nutrition/weight suggestions?

[rootsandwings]

I have a doe who normally tapes about 135 - 140 in top condition. this year she was ultra sounded and declared "not bred" and I treated her as such - until she started drying off (normally she will milk through) then I felt the kids! So I dried her off, increased her grain, and she kidded 6 weeks later. healthy 7/8 lb twin bucklings.

She dropped to 115. I kept increasing her feed, wormed her twice even though fecal and eye color both said "yes, she has some worms, but not enough to worry about" and weaned the boys at 9 weeks. Last week I found a whole grain feed that is 18% protien (instead of 16) and 6% fat.

She has gone back up to 120. but now, after almost a week on the new feed, she has stopped gaining weight and started increasing milk production (yes, I kept milking)

Her behavior has never been off at all - she just got really thin. Her appetite has been fine. She also has high quality browse (she gets fat on it without grain or hay when she is dry) and all the alfalfa pellets she will eat (not many - maybe a cup a day?) and free choice minerals.

can I just keep milking and let her keep increasing production as long as she doesn't start dropping weight again? Should I not milk out all the way? Any thoughts on adding a little more weight? I'd like to milk her through to next summer if I can. (she has milked through before)

[coso]

A good milking doe will milk off weight like that, they put it in the pail instead of into condition. Usually you can't start putting it back on until later in the summer or early fall. I have had luck with beet pulp as far as holding there weight on them when they first freshen. Then I quit feeding it after they are four or five months fresh.