About uping the grain to increase the milk

[steff bugielski]

I am ready to kid next week and am planning on getting as much milk out of my girls as possible. I was told to increase the grain and watch to see if the milk increases along with it and keep doing this till the milk stops increasing. I get it. My question is at what time does the goat start increasing milk production because of the grain input as opposed to the kids natural growing demands.
I start with 1/4 lb at 100 days bred and increase to 1 lb at kidding then 1 lb morning and 1 lb night. I always found my goats increased the production slowly for a few days maybe a week or two as the kids grew. Stayed there for a few months then started slowly downward. Was that because I was feeding the same amount through out her lactation or is that how it is?
Help me understand please!

[Charleen]

Hi Steff - None of this is written in stone. Wish it was. And the goats aren't reading our goat management books to tell them what they should be doing.

I think this is just how it is.

The grain increase prior to kidding that you suggest is about what we do here. Once our does start milking, the 'rule of thumb' is 1# of grain (don't count the hay) for every 2# of milk produced. I know it's hard to determine the amount of milk produced if she's nursing but if you're separating the kids from the dam overnight, this might give you a better idea. No, I don't weigh each does' feed (we'll be freshening 10 this year) but I have my scoop marked in 1# and 2# increments, so I can eyeball this. Of course, I do have a few really heavy milkers that will just continue to eat as long as I leave them on the stand, so this 1:2 rule is null & void for them. And there's always a doe that stops eating the minute I stop milking so she doesn't get what she should.

The doe's protein & bf is highest during the first 2 months because that's what the kids need to grow. So, as the kids slow down on the milk and she begins to wean them, the production will drop.

[DQ]

I am very much interested in this too. not only becuase I want to get the most milk, but because I don't want to have to feed them more concentrates than are neccesary. going by the "rule of thumb" last year I believe I created mild acidoses in my milker due to too much grain. this year I used the feed calculator at langston university to formulate a ration based on the milk production you enter all that stuff in and it tells you how much tdn they need according to the info you entered. although this of course would be a guideline. it also tells you the ca and p requirements are as well as protein and total dm. very insightful and helpful as you compare your feed choices and the requirements of the goat. it remains to be seen how well it applies in the real world scenario.
one thing I found was that despite the grain mix I was using my goats were not getting enough p and with the alfalfa were getting tons of calcium. I expect this year to correct that ratio and get better growth and bone on the kids and my still not yet mature does. good luck. I'll post a link if you want.

[susanne]

steff i made the experience that the milk amount is influenced by the amount of alfa pellets i fed. i had a doe with 10# milk, only with alfa because for some reason she does not like the grain ratio i have
will see how it goes this year.