dam raised kids,once a day milking

mamainthewoods · #1 03/21/11, 08:27 AM

I'm starting to milk in the morning after keeping the kids seperated from the dam at night. When milking in the am she seems to be "holding back" her milk, it's not letting down that well and her udder feels a bit lumpy. i got about 5 cups this morning, she freshened 3 weeks ago. Does this all sound normal?

Also, I'm keeping them seperated for 12 hours. Is this okay? Every time I went out to seperate them last night they would run to mama and start nursing, finally I had to go in so I just put them in the stall. THis morning they sounded pretty hungry.(there are 3 of them)

How does this play out in the long run? Eventually I'll seperate the 2 bucks for meat animals later, and will the doeling want to keep nursing forever or will I have to seperate them for a while to get her to stop?

Anybody who has BTDT and can give me some insight it would be much appreciated.

rootsandwings · #2 03/21/11, 08:45 AM

I do this. I wait until 4 weeks. the doe WILL hold back some her her milk for the babies' morning feeding, but her production will increase as she compensates for the demands of her "new kid" (I always say "good morning! time to feed Bucket!" (but my human kids think I'm crazy....)

CaliannG · #3 03/21/11, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rootsandwings

(I always say "good morning! time to feed Bucket!" (but my human kids think I'm crazy....)

My human kids KNOW I am crazy, and I have told them over and over again, "Hey, hey, hey! Do NOT provoke the crazy lady!"

However, to mamainthewoods: I generally prefer to do my separation for 8-10 hours, rather than a full 12. Easier on the udder, IMNSHO. However, I also prefer thrice-daily milkings, at 8 hour intervals, for the same reason, and only when production starts to drop do I go to twice daily.

Backfourty,MI. · #4 03/21/11, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rootsandwings

I do this. I wait until 4 weeks. the doe WILL hold back some her her milk for the babies' morning feeding, but her production will increase as she compensates for the demands of her "new kid" (I always say "good morning! time to feed Bucket!" (but my human kids think I'm crazy....)

No kids here but hubby thinks I'm crazy. I even thank my ducks for the eggs each morning, I always say"Thanks for the eggs girls"! And talking to my goats I have always thought was normal!

steff bugielski · #5 03/22/11, 06:22 AM

I do this. I separate from 6pm till 8am. Then milk and turn kids loose with moms. I do milk again at 6pm but do not get much. But I think that is an important step so that you completely empty the udder at lest twice a day.
I get tons of milk and the kids have plenty of hay to eat while on their own. I like the longer length it really lets you know the does potential.

Alice In TX/MO · #6 03/22/11, 07:58 AM

I separate at two weeks. Yes, the mom takes a while to adjust letting down for me instead of kids.

Yes, the kids learn you are about to steal mom and suck like crazy when you are about to pen them.

Amazing... the social life of goats.

lynnabyrd · #7 03/22/11, 12:14 PM

I'm curious about this... so once the kids are weaned, do you have to go back to milking twice daily? or do you just keep milking once, which seems like it would be hard on the doe?

I only have a couple of wethers at the moment, but I have 4 doelings reserved for me for next month, so I'll be entering the milking world in a year or so. And I'm trying to figure out which way I want to go... CAE prevention and twice a day milking, or dam-raised and once a day milking. I'm sure I'll have alllllllll kinds of questions as I get closer to that point!

Alice In TX/MO · #8 03/22/11, 12:42 PM

You can do it either way. If you milk once a day, her production will most likely decline.

Personally, I have CAE free does, and dam raising. Bottle feeding kids is not fun for me.

LittleRedHen · #9 03/22/11, 01:42 PM

I think i am going to try this. I am sorta burning out on bottle feeding kids but at the same time I want my doe to be in top production with milk to feed my lactose intolerant husband. Mine will be milked at 8-9 pm and then at 8 am so it will be a 12 hour mark. then let the kids be with her all day.

Cheryl aka JM · #10 03/22/11, 03:00 PM

I've never shared with the kids before either~ but this year I am. I've got two milk girls~ one freshened almost two weeks ago the other last week, both with only one kid each. I've left the kids on the momma all day and all night~ in the mornings I'm calling the girls out and milking whatever they have for me. Today was around 3 qts between the two of them.

CarolynRenee · #11 03/22/11, 04:46 PM

I let the kids have 24/7 access to Mom's milk for two full weeks, then started penning them at night. The past two years I have done this; I milk Mom out in the morning, let the kids run with her as soon as I'm finished milking (and yes, she will hold back milk), they run with mom all day, then pen them up at night. They are away from mom for about 10 hours at night.

Once the kids were gone or weaned, I still milked only once a day. Obviously I didn't get as much milk, but we just had a "kid" of our own and I didn't have the time for twice a day milking.

This year I am going to go back to 2x day milking though as I really missed the extra milk.

steff bugielski · #12 03/23/11, 06:50 AM

It depends on how much milk you want. My girls all give me around a gallon a day. I am milking 10 of them. So right now 1x a day is good. when kids leave around Easter i will milk 2x a day and get tons of milk but my customers will start braving the weather to come out so I will sell it and I and making lots of cheese so i will use it. If I did not have the outlets for it I might stay at 1x a day.