Year 'round milking?

[ghmerrill]

Ok, so it seems that every goat in the world pops in the spring, and you are not supposed to milk them year round, so at some point do you have to go back to store bought milk, or do you freeze a bunch of milk? How do you get a rotation going so that you have milk throughout the year?

[steff bugielski]

I do freeze enough for the month or two they are dry. But I have 15 so the chances are a few of them will still be in milk while the others are dry. Mine tend to breed in July. I keep my buck with the does 24/7/365 so they breed as soon as the come into the first heat of the season. By doing it that way there is always one or two who does not come into heat early and is then bred next month or so. If I were to remove the buck they would go into heat a few times before he was introduced then they would all be bred at the same time.
It works for me and I like kids 3-4 months old for Easter.
I do give them all Selenium around June 1st. In my mind it seems to bring on heats a month later. In years past if I did not give the Selenium they did not go into heat till the fall and then no kids for Easter. Could just be coincidence but I give it anyway.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I milk year round. I have one goat that gave milk for 20 months without being bred back to kid the second spring.

Besides that, I have some does kid early and some late. Never without fresh milk.

If you breed a doe or two on the first heats in the fall, and then breed the rest in mid-winter, you've got it made!

We have another high producing Alpine first freshener that we didn't breed back, and she's on her second year. We're going to see how long she'll produce. There are goats who have gone MUCH longer.

http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issu.../Tim_King.html
Segal's current does exemplify this unusual philosophy. Her registered Alpine doe, Gravel-Ends RB Tenessa, now 11 years old, was purchased as a bred doeling in 1995. She had twin doelings in 1996 and has been in milk ever since. She has never been bred again.

[mabeane]

I am working on year round milk with my tiny herd but I have NDs and they breed year round.

[pookshollow]

and you are not supposed to milk them year round

Says who?!?

I'm milking one now that kidded a year ago in April. I'll breed her a bit early this fall. Two others of mine milked 22 months straight about three years ago. I've got another two that I probably won't breed this year, and will just keep milking through - they could use a year to grow and fill out a bit more.

We've had goats now for six years. I think we've had to buy milk once in all that time - mostly because we had a bottle lamb. He got the store milk, we got the goat milk!

[LoneStrChic23]

Yes, you can freeze milk to have on hand for dry times.

My daughter can't drink store bought milk, & since we are big milk drinkers I want milk all year.

My miniature girls will be bred soon (one is in with a buck now, the other will be soon) for November/December kids. I plan to breed my Alpines September/October for Spring kids.

Will milk my two milkers for the first 3 months of pregnancy & dry them up for the last 2 months.

[ozark_jewels]

If you have two does, just stagger the breedings by two months. Breed doe #1 in September and doe #2 in November/December. This puts you needing to dry up doe #1 in December to give her two months dry time. She freshens in February about right on time so you can dry up doe #2 so she can freshen two months later. Steady flow of milk.
You can milk straight through with some does, and simply not breed them. Alpines and Saanens seem to be the best for this plan. And it depends on your bloodlines.

[CaliannG]

You don't HAVE to re-breed unless kids are something you want or need for your herd, freezer or wallet.

Pregnancy is harder on a doe than milking through. Remember that.

If you want to milk through, just consider your stock. Are your does all of good weight, and in good health? Do you have any problems getting weight to stay on them? If they are weighty and you don't have any difficulties getting them fat if you want them, go ahead and milk them through.

If they are skinny and you have trouble getting anything to stick to their ribs, dry them up and give them a lay off, then re-breed several months later when they have some weight on them.

[wmsff]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but when they naturally start to dry up with the dwindling sunlight, should we add a mid-day milking to encourage higher production (in addition to lights of course)?

Thank you

[Alice In TX/MO]

You can, if you have the time. I've tinkered with three times a day milkings sprinkled into the schedule as time allows.

[CaliannG]

I go to 3x a day milking any time I seriously want to spike production. Once the hot weather backs off some, I'll do 3x a day to kick production up a notch and get them going after the decrease caused by the summer heat.

[saanengirl]

It is normal for a doe milking through to drop production during the winter, but her production will come right back up in the spring without any different management.

[The Tin Mom]

Originally Posted by saanengirl

It is normal for a doe milking through to drop production during the winter, but her production will come right back up in the spring without any different management.

This is what we found, too.