I went a milking!

Today I went “a milking” with my friend Donna.  She’s a backyard homesteader too but she keeps her livestock off property due to her city regulations.

Bambi is a a nigerian dwarf – perfect when you don’t need a ton of milk or have a small space.  They also have some of the highest milk fat of all goats.  Did you know that goat’s milk is naturally homogenized? 

Sweet Bambi is a first time mama but she does beautifully on the milk stand and was very patient with me.  Can I just tell you it is NOT easy to milk tiny goat teats?!?!  Donna demonstrated for me several times but I finally got it.

After milking Fiona (Bambi’s kid) and Bambi got some treats from the garden.  I got to taste some of

the chilled milk for the morning’s milking and Donna sent me home with a couple quarts.  It is delicious and I can’t wait to add some to my morning coffee tomorrow!

 

 

Ok, check out my technique…

I hope  that in a few years we will be on property of our own so that we can have a couple of dairy goats; though I imagine the novelty of milking will wear off…

In other news we are modifying the rabbit’s pens while they spend the next few months indoors.  We bought a 25 ft roll of aluminum flashing that is 8 inches high.  We lined the inside of the cage in hopes that the urine will not end up on the walls and floors.  It is super easy to cut and we attached it to the wire with steel cable ties.  This is a 2 person job and I recommend you take the rabbit out during it – Henrietta was happy to play while we worked.

It should be noted that rabbit urine will eat paint off your walls…you’ll have to trust me on this.

FYI – rabbits do not do well in the heat.  We live in Phoenix where temps can get as high as 120 in the summer.  An indoor rabbitry, even a small one, isn’t exactly what I planned on but at least I won’t have to worry about rabbits having heat stroke and dying.  This is a horrible death for a rabbit.  If you’re going to raise them outdoors in the summer make sure that you take more than one precaution to ensure their comfort and safety.