Set Up Ideas

Does she like apples or bananas? The way to a milking does heart is through her stomach! They need lots of feed while lactating, and they need to associate you with feed.

Next time you get her in the stand, put a halter on her. What I have found is they will usually approach you for a treat, especially if they like it and they do not get it very much.

The trick with halter is devious. Put the treat in the top hand and patiently wait for the doe and instead of walking straight at her, which is what predators do in that goat mind of hers move more sideways to her travel. On the bottom of the halter is a ring. When she starts eating the treat slowly slide your lower hand that is underneath the treat hand.

Don't use a leash at first as she has, long ago, decided that the rope is what she dislikes. Loop your hand quickly through the halter ring (I use my thumb) but stay still and keep letting her eat the treat. With every disagreeable action always have a treat both before and after the action. Goats learn fast, but if you use treats their food drive cover over a lot of things that generate flight.

Once you have you hand securing the doe's halter, do not drag the doe where you want it to go, suggest with slight movements where you want her to go and then wait. Once they realize you aren't going to let go, and you are not dragging them but suggesting to them where you want them, with treats in hand, they generally will go that way. Use the halter to point them towards the milking stand.

I would also make sure I had a feed they would kill for in the stand. She is going to be upset for quite a while. Keep up with treats and change the type of treats and that should keep her interested. You should be feeding her a 16% grain preferably sweet. Yep, they have a sweet tooth.

If you are using a milk machine, check the vacuum pressure. It should be more than 12" and less than 15". Less tahn 12" it might not work, and over 15" you may have a real fight with your doe when you are milking.

I had one doe that was psychotic. I was ready to a 357 mag bullet through her brainpan. But working on her with treats, including wearing a treat purse (manbag!) it finally got to the point whenever I wore that manbag I was BMOC to the goat world. Once she realized she was not going to get the grain she loved, and we used gentle force, made her think it was her idea to be milked, she was okay with it.

My goats were appleholics. When they smell apple in the treat bags I always got her in the stand. Once she was there I reinforced it with more apple slices in her feed. I just had to be sure the apple slices were small enough for her to eat. I had to watch my back, because some doe somewhere was going to try to open the flap on my treat bag.

But I have always determined, let the goat think it was its idea to do something instead of mine and I could get any goat to go anywhere,