SO Tired!

Ok i admit it. I'm Tired. I hit my limit. With birthing kids. And milking. 3 goats. Thats my personal limit. I've only been milking all three now for uh, 3 days and already i can see it. Hit my limit. 3. Three in milk is too much for little ole me.

Just to give you a little perspective on why its a bit much. (i don't know how others do it, must be they have a milking machine, in a milk parlor, with lactating does in their own pen setup for time)...

First thing in the mornings i warm milk for 5 babies. 2 are newborns and 3 are in the 6th week. So i need to feed two by two as i only have 2 hands. ;0) This is a chore. About 30 minutes. Could take longer.

Time for a lambar milk pail. (this is a pail that holds a couple of gallons of milk and has nipples on the sides of it to allow the kids to just drink, drink, drink on their own. Once the babes are fed they are bullets of energy. I need to corral them to let the mommas out to milk. This isn't timely. Just frustrating. Its like having to corral an octupus on speed. Babes are happy but now onto the mothers.

AND All three are cranky and crying why are you late. (which i'm not). Opening the gate, they barrel out the paddock and up the slope to the driveway gate. I let them all in and tie them all up along the fenceline. Hopefully, no babes are following. (I can't wait for the day they are all too big to squish thru things.) ok this part is angst ridden. I usually take a swig of coffee and smoke a cig. Slow down and get into the next task of quiet calmness. Cause really milking is a wonderful thing. The act of milking is very peaceful. Its the set up around it that gets you.

SO, 3 goats tied to 3 areas of the fence. They will stay there and wait their turn. Patiently. Very quiet. And attentive.

I do this up near the garage on the concrete. Nearby the kitchen. In the house, i get the pail. Wash my hands. Get the udder wash ready. And set it up near the stand. Bring all this outside.

I hose their feet. spray fly spray. check them. THEN, I clean each teat. Wash the udder. Wash my hands again. Dry all. And milk. The washing concoction i bring out in a sterile bucket every morning. Bleach, dish soap and water. This is what i wash with.

I milk Delilah the queen first. She takes the longest and must massage her udder and ointment on it every morning. Her one udder has scar tissue and massaging it keeps it loose. I can really tell a difference if i don't massage it every milking.

Once i milk her dry, i bring the milk into the house to weigh it. Usually we are averaging 60-70ounces in the morning. I pour on the scale, right into the strainer and milk jug. Cap it off and put in fridge. I don't strain in the beginning. It's all going back to the kids at this point. At weaning i will start straining. Needless its still a step that needs doing.

Wash the bucket (if its got alot of foam on it). And go transfer goat with another goat.

And repeat all steps above two more times. aaaah! Zen...

Oreo is second. And she is the sweetest and the easiest. She is averaging 55+ ounces in the morning.

Latte is low doe on this totem. And she is the newest to learn. Chances are with her? milk is going to go everywhere right now. She isn't sure what i'm doing. She likes it. Then she doesn't like it. She forgets and then gets cranky on me. Its a slow learning process and she is doing well. Today she gave me 30 ounces in the am.

Each time after each girl I head inside to weigh and put in a jug.

I go back in and gather the mornings milk from each girl, check it again for any oddness, and then put them together, in one container. After the babies wean it will go into the freezer.

Get the goats. They are still tied to the fenceline. Put them back in their pens. Go in the house and clean, wash, sterilize all the items used for this mornings meal or milking. The one UGH part is that dried milk is not fun. So gotta clean them asap.

am i done yet? NOOOO.... since i'm trying to be kind to the earth i try not to use paper towels for the cleaning and the dipping and the washing of udders so next up is a quick load of laundry. I have on hand a few days worth of small towelettes and towels and wash rags. In they go.

Clean the area i just milked. Hose it down. And then I'm welll... not done....

Now its time to go out and feed everyone that didn't get a bottle. Horses, goats, pigs, dogs, chickens.... This probably is the easiest part of my morning. Goats are standing at their feed buckets. Horses are ready for some hay. Chickens all come running. Dogs. pig. duck... all there waiting for their food. I take a big breath, sit down on a hay bale and just watch everyone eat...Wondering where the hell is my coffee mug...



Ok.... NOW i'm Done...

Well.... till i have to start the process all over again for evening feeding and milkings.

So did i miss anything? ..... Yes!

Cleaning..... Cleaning the stalls. The paddocks. etc... The house. (haha) This is the one area that i just push aside. Sorry house! When i have a full day of client work, things like making the bed. Taking a shower. Eating breakfast just don't make the cut... oh well!

No, and i haven't forgotten the parrots. They eat on my schedule. So when I eat i give them their fruits and veggies too.

If all goes well in these chores i'm sitting ready to work at my desk by 10 am. Not too bad me thinks. And then i just do what "normal" people do till around 6 ish. (sit and play on facebook)... THEN the whole process begins again for evening.

Right now i'm tired. I don't know why just one more little goat thru me over that line. But she did. And i'm done. Luckily, she goes back to her owner next week.