Increasing milk output

[Denwally Farm]

I am hoping to get some input from some of you dairy goat people. I have cashmeres and recently decided to milk one on a whim. I was weaning her two bucklings and it seemed like a good time to try it. Well, it turned out I love milking and my mother the milk drinker loves the taste of it. The trouble is, she only gives me about one quart per day. Well, about 10 oz per milking 2x/day. I understand a Cashmere goat would not have the kind of milk output of a dairy goat, but I think two quarts per day ought to be a reasonable expectation. So my question is - what is a way I can get an increase? She has weedy brushy pasture during the day, and I feed her alfalfa at night. She gets grain during the milking. Would it help to milk her three times a day for a short while to increase the output? One friend suggested I only milk 1x per day to stretch her udder capacity, but I can't imagine that would tell her body to make more milk.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

A doe can only milk what she is gentically capable of. You can milk her to her genetic capability with good food, protein and calicum from alfalfa, grain to replace her calories, carbs and fat on the milkstand, lots of clean water. But you can't take a poor milker, which most meat goats are, they have high fat milk for fast growing babies, just not alot of it, and expect to turn them into dairy goats. You could start with a younger doe at your place, one from the doe in your herd with the most milk. Than milk her. But milking a doe who is used to nursing 2 kids for 3 months and than expect her to milk for 10 months, 2 quarts per day, is unrealistic. Yes you can milk any mammal, but this question is alot like someone on a dairy cow forum asking how to get their Angus Cow to milk more, or milk for a longer time, when she has be prewired from calving and nursing for a short period, and never been challenged to milk. Her body is made to make meat, not milk. So if you increase her grain she makes more meat, too much grain and she makes more soft fat. Same with your doe who is built and bred to grow hair.

But your goal could be reached with genetics. Just like Nubians, they are and never were meant to be the dairy goats they are now. They were bred for dual purpose animals and you can find bloodlines that still carry the shorter bodied, shorter legged, genes. The long, tall, stretchy bloodlines with the tremendous udders, does with wills to milk that don't put on excessive fleshing like they used to are much more popular now, for obvious reasons. You could eaisly start a milking cashmere line by keeping the best udders, going for both size and shape. Keeping bucks out of dams with the most milk, and breeding them back to their dams and sisters with the most milk. Just like you improve them to get the best hair. Have fun! Vicki

[Denwally Farm]

thanks for the reply. I really don't plan to turn my Cashmeres into milk goats. In fact, the reason I started milking Claudia is that she doesn't have very long fiber, so I would cull her as a fiber goat. I just thought I could put her to some other good use, but I could always send her out to my brush eating gang. One quart per day is enough for Mom to drink and me to make some yogurt. I like the relationship I am developing with the goat. I had heard from some other Cashmere owners that they had gotten two quarts per day (still not a dairy goat amount). And I know my own milk supply would shrink and grow depending on the need of my son, so I thought maybe she just needed some stimulus to make more milk.

[Laura Workman]

Just milk her out completely twice a day. And keep at it for as long as you're getting any milk to speak of. Sometimes, they can drop off at weaning, but will come back again once their bodies realize there is still a demand. Then again, sometimes not. Depends on the goat, and you really don't know yet what this gal can do, so it can't hurt to try.

Milking once a day will be counter productive. Milking three or four times a day could help increase supply, but what a pain! And anyway, it's nice to have that twelve-hour gap so the udder and teats can fill and expand to their fullest capacity. Otherwise, you can have potential for great production, but the udder just isn't big enough to hold it.

[Denwally Farm]

Thank, Laura, that makes me feel better. Actually, what I thought was tailing off was probably just some minor fluctuation. I may have to settle for about 22 oz per day max. I usually milk at 6 and 6. this sunday I am going out to visit a farm in the afternoon, so I have decided to milk three times that day, 6, 2, 10 and will see if that keeps up the flow. At least I won't have to worry about missing a milking. I'll let folks know if that makes a difference.