How to Stop a Goat From Kicking When Milking

Save grain feeding for milking time to give your goat a distraction.

For many goat owners, few experiences produce the degree of frustration they feel when a high-spirited doe kicks over a bucket of warm-from-the-udder milk without warning. Stopping a goat from kicking when milking requires patience and persistence --- and a helpful tool called a goat hobble. Typically made of sturdy nylon, goat hobbles are straps that secure and restrain the rear legs without causing pain, thus humanely preventing a goat from kicking while you empty her udder.

Things You'll Need

• Milking stand
• Goat grain
• Goat hobble
• Milking bucket

Instructions

1. Secure your goat in a milking stand to minimize the movement of the front part of her body. If possible, opt for a milking stand that comes equipped with a head stanchion --- two parallel vertical bars or boards that hold the goat still by securing its neck.

2. Feed your goat a scoop of grain in the milking-stand feed trough. This provides nervous goats --- especially one experiencing her first lactation --- with a distraction that often prevents her from focusing completely on your hands touching her udders during the milking process.

3. Clasp the hobble ends around the goat's back legs. Rest your hand on the goat's back, then slowly slide your hand down one of her hind legs while you talk softly. Gently grasp the goat's hind leg at a location that is approximately three to four inches above the top edge of the hoof. Wrap one end of the hobble around that portion of the goat's leg and secure it in place by buckling it shut. Repeat this process with the other hind leg to secure the hobble in place.

4. Milk your goat. Position the milk bucket midway between her front and rear legs to help keep it out of reach of her hind legs. Lean slightly toward your goat so your shoulder touches her side as this helps make the goat aware that you're there and minimizes your chances of startling her when you start stripping the milk from the udder. Talk to the goat quietly throughout the milking period to reassure her and help keep her calm.

Tips & Warnings

• Some hobbles are adjustable, so make sure they allow the proper amount of distance between your goat's hind legs. As a rule, the distance between the two hobbled hind legs should be wide enough to allow the goat to stand comfortably but not so wide that she can still lift either foot off the ground in a kicking motion.

• Goats kick during milking for a variety of reasons. Taking the time to figure out exactly why you goat kicks could help you eliminate the kicking completely. Possible causes may include extreme nervousness in a young doe, a lice infestation, biting flies and long fingernails that pinch or scratch the goat's sensitive udder skin.

References

• "The Self-Sufficiency Handbook"; Alan Bridgewater, et al.; 2007
• "Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats"; Jerry Belanger, et al.; 2010