At what point do you stop milking

[eclipchic]

I've been trying to dry off our doe since she isn't making much milk right now but even when I cut her short she still seems to be stuck at about 1/3 a pound of milk. At what point do I just stop?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Two months before she is due to kid. Or now. It's up to you.

[eclipchic]

So I can just stop now? Its a little early but she's not giving enough at this point to make it worth the trouble.

[pookshollow]

Yes, you can just stop. You need to keep an eye on her and if she does fill up to the point that she's uncomfortable (although I doubt she will), just milk her out part way.

[LoneStrChic23]

I blogged about my drying up process here:

http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspo...-off-milk.html

Just skip the babble at the top & scroll down just past the 1st goat picture.

But yes, you can just stop. As long as you keep taking that 1/3lb, she'll keep making it. Like Pook's Hollow said, she fills so much her udder is too full, you can milk out just enough to relieve the pressure & prevent leaking, but no more.

[eclipchic]

Thanks, I don't think she'll get too full but I'll keep an eye on her. I just don't know what to do with so little milk. I was giving it to my kiddo (I figure he's my highest priority for the best foods) but it doesn't even fill his sippy any longer.

[mygoat]

Depends on the doe. Some want to keep going, and going, and going... others you cut back to 1x per day and they just STOP. Like one of my does, lol.

I cut my girls back to 1x per day on 12/19. Less than a week later, I gave up on Kessa. Bungie is still giving a little less than 1/2gallon per day in the AM last I checked. My plan is to start milking her every other day the last week of her lactation, then only milk when she's FULL, if needed.

[TRAILRIDER]

LoneStr, your Sabrina looks so much like my girl Dolly!

Dolly is (hopefully) due April 1st. She is currently giving me 1/2 gallon a day.
She was giving me a little over a gallon a day for a long time.

I appreciate the advice on your blog, it makes so much sense. I was worried about drying her up. If I'm just a little late getting to her in the evening, she seems so full and uncomfortable : ( Thinking about starting the process mid January, and drying her up by the middle of february. That's the idea. I hope she cooperates.

[LFRJ]

I'm glad this topic came up. I tagged my question on a previous thread, but I think it got buried.

Originally Posted by mygoat

Depends on the doe. Some want to keep going, and going, and going...

We apparently have one of these. I too dropped to once a day feeding and milking about a month ago. Our Kinder doe was a first freshner 19 months ago! We were milking through, but with the crud weather, she began decreasing to about 12-15 oz per milking. I was tired of milking in the dark, so I dropped it to once a day. I figured she'd quit producing and dry up. But no00ooo - Instead, she's been giving over a lb per milking. Today it was 1.8 lbs!, and she's most evidently in heat to boot.

Is this in any way exceptional for an FF after 19 months?? Or is this normal? (At peak she was giving 2.5 - 2.11 lbs per milking.)

Do I need to return to milking twice a day?
Should I be feeding more than alfalfa 1x daily, mid day, and grain on the milk stand? (There's still some browse).
Will her daughters likely be as productive?

Thanks. I may have to undergo shoulder surgery soon, so this will HAVE to stop, or she'll have to go to the sitters for a while!

(Tx to the OP for sharing this thread).

[mygoat]

I don't know about kinders - 4lbs a day for full size FF's is light production IMO, but it may be good for kinders.

If you need to stop milking, you don't HAVE to keep going just because she still has milk. There are many ways to dry up does. Some start milking every other day, some don't milk for 3 days in a row, then do a milk out to help with distended udder, and then only as needed. They NEED to bag up, as the lowered demand will lower their production.

[eclipchic]

I didn't milk tonight with mine, she didn't seem bothered in the least so I expect this should be pretty uneventful. Thanks for all the advice

[Creamers]

4lbs a day for full size FF's is light production IMO, but it may be good for kinders.

For Kinders, that would be good production.

For many Nubians, that is avg. production - not peak. . .

For a Saanen, that would be poor production - lol.

[LoneStrChic23]

Originally Posted by Creamers

For Kinders, that would be good production.

For many Nubians, that is avg. production - not peak. . .

For a Saanen, that would be poor production - lol.

What is typical for Kinder production? I know they are meant to be dual purpose so probably wouldn't be heavy milk producers (when compared to full dairy breeds).

My FF, 3rd generation Mini Alpine peaked at a lil over 6 1/2lbs...

Trailrider, love the pic of Dolly

[LFRJ]

Lonestr, I can't tell you about Kinders in general. I can only tell you about our Kinder. She kidded in June 2010. We brought her home Oct 1 and through that month she was giving 4.2 - 5.2 lbs per day. Fast forward to May 2011, she was giving 3.7 - 4.8 lbs per day. By June the next year, one year post kidding she was still giving on avg. 3.5 lbs per day.

This is quite ample for the two of us, with some left over to sell now and then to help keep herself in grain. (In fact, for those of you who have full size, heavy producers, wht do you DO with all of that milk????). So in short, our doe has been very good to us.

She continued milking right through summer. I thought she'd never stop, yet when the cruddy weather set in, her production began to slide quickly. By late fall she was giving .12 - .15 oz per milking. So I decided to reduce to once a day milking (and feeding). HOwever, instead of drying up like i thought she would, she seems to be putting all her effort into the bucket once a day. She bounced up to over a lb per milking and I'm consistently getting 1.4 - 1.8 lbs per milking - after all these months,...which is why I'm wondering if I'm feeding her correctly, etc. She doesn't seem to want to quit. I'm perplexed, but not complaining.

She was from an accidental breeding, (not registerable) however I know she comes from good lines all around. When she was bred, the sire was carefully selected, so I know her daughters should be even better, er, well I would assume so.