# let mama wean on her own schedule?



## Long Last Farm (Sep 12, 2012)

Hi!
I am a new goat owner--we just got an Alpine mama with her twin doelings that are 3 and 1/2 months old.  Mama seems to push them away most of the time when they try to nurse. They are both eating goat food, browse, hay etc. One doeling is significantly smaller than the other, but we have been making sure she gets her share of the food, and giving her power drench on her food,etc. We have been separating the larger doeling from the mama at night so the littler one can nurse. But, mama seems to be discouraging the nursing.

That is ok with me.  We had wanted to try to milk her so my family could have some milk, but if she is ready to wean, we can wait. I have tried to milk her ,both by hand, and with a dainty doe farm vaccum milker, but I get very very little milk, and she resists.We would like to breed her by the end of October so she would have her babies in the spring.

I have so many questions:
If we let her wean naturally, will she get "overfull"? Or, will she gradually reduce her production?
Is there any disadvantage to just letting her "do it herself'?
If we let her wean by herself , will she be ready to breed in Ocotber?

I would love to hear from you experienced BYH'ers!
thank you so much!
Pat


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## daisychick (Sep 12, 2012)

If you are wanting to milk her for your own use, I would wean the babies now.   If she weans them on her own her milk production will go down as she weans them.   The less the babies take the less her body will make.   You could also lock them up away from her at night and take the first morning milk for yourself.    Without babies on her, she will get a lot fuller and be easier for you to get milk out.   After a few days without babies nursing, she will be more than happy to release milk.    I weaned my first 2 sets of babies at 2 and 1/2 months and started milking both does.   Their milk production went right up as I milked and they are still milking great.    Hope that helps.

edited to add:  I tried locking the babies up at night for a while and did get quite a bit of morning milk, but when I weaned them completely  I got twice the amount of milk.


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## Long Last Farm (Sep 12, 2012)

Thank you, daisy chick!

We really have alot of things going on at our place right now, that I am ok with just letting mama decide.  Mama is very resistant to be milked--I don't think her previous owner consistenly milked her and got her used to being milked. It probably doesn't help that I have not milked before .

Anyway, if it doesn't interfere with her being bred in the fall, I might just let the situation go on as it is.  As long as she doesn't get overfull,and you think it won't hurt her to just wean gradually on her own, I'm leaning towards just leaving her be and do it on her own.
any other suggestions?
THANKS!  Pat


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## Mf628 (Oct 5, 2012)

Naturally weaning the kids will be the best for somebody who is new to milking. Keeping her in milk will not interfere with breeding as most commercial dairy goats are not dried up until two months before they are due to kid. I would start milking her once a day as soon after she kids in the spring. Preferably in the morning as the kids will have all day to get more milk out of her. The more you milk her and the more the kids take, the more milk she will produce. 

When you're ready to wean her next year's kids, I would start seperating them from the mother at night starting around three months. The way I do it, I seperate the kids around dusk and then I milk whatever milk is left in the doe from during the day, and then I milk her again in the morning before letting the kids back with her. No matter how much you milk out in the morning, she will always have some stored inside for her kids that she doesn't let down for you. At night is also when I start feeding the kids hay and grain.


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## Cara Peachick (Oct 25, 2012)

A few things.  I recommend buying a hobble (from any goat supply) for a goat who is not used to being milked.  They can still move with it on, but it discouages them.  If you have the luxury, a (temporary) helper to hold her in place while you figure out how to milk may make it easier. Also, when you do start to milk her, whether now or in the spring, you  will need to be persistent and teach her that she doesn't get away from milking by misbehaving.  At least, that is what has worked for me.

This is how I personally handle kids, milking, weaning, etc.  After birth, kids have mom all to themselves for about 2 weeks.  Then I begin to separate kids from mom at night and milk the does in the AM before letting them back together.  When I first start the separation, I make it a short night (maybe put the kids away last thing before I go to bed and milk early in the AM and then expand from there).  At first, I milk only once a day.  Most of my kids were sold and went to their new homes around 8-10 weeks and I began to milk mom 2x day once at least one of her kids left. You can wean the kids earlier, but I am growing healthy babies as well as getting milk, so I don't mind sharing for a little while.  From then on, I milk 2x day until after the does are pregnant in the fall and then slowly dry them off to give them 2 1/2 - 3 months off before new kids are born and we begin again.  Plus, do you really want to be milking in January anyway???  One other fun tidbit is if you are milking a doe who has a hungry kid waiting for her, you don't have to dip her teats after.  Goat baby spit will do it for you.

Having your doe in milk or having an older kid who still nurses occasionally will not interfere in breeding her or in her being fertile.  By then, the kids are old enough, too, that if your doe travels to be bred, the kids can stay home.  They will be a little sad, but they will have each other.

In general, a doe will produce milk according to her geentic capacity, her health, her diet, and DEMAND.  You can't change genetics, and assuming you are keeping her as healthy and well fed as possible, the combo of the kids nursing and you milking creates demand.  Once demand falls, it is harder to raise it back up again.

Good luck!


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