Increasing Milk Production

Because it is a good way to provide QUICK energy. I also occasionally use Nutra-Drench with my does which is molasses based. This is a good and acceptable use of molasses and far different that giving it to them everyday

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Providence Hill Farm
http://goatmilksoapandlotion.com
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Spoiled Goats Give Sweeter Milk

I'll second feeding alfalfa pellets, as i started feeding them 2wks ago. have always feed alfalfa hay but now just couple flakes day for roughage. I also just feed whole wheat as grain. and minerals and sodium bycarb+ salt. goats are giveing lots of milk.

when growing up had two neighbors who raised q-horses one feed every thing the feed store had, the old man down the street feed grass hay and whole oats, plus minerals. his colts were quite abit bigger at weaning, yet mares were same size. so all that processing may not be the best for animals. My opion they can process there own. dan

when i started with goats i feed the dumor brand too until i looked at the label. it contained chicken by products at that time. it also had a lot of molasse in it. maybe that changed?
not a very good brand imho.
if that would be my goats i would do a fecal check. do you know if they were wormed after kidding?
a good milk goat will give you milk even if only milked once a day. are you sure you get them empty? if your three year old doe gave 4# last year at your friends house i would say she might never give you milk to your satisfaction. are those pb toggs or mix breed?

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Susanne Stuetzler
Ain-ash-shams
Nubian Dairy Goats

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I think it's working!

I started them on alfalfa a few days ago . . . they're not quite up to free choice yet but I'm working them in that direction. Today I got about a half pound more milk than I had been getting - not much, I know, but it's a start.

The Dumor is the only thing my feed store has. I'm going to wean them off it and swtich to oats and corn once they get used to having alfalfa free choice.

I realize it's possible that my older one may never give a ton of milk, but if I can get her up to even a couple of pounds a milking I could live with that. I'm coming up on a run of days off this week, so I'm going to milk her twice a day for a few days and see if that helps bring her up. My dh also said that if I could go mechanical he'd milk, but he's not gonna do it by hand! I actually have a surge milker but I need the vacuum supply, so if I can find one within my budget I might be able to get them milked twice a day. I would also get a couple more does if I had a machine but on the days I work I honestly only have time to milk 2 goats.

BTW they are purebred Toggs.

Thanks, everyone, for all the suggestions. I really appreciate the help.

Even if you do go mechanical, he'll have to do the initial squirts and the final stripping by hand. Teach him to do those things, and he may decide milking isn't so bad and do the whole job by hand.

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Umm, my dh? No. Agreeing to milk with a machine was a HUGE sacrifice on his part. One miracle at a time . . .