Pregnant doe still feeding last year's kid

[CarolynRenee]

I've got two pregnant does in the same pen (along with a non-bred doe). The mother is still letting last year's doe still "sneak a snack" and I'm worried what will happen to the colostrum when the mother gives birth again next week.

This mom is horrible about weaning her kids. Last year, I finally had to separate the previous year's kids from her just before the mom kidded again. This mom would let her older kids nurse up until she gave birth it seems!

Last year, when I put the older kid back in with the mother & her new babies, the older kid went up to the mother to nurse & got wholopped. That was the end of that.

But I'm back to the same problem, except the pen that I used last year to separate the goats is now in use by a buck.

So, back to the question........do you think the older kid will steal the colostrum?

I've got a 4' x 12' dog kennel that I may have to resort to using for at least a few days. How bad is it to keep a yearling in that small of an area for three or four days?

[nehimama]

Yes, I DO think the older kid will steal all the colostrum mama lets her! If it were me, I'd do something immediately to get the knotheaded nurser separated. It shouldn't hurt at all to put her in the dog kennel for a few days.

[deineria]

put her in the kennel for now