farm we strongly believe that all goat owners should be educated on the signs of pneumonia and have the proper medications on hand to treat it, or a plan for getting them IMMEDIATELY if a goat is showing signs of Pneumonia BEFORE they bring home their goats. Goats can literally die of Pneumonia in hours so time is of the essence! Stress is what brings on Pneumonia and this includes stress from weather (rapid hot and cold temperature changes, especially), weaning and going to a new home. If your goat is standing off by itself, not eating or acting off TAKE ITS TEMPERATURE IMMEDIATELY. A normal goat temperature is 101.5 - 103.5. If the temperature is higher or below 100 that's a sign of pneumonia. The goat may or may not have a snotty nose or raspy breathing. Coughing can be a sign but it's more rare. (Goats do cough a lot.)

​If you suspect pneumonia begin antibiotics and B Complex shots IMMEDIATELY. We treat with Resflor Gold (prescription only), 5 days in a row, plus B Complex shots daily and VetRX dropsand Vitamin C tablets. But you should consult your veterinarian for the best drug to use.
A Hard LessonThe reason I stress being alert for signs of pneumonia in goats is because I’ve learned the hard way what happens if you don’t. Honey (Jardine Meadows Honeysuckle) was one of our first Mini Nubians that we started our farm with. She belonged to my son, Noah, and was one of his two favorite goats. Noah adored Honey and spent many hours playing with her and his other favorite doe, Anna. One night I heard her making a funny raspy breathing sound and went to check on her, but got distracted by one of my grandchildren, who was visiting my house. In the busyness I forgot about Honey and didn’t remember until the next day, when I found her dead in the barn. It was a very devastating loss for Noah and for me to lose her so suddenly.



​I didn’t even know what had happened to Honey until a few days later when I noticed one of her sisters, Poppy, standing off by herself with her head hanging and a snotty nose. It was Friday evening when I found her and I immediately called the vet, only to be told “We don’t do after hours emergency calls for goats. Bring her in Monday.” I've had horses for decades and vets always make emergency calls after hours so I was totally shocked and saddened that the vet wouldn't make an emergency call to see my goat. 

I could tell that Poppy was too sick to wait so I got on the Facebook Mini Nubian Breeders goat group, described her symptoms, and some very helpful people told me that it sounded like pneumonia and she needed antibiotics and B Complex immediately if she were to live. Luckily at that time you could still buy a few antibiotics OTC in California so I rushed to Tractor Supply to get what I needed to save her until I could get her to the vet, barely making it before they closed. I rushed back home, gave her the meds (LA 200 and B Complex) and prayed she would make it through the night. She did, but she was very sick. The next day I called the vet and convinced them to let me bring her in to see the doctor on call. They confirmed Pneumonia and gave me the proper antibiotics (Resflor Gold) to treat her. I bought the entire bottle since in my overnight research I had learned that this would not likely be my last case of pneumonia. Indeed a few days later the third sister, Clover, got sick. Both girls were touch and go for a while but luckily I had the meds I needed and was able to save them. 

​A few months after Honey died the breeder we got her and her sisters from had another beautiful doeling available. She knew how devastated we were over Honey's death so she sold us Jessie. ​Jessie and Noah were best friends from day one. She was rejected by her mother and didn't seem to know she was a goat for a very long time. She would follow Noah around as he fed the horses and other goats, watching the goats like they were strange creatures and getting into everything. Then she would hop into his lap for her bottle. She was more than a bit naughty but so adorable and beautiful that she soon became both Noah's and my favorite goat and the farm mascot and she still holds that position today.

Then one day the fall after she was born I noticed Jessie was not her usual naughty self, but was very lethargic and quiet. I took her temperature and it was crazy high - 107! I freaked out and called the vet I had used before, only to be told that they no longer treated goats. I called every vet in the area and no one would see her. Either they didn't see goats or didn't have appointments available. (The hard lesson I've learned is that goats aren't seen as valuable in a cow dairy town.) Again, it was Facebook to the rescue and again, some very kind people coached me through and I was able to determine that she had pneumonia. Luckily I already had the medications I needed on hand so I began treatment immediately and was able to save our beautiful girl.


Since that time I've done a lot of research on Pneumonia and had several more cases of it, as well. I learned that goats are very susceptible to stress and that stress lowers their immunity, which can cause pneumonia. One of the biggest stressors in our particular area is weather. We have very rapid hot and cold temperature swings in the spring and fall. Goats can't regulate their body temperatures quickly so the stress of that can lead to pneumonia. We always have at least a few cases of pneumonia these times of year. Sometimes a lot of them. One year I had what I dubbed "The Pneumonia Storm" with 16 cases. It was awful and took me 2-3 hours a night and several bottles of antibiotics to treat them all. 

Sadly, I also lost 2 baby goats to Pneumonia one year when I didn't recognize the signs quickly enough. We had a very unseasonable late "spring" that year, with the crazy temperature swings lasting into the summer and I just wasn't expecting pneumonia a few days before the 4th of July. With the first baby, a 9 week old doe I wasn't sure what had happened. When I found the second dead baby, a 9 week old wether, a few days later I literally burst out crying in the barn. It was so heartbreaking. But I took the baby to UC Davis for a necropsy, which confirmed what I suspected. Pneumonia. I just never would have expected pneumonia at that time of year but at least i knew what the enemy was, so I could be on the alert.

Sadly I've lost a few babies here and there to pneumonia, again, when I didn't see the signs soon enough. (I haven't lost any adults but I think that's because babies are harder to keep up with and more fragile.) It's a REALLY sneaky disease that can come on so fast! They can literally die within hours so you have to be diligent in watching them. But usually I'm able to monitor everyone very carefully and catch any cases of pneumonia before it's too late. I walk through the pens several times a day, watching for anything amiss. What I look for is anyone standing off by themselves, not eating and not acting normal. If I see that kind of behavior I check their temperature. If they have a fever higher than 103.5 or lower than 100 (very bad!) I begin treatment immediately. I use Resflor Gold for at least 5 consecutive days as well as B Complex shots and Goat RX drops and vitamin C chewables

With this protocol I can usually save them, so long as I catch the signs in time. But time is of the essence. Unfortunately Pneumonia requires antibiotics to cure and ALL antibiotics are by prescription in California. And, as I learned the hard way, not all vets treat goats and if they do they may not see them after hours, like they do horses and cows. So that's why I tell all new goat owners that you should either have the medications on hand to treat them if they get sick, or have a plan for how you can acquire them if you need them.
More Information on Pneumonia in Goats

• Pneumonia in Goats (OCR)
• Coughing Goats​
• Stress and Goats (OCR)​​
• ​Goat Medications & How to Use Them (OCR)
• ​B Vitamins and their Importance for Goats (OCR)
• ​Injections Made Easy (OCR)​
• ​The Importance of a Good Small Ruminant Vet (OCR)
• FARAD (Milk and meat drug withdrawal times for goat drugs, dewormers, etc)
• Goat Milk Withdrawal Times

We often get questions from people wanting to know what the difference is between does, bucks and wethers and which is the best choice for therm. What you choose depends on why you want goats in the first place. Read on to find out which is the best choice for you.
Bucks
Bucks are intact males. They have one purpose and one purpose only - to breed the does and make more goats! They do not make suitable pets, especially for children. While they aren’t necessarily aggressive they are big and strong and can be hard to handle when in rut. (Rut is the buck equivalent to being in heat.) They can’t be kept with does except during breeding season so they will need their own enclosure and another buck or a wether for a buddy. (Since goats should NEVER be kept alone.) They have an extremely offensive odor, especially during the breeding season. The reason they smell so bad is that they constantly urinate all over themselves, on their faces, bellies, legs, beards and yes, even in their own mouths! They have longer hair than does and wethers, which makes the stench even worse. They will also urinate on any and everything within reach, including you sometimes, if you stand too close! (Ask me how I know! 😩😆) The smell is really hard to get off once you touch them, so most buck owners keep handling them to a minimum and keep them far away from the milking does (outside of breeding season) and milking area so as to not taint the milk. Sometimes they get urine scald from all of that self-inflicted nastiness and need to be bathed and treated with diaper rash cream. That doesn’t exactly make for a creature that you want to pet and snuggle with so it’s really only recommended to have a buck if you have several does that you breed every year. If you breed but just have a couple of does you’re better off using buck stud service than housing one of these stinky boys of your own all year round!
Does
Does are females. They are smaller than bucks and do not have any kind of offensive odor. They are generally sweet, calm and easy to handle, even by children. They are popular as 4H and FFA projects but what they are best suited for is breeding and milking. They will come into heat about every 3 weeks during the breeding season and may signal this heat by calling out and play fighting with the other goats. Once bred they will have babies in 5 months and can be milked for several months after that. Most well cared for dairy does can be bred to have babies every year and can be milked until 2-3 months before they have their next litter. Of course you don’t have to breed your doe but it’s normal and healthy to do so. That’s what they were bred for! They do also make great pets and many people choose them for that purpose, but they cost more than wethers so you need to keep that in mind.
Wethers
Wethers are castrated males. They aren’t aggressive and don’t get as big and bulky and hairy as bucks and they have no bad bucky odor or disgusting habits! They also don’t come into heat like does so you don’t have to worry about them yelling for a date during breeding season. 😆 They make great companions for either does or bucks and good weed eaters. But what wethers really excel at is being sweet, loving, entertaining pets. They are also less expensive than does or bucks so you can usually purchase two wethers for less than the cost of one doe. If you don’t want to milk or have baby goats and just want fun and adorable pets I highly recommend wethers!