I had posted before about my newly obtained precocious milker. We are carefully milking as shown by experienced friends. The people we bought from had said that her milk tasted badly and was an off color. She was eating a lot of weeds, so we did not really question the taste. The problem is that the way they had shown us that they had milked her was described by our friends as stripping the teat. My first thought about the pink cast was blood. The milk is not thick of stingy or of bad odor. The goat was probably milked that way for two years. She does not resist milking.

Is this type of damage irreversible? Will she go into heat if we keep milking? What would you advise we do with her?

-- Lori Pruett (happybusymama@earthlink.net), June 17, 2003

Answers

That is why there is blood! Stripping is very hard on the udder and teat, and even when done at the end of milking, shouldn't be overdone. I don't know whether the damage is irreversible, if she put up with this for two years, she is an *angel* and deserves a chance to see!! She will come into heat in the fall, whether you milk her or not. Yes, a pink cast is always blood; how long have you been milking her correctly?

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), June 18, 2003.