Dairy Goat Loosing Milk

ScorpionFlower · #1 06/13/06, 01:53 AM

I have noticed over the past few days my yearling nubian has been giving a bit less milk each milking. She was giving me 1 1/4 quarts a milking. How she's down under 1 quart. We only bought her 2 weeks ago and for several days in a row I had a neighbor milking her at night as we had SIL's wedding rehersal and wedding to attend. I'm not sure what to make of things. I wonder if she's not getting enought feed or what??? I sometimes have my son go outside to check on the alfalfa in the afternoon and tell him if it's low to give them more. I wonder if he's been lying to me and not checking or not giving them more or what??? What could cause her to slow down? She gave birth about a month ago.

crazygoatgirl · #2 06/13/06, 06:28 AM

If she was giving more and is decreasing since you bought her then it is something in your management that is causing her to not milk as much. What kind of feed is she getting on the milk stand and how much? Does she have access to clean fresh water at all times? What kind of roughage does she have access to? Do you know what she was eating prior to you purchasing her? When was the last time she was dewormed? All of these are major factors in milk production.

Wendy · #3 06/13/06, 09:55 AM

Someone different milking can do it also. Sounds like she has had an awful lot of changes in just a couple of weeks. That will affect her milk volume a lot. I would appoint the same person to milk her all the time. Do it at the same times each day. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water, hay/browse, & grain when milking. Minerals & baking soda too.

ScorpionFlower · #4 06/13/06, 10:51 PM

We took down a list of everything she was being fed by her previous owner and I've gotten everything down to the exact brand. She gets this year's #1 alfalfa, she's topped off 2 times a day, fresh water ALWAYS checked 2 times a day as well. She gets Nutrena Milk Goat Ration, 4 handfuls, Nutrena Alfalfa pellets, 2 handfuls, and rolled oats, 3 handfuls, for her milk stand and if she finishes she's given more. She also has salt always in their pen. Her and her penmate also get a few handfuls of oats and alfalfa pellets 2 times a day when I need to move them to and from their nighttime pen as incentive to get them to follow me.

I admit, I'm not the most consistant on milking times. I'm often 1-2 hours off from the 12 hour time from last milking.

I'm pretty much always the one who milks her since we brought her home. We didn't have a choice for friday and saturday nights as we had SIL's wedding rehersal and wedding to attend. My friend also milked her for Thursday night so they could get accustomed to each other with me there to reassure Belle.

ScorpionFlower · #5 06/13/06, 10:54 PM

BTW, I've taken over checking feed and water in the afternoons from my son as I just don't trust him. This morning he was supposed to feed the chickens and he didn't. I do know the girls have always had water cause when I put them in their day pen in the mornings there's always been water still there from the day before.

Wendy · #6 06/13/06, 11:38 PM

Quote:

She also has salt always in their pen.

She really needs to have some minerals instead of just salt. Get rid of the salt completely & get a good loose mineral for her. It will have the salt in it that she needs, but also the other minerals she needs. She may be lacking there.

Wendy · #7 06/13/06, 11:39 PM

Oh, & try to be more consistent with the milking times. It really does make a difference. The change from the taste of the water she had at her old home to yours can affect things too. Goats hate any kind of change.

ScorpionFlower · #8 06/14/06, 07:33 PM

I've been waiting for my local feed store to get my order of a goat sweet lick block in. Just came today and I put it out there. The girls went nuts!! She did give a bit more milk today, which is good. She usually gives 1 - 1 1/4 quart milk each milking. I'm going to start schedueling everything around the goats rather then the other way around. I keep getting distracted by the kids' schedule that I end up reading a book to the kids when I should be milking the goat. I need to just tell them I'll read to them AFTER I am done milking.

Thanks for the advice.