Milking Dolly (or How to Get Goat Juice)

Yes, even vacation can be very educational.



But first, let's back up to the beginning of the process. Meet Bucky and Dolly, skilled jumpers and eager food consumers.



Twice a day, at 6:30 am and again 12 hours later, Dolly is lead from the corral to the milking station. Morning duty usually falls to mom, while Michelle takes over in the evening.



The process starts with a nice udder rubdown -- to remove the dust that has collected throughout the day.



The first spurts of milk are discarded onto the ground, again to clear the bacteria from the milk supply.



Quite a bit of foam begins to form atop the fresh milk. The trick is to capture the milk in the teat by encircling it at the base with two fingers, and then squeezing downward with the remaining fingers to release the milk. A proficient milker can finish the task in about 3 minutes.



If a goat is milked effectively and consistently, the milk production will increase. Dolly has been producing two quarts during each milking, providing the family with a full gallon each day for the past year.



The paper towels filter out any impurities that may be in the milk.



Ah, the finished product!