milking first fresheners

hurryiml8 · #1 01/05/13, 08:54 AM

I read the thread on hand-raising kids and hope to be able to pull ours. I was wondering how often to milk an ff? Do you start with twice a day or should they be milked out more at first to prevent becoming engorged? I don't want them to be uncomfortable or at increased risk for mastitis. Thank you.

"SPIKE" · #2 01/05/13, 09:19 AM

I think twice a day is enough for FFs. They usually do not produce as much milk.
I let the doe raise the kids and just milk once a day after a couple of weeks, while they are nursing. I think the kid nursing helps the teat get larger so that makes hand milking easier, also. Some FFs start with small teats, even the large breeds.

SPIKE

hurryiml8 · #3 01/05/13, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by "SPIKE"

I think twice a day is enough for FFs. They usually do not produce as much milk.
I let the doe raise the kids and just milk once a day after a couple of weeks, while they are nursing. I think the kid nursing helps the teat get larger so that makes hand milking easier, also. Some FFs start with small teats, even the large breeds.

SPIKE

So it might be beneficial to leave the kids on them this time? I can do that. I just wasn't planning on keeping them and thought I could find homes for them sooner if they were bottle babies. Thanks

dozedotz · #4 01/05/13, 10:40 AM

Last year's one and only first freshener (we held her same age friend back from breeding due to her weight - she was about 110 pounds - the FF weighed in at 130) produced triplets for a total of over 16 pounds of kids. She produced 8 pounds of milk/cholostrum from the beginning and her lactation was steady at that amount until she dried herself off after being bred in November. We milked her twice a day from day one. I was not happy with the way she looked! She seemed thin to me and kind of scary, but she is a milker. Her udder held up well. She has since regained her weight and I like the way she looks now.

Oat Bucket Farm · #5 01/05/13, 10:56 AM

Actually, I have found the opposite with small teats. The filling udder seems to help stretch the teats. We tried leaving babies on and still had small teats until the we pulled the babies and the udder could fill up nicely. Then within a week we had teats we could milk.

As to how much, for most FF, twice a day should be fine.

yarrow · #6 01/05/13, 12:35 PM

I get my ff up on the stand within minutes of kidding.. that first go round, I usually just milk off as much colostrum as I immediately need.. in a few hours, I go back and do it again.. by day 2, ff are in the line up with all the other milkers.. twice a day, every day..we had 5 ff last year, only 2 this year... I however don't breed them to kid as yearlings anymore... we hold off and kid them the first time as turning 2 year olds. (the ONLY birthing issues we've ever had were yearling does trying to birth HUGE single bucks.. one prolapsed her anus -during an ice storm, while the power was off.. no fun, but we got her fixed back up- the other ended in a c-section.. granted she had the nicest buckling of the year.. but her surgery cost me exactly what I sold him for!!!

susie, mo ozarks

CaliannG · #7 01/05/13, 01:17 PM

I milk 2x a day, unless I get an exceptionally high producer, then I milk 3x a day until after peak.

Most are fine with 2 x a day. I have had 2 that *required* 3x a day if I didn't want to deal with blown teats and such.

Frosted Mini's · #8 01/05/13, 03:59 PM

I usually milk several times the first day or two if I can, because I feel the does like the extra attention (plus they think I am their baby, so want me around), and I am going to be going out to feed the kidlets anyway. After that, I milk twice a day usually, unless they haven't built capacity to match their production yet. It can happen even in FF does. I had one that would start leaking this year if she went 12 hours, and she only peaked at 6.5 lbs (FF yearling), so don't think yearlings are any less likely to need less milkings than any others. Like Oat Bucket said, the stretching of the skin from a full udder is what builds up the teat size, and that is mostly happening in the first couple months.

hurryiml8 · #9 01/05/13, 04:31 PM

Thank you all so much! I am trying to learn all I can before any arrivals this spring. If everything goes as planned, that will be in April. I'm excited, but nervous for my girls.