There’s a shockingly small amount of information on the internet on how to milk a goat.
Shocking, I tell you!
Have you ever wanted to know how to milk a goat? Well, today is your lucky day because I’m going to take you on an adventure into my backyard farm where I just happen to have some goats! So, sit back and enjoy your first lesson on how to milk a goat!
I know what you’re thinking…
“Why do I need to know how to milk a goat?”
Well, for starters, you WILL own a goat someday. This is simply non-negotiable. If you regularly read my blog then I consider you my friend, and let me just tell you it is my goal in life that all of my friends own goats. If you have a husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend who is hell bent on you NOT getting goats, then you’ll just have to tell them you don’t have a choice.
“Sorry honey, DaNelle says I have to, so…..”
See, I got your back!
Milking a goat is actually really easy once you get the hang of it.
But let me warn you that your first experience milking a goat may be a disaster. I’m just warning you now, because I’m your friend. Your hands will suddenly become completely useless balls of flesh and you’ll wonder how you’ve even managed to feed yourself up to this point. It’s a miracle you’ve made it this far in life, really, with those uncoordinated hand muscles of yours.
But don’t despair! You will get better at milking a goat, trust me! Even if your first experience is kind of a disaster and you end up crying because you can’t milk your freaking goat and then after 45 minutes and one teaspoon of milk later you use your old breast pump out of desperation, this too shall pass. (Ask me how I know)
How to Milk a Goat: Step by Step Pictures
Step One: Prepare some goodies for your goat. I prefer to do a mixture of alfalfa/bermuda pellets and some organic grain. Some other ideas are fresh weeds/grass, alfalfa hay, or barley fodder (sprouted barley grass).
You can also use this time to give any herbal mixers if you are treating your goat for anything. Just mix it right in and your goat will eat it up!
Step Two: If you can keep your goat’s udder shaved it really makes it easier to milk! This is a picture of my Nigerian doe before I’ve started to milk.
Step Three: Time to clean up that udder and those teats! I use my homemade udder wipes. They are a great natural alternative to those chemical-filled udder wipes you’ll find online. Be sure to squeeze the teat and wipe the teat opening well.
Step Four: You’ll need to do one squirt on each teat to flesh out any blockage and bacteria. (We’ll get to the proper milking technique here in a second)
Step Five: Take a look at that milk you just collected from the first squirt of each teat. You want to make sure there are no blood or clumps of milk which could indicate mastitis.
Step Six: How to Milk a Goat: The technique begins by grabbing the teat as high as you can, a good couple of inches into the udder.
Step Seven: Using you thumb and first finger, squeeze the teat hard so you trap the milk in the teat.
Step Eight: Now here’s the hard part. While keeping your thumb and first finger tight, bring your palm and other fingers together. This pressure will squirt the milk out. If you don’t get any milk or if you get a very tiny stream, it’s because you aren’t keeping your thumb and first finger pinched hard enough. Just remember, it’s not about tugging, it’s about pinching & squeezing.
Continue with this motion (with a hand on each teat) until you get all the milk you can.
Step Nine: When you don’t think you can get anymore milk, pause for a few seconds and punch into the udder lightly to help release another let down. This light punch is what the babies do to help stimulate another let down. Milk out any more that you can.
Step Ten: When you’re all done, the udder should have a wrinkled look to it.
Step Eleven: Now it’s time to apply my homemade udder balm to the teat and udder.
Step Twelve: Rub my udder balm over the udder and the teats.
Congratulations, you’ve just watched your first tutorial on milking a goat! Now all you have to do is build a fence & shelter, purchase a goat (or 20), buy some food, breed your goat, wait for your goat to deliver babies, wait 2 weeks, then you can milk your goat!
Watch my 8 year old daughter’s video on How to Milk a Goat (And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel)
See? Easy!
Want more information on goats? Read my other articles on goats
Hi DaNelle! Thank you for your fantastic article. I just started to milk my FF (so we are both newbies). I have been trying out pot sizes to see what works best for me and my goats. I found the perfect pot, but it’s Teflon coated. Do you know if this is ok to milk into? It is a food grade cooking pot. Thank you!
Hi DebM-
Yes, it should be ok. If you plan to sell any milk just check all local guidelines about allowable containers.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hello! 🙂 And HELP!!
I have owned goats for a few years now, had babies the last two years… we have finally decided to give milking a try … but I have never milked a goat before! I read the tutorial above and it was helpful ( I am struggling to type after hand milking lol) but I wasn’t able to get very much and my doe was getting very impatient … and her babies are off her now and her bag is HUGE … I nursed all of my children so I know that when engorgement happens milk slows down and eventually stops. So my question is should I try again with her? If so is it ok to wait till evening or just let her have a few hours? I just don’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than I know she is.
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Donna-
You can wait until evening. The break might do her some good to reduce stress. And just keep at it. It takes a doe awhile to get used to milking. Once she is comfortable, and you are too, you will start to get a lot more milk.
Best of luck!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi there!
The content you put out may or may not be the reason I now have 5 goats… that escalated quickly. Chicken math, goat math.. math hasn’t ever been my strong point. ?
Anyway! I just started milking one of my does and I’m getting milk which is great! Not much yet as I’m still training her to the stand and her kids are still relying on her milk. But my very long winded question is, where the heck do you position yourself to milk? I find I’m hunched over in a chair or can’t see what I’m doing if I sit on the stand. SOS! Best posture tips, and go!
Hi Ellen-
Use a small milking stool to sit on so your arms reach easily under the goat to milk her while they are on the stand. You won’t be at eye level with her udder but you will be able to see the milk go into the pail. You can check out DaNelle’s videos and see how she and her kids milk and what position they sit in. https://www.youtube.com/c/Weedemandreap/featured
Best of luck with milking!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have a nigerian that kidded in mid- August with one as a first time freshener. I was a little disappointed by the amount of milk I got from her( 1 cup per milking twice a day), but oh well, I was hand milking and getting fresh milk! 🙂 Now, 5 months into it I am now only getting 1/4 to 1/2 cup per milking twice a day. I give her alfalfa hay available all day, and on the stand she gets about a 1 1/2 cups of a mix of goat grain, alfalfa pellets, oats and black oil sunflower seeds. Is this normal because she’s a first timer and only had one kid, or should I look for other issues. My other doe isn’t due until late March, so I really don’t want to be out of milk just yet. Thanks for all the videos and information you put out here. I truly love watching you and your family enjoying life.
Angie
Hi Angie-
A ND usually puts out about 1 quart when first freshened and eventually about 2 quarts (per day).
So, she should be putting out more milk at this time, unless the baby is still nursing and you do not separate them.
If this is not the case, then look for infection or other health issues.
This article will help you with nutrition in case she needs a little bit more.
https://www.weedemandreap.com/optimal-nutritional-goat-diet/
Good luck with you doe. Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thank you Bobbi- the buckling was sold at 6 weeks, so he has been gone for a while. That would be a dream come true if I got 2 quarts a day! I have checked for mastitis and I worm her the 1st of each month, what other health issues would I look for? I checked out the article
recommended and believe I am doing all that I can. Thanks for your time.
Angie
Hi Angie-
Make sure the hay/grass you are feeding is of high quality and has adequate protein in it. You can test it if you want to know the exact percentage. Make sure she has access to plenty of water.
One of the more common reasons goats don’t produce much milk is because they are constantly being stressed. Look for stressors, including overcrowding or other goats not letting her eat and drink.
You may also want to ask those you purchased her from what type on milk production line she comes from. Some does just naturally produce less milk than others.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have a lamancha goat who will be a first time freshener this spring. I have started to train her on the milk stand and everytime I touch her (even on her back, legs, anywhere) she sits and lays down. I can’t get her to stand up. Any tips?
I give her grain and only while on the milk stand. She has been a bit of a skittish goat since I bought her last year. Any advice would be welcome.
Hi Jessi-
Some goats just have a tendency to do that. A little TLC goes a long way, so keep working with her.
If she keeps laying down when you milk her, place a bucket under her tummy. With it there she cannot lay down. Just make sure it is not too high or rough on her tummy.
Best of luck with your goat!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I am brand new at this, and have been milking my two Nigerian does for three days now! I am still super slow at it but we are all learning ;). I keep coming back to this tutorial and am wondering what I am doing wrong because even though I milk them until I cannot get any more milk to come out, their udders are still very full looking- they do NOT look like the after milking picture that is posted here!
Because we are still learning (and don’t need a ton of milk right now) and the kids are only 2 weeks old they are still with their moms 24 hours a day, I know I read that the mother will hold back milk for her kids, is it possible that is why the udder is still very round after I am done milking? Or do you think I am just not doing it right?
Thanks for the great tutorial! All of your information is super helpful!
Hi Lindy-
Milking goats is an art and one that takes practice. I’m sure your technique is fine, but both you and the doe are new at this and you both need to reach a comfort level with it. She definitely is holding some milk back for her babies, plus she is probably not letting down all the way because milking is new and stressful. Massaging her udder a lot and gently can help with this. Also, she will produce more as the babies age and will become easier to milk. Just keep working with her and practing. Do make sure her udder isn’t swollen or infected and she isn’t sick or running a temperature. I’m sure she’s healthy, but it never hurts to check.
Keep working at it and both of you will work into your own groove.
Best of luck and keep at it!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I did it! I’m back to tell you that I did it! I got a whole quart! Which isn’t a ton, but for a first milking, that was hard earned…every shot. I thought of your words of advice often, and honestly thought of your daughter’s video a whole lot. THANK YOU! I am so grateful. And even though we won’t drink this first stuff (foot in the pail a few times…) I feel so satisfied. I have loved our goats from the start, but this is a whole new level of love. Joyfully,
Becca
I have a freshener this her she isn’t giving much milk and has sausage teat on one side is this a sign of mastitis I did mastitis test from tractor supply store and it come back twice negative
Hi Loretta-
I’m not exactly sure what “sausage teat” means, but if she has a swollen teat on one side or her udder is lopsided this can be several things.
She may have been injured or her kid is only nursing on one side. Check her for injuries and if she seems to be in any pain.
This can also be a sign of mastitis. Check her for fever. See if she is eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom like normal.
If you are not sure of what it is, call the vet and have them check out your doe ASAP.
Best wishes for your doe!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I’m so grateful for your posts! I have our goat separated from her kids tonight and will milk them at 8:00 tomorrow morning for my VERY FIRST TIME. I’m excited and encouraged and hopeful and trying to be realistic. Thanks for the helps in here. I feel as prepared as I can be. 🙂
Hi Becca-
I hope the first time milking goes well! Best of luck! Thank you for reading and posting! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi DaNelle! I’m so grateful to have found your blog, it’s helped us tremendously in our first year of owning goats!
I’ve been milking our girls for just over a couple months now. Their kids were weaned and sold a week ago. Now I’m having major issues milking them. I milk at 8am and 8pm. My first girl will still come to the stand without fuss, but her milk supply is steadily decreasing! My other girl has a great supply, but is getting harder and harder to get on the stand. This morning she wanted nothing to do with it!
Am I overfeeding them? Are they mad that their kids are gone? They are first time mamas, as I am a first time goat mama. Please help!
I’ve found a change in behavior to be either attributed to their heat cycle OR an over-feeding of grain. I can’t think of any other reason why this is, but I think it’s because they feel sick to their stomach and don’t want to cooperate. Any time my goats get into the grain, I know the next few days they’ll be naughty to work with.
For milk going down, it could be again, their heat cycle or hot weather. The best you can do is give PLENTY of fresh, cold water with apple cider vinegar in it. This will make them drink more and settle their stomachs if it is a grain thing.
You can get the guide “Getting Started With Goats” by DaNelle. They have all the info on goats in the guide.
Thank you for this post! I brought my goats home yesterday morning and couldn’t get them to milk the entire day or today until I read your post. I wasn’t squeezing up high enough (and I was milking the wrong goat initially) lol
Hi DaNelle,
I’ve been milking my Nigerian Dwarf for almost a month now, and I feel like it takes me a LONG time to milk, so of course I thought “I’ll see if Danielle has any pointers”.. Do you have any tips for teeny tiny ultra small teats, and about how long does it take you to milk a Nigerian? Roseanne is a good girl, but she starts jumping around like an acrobat when she’s finished with her grain, and I feel bad because I feel like it shouldn’t take me this long – if her teats were bigger, it probably wouldn’t take too long. Ugh! Goat probs.
Of course, my spell check changed your name to Danielle 🙁 Sorry about that!
No worries, I’ve gotten pretty used to it;)
Haha, yes goat probs for sure! With smaller teats it does take a bit longer but not too much. It would take me probably 5-10 minutes to milk a Nigerian, but I’m pretty fast. How long have you been milking? It took me a good 4 months before I was really fast.
I’ve been milking for just around a month. Have you ever had a doe with extremely tiny teats? They’re about the size of the tip my my pinky finger above the top knuckle. It would probably go faster if the stream was more than a mere squirt. And I only get about 1 cup per milking. There is probably something I’m doing wrong, I just don’t know what!
That’s so tough, is it possible to grab higher in the udder?
Agh! Tonight was my first experience milking. What a disaster! After a lot of kicking and fumbling (me, not ms. goatie) I finally got it done. I came inside and strained and chilled, waited until it got nice and cold, then enjoyed a delicious glass of goat’s milk for dessert. Then i realized i forgot to do the first couple of squirts of milk outside of the pail to clear any bad bacteria! DaNelle, am i gonna die now???! But really, I’m slightly paranoid that I’m going to poison my family with raw milk 🙁
Haha, no you’ll be just fine, trust me! Ah, those initial milking days you’ll look back on and laugh! Keep going, it gets MUCH easier!
So enjoyed reading this! My husband and I started our homestead a year ago and have goats, chickens, geese, ducks and have already butchered our first round of broad breasted turkeys and have already decided to go with a heritage breed of turkeys this year. I have chicks under a heat lamp in their own room in the coop and we had bouncing baby goats arrive last night! We planned on using our Alpine for milk but had no idea what we were doing so I’m glad I found this article!! Our buck is a Boer/Spanish cross. We plan on using the bucklings for food and the doelings for milk since they will be a dairy/meat cross. Do you think this will work ok? I’ll be reading every article of yours that I can find!! Going to go hunting for something on goats milk soap next… I have eczema and can’t use other soaps so I’ll be happy when I can start making it myself!!
Hi Amanda,
Wow, so exciting to read all your homestead adventures! I think it will work out fine to do the meat/milk combo. I’ve honestly never tasted Boer or Spanish goat milk, so I’m not sure how it tastes, but if you keep clean practices, it should turn out fine:)
Hi DaNelle!
This post will be super helpful, I have a Nigerian doe who is due in June and I’m totally new to this!! The breeder I got her from said to seperate the babies at night after 4 days so the teats expand but I see you said wait 2 weeks. I know there is a lot of goat info out there, how do I know what is right?? Thank you!
Krisay
Hi Krissy,
It has always been 2 weeks. 4 day old babies would suffer from dehydration separating that young.
Baby lamancha doe was born on 15th march been milking doe everyday every evening to help relieve her but notice only one tit really gives milk the other very little is this normal? No blood or lumps or sign of mastitis just wondering if its normal and if she will start to give on both sides more once we start to to milk for us
Hi Tonya,
Yes, this is very normal. Often times, when a doe has only one baby, it favors a side, which means you get the lucky job of milking that small side multiple times a day to even it out, or separating the baby completely and feeding her via bottle. If you don’t catch it in time, the other side can stop all together.
I’m new to milking but so far all has been well.
When I filter the milk after milking, we of course find the occasional hair, or dirt fleck that gets filtered out.
But today I noticed some tiny yellow “crustys” in the filter…. any idea what this is and does it mean I need to throw out the milk until its gone?
Thanks for any advice!
Hi Crystal, I would make sure you are cleaning the teat completely. Some dried milk can remain on the teat from the last milking. Another possible problem could be dry skin on the udder itself. I would apply a lotion or a homemade udder cream after milking so the udder skin is moisturized.
One other thing- I just noticed that your recipe for the teat balm calls for PEPPERMINT oil and tea tree oil on this page, but on your goat milking supplies page you said LAVENDER oil and tea tree oil. Which one is it supposed to be? Thanks!!
It is Lavender, thanks for the heads up Brittney!
Hey!
I was wondering if it’s safe for the kids to nurse on mom after I apply the teat balm? We are starting to milk soon and the kids are only about 4 weeks old, so I didn’t know if the teat balm was only for when they’re weaned or if it was okay for the kids to get some of that in their mouths. We’re pulling the kids at night and only milking in the morning, then putting kids back with mom for the day. Thanks!!
Yep, totally safe!
I’ve been trying to dry up my nanny and read that peppermint oil is great. So I’ve been massaging her teats and udder with coconut oil and peppermint oil after milking. It’s working a treat. Her milk production is rapidly decreasing. So imagine my surprise when I read that this is basically your udder balm of choice?
Thanks for the heads up Jann! It should say Lavender, not Peppermint!
Thank you!! You are so right. There is a shockingly small amount of good information and I LOVE that you have homemade recipes. My Toggenburg doe and her baby arrive on Friday and my library books won’t arrive before then so this is so incredibly helpful. 🙂
Oh perfect!
Hello
We just had a baby goat and mamas udders are HUGE. I am worried. Email me. Thx!
I would definitely milk her out as much as possible!
Howdy,
What is the purpose of teat balm? How much milk do we let the kids drink before we start milking the does? And lastly, do y’all have any information on how to successfully tattoo newborn kids?
Teat balm is there to protect the teat from bacteria as the goat lays around during the day:)
Thank you for this and the wonderful video of your daughter milking.
I have the milking of my son’s goat to take over this weekend and know exactly what you mean about co-ordination of the fingers, mine may as well be sausages at times!
After 5 days ‘training’ and one VERY patient Laura the Goat, I can produce steady streams now (until the fingers misbehave of course) so I am feeling slightly more confident about taking over.
Your excellent pictures, explanations and humour have been the most help on the Internet.
Thanks again.
Love from Tracy and Laura xx
Thank you for this great tutorial! I have one question though, Do you use a teat dip after milking or does your udder and teat balm take the place of this? Thank you!
Hi Joya,
I use the teat balm in place of this.
I have pygmies, and I milk them, I had one that was up to a quart a day before the neighbor’s dog attacked and killed her. Pygmies are the same, but a 2-3 finger milking goat. Once you get the rhythm it’s simple, and quite soothing, like connecting with your roots. Matilda (Tildy) was the one we lost, I used to sing “Milking Matilda” to the tune of “Waltzing Matilda” while milking her.
I’m glad you are providing info, and its a great place to start for thoes who have never had anyone show them. I’ve seen a lot of people who have been milking forever and have terrible technique. Please, for your poor goats teats, DON’T milk up on the bag, you will damage the cup that leads to the teat duct. If you put your fingers around just the teat and bump up then squeeze, it is much more comfortable for the doe, don’t twist or stretch the teat to its end. Think about how kids nurse, they don’t have any part of the bag in their mouth (unless you have a bag bag, but that’s a different problem, but one that will arise if you continue to milk from the bag), or pull the teat down. Milking from the bag is easier, but not good, and most likely uncomfortable or even painful for the doe.If you have a doe that kicks all the time or even lays down after a bit , she might be trying to tell you something. I have ended up with some great girls that were “the worst milkers” due to poor techniques. I have been milking for 26 years, goats and cows, and have taught a lot of people to milk, it takes time to be a fast proficient Milker, stick with it!
GREAT tutorial!! I just completed a University extension workshop that could have used this! I am new to goats but getting Saanens in a few weeks. Furiously going over raw milk regulations for NH but have many questions. Do you happen to know what the acceptable “sell by date” for raw goats milk would be? Or the best way to manage how to sanitize and use containers within the 4 hour limit the state wants when you have a day job to get to? LOL!
Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I felt so defeated yesterday after my first attempt at milking my doe. NOT ONE DROP! And I didn’t even have an old breast pump to fall back on. This tutorial has helped immensely! Birdie (the goatie) and I thank you again!
Oh I’m so glad I could help!!!
Every day twice a day rain, sleet, snow, hotter than you know where. Yep, goats are addictive.