Looking for a recipe for goat stew!

[hayjade]

No not really but I am getting really really frustrated!!! I have a doe that I decided to keep because she is a she but I have never been faced with weaning. She is now 14 weeks old and still nursing. I have separated her and she continues to break the barriers and I have to repair everyday! She is sucking the life out of the mom. Mom is so thin and was getting over an illness and I FINALLY had her down to a once a day milking (which is all I need and I want her to regain some weight) but the doe broke through the barrier last night and must have sucked all night long and today she has bad runs. Well I would too if I gorged myself on a few gallons of milk!!! I am so mad I just feeling like giving up! I have to start all over again. I feel like selling her! What can I do to stop this maddness other than building her a whole new enclosure which is not in my budget right now!

[Wonderland]

Maybe you could try one of these?

http://www.enasco.com/product/C15140(X)N

[mygoat]

Get a dog crate and cage the kid if you need to. Get cattle panels and make a new pen far from the mother. Tape the doe's teats.

If the mother is very, very thin as you say, I would look into her feed and parasites and not blame it on ONE kid. 14 weeks is really NOT a terribly extended nursing period - as most wean at 3 mon if not letting them stay on LONGER. If she's thin, I HIGHLY doubt it's because of one kid nursing her. Up her feed intake/quality and make sure she has access to quality alfalfa hay 24/7. What are you feeding? she should get a good grain mix 2x per day, at a rate of 1lb grain per 3lbs milk produced. (factor in what the kid takes) This is a BASE, some does need less/more. Dairy does should slowly loose condition over the time of her 10 month lactation, but not that fast over a short 14 weeks, especially not with just one kid. Did you worm the doe after kidding, then again 2 weeks later?

If she is on a good amount of feed and hay and just looses condition at a fast rate like this all the time, I'd cull her. You don't want to breed on a hard-keeper, or you'll just get more doe kids like her that need more feed to produce probably less milk over a shortened lactation due to body condition. And, does with poor body condition will produce less kids and need longer breaks between freshenings.