How long can I keep them in milk?

[issylthesthlia]

I've been offered a trade for two nigerian dwarf yearling first fresheners. They freshened 6 weeks ago and currently have their kids on them. If I do the trade the owner wants to keep the kids on for two more weeks, though she'll be training them to get used to being milked in the meantime.

I'm a nursing mother myself (LOL) and I know that, as long as I regularly feed my baby, I will keep producing milk. Is this the same with goats? How long can I keep milking them before I HAVE to re-breed to keep a milk supply? If I, say, milk three times a day to keep production up, or are there some other tricks?

I would really love to have these goats, especially since they would be of great assistance with health issues in me and my family. Not having to re-breed immediately would allow us to do it sooner (don't have the space for babies right now).

Thoughts? Advice?

[Natural Beauty Farm]

I've milked a few for 16 months before, but they were not normal goats. If the are only 6wks fresh then by time you get them they will be at a good peak and you should be able to keep them up in production if you start them being milked 3x a day.

[billooo2]

IMO, genetics has a lot to do with it. I was at a grazing confeence today, and one of the speakers said that one of his next 'research projects' (on cows) is to investigate some data that he has found. He researched data from DHIA, and has discovered some cows that stayed in good production for 4 years.
I have heard of some commercial diaries that only freshen their does every other year. Their does are expected to milk through.
Years ago I had grade animals whose production dropped off dramatically after about 4 months.

[issylthesthlia]

Do you know anything about nigerians in this situation-- or is it more specific/ not just by breed?

[saanengirl]

Lactation is affected by a number of things including species, breed, or individual genetics; and also season (day length), weather conditions (is it hot, cold, comfortable, rainy, sunny, or snowy?),feed amount and quality, frequency of milking etc. I don't know all that much about Nigerian Dwarf lactation curves, but there are many goats who can milk two years or more.

Goats tend to peak in production about 60-90 days after freshening, and then begin a slow decline, especially in the hot summer months. When the weather begins to cool down in the fall they often have a second peak that is lower than the first peak, but is higher than their summer production. When winter sets in with short days and cold weather, they tend to drop very low in production, but if stimulation is maintained, they will keep producing small amounts of milk. In the spring when the days warm, and the forage quality increases, the milk comes back with it. Some does will produce nearly as much in the second year of their lactation as they did in the first.

[billooo2]

Originally Posted by issylthesthlia

Do you know anything about nigerians in this situation-- or is it more specific/ not just by breed?

I have never seen any data specifically on Nigerians. If some Nigerian breeders start using DHIA, then data will be gradually accumulated. At this pont in time, all I know of is "anecdotal evidence," where people share what their individual experience has been.

[jordan]

Originally Posted by billooo2

I have never seen any data specifically on Nigerians. If some Nigerian breeders start using DHIA, then data will be gradually accumulated. At this pont in time, all I know of is "anecdotal evidence," where people share what their individual experience has been.

Nigerians have been on milk test for decades. Info is on the AGS website, ADGA has little info on ND's and will never have the kind of records and history AGS has in regards to our breed.
Sanaangirl pegged it in her post, ND's are the same though some bloodlines will produce more and for longer periods.
Lois