Can nursing does still be milked twice a day?

[cfarmher]

It seems that everyone who lets the kids be dam raised only milks once a day, and leaves the kids on the rest of the time.

I'm not concerned about having to milk twice a day. Been tere done that.

I want the does to reach their full potential on milk production, so would it work if I were to seperate them at night, milk in the morning, put the kids back with them all day, and milk in the evening?
It's supply a demand right, they produce according to how much is being taken out?

Last year my does were milking out a gallon as FF, so I don't think there will be any problems with supply, unless, they have high order multiples.

How does all this sound? Does anyone milk twice a day, and dam raise?

[Blossomgapfarm]

Sure you can milk twice a day if you wish. I was milking twice a day but quickly found out the few squirts (like maybe two oz each) my girls gave me in the evening was not worth my trouble. On top of that, the kids know when they are going to be put up and when they see me coming, they run to their mommas and nurse - anything I would have gotten goes in their bellies! When the kids are weaned, I will go back to twice a day milking.

[chamoisee]

I did milk my does twice a day when they were nursing. Not only does it keep their production up, but it's a good habit to get into checking that udder 2X a day. Sometimes the kids don't fully drain one side, and if you only milk once a day, that milk will have been in the udder for 24 hours!

My rule of thumb is to start milking twice a day from day one. I don't usually milk the udder out all the way the firts few days, not until the kids have nursed first and even then, I leave a little. But I do feel that it's very necessary to start milking right away. When people don't, then we get lots of questions about lopsided udders, poor production, hard udders (from colostrum left to harden in the udder), and various other problems that are a lot harder to fix than they are to prevent.

[Corky]

I milk my FF twice a day and I don't separate her from her kid.
She only had one live kid and one slurry kid so she has milk for two and only one to use it.
If I don't milk she is too full the next time.
Also she usually has one side that has not been used much and is full in the evening. Sometimes they have both been nursed.
In the morning she is so full that she won't let the kid nurse until I have milked her and taken the pressure off. It must hurt for him to nurse that tight udder.
My older doe never had any milk in the evening. Her kid took all she had.
I did have to separate them in the evening if I wanted any milk at all.

[christij]

I was wondering the same thing. My Nubian has twins and the first week or two I milked her in the morning to keep it even. But with my own nursing babe and starting to work I was quickly exhausted! So now I am milking mornings when I don't work and then letting Cassie kids "milk" the other mornings. I still have her on the stand morning (DH does mornings I work but he doesn't know how to milk!) and night to eat though. And I was wondering about milking in the PM - but the kids race to her when they see me! I was wondering about how much grain I should be giving to her - I was doing what I ended up with last year but she's getting a little on the fat side....
3-6 cups grain and 2-4 cups pellets back then it depended on how fast she ate and I got done!