 11Likes
-
1
Post By marusempai
-
1
Post By mygoat
-
1
Post By msscamp
-
2
Post By Nubians
-
1
Post By Nubians
-
1
Post By TRAILRIDER
-
2
Post By Nubians
-
1
Post By Frosted Mini's
-
1
Post By Pony
 |
10/29/14, 04:42 PM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 58
|
|
|
Doe Kidded and has no milk
Our Saanen kidded a week ago. She was a First Freshener last year and did very well. She was a heavy milker so did not want to dry up, we finally got her dry 18 days before she kidded.
Well she kidded with about a half full udder of colostrum so the babies got colostrum for the first 24 hours but since then she has not been producing a whole lot of milk. We don't know what to do and don't want her to dry up. We are giving her Pulsatilla.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank You
|
10/29/14, 05:23 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 1,040
|
|
|
Are the kids on her all the time? If so she may not seem to have much milk, because it is all going straight into her babies.
__________________
Knit and crochet design, editing, and teaching. See my blog or my Ravelry page!
Also 4Farthings dairy goats, heritage poultry, and bees!
|
10/29/14, 06:49 PM
|
|
Caprice Acres
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MI
Posts: 11,232
|
|
|
Are the kids on her and getting fed?
I have no idea what pulsatilla is.
Dry 18 days before she kidded is far from ideal. Her mammary was likely undergoing involution. Every time a doe dries, the mammary tissue is almost completely broken down. That way when she nears the next duedate, the mammary tissue regrows almost completely and this fresh tissue goes through several stages of development and then lactogenesis within a few days of parturition. They should always have at LEAST 60 days of a dry period. If you just STOP milking they WILL stop producing milk. I usually switch to decreased milkings 2 weeks before she must be dry with my doe who produces 2 gal/day at peak to slowly taper her off, but all others I just stop milking cold turkey. I could probably cold turkey the higher producer doe as well with no harm to them. IT is the tight fill that triggers them to stop making milk. It is *slightly* better to not dry them at all, but the subsequent lactation will be not as good and the colostrum quality is significantly lower than as if they had a full 60 day dry period.
Personally, I'd probably supplement or pull the kids if I thought they weren't getting enough. If you pull, you can see if the lactation is worth the trouble to milk her or not.
__________________
Dona Barski
"Breed the best, eat the rest"
Caprice Acres
French and American Alpines. CAE, Johnes neg herd. Abscess free. LA, DHIR.
|
10/29/14, 06:58 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 8,960
|
|
|
I would definitely be supplementing the kids, but leave them on her to try to stimulate new milk.
__________________
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
|
10/29/14, 07:25 PM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 58
|
|
|
She does have a buck kid on her ( I am bottle raising the doe kid), I pulled him off tonight and will see what we get in the morning.
Pulsatilla is homeopathic remedy, we get it at a health food store.
I heard it is supposed to help the milk come in? So I am using it. I think it is helping a little.
-Katrina Vander Vorst-
Mountain Home, ID
|
10/29/14, 10:09 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 299
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nubians
Our Saanen kidded a week ago. She was a First Freshener last year and did very well. She was a heavy milker so did not want to dry up, we finally got her dry 18 days before she kidded.
Well she kidded with about a half full udder of colostrum so the babies got colostrum for the first 24 hours but since then she has not been producing a whole lot of milk. We don't know what to do and don't want her to dry up. We are giving her Pulsatilla.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank You
|
This is very poor management, IMHO. You are expecting way too much out of this doe! Does should be dried off a minimum of 2 months prior to their next kidding. What are you feeding her? She should be on straight alfalfa(transitioned into it slowly if not used to it) and at least 2 lbs of 18% pellets(also transitioned into them). Looks to me like you've got a couple of bottle kids to raise because this girl has nothing left to produce milk with.
|
10/30/14, 08:31 AM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 58
|
|
Okay, Ivy had a soft udder this morning but it was on the fuller side. She gave 1/2 gallon. I think we are good now and she will really come into milk later on.
I never would have guessed how much that little boy was drinking. Little minx 
|
10/30/14, 08:34 AM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 58
|
|
|
Thank You for your help everyone!
By the way Ivy went into heat this morning. Crazy girl!
|
10/30/14, 08:48 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,224
|
|
|
That's goats for you!
|
10/30/14, 10:18 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 1,040
|
|
I'm always amazed how thorough those little guys can be too.  Sounds like everything is fine, whew!
__________________
Knit and crochet design, editing, and teaching. See my blog or my Ravelry page!
Also 4Farthings dairy goats, heritage poultry, and bees!
|
10/30/14, 08:01 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,262
|
|
|
Glad she and the babies are doing well!
__________________
"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee..” --Augustine
|
10/31/14, 01:43 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,807
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nubians
Thank You for your help everyone!
By the way Ivy went into heat this morning. Crazy girl!
|
She has a wonderful name! (That's my name IRL)
__________________
Je ne suis pas Alice
http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/
|
10/31/14, 04:45 PM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 58
|
|
|
Really ?! That is neat. We LOVE our Ivy, she is so sweet. She is our only Saanen at this time but she has given us a very good impression of that breed. So big yet so gentle and alot of milk! We are milking 8 lbs. out of her a day right now on an extremely soft udder. I can't wait to see what she does on a full, hard udder and this is only her second freshening!
I am going to try to get pictures of her and her babies (so adorable) on here. I need to take pictures of the babies anyway.
|
11/01/14, 12:46 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,287
|
|
|
I have a goat named Ivy as well. She is a white/cream Nigerian doeling.
__________________
Nancy Boling
Frosted Mini Goats
Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf goats
2 Jersey heifers
1 guard llama
And whatever else shows up...
http://www.swfarm.net/
|
11/03/14, 10:01 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,807
|
|
And here I thought the only goat named after me was Minelson's Pony. 
__________________
Je ne suis pas Alice
http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/
|
| Thread Tools |
|
|
| Rate This Thread |
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:27 AM.
|
|
