Milking does

[Rob30]

I bought some dairy goats from a closing dairy farm. THey don't seem to be milking as much as i think they should. I feed a pound of dairy ration in the AM and 1 pound in the PM when she they are milked. They give about 200-500mls each. I am feeding a calf with the milk from 4 goats, and barly have enough milk.
How can I increase the milk output?

[Freeholder]

First of all, can you translate from metric to imperial measurements? We had to take metric stuff in school (a long time ago, LOL!), but I don't use it daily, and I can't remember how many ounces/pounds/quarts or whatever your 200-500 ML would be.

Now, how old are your goats? What breed? What are you feeding? How long have you had them? Young goats or very old goats won't produce as much as goats in their prime. Some breeds often (but not always) produce less than others. Feed, as you are aware, plays a large role in milk production. I'm assuming as you are in Ontario that you probably don't have pasture yet, so would be feeding hay plus grain? And, moving stresses goats badly. I've never moved an in-milk goat yet without having her milk production drop off badly. It never does seem to come all the way back up during that lactation, either. Next lactation should see them back up where they should be. Oh, and the other thing -- how far along in their lactations are they? If they just kidded, their milk production will take a while to come up. If they are nearing the end of a ten-month lactation, their milk production will be way down.

But really I think the problem probably is mostly just the stress from moving them. Make sure they have plenty of clean water available; good hay (alfalfa if you can get it); push the grain a little bit if you really need that milk for the calf; make sure they have their loose goat mineral freely available. Clean, dry, draft-free quarters with deep, warm bedding will help, also (I don't know if you've ever felt a deep bedding pack that has built up all winter, but it composts underneath, and heats up -- the goats really like that in cold weather). Have they been wormed? Have they had their vaccinations? Do they need selenium shots in your area (not all areas are selenium deficient)? Do they have lice or some other external parasites? Have they been tested for CAE? Maybe someone else can think of other things, but I'm off to bed, LOL!

Kathleen

[holleegee]

I think 1cup=8oz=237 ML