IN GOAT-KEEPING 31 



ation should be eommenced as soon as she is fastened in the stand 

 I find it a good plan to stroke her back or head a few times, while 

 calling her name and gently rub her underneath with the back 

 of the right hand, moving it toward the udder and at the same 

 time introduce the left hand between the hind legs and the udder, 

 with palm on the udder, holding a small pail between the 

 knees or allowing it to rest on stand, if goat is reasonably 

 gentle. A young doe, not yet broken to being milked, may 

 be depended upon to do one of two things: she will either 

 raise her foot and endeavor to push away your hand, same 

 as she pushes away the kids, or she will jump frantically, 

 lifting her hindquarters well into the air. This is when the 

 milker wants to keep calm and not lose his temper, but stick 

 right on the job and she will probably soon become more quiet. 

 If she persists in raising her foot to push you away, the left hand 

 in the position mentioned will act as a shield and prevent her 

 stepping into the milk pail. If she insists on the upward jump, 

 grasp her right hind leg below the joint with your left hand, and 

 hold her foot up and slightly back, while pressing her against the 

 stand with your head, held just forward of her flank: she may 

 continue to struggle for a while, but you must proceed to milk 

 her with the right hand while she is thus jacked up and after a 

 few lessons she is likely to learn better manners. Keep cool and 

 when finished give her an extra handful of feed and a little extra 

 petting and in a little while she will become as quiet and docile 

 as an older goat. 



An entirely different plan, practiced by some, is for the milk- 

 er to straddle over the goat's hindquarters, and reaching down, 

 hold the pail with one hand and milk with the other. I do not like 

 this plan because it is very uncomfortable and is apt to induce 

 "squatting" on the part of the goat, which is a very objection- 

 able habit and hard to overcome when once formed. 



HOW AND WHEN TO MILK. 



There are two methods of milking, the one called niveling 

 and the other stripping: the former is the method usually fol- 

 lowed in milking cows and may be used with goats where the 

 teats are reasonably large, but the latter method is followed by 

 most goat milkers, and after a little practice will be found fully 

 as satisfactory. It consists in grasping the teat, close to the 

 udder, between the first finger and thumb and drawing down the 

 entire length, exerting considerable pressure, thus causing the 

 milk to flow freely; milk quickly and be sure the udder is com- 

 pletely emptied before leaving ; after exhausting one teat, go to 

 the other and then return and continue this until there is none 

 left ; a quick punch into the udder, following the practice of the 

 kids, will frequently bring down a reserve supply ; this should be 

 done while the teat is grasped in the hand ready to empty. 



