Clover's Kidding Thread :D

[Goatgirl47]

Here are my questions:

1. At what age should we have them dis-budded?
2. When will they be old enough so that I can separate them from Clover and milk her?
3. I'm so used to cow's colostrum - which is very yellow - Clover's colostrum is white. Is that normal?
4. One more - when to wean them? I would like to keep them on Clover as long as possible.

Thank you...

 

[Poka_Doodle]

So cute

 

[Hens and Roos]

Here are my questions:

1. At what age should we have them dis-budded?
2. When will they be old enough so that I can separate them from Clover and milk her?
3. I'm so used to cow's colostrum - which is very yellow - Clover's colostrum is white. Is that normal?

Thank you...

1. probably 7-10 days old- you don't want the horn to get to big
2. if I remember correctly, we gave them several weeks on the doe and as long as they were getting enough to eat and gaining weight, we then separated overnight and milked the doe in the morning only. Our 1 doe let her kids nurse for 3-4 months.
3. With our doe's their colostrum wasn't very yellow- but thicker than regular milk. I'm guessing each doe is different.

 

[Ridgetop]

If you are raising them for milk, it is better to wait to cull until you can get them both in milk. then pick the one with the best udder attachments and best milk. Of course, you have to be able to let one go after raising it for 2 years! If your mom won't let you keep them that long just pick your favorite. I know you can't choose right now while they are so cute and new but you will develop a bigger attachment to one of them. I love the brown with lots of white pattern - the other looks like a pure Toggenburg. So adorable! Our first lamb is starting to run and jump around playing and is soooo cute! I wish the other lambs would hurry up and get here - I love to watch tiny kids and lambs playing with each other. We used to put several large pieces of tree trunks in their pen and the kids would play King of the Castle and knock each other off!

 

[Latestarter]

As for weaning, from all that I've read here, for the smaller breeds most start @6-8 weeks, for larger breeds some wean @8 weeks, others wait till 12-16 weeks. some just let the doe wean the kids on her own schedule. I believe pretty much once they start eating the hay on a more or less regular basis (fully developed rumen) it's up to you.

 

[Ridgetop]

The colostrum is sticky and while not too yellow, it does have a slight tinge to it. I used to wait about a week before using the milk for the house to make sure that it was all out of the milk we wanted to drink. Some people feel that after the first 24 hours there is no colostrum left, but I used to heat treat the first 48 hours for the babies. I froze a lot so I would have plenty for the newborns.

If you want the milk for the house, how much do you need? Are you milking in the am and pm or only once a day? Are you planning to bottle feed the kids? If you leave the kids on until they start to eat hay, they will be starting the weaning process and her milk yield will start to decrease. If you take them away before 3 months you will have to give them a bottle - 1 quart apiece am and pm. We never let our kids nurse, and wanted maximum yield so we just bottle fed. My friend would separate the kids at night, milk at in the am and turn the kids in with the doe for the day after milking. You could reverse that too, but if she is a first freshener you will not be getting more than about a quart or so at each milking so if she is your only source of milk, you might want to consider milking 2x a day to keep her production up starting when the kids are 2 months. You might have to supplement the kids for a month if you want goat milk for the house. Otherwise you can start milking when they are 3 months, separate them completely, and milk 2x a day for maximum production. Depending on her mother and bloodlines, you will get as little as 1 quart or as much as 1 1/2 quarts in a day per milking. She will produce more milk with each consecutive kidding until she is in her prime around 4-6 years old. Then her lactation may start to drop a little. This is based on multiple kids - singles can lower the yield. You can weigh the milk and feed her 1 pound of grain for each pound of milk she produces. a gallon of milk weigh 8 lbs. Weighing is better than measuring since milk weighs differently depending on the percentage of butterfat in it. Butterfat varies depending on time closest to kidding, genetics, and other factors. If Clover's breeder kept milk records, you should ask for a copy of her mom's milk records and her sire's mom's milk records and that will help you manage her lactation. If she is a very heavy producer from heavy production lines, you want to watch her for milk fever problems in future kiddings.

For disbudding, I liked to do it as soon as I can feel a good horn bud. Wait too late and you have a greater chance of scurs, too soon and it is harder to find the bud. Alpines usually grow their horns sooner than Nubians and bucks sooner than does, so I would keep checking and do it at about 7-10 days plus like Hens and Roos said. Be sure you get all the bud so it won't scur. I shave the horn bud first because the smell of burned hair is really gross. It also helps to find the bud easier.

 

[Goatgirl47]

We do want the milk for us, but we don't need a whole lot of milk because we have milk cows, and they give us most of what we need. I would like to milk in the mornings, once a day, but maybe when the doelings get bigger I'll milk twice a day. I would like the kids to be with their Momma all day long until I switch to TAD milking.

I was wondering about that - how I can't feel the kids horn buds - I always can with calves if they are horned, right after they are born.

 

[Goatgirl47]

Aren't they just the cutest things. It is always nice when things work they way they are supposed to. Congratulations. Was Clover bred to an Alpine buck?

Yes.

 

[babsbag]

I sell my Alpines at 8 weeks and they are weaned at that point. If I keep one mom may let it nurse until it is a year old (or more) so you have to watch that. I start separating them at night at 2 weeks of age and milk once a day in the mornings.

As far as the horn buds, you can usually feel them at about 2 or 3 days. The larger breed goats usually have to be done earlier, and my experience is that 10 days is almost too late, I usually shoot for about 7 days. Bucks are worse, some are born with horn buds...seriously.

The reason I asked about the buck being Alpine as one doeling looks like a Togg. If they are registered with ADGA any color is ok in an alpine, EXCEPT the Togg brown and solid white. Brown with white patches is ok. Doesn't mean she won't be a great goat, just means that she will never win in a show ring.

 

[Goatgirl47]

I also thought she looked like a Toggenburg. It doesn't matter though, at least I won't be showing her.