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06/20/10, 10:15 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
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Weaning age
Our two oldest doelings are 19 weeks old now. We cut them down to one bottle in the evening - 30 oz instead of two 30 oz bottles daily yesterday. They didn't seem as interested in the bottles the past week.
Should going down to one milk feeding daily for the next week and then totally weaning them by 20 weeks effect their growth?
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06/20/10, 10:49 AM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
Posts: 30,482
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They are plenty old enough/big enough to wean.
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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06/20/10, 11:33 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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I wean mine between 12-16 weeks. So yes they are plenty old enough to wean.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/21/10, 11:54 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 1,359
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Ruminants can be safely weaned as early as eight weeks of age provided they have adequate supplementation. You will not hurt the growth of your kids by weaning them now.
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06/21/10, 12:10 PM
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Katie
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Twining, Mi.
Posts: 19,930
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I would have already had them weaned. 19 weeks is pretty old to still be getting a bottle twice a day. If they were dam raised most doe's would have already quit letting them nurse or pretty much.
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06/21/10, 03:31 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SE Ohio
Posts: 2,174
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Backfourty,MI.
I would have already had them weaned. 19 weeks is pretty old to still be getting a bottle twice a day. If they were dam raised most doe's would have already quit letting them nurse or pretty much.
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At only 19 weeks?
Ours nurse their kids until anywhere from 7-10+ months. Some would still nurse their kids if I didn't force wean when the dam is 3 months bred.
The only exceptions have been a Fullblood Boer doe and a high percentage Boer doe that insist on weaning at about 3 months. New for us. Not something I like.
We wean our lambar kids at 5-8 months old.
The kids born from 12/29/09- 1/9/10 are going to be cold turkey weaned this evening when they get shuffled to another pen. Their siblings are still nursing dams (except for two of the wethers who were sold for 4-H and force weaned at 3 months).
To answer the original OP, we used to wean CAE Prevention kids at 9-12 weeks back when we were still shipping Grade A cow milk. We had the kids on Primer 1 (calf starter) and alfalfa pellets to make up for the lack of calcium we were removing.
Your kids will be fine at 19 weeks. Most people buying milk wean as soon as possible.
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06/21/10, 03:46 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
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I am buying milk for 5. . . lol.
Most of the people on the other dairy forums said 4-6 months, so I am paranoid it I don't hit that 6 month mark, they will not get to their full size potential. lol.
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06/21/10, 03:53 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,807
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I was advised to wean by weight, not age.
One of my doelings is pretty much done with the bottle, although she's still on the doe. The other two kids still polish off a couple of bottles a day.
They weigh about 50 pounds each. (I'm not going out there in this heat to pick them up and weigh them.)
I would like to separate them from the doe, but we just don't have things set up for that right now.
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Je ne suis pas Alice
http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/
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06/21/10, 03:57 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,222
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We have a couple that will be 4 months old this week. They are still getting milk 2x per day, but we aren't buying it. Funny thing is they hate nursing off the lamb bar so now they just slurp it up out of a bucket.
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Sarah Patterson
M & L Farm
Lamanchas, lamancha cross, Sable and Sable cross
You can also find us on facebook! M&L Farm
http://www.mandllamanchas.com *UPDATED*
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06/21/10, 09:06 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 9,208
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Yes, never wean by age. Age shouldn't even come into the equasion. Weigh those kids and see where they are. Knowing they are 19 weeks tells me nothing, a weight would be great. 
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Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net
"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence
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06/21/10, 09:10 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
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They were 43 and 45 lbs at 14 weeks, I believe. . .It might have been 16 weeks - lol. I will weigh them again.
I know photos don't tell you a weight, but here are photos:
Keep in mind- their dam is a almost mini sized even though she is ADGA purebred Nubian.
the dam is with them above - she weighs 110 lbs.
Last edited by deineria; 06/21/10 at 09:14 PM.
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06/22/10, 05:17 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 9,208
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Ah, those pretty ladies. They look really great from the pics and I'd guess they would do fine to wean now. They are very leggy and tall, but that doesn't always make for a lot of weight and can be decieving when just eye-balling them. If they were mine I'd still want a weight before I weaned if possible. I like to see a lot more size(barrel, depth, etc.) on my girls before weaning, as I will want to be breeding them in August/September. But I have the luxury of plenty of milk.......
__________________
Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net
"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence
Last edited by ozark_jewels; 06/22/10 at 05:19 PM.
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