Help me to understand

[stormywood]

so I can explain to my husband. He tells me not to milk anyone as the babies need it. I want some colostrum and milk for the freezer, just in case. I have 6 does all due within the next 2 months. If I milk them when they have their babies, will they make more colostrum for those that are nursing?

[Alice In TX/MO]

You're not milking them now, right? They need to store calcium at this point of their gestation.

After they kid, you milk out small amounts of colostrum to save. A cup or so, twice a day, put it in the freezer. Yes, they will make more.

Unless they have triplets or more, *and* you have good producing dairy goats, after a couple of weeks, you can pen the kids at night, milk the does in the morning, then put the kids out with the does. The doe will make the amount of milk necessary for both you and the kids.

Some high producing does HAVE to be milked out twice a day from the beginning, even if they are feeding kids, as they make so much milk, and you want to encourage their bodies to keep going at peak production.

You can also milk the doe out once a day from the very beginning after she kids so that you help reduce engorgement.

[stormywood]

Alice, thanks, I knew I could count on you!

[CarolT]

It's all a matter of supply and demand :-) Most men understand that LOL Her supply will rise to the potential to meet the babies and your demand. You don't want to overstretch her capacity but you need to encourage it :-) If all else fails, take it from a woman who nursed a baby, there's going to be extra and she'd like to get it out of there!! _That_ a man can't seem to understand!