Increasing milk production

SeaGoat · #1 05/03/14, 09:43 AM

I'm milking for the first time.
The goat im milking is a 4 year old pygmy ober cross.
She had twins in January and I just sold them off a few weeks ago...
A week later I decided to take a stab at milking.
It's gone okay.
She'll stand for awhile then start wiggling around, trying to walk away (I need to build a stand)

But she's only producing a little over a cup a day.
Is it possible to increase this?
How would i go about doing this?

punchiepal · #2 05/03/14, 09:55 AM

Can you increase production? Maybe, maybe not.
Has she been milked before and forced to hold a lactation?
If not, this may be her natural dry-off time. It is hard to change that now. Milking 3x a day will help, depends on her.

Alice In TX/MO · #3 05/03/14, 10:03 AM

Pygmies aren't know for production or long lactations. I think it is what it is.

You can try increasing feed slightly and milking her three times a day for a couple of weeks.

SeaGoat · #4 05/03/14, 10:03 AM

She's never been milked before I started about a week ago and I've milked her every morning.

I've thought about starting twice a day. I can do 3.

When I do that I feed her the same amount of feed each time or ration out her daily portion?

punchiepal · #5 05/03/14, 10:08 AM

Definitely, 2-3x a day should help some if it will work.
I divide the grain ration into 3 and feed all 3 times. You will have to "challenge feed" her to see what level of feed helps her production enough w/o being too much.

As always, be careful adding new feeds or increasing feeds to prevent rumen upset. Do it slowly.

Frosted Mini's · #6 05/03/14, 06:17 PM

The pygmy part and being in milk since Jan, plus not being milked for a week (is that right? that's what it sounded like), might be the biggest problems here. And milking only once a day when already you have told her to dry up by not milking for a week (I think), may also not be helping much.

wintrrwolf · #7 05/04/14, 07:22 AM

I have to agree with Frosted/Nancy.
Hopefully for you with the Ober part in her you might be able to pull her back into milk. By increasing the demand for milk with 3x a day (remember to bump the udder while milking) she may start producing more. A stand or a way to keep her still while you are milking will save you tons of frustration and can be built fairly cheaply

Also keep in mind once you decide you are going to milk her and if she does come back into milk, you really need to milk her same time everyday, 7 days a week, no weekends off, no vacations...mmmm sorry am milking a doe myself right now and there have been times I wish I could sleep in on the weekends

IF she comes back into milking mode you could drop down to the twice a day.
The probios on her feed will help with the increase in grain you will be giving her on the stand. It is said 1 lb of feed per pound of milk..sooo a cup for a cup??

SeaGoat · #8 05/04/14, 08:19 AM

lol I'm still learning to milk myself so a cup wouldn't get me but a few squirts with her greedy mouth!

grandmajo · #9 05/04/14, 09:43 AM

For fast eaters I put a handful of gravel in their grain. It slows them down because they have to nose around the gravel to get to the grain. I have one that I'm doing that with this year because she inhales her grain. Learned this from an old farmer friend when another doe I had a few years back did the same thing

Alice In TX/MO · #10 05/04/14, 09:47 AM

Tennis ball or a rock about that size works, too. My goats love to throw the tennis ball across the room when they are done, or drop the rock onto the floor. BAM!

mrs whodunit · #11 05/04/14, 10:32 AM

Alfalfa can help up the milk

SeaGoat · #12 05/04/14, 10:42 AM

Yeah, I've tried the rock trick.
She knocks the bucket over to get around that.
I wondered about gravel though, But was scared she might break her teeth.
I put a sliced Apple the past couple morning's to snow her down, It works a little but she still speeds through it.

I just picked up some alpha pellets so hopefully that will help

Alice In TX/MO · #13 05/04/14, 11:47 AM

My feed pans are secured to the milk stand. Knocking over or off is not possible.

Frosted Mini's · #14 05/04/14, 11:59 AM

1 lb of grain per lb of milk? I have NEVER fed that much grain!! The biggest milker I've had so far got 4 lbs (2 lbs morning and night) for 14 lbs of daily milk. I have another doe producing close to that, getting about 2.5 lbs of grain a day. I have actually cut back a little on the grain to see how it goes...with alfalfa pellets free choice, they are not seeming to need as much grain this year to keep weight.

mrs whodunit · #15 05/04/14, 12:01 PM

I don't grain... I just feed alfalfa pellets.

Alice In TX/MO · #16 05/04/14, 12:15 PM

Does get one pound of grain on the milk stand AM and PM. Period. They are fat. Except Bella, who is ADHD.

SeaGoat · #17 05/05/14, 10:49 AM

I got 6oz from her last night and another 8 this morning.
She hates alfalfa pellets, but that's kinda too bad..

She's getting more and more irritable on the "stand" (a floor started for a dog house, But it's way to wide and low). Stomping, moving...
When I make shift hobble her she tries to lay down.
I guess if I had a proper milk stand she couldn't do this...

Alice In TX/MO · #18 05/05/14, 10:57 AM

Put a bucket under her chest to stop the lying down.

I don't feed alfalfa pellets on the milk stand. They won't eat them.

I feed oats and/or Noble Goat.

wintrrwolf · #19 05/08/14, 03:59 PM

my mfa finally got a dairy ration faline has now increased by 8 oz will reply more later hate typing on phone

SeaGoat · #20 05/08/14, 08:42 PM

She's picking up slowly.
Almost got 10oz out of her this morning

And she's taking to the alfalfa pellets now that she realizes that's all she's getting