milking through - colostrum?

[hoofinitnorth]

Someone asked me this the other day and I didn't have an answer for them. When you milk a goat through pregnancy to refreshening, will she produce colostrum?

[crazygoatgal]

good question! I am eager to learn the answer too.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't think milking through applies to milking through a pregnancy to freshening.

Milking through means not breeding and still milking.

My Alpine is approaching 24 months of milking without being bred or freshening.

Information:
Some goats will “milk through.” That is, they will continue to milk for long periods, even years, without being bred back. If your herd is well established, and you have all the does you can handle so you don’t need new babies, consider not breeding the ones that milk the longest. Let them milk through and keep the milk production up while the others are dry. (Considine)


Link:http://goatdairylibrary.org/Pages/Milk%20Production.htm

King, Tim. Milking Through: Dairy Goats can Produce Longer Than Normally Expected to Better Meet Owner Needs. Dairy Goat Journal , Vol. 84 No.6, November/December 2006, p.15

[jBlaze]

How about a doe that is way overfull two weeks before freshening?
I worry that leaving her over-full will hurt the udder, but am afraid that milking will rob the colustrum????
(this was a situation I had 3 years ago., and still have not felt good about, lol)

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

They deplete so much in milking that last 3 weeks before kidding that yes you can noticeably see colostrum at kidding.

JBlaze I routinely milked out does before they kidded, first to have colostrum to heat treat, but because back in the sweet feed and grass hay days we had so much congested udder problems if you start milking them early you don't get the congestion. Now 2 weeks before she is due to kid...I would wonder on her due date or what you consider to be big is. Feel of her udder, is there some give if you place your hand below her udder with the palm up...standing behind her, and push the udder up into her body....if the udder pushes up she is fine. Now if you have milked her and she has lost her keratin plugs and ever drips milk, either milk her or white glue her orifices shut again. Vicki

[jBlaze]

Thanks Vicky.
This was 3 years ago. I did not milk her, and she kidded at least 2 weeks after her udder got so big and full. Like you say, congestion. (we took her to breeder for one weekend, so date was correct.) I was worried about the colustrum, so I didn't milk her. I probably should have.
Your answer will help me if I see this problem again though.

[manygoatsnmore]

Yes, a goat that is not dried off before kidding will still produce colostrum at the time of birth.