Milking a goat once a day?

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Milking a goat once a day?

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Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 7:20 pm Post subject: Milking a goat once a day?
Is it possible to go from milking twice to once a day? Obviously the goats welfare comes first but I was just wondering if anyone has done it? Also how long do you let them dry off for before they kid again? Ours went to a Billy (beast he was, hence the capital 'B' ) last week so if she's pregnant when should we stop taking milk from her?

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 8:00 pm Post subject:
yes you can i only milked megan once a day....she still had a hell of a lot of milk i am afraid i can't answer the rest

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 8:37 pm Post subject:
I would be very interested to hear the answers to these questions. Sorry I cannot offer any advice myself for the time being as we have not had goats before but we have four new arrivals due imminently so expect more questions like this one very soon S

gingerwelly

Joined: 08 Dec 2005
Posts: 419
Location: Wales ...in cardiff at the mo but from mid wales

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 06 1:06 am Post subject:
https://fiascofarm.com/goats/milking.htm#onceaday this might help .... or you could contact the british goat breeders they do information sheets

gingerwelly

Joined: 08 Dec 2005
Posts: 419
Location: Wales ...in cardiff at the mo but from mid wales

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 06 1:07 am Post subject:
A doe should have at least 2 months rest from milking before she freshens again. It takes a lot out of a doe to produce milk. She needs this time off so that her body can recover and concentrate on nourishing the kids forming inside of her.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 06 8:10 am Post subject:

Thanks for the link. I'd looked at them already but their set up seemed to be different from ours. I knew she'd need a break but assumed it was so she could form colostrum instead of milk. We're members of the GA but they don't seem to have that kind of information. There's a brief article in this months newsletter saying that someone thinks it can be done once a day but they don't elaborate on how.

fenwoman

Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 509
Location: Tydd St giles

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 06 12:37 pm Post subject:

I found mine would give less milk as the pregnancy wore on. Since I am a softy and a mother I could not bear to remove the kid from the mother and bottle feed it so here is what I would do. At night, mother and kind in same goat house but seperated by means of a hurdle. They can lay next to each other etc but it cannot suckle. Next morning I would have most of the milk (up to 6 pints) then allow mother and kid to be together all day long and it gets to suckle all day too. At night, seperate them either side of the hurdle again. Of course you'll have to pack good food into the nanny but this way she doesn't have to be seperated from her kid and you still get milk. I miss my goats terribly but simply don't have any room for them. However if the field opposite my cottage comes up for rent again I will get some more .

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 06 2:40 pm Post subject:

We don't separate the nanny from the kids until they're weaned. We stock the freezer up and have frozen milk or buy cows milk again until she's in a position to give the kids what they need and spare a bit for us.
She only went to the billy last week so we aren't even certain if she caught or not. The milking twice a day is really fairly problematic as there's so much else to do so I was just wondering if anyone does it once a day.

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