How to Milk A Goat in 10 Simple Steps

Have you ever wanted to know how to milk a cow? How about a goat? 

It's not as tough as you may think. Sure, it can be a bit tricky to figure out the hand positioning at first, but you'll nail the technique in no time! In fact, nearly all the Johnson boys here at Bend Soap Company love milking, even Quint (who's been milking since he was four). They do it twice a day -- rain, sun, snow, wind, below-freezing temperatures, or shine!

Whether you want to milk a friend's goat, learn on your own animal, or just satisfy your curiosity, read along!

We've broken down our process here at Bend Soap to fill you in on how to milk a goat in just 10 simple steps!

Step 1: Prepare the grain and milk bucket. Put the feeder on the milking stand and put about 1 pound of grain in it.

Step 2: Find the goat and catch her! (If she has a collar, you can either hold onto the collar or clip a leash onto it and lead her).

Step 3: Separate the milking goat from the other goats. Otherwise, the other goats will be very curious and will interfere with each other.

Step 4: Lead the goat to the milking stand and allow her to place her head through the stanchion (a frame that holds the head of a goat or cow in place). After that, lock the stanchion closed.

Step 5: Wash down the udder and teats with a warm or dry cloth. This process not only removes dirt, loose hair, etc., but the warmth and relax the goat and causes the release of oxytocin, triggering milk letdown.

Step 6: Place the bucket on the stand under her udder. Wrap your thumb and forefinger around the base of the teat tightly enough to trap the milk inside the teat.

Step 7: Squeeze with your middle finger, then ring finger, then your pinky, in one smooth, successive motion. Then relax your grip and allow milk to refill the teat.

Step 8: Repeat steps 6 and 7, with one hand on each teat.

Step 9: Unclip the stanchion and release your goat. Then, give them a good scratch on the chin and some lovin'.

Step 10: Enjoy your sweet yummy milk!

I hope you enjoyed reading this fun, informative, article on how to easily milk a goat! Now put down your computer and get out there and try it for yourself!

This blog entry was written by Allie.