Do you milk once or twice a day?

[Freya]

Easy poll.

[chshrkt]

If you have dairy goats with no kids nursing, they need to be milked twice a day.

[pookshollow]

Originally Posted by chshrkt

If you have dairy goats with no kids nursing, they need to be milked twice a day.

Not necessarily. It all depends on how much they are producing. I've just cut one of mine back to once a day milking - she's been milking for eighteen months and she's starting to slow down.

A couple of years ago I had cut my does down to once a day, because it was getting late in the fall and I didn't need the milk. Then I decided to take them to a big show, and started back milking twice a day. They doubled their production within a week - and after the show, I was able to cut them back again, carefully of course!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Twice a day from freshening to late fall, early winter, and then we go to once a day. If milking through (not rebreeding the doe), we go back to twice a day in the spring when their milk increases.

[KOHL HAWKE]

once a day in am if kids are still on the dam, twice a day if not share milking with kids (if productive)

[Cyngbaeld]

Since I stagger breedings as much as possible, I have does in various stages of production. So it is easier just to milk all of them 2x a day than to convince one or more that she only needs to come to the shed half the time. Also, I like to grain the pg does and check conditions, hooves, etc and having each of them on the stand 2x gives me a better opportunity to evaluate one at a time without the others in the way.

[rabbitpatch]

I leave the kid with my doe for 12 hours and then separate them and milk 12 hours later. I milk once a day and get 1.5 - 2 quarts per day.

[Creamers]

If you have dairy goats with no kids nursing, they need to be milked twice a day.

Not the case. . .late in lactation, if you alter the feeding, once a day works very well and doesn't mess with udder.

I checked once a day because we are down to that now, but it is twice a day until about 7 months into lactation.

[phantomriver]

Anyone milk 2x with a single kid on 24/7? I just go a boarxsaanen yesterday that I'm trying to decide what she needs but her 4wk kid will be with her all the time. I don't especially need the milk but I don't want her getting backed up either. Her previous owner said she was only getting a cup at milking once a day so she had stopped milking. This morning she just looked too full so I milked her and she gave me nearly a quart this morning. I'm not even certain she let it all down for me.

[houndlover]

I milk twice a day in nice weather. About this time of year school starts for me, and the weather turns, and I need to cut down on chores, so the girls get moved to a once a day schedule - I prefer mornings. I milk once a day until dry off - about January, then take a couple nice months off until the kids start dropping. The other limiting factor is that there is no electricity in my goat barn, and once there are less than 12 hours of daylight, one of those milkings would have to be in the dark. Not my favorite activity.

[houndlover]

Originally Posted by chshrkt

If you have dairy goats with no kids nursing, they need to be milked twice a day.

Absolutely not true.

[mamajohnson]

I voted other, and here is why.
I have two girls I milk twice a day, and the third only in the mornings.
I started doing this because the third girl didn't have that much milk. Well, it seems one of the kids is nipping at the third doe during the afternoon, evening times... so she has a ton of milk now. lol... whatever works!

[mammabooh]

Same as some of the others...I was milking twice a day, but am now down to once a day.

[cmharris6002]

I milk twice a day for 300 days, then dry off for 60 days late gestation to kidding.

[LomahAcres]

I actually milk 3 times a day after they first kid, just for about the first 2-4 weeks. Some of my heavy milkers can get quite uncomfortable in the beginning, and FF seam to increase faster. Then it's down to twice a day milkings for them.

[chshrkt]

Right, so I should have been more specific, I assumed the poll was regarding a general rule for milking, not the specifics as to how long they have been in milk, etc. It was late and I was tired, sorry about that.

When drying off, I guess you can start cutting back.

However, after raising Toggenburgs and Saanens for 20 years, we always milked twice a day with a herd of 9-12 in milk, it was easier to milk them all twice a day and just not milk out the ones that we were drying off rather than cut them to once a day.

[Lada]

Originally Posted by Creamers

we are down to that now, but it is twice a day until about 7 months into lactation.

Here too.

[LFRJ]

Twice a day here, even though we're at 15 mos post kidding. I'm afraid if I went to once it day, the drop in production wouldn't make it worthwhile (I do believe they drop some of brought to once a day, no?) but at twice a day, this late in lactation, it's the perfect amount for the 2 of us.

Oh, and Houndlover, we have no electricity either, and by Mid November this far north, we're in the dark both milkings, each done by lantern.

[Wags]

At 2-3 weeks of age I separate the kids at night and milk the dam in the morning. If a doe only has a single I will also milk her at night. Once the kids are weaned I milk twice a day 12 hours apart.

[LoneStrChic23]

I checked "other".

When I had my mini doe with no kids on her, I milked twice a day....

With my Alpine, I milked her twice a day, and even nursing 24/7 (twins for 3 weeks until I sold one) I always got at least a gallon a day so I had to milk her twice a day...

Now her doeling is almost 7 months & nurses at random.....So when I take hay out, if she hasn't nursed, I bring out my milking stuff & if her doeling decided to nurse then I don't bother until the evening....If I have to filter & clean up then I want at least a 1/2 gallon at a time & usually when her doeling decides to nurse she'll only leave me a lil less than a quart, not worth the clean up