Mama Faun’s udder is huge. Last year two of our mama’s had triplets so the babies did a fine job drinking up all that milk, but it’s good to keep an eye out when mama’s have one baby. Sometimes the babies only drink out of one side or don’t drink enough to relieve the pressure because the mama’s are producing enough milk to feed multiple babies. Their udders can get damaged if the pressure is not relieved, which is very painful for them. Faun looked uncomfortably full so we brought her to the milking stand to be milked for the first time this morning. She was very cautious at first, but once she was on the stand she was calm and got into the perfect milking position. We talked soothingly to her, letting her know that we were only going to relieve a little pressure so she would be more comfortable and we would leave plenty of milk for her sweet little baby. We were so grateful that her first time being milked went so well. Some goats are hard to milk for the first time (most goats.) But I think it makes a difference that we’ve raised her since she was born because she is used to us. And I bring her to the milking stand on occasion to trim her hooves so she knows that when she goes to the milking stand she gets treats.
We thanked her for her milk and brought enough up to the house to fill a small drinking cup. Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since we’ve had goat’s milk and we were pretty darn excited! Jeff and I savored it between the two of us, enjoying every last drop. People say that usually the milk tastes funny in the very beginning because it has colostrum in it. Typically all the milk goes to the babies for a long time so we haven’t tasted the colostrum in the past. I barely noticed it. Faun’s milk was so sweet and delicious, I knew she came from her grandmother Creamy because Creamy had the best tasting milk in the world, as sweet as honey. This little bit of colostrum is such a sacred gift for us to be drinking, it’s full of incredible nutrition. And I thank Faun because she fed our little baby some of her magic elixir.
Wow, what a beautiful perspective. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I love how this demonstrates how connected we all are to everything around us. I was struck with that thought the other day while we were hiking. I saw a great & old tree & stood there thinking that that tree was the product of all the previous trees & plants before it that dropped their leaves & branches to the ground to become part of the soil, which was now nurturing the this tree. It was so beautiful to me.