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I recently moved my farm. It’s been about a month and a half, but I’m not at all settled or in a routine… it’s been crazy crazy here. My animals have all been inside the fenced yard at night, which was easy but now that I want them to move out, they’re saying, but this is working great! Things are better then they were last week and the week before… so I’m making progress and need to not get so impatient and frustrated. HA!
So I bought these two beautiful goats, Lola on the left, Stella on the right.
What a blessing it was to meet their owners! I fell in love with them and their family quickly! They’re so NICE Y’ALL! And their adult kids want to be around them… so that says a lot about their character! Anyways, these two goats are Saanen breed and even though they hadn’t been milked in more then a month, Stella still had some production going on, after her first night, she was pretty full in the morning and I knew this was going to be a ginormous blessing for me! Not only am I getting milk, but I’m getting a routine and figuring out how to set my barn up before I have these girls and Daisy in production! These girls are a dream on the milking stand, they just hop up and stand there!
For this particular wash, I chose Frankincense, Lavender, Fennel, Copaiba and Tea Tree essential oils.
Frankincense is one of the most important and well used oils in the animal world. Probably human world too, it’s my most used oil for personal use. It’s used with all forms of cancer, tumors, cysts, behavior conditions, depression, brain disorders, seizures, immune system stimulation/regulation, autoimmune disorders, DNA repair and still much more. It’s considered a ‘life force’ and assists in times of transition and death, being helpful to both animal and caretaker.
Lavender is such an adulterated and synthetically created essential oil. Please pay attention to what you are purchasing. Lavender is the BOMB for emotional concerns, poor sleeping, PTSD, anxiety and when used in a water diffuser, shown to be helpful for asthma, kennel cough and many other upper respiratory and sinus junk.
Fennel is commonly used with animals for diabetes, blood sugar balancing, hormone balancing, intestinal parasites, urinary tract infection, stimulating milk production and for gastrointestinal concerns – per The Animal Desk Reference by Melissa Shelton DVM. But don’t chance the use of this if you or any of your animals have seizures or epilepsy, just to be on the super safe side!
Copaiba is a rock star oil! It’s got very little scent or flavor, it’s one of the highest anti-inflammatory oils, appears to magnify whatever other oils it is paired with, is wonderful to use with many conditions; arthritis, gastric ulcers, dental disease, gingivitis, skin conditions, inflammation of any kind, urinary disorders… a powerhouse!
Tea Tree is also widely made synthetically, which accounts for some terrible stories and attacks on the oil for animal use. Again, pay attention to the quality of oil you are buying. I think the main story was about a cat and the tea tree oil was a common brand sold in stores.. I diffuse tea tree oil every single day and these kittens are very much alive! This oil is AMAZING. It’s listed as an antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory. Why wouldn’t I use this?? It is indicated for yeast and bacterial infections of the skin, ringworm (my friend Kodie has a recipe and story about ringworm), candida, sinus and lung infections, hypertension and skin conditions. Research also shows that it can reduce oral bacteria, improve gum health, reduce histamine-induced allergic skin reactions, kills lice, reduces warts and has effects against resistant bacterial strains such as MRSA. There’s so much goodness in just the basic essential oils that are affordable. All these facts are pretty much anywhere you research, but I’m referencing The Animal Desk Reference by Melissa Shelton, DVM. It’s available on Amazon.
The rest of the recipe for this wash is basic stuff. Vegetable Glycerin and Liquid Castile Soap and water!
Teat Wash Recipe
1/2 Gallon of water, I used warm just to help mix everything
1/2 Tablespoon of Liquid Castile Soap, I used Dr Bronner’s Baby Mild, which is unscented
1/2 Tablespoon of Vegetable Glycerin
30-50 drops of essential oils
Add the essential oils to the soap, so they have something to cling to or they’ll just float, but still rock or gently rotate before each use.
If you notice the essential oils smell in the milk, then you can wipe off with a wet towel before milking, but by the time I have myself sorted, they’ve absorbed and I don’t notice a smell.
The lavender is missing!
After milking, many people clean again, then use the balm, but I make sure the teats are empty and then use the balm. Here’s what I use:
Udder Balm Recipe
1/2 cup Coconut Oil at room temp
1 ounce beeswax
40-50 drops of essential oils and I’m repeating the oils that I chose for the wash because they’re all perfectly beneficial to my goats.
Melt the coconut oil over low heat and add the beeswax. I like to put my glass measuring cup into a small pot of water.
Stir often until the beeswax is fully melted. Allow to cool but not solidify. Add the essential oils, mix very well and pour into jars.
I prefer to use small jars just to keep the freshness good, cause I know I’m going to scoop this out with my fingers after milking, so I’ll use up the small jars quickly and not ruin a big one!
Keep in mind that if you are sharing the milk with kid goats, they’ll benefit from getting the essential oils off their mamas, so don’t panic about that. It’s a bonus!
