Making the Switch to Once-A-Day Milking

Reader Contribution by Tracy Houpt
Published on July 27, 2015
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My milk goat and I have been transitioning to once-a-day (OAD) milking this past week. I was nervous about it, but we’re six days into the process, and it seems to be going well. Of course if you could get Focus’s opinion, she might disagree. She’s getting less grain and carrying a heavier load in her udder! Here’s why I decided to do this, and how I’ve approached it.

The reasons:

1. Focus is a highly productive Sable Saanen dairy doe, and with twice a day milkings, she gives a bit more than a gallon a day. We drink some, I use it for baking and cooking, I make ricotta cheese, and I have lots in the freezer for making soap. Even with that, the chickens, cats, and dogs were still sharing a half gallon every day.

2. No matter how much I enjoy my farm chores, it was starting to feel a bit restrictive to know that I had to be here every evening by 7 p.m. Even farmers need a social life!

3. A dairy goat eats quite a bit of grain while she’s on the milkstand, to support the demands of lactation. OAD milking cuts down some on that expense.

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