Precocious

A lot has happened over the weekend and past few days so I am going to take it one post at a time. The most amazing thing is.......I have goat milk.

Wait..What?

How?

When?

Hugh?

Well, let me tell you, I was just as shocked as you are.

Yesterday, while feeding the animals I was sitting there watching them, enjoying the quiet morning. I noticed May was rubbing her udder on a stump. Wait..what? Udder? When did her udder fill up? That's what I was thinking anyway. I asked my daughter to come look at her because I have been known over the past year to imagine certain changes in the animals and have been way off. So, I needed her to verify that, indeed, her udder had filled and she developed a bag. Lexy said, "Whoah, when did she get so big?"

This is May's bag with milk.

Here is Ellie's just to give you a comparison.

I came in and started researching why a goat would fill her bag for no reason. May did not just kid. May is not pregnant. (Even if she was, the milk does not come in until the last 4-5 weeks of pregnancy and it is not possible for her to be that far along) I e-mailed my dairy goat friends who were stumped. I e-mailed my Vet friend who suggested maybe she was having a pseudopregnancy. Then, another person suggested that she was precocious. After reading this article http://fiascofarm.com/goats/udder.htm#precocious I thought it may be a real possibility.

I ruled out mastitis, she is not having any signs of illness and is acting normally. Well, she has been a lot sweeter lately. Maybe the extra oxytocin?

I showed May's bag to my husband last night and he thought it looked full but was not sure what was going on. He tried to get some milk out but May was not having it.

Fast forward to this morning. I was feeding the animals again and I noticed that May was sucking on her own teats. Oooookay. I thought that was really strange. Then I saw creamy white milk coming from May's mouth and teats. Oh my goodness.

I researched her milk issue again and found several other people who have had precious goats. Some of them let the goat dry up and some of them milk them. The one's that have decided to milk them have yielded a great supply of milk. I have not found any articles or information suggesting that milking her would be harmful or put her at risk sooooo.......

I have been waiting 7 months for milk. Two of my goats were supposed to be bred when I bought them and it turned out they were not. I have been dreaming about goat milk for cheese, soap, and to meet our dairy needs. So, yes, I milked her this morning.

My daughter was a giant help. She held and patted May while I tried my hand at milking. I have never milked anything in my life. I had to watch several videos and do a good bit of reading before I went out there. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but I did it! She gave me just over a cup of milk. I know that sounds like a tiny bit but for her first time it is pretty good! Some people only get a few tablespoons the first time so I feel lucky. She should start giving more each day. My plan is to keep milking her until she is freshened up.

I have not tried the milk yet. It is chilling in the fridge. It was thick and creamy and bright white. Not watery at all.

I really do think this is a blessing. I am so very thankful.