Milk and Milking genetics questions

[QoTL]

I've had my goats for a little while, and just wondered..

What's an average milk output for a FF AlpineX (or any doe lol)?

Also wondering how the genetics on milk output work? My girl is a FF, I have no background on her. She is bred to a Sanaan/Lamancha. Although the buck is a mix, I'm very pleased that he is all very good milking breeds. Will he and my doe's milking genetics factor 50/50 (approx) in the kids produced, or will they favor one parent over the other?


Thanks!

Meghan

[billooo2]

It would depend on what she was crossed with. If it was another dairy breed, then probably about 6#/day.

I don't know of any way to predict what will come from the cross. IMO, genetics is a calculated guess/risk. We try to learn as much as we can, so that we can try to stack the odds in our favor. But you are never sure what you will get until it is mature and milking.

Your doe is truly an "unknown factor." You don't know her genetic background, so there is no way to "predict" what she will milk, let alone what her offspring will milk.

From what I have heard, if she is out of an Alpine crossed with a meat breed, then you are not very likely to get very good milk production out of her.......and her offspring are not likely to be good milkers either. The other factor in milk production is how long does she maintain her level of production? Does she peak at 10# one month into her lactation.....and then decrease so that she is dry 4 months into her lactation? IMO, it is much better to have her peak at 8# and still have her producing 6# 9-10 months later.

Once in a while, a buck will be very dominant in what he produces, but that is very, very rare. Usually it is just a combination of the sire and dam......and the generations behind them. (That is why some people like to have "papers" with the goats that they buy. After all, it costs just as much to feed and keep a goat that produces very little as it does to feed and keep a good producing goat.)

Just my thoughts.................

[Madfarmer]

It takes a lot of pedigree and production record study to get a meaningful answer to your question. Even a buck from a high-producing doe is not guaranteed to throw high-producing daughters. If both sire and dam lines are line-bred or even somewhat inbred toward high production, your chances are better. But the more you line-breed or in-breed, the more you reinforce defects, too. Learn to read pedigrees, & go to shows & find animals you like, & talk to lots of owners. For home milk, you don't need max production, but it costs as much to keep mediocre animals as good ones.

Madfarmer

[DQ]

you will likely not get 50/50. it depends on how dominent the traits are. if low milk production, poor udder etc are the dominent trait then you will get that. if you are breeding with mixed animals that have been allowed to breed will nilly with no selection or human intervention than you will likely have lots of dominent traits that are undesirable for milk production. a high producing needy dairy doe (and her genes) is not as likely to hack it and be able to raise kids to pass on her genes in a fend for yourself type situation and more mainstream traits will be selected for. in well thought out breeding programs the breeder essentially decreases the number of undesirable options in the gene pool to greatly increase the likelhood of producing an animal with the desirable traits/genes. if however you are at least starting with a dairy animal (alpine?) that presumable came from a line not too far back that someone was actually selecting and breeding for then you have a decent chance of at least getting a doe that could be improved upon quickly with a good buck. if you are dealing with a doe that could be a mere brush goat (no offense) from a place that wasn 't really breeding for milk and happened to end up with a n alpine somwhere then she may not be worth your time and trouble trying to breed up for milk production.you could wait and see she freshens this year and how the babies freshen the next year. all good you got yourself a dairy doe. if she and or the kids have miserable udders and milk production. move on.