# 2yr old LaMancha goat milking and "in heat" questions :)



## scalaway (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi ! Our 2yr old LaMancha is our first milker and she's been wonderful letting me "learn" on her..I've gotten faster over the last few months too so I'm sure she appreciates that as well.  I've notived lately that her milk production is dropping by like a whole cup.  She was giving a full  (sometimes more) quart 2x a day and now she's down.  Is it something I'm doing?  Is there something I can do to help "boost" her production?  We do the whole 6am/6pm time thing -- varying sometimes but no more than a half an hour --Is it me??

My other question is she supposibly went into heat last year in October....she hasn't yet... Do they always go into heat the same time?  Am I missing something there too?  From what I've read, it should be pretty obvious right?  We  have a buck lined up for her (same one she was bred to last year.)- just waiting for the signs!

Any advice/wisdom is greatly appreciated


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 29, 2011)

Production does fluctuate.  She may be cycling, but not be entirely obvious about it.  Heat cycles will cause a drop in production, among other things, but it picks up again.  Not all of them are obvious and you may have to tune in to small changes or test them with a buck.


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## scalaway (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks..I'd wondered about the whole "in heat" thing.... She doesn't have any other signs (obvious signs that is) - would she???  I've been scanning obscene pictures of goat behinds to make sure I have a picture of what I should be seeing... I haven't seen any "behavior" changes though either...  What exactly should I be looking for other than the "behind" stuff ??  Thanks for your help, I appreciate it !!  One more quick question -- If I have "missed" this one, will she cycle again or am I just out of luck this year??


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## DKRabbitry (Oct 29, 2011)

Weeeeeell I am going through the same thing.  I had specific bucks I wanted to breed my does to and was waiting and waiting for signs of heat and getting nothing.  So I brought over a teaser buck to see if that didn't entice some reactions through the fence.   Did that for about a month and still nothing.  So, I ended up just putting the buck in with them.  I still haven't seen any signs of heat, but I have been told by multiple sources that you won't necessarily see them and they could all be bred.


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## scalaway (Oct 29, 2011)

I feel like a pervert looking at her behind all the time trying to figure things out!!  I guess she went into heat last year this time soooo she should be any day now I would think???  The buck we have lined up for her is a 40 minute ride in the mini van away, so I hate to drive her all the way out there for nothing...it's quite the production !!  Just wondered if there were other things I should be looking for???


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## scalaway (Oct 29, 2011)

and is the whole "heat" thing  a one shot deal?????  Do they cycle a few times a season??  I'm such a newbie with this stuff !!


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## Queen Mum (Oct 29, 2011)

She should go into heat every 21 days or so.  You can get a buck rag from someone and tease her with it.  (get a rag and rub it all over a buck.  then put it in a sealed jar.)  Every week or so, put it under her face and if she tries to stuff her face in the jar, when you open it, you pretty much know she is in heat.  Or you can take her to the breeder and leave her there for a week or two.  

Other signs of heat are decreased milk production,  more talking,  more frisky behavior, irritability, tail flagging more frequently.   Sometimes you have to dry her off to see more blatant signs of heat.  Some lactating goats don't show strong signs of heat like the dry does.  I have one who doesn't show ANY signs of heat except very minor signs if she is lactating, but the minute she is dried off, the whole world gets noisy and raukus for her and she gets blooming pink in the bottom and gets all drippy and leaps around like a teenager in the first blush of hormones on her first day of school.


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## Cara Peachick (Oct 30, 2011)

I'm new also, this being my first fall looking for heats in my girls.  I have 3 LaManchas.  My queen's tail was up and she was all of a sudden sharing food with the "Underlings".  We took her in the minivan to the buck and she would have none of it, BUT 24 hours later her tail was apparently wagging like crazy and she was accepting of the buck's advances.  While she was away (48 hours), the remaining two does (even the 4 month old baby!) went into heat - they were more obvious about it - more vocal and more mucus in the hind end 

Anyway, good luck!  If you have a place you can leave her with the buck for a little while, it is helpful.


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## zzGypsy (Oct 30, 2011)

we've found milk quantity fluctuation has more to do with temperature (weather) and general health than with being in heat. when it's really hot, we get less milk.  if they're off their feed for any reason (a little bloat, a cold, an upset stomach) they make less milk.  we haven't seen production drop in our lamanchas regarding being in heat. 

I've got a Kinder who is completely ADHD when she's in heat - bouncing off the fence, the boulders in their pen, the milk stand, the other goats and YELLING the whole time (3-5 days) 
my top producer LaMancha has stealth heats.  we can't tell. at all.
her 2-yr old daughter gets agitated and a little loud and a little tail-flippy.

in our small herd (10 females) we have quite a bit of variability in behavior, so you may just have to get to know your goats.


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