Milking a goat

Juan y La Cabra

This morning I spent an hour getting expert instuction on how to milk a goat. The goat above contains a bucket full of milk and takes an expert 7-10 minutes to empty it. I managed a cup full in 20 minutes. It's all down to experience.

The goat herder is Juan, a good friend of mine, who I've known for 7 years. His skills are too numerous to mention, but they include calling individual goats from a herd of 30 animals and throwing stones with great accuracy. Why throw stones? Well, most goat herders have a couple of dogs to guide the goats and keep predators (usually other dogs), away from the herd. But Juan guides his herd by calling the goats directly and he keeps stray dogs away by throwing stones.

One of the secrets of successful milking is keeping the goats still. Juan puts a bucket of maize and dried green beans in front of each goat to occupy them. The goats find this mixture delicious but nearly impossible to eat because it's like chewing ball bearings, so a handful keeps the goat occupied for the duration of the milking.

Most of Juan's days are spent on the pastures that surround the lake, or, the herd is invited to graze on a piece of land that's overgrown. The hours are flexible, grazing in the evenings during the summer and afternoons the rest of the year. It's a solitary job but Juan listens to a small radio while he watches the herd.

I'm planning on making a short video of the goat herd later this year, I'll put it on this blog for you to see.