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/ Goats / How to Milk a Goat by Hand

How to Milk a Goat by Hand

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When you milk a goat, you’ll find it is very similar to hand milking a cow. Of course, goat teats tend to be smaller than cow teats. Their teats also vary greatly in size depending on breed and genetics.

a hand milking a goat's udder with the words "how to milk a goat by hand"

I’ve milked Nubians, Nigerian Dwarfs, and Alpine breeds of goats. I have found the Nubian and Alpine goats to have large enough teats to milk easily like a cow. The Nigerian Dwarf goats are much smaller and can be a bit trickier to milk.

Even with the varying sizes of teats, the methods of milking is still the same for me. I’m sure there are other people out there who milk differently than I do.

You’ll also want to gather all of the proper milking equipment so that you’ll have all you need to milk a goat and to handle the milk properly afterwards.

How to Milk a Goat by Hand

Step 1-

I start out by getting the goat on the milk stand and locking the head gate. This is easiest to do with a little feed for motivation. Our milk stand head gate has a piece of wood that slides from side to side. We use a bolt to hold it in place with the goat’s head locked in it.

Step 2-

Now, I gently pet and rub the goat while talking lovies to her. This makes her relax and settle in for the milking. Plus, I just like to love on my goats. Some goats start out a little nervous but after some petting, they calm down and relax.

Step 3-

I use a wet rag dipped in a bucket of warm water with a touch of liquid castile soap and some essential oils in it. I gently clean and massage the udder, this does 2 things- cleans the udder (obviously), and it helps the goat let her milk down for me. You definitely don’t want dirt and debris in your milk.

Learning how to milk a goat by hand isn't hard. Once you've been hand milking for a while it will be a breeze. You'll be so glad to have a dairy goat to milk on your homestead!

Step 4-

I’m ready to begin milking now. I start by squirting 1-2 squirts of milk out on the milk stand to make sure it looks normal with no signs of mastitis or anything off about it. If you see any chunks or thick/stringy milk, you may need to test for mastitis. Once I am sure the milk is nice and clean, I start milking my goat.

Step 5-

To do the actual milking, I grasp the top of the teat close to the udder and gently close it off, trapping the milk in the teat. I now gently squeeze my fingers closed starting at the top to bring all of the milk down and out of the teat. You want to empty the milk out of the teat with each squeeze. Be sure that you’re closing off at the top so the milk doesn’t “backwash” in the teat back to the udder.

Learning how to milk a goat by hand isn't hard. Once you've been hand milking for a while it will be a breeze. You'll be so glad to have a dairy goat to milk on your homestead!

Step 6-

I milk straight into a small pail and continue milking until the udder is empty. You’ll know when it is done because the milk will no longer come out easily and will only be a very small amount upon each squeeze. I also stop and massage the udder several times during milking to encourage all of the milk to come down.

Learning how to milk a goat by hand isn't hard. Once you've been hand milking for a while it will be a breeze. You'll be so glad to have a dairy goat to milk on your homestead!

Step 7-

Once I’m done, I strain the milk and get it ready for putting in the fridge. I like to rub my homemade udder balm on my goat’s teats to keep them healthy and supple. Now, I let my goat off the milk stand and put her back in the pasture.

Learning how to milk a goat by hand isn't hard. Once you've been hand milking for a while it will be a breeze. You'll be so glad to have a dairy goat to milk on your homestead!

I think that milking dairy animals is my favorite chore. I use the term chore loosely because, if I enjoy it so much, is it really chore? I just love the time spent with the animals and with whichever family member(s) join me while I’m milking.

I don’t ever want to go without a dairy animal on our property again. I just see so many benefits in so many ways from keeping dairy goats and cows.

More hand milking tips:

How to Milk a Goat by Weed ’em and Reap

Ways to Milk a Goat by The 104 Homestead

My Milking Routine by The Prairie Homestead


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Milking equipment for the homestead dairy is essential. You'll need all the right milking supplies to milk your goat or cow.

Top 6 Milking Equipment and Supplies 

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Filed Under: Critters, Goats, Homesteading Tagged With: how to milk, milk, milking, milking a goat, raw milk

About Jenna

Hey, y’all! I’m Jenna, wife to my amazing husband, Derek, mom to 8 beautiful farm kids, homesteader, homemaker, homeschooler, and lover of Jesus. I enjoy all things farmy, family, crafting, old fashioned, and homemade.

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Hey there!

Hey, y’all! I’m Jenna, wife to my amazing husband, Derek, mom to 8 beautiful farm kids, homesteader, homemaker, homeschooler, and lover of Jesus. I enjoy all things farmy, family, crafting, old fashioned, and homemade. Read More…

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